Welcome to the weekly update from the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity! Here, we give you a wrap-up of the latest developments and notable news as we continue our state-focused fight to abolish the unjust rule.
This week, criminal justice experts decry qualified immunity; a Latinx watchdog group calls out rogue NYPD cops; civil rights leaders demand police transparency; and more!
FEATURED STORY
Chicago Tribune: Sonia Pruitt and Carlton T. Mayers II: Want Police Accountability? End Qualified Immunity for Officers.
“To ensure effective police accountability, the decertification process must be linked to criminal and civil liability. The elimination of qualified immunity that acts either as a trigger for or an extension of the decertification process would deliver the commitment to police accountability that the public demands and deserves.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
In June 2020, rogue cops in Buffalo fractured 75-year-old Martin Gugino’s skull at a Black Lives Matter protest. Yet despite seriously harming a senior citizen, they won’t face discipline: “An arbitrator has ruled that [the] two officers who pushed Gugino did not violate department policies for use of force.”
Read more here.
How the Blue Wall of Silence damages public safety: “A report from LatinoJustice found that of the 181 New York Police Department officers who were found to have lied to police watchdogs over the last decade, not one was fired.”
Read more here.
VERMONT
The ACLU of Vermont offers updates on where key legislation stands as the state legislature prepares to adjourn next month. “Due primarily to the obstruction and opposition of state law enforcement leaders, several police reforms bills have been watered down to a collection of studies,” notes the civil rights organization. One of these is S.254, the bill to end qualified immunity.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
On April 6, Baltimore County residents gathered to discuss the new police accountability board, providing input on the board’s membership, function, and how it will represent neighborhoods county-wide. “We’ve got to make this board reflective of our communities and so that means making sure…that our community can hold police accountable,” said one of the residents.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
Fox 17 West Michigan: Nat’l and Local Leaders Hold Forum after Patrick Lyoya Shot and Killed by GR Police Officer
“Every Black family lives in fear that a routine traffic stop will turn deadly. Patrick’s fate is the nightmare we live with every day. It is essential that all video evidence be made public as soon as possible so that we can see with our own eyes and hear with our own ears what happened to Patrick. Full transparency is the only way to regain community trust.”
Read more here.
Washington Examiner: ‘Mere Possession’ of Gun Doesn’t Permit Police Deadly Force, Appeals Court Says
“The appeals court sided with the estate of [Michael Scott] Knibbs last month in saying they should be allowed to bring their case to a trial, arguing a resident has the right under the Fourth Amendment to come to their door with a firearm and that officers must adequately identify themselves to gain qualified immunity.”
Read more here.
KOIN 6: Portland Police Used ‘Unprecedented Levels’ of Force During 2020 Protests: Report
“This dynamic over time eroded protestors’ confidence that city leaders respected their constitutional right to free speech and assembly. It also further hardened the protestors’ relationship with the police.”
Read more here.
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