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, cop TV shows acknowledge the call for police reform; a new California law targets racist policing; The Onion gets serious about the First Amendment; and more!
FEATURED STORY
The New York Times: The Cop Show Enters the ‘Defund’ Era
“In 2020 the police killings of George Floyd and other Black people spurred many Americans to take a hard look at the police. Including the police on TV….there are signs that the [cop show] genre has been evolving in response to the current climate, which saw public trust in law enforcement reach a record low two years ago.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
“Utterly lawless…nothing short of an extrajudicial campaign of terror and kidnapping.” A lawsuit brought by a group of Rikers Island inmates alleges that rogue NYC officials have been sending people to prison without granting them access to their rightful court hearing.
Read more here.
Police transparency in NYC has gotten a big boost, thanks to the Legal Aid Society: The social justice nonprofit has launched Law Enforcement Lookup, an online database that allows users to track police records. “It’s a powerful research tool that can be used to hold officers accountable,’‘ said Legal Aid’s Jennvine Wong.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
Jazmin Valentine, who was 8 months pregnant when she was incarcerated in July 2021, is suing the rogue corrections officers who ignored her pleas for medical care when she gave birth in an unsanitary jail cell. “I’ve dealt with some pretty egregious behavior by people,” said Valentine’s attorney. “I would say this is one of the most inhumane cases in my career.”
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
Peoria resident Samuel V. Richmond lost his life Monday night after a violent police encounter. The incident is currently under investigation, and the rogue cops have been placed on leave. “He was fifty-plus years of age, never been in trouble with the police. Was always a humble person,” said a friend of Richmond’s at a memorial gathering. “This is something that needs transparency. We want transparency, we want answers.”
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
ABC 7: New CA Law Requires Additional Police Screening for Ties to Hate Groups
“The CLEAR Act, short for California Law Enforcement Accountability Reform Act…[is] being described as an effort to enhance community trust…‘The reality is when it comes to folks that are working in law enforcement, that have a badge and the power that comes with it, we shouldn’t cut corners,’ Asm. [Ash] Kalra said.”
Read more here.
The Washington Post: The Onion Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief Defending the Right to Parody
“‘The Onion regularly pokes its finger in the eyes of repressive and authoritarian regimes…and domestic presidential administrations,’ the brief says. ‘So The Onion’s professional parodists were less than enthralled to be confronted with a legal ruling that fails to hold government actors accountable for jailing and prosecuting a would-be humorist simply for making fun of them.’”
Read more here.
Fox 2 Detroit: Detroit Police Investigating Deadly Officer-involved Shooting Sunday Morning
“Family members identified the victim as 20-year-old Porter Burks. They say they called 911 Saturday night and Sunday morning because Burks had a knife. ‘We are hurting. You know he had a mental health issue. You’ve dealt with him before. Why would you kill him,’ said Michelle Wilson, Porter’s aunt.”
Read more here.
Bloomberg Law: Fifth Circuit Rejects Police Shooting Qualified Immunity Defense
“The district court erred by granting officer Craig Roper qualified immunity because questions existed regarding the severity of the crime involved and whether Tavis Crane posed a threat…‘using deadly force on an unarmed, albeit non-compliant, driver held in a chokehold in a parked car was a constitutional violation,’ [Judge] Higginbotham said.”
Read more here.
The Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka Police Refuse to Release Body Camera Footage of June Fatal Officer-involved Shooting
“Topeka police have an obligation to make the video public to answer questions surrounding [Christopher] Kelly’s death, [attorney Max] Kautsch said. ‘The credibility of the entire local law enforcement apparatus is at stake until it releases the video,’ he said.”
Read more here.
Law and Crime: Anti-Gay Marriage Former County Clerk Kim Davis Loses Bid for Qualified Immunity in Lawsuit Brought by Same-Sex Couples, Again
“Davis violated the ‘clearly established’ rights of two couples—David Ermold and David Moore; and James Yates and Will Smith—to marry ‘when she declined to issue marriage licenses based on her belief that same-sex marriage was immoral,’ Judge Richard Allen Griffin of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in the brief, five-page opinion.”
Read more here.
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