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, Portland, Ore., scores a public safety victory; San Francisco reverses decision authorizing killer police robots; Alabama cops arrest elderly woman over a trash bill; and more!
FEATURED STORY
Portland Mercury: City Agrees to End the Use of “Flash-Bang” Grenades in Settlement with Don’t Shoot Portland
“‘This is a win for organizers and antifascist activists everywhere,’ said Teressa Raiford, director of Don’t Shoot Portland in a Tuesday press release. ‘Our freedom of expression is the foundation of how we make social change possible.’”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
Although the New York Legislature repealed a “notorious” secrecy law that has kept police disciplinary laws out of the public eye for decades, jurisdictions all over the state are refusing to release their records. The ACLU of New York is fighting to change that.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee has filed an amicus brief against law enforcement agencies that are attempting to block the release of public records documenting police abuse—a violation of Anton’s Law.
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
“You all needed to get that s— straight before you go to court, because I’m not lying for nobody.” Last week, former police commander Rodney Blisset testified in defense of Isaac Lambert, who was fired from his job as a Chicago detective after allegedly refusing to falsify a police report in 2017.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
The Washington Post: San Francisco Bars Police from Using Killer Robots, Reversing Recent Vote
“‘There have been more killings at the hands of police than any other year on record nationwide,’ [District Supervisor Dean] Preston said in a statement. ‘We should be working on ways to decrease the use of force by local law enforcement, not giving them new tools to kill people.’”
Read more here.
CBS 42: ‘You Ought to Be Ashamed’: 82-Year-Old Alabama Woman Says Arrest Over $77 Trash Bill Was Unjust, Unnecessary
“[Martha Menefield] said that if her trash bill had not been paid, her trash can should’ve simply been taken and her pickup suspended. But arresting her, she said, was unjust and unnecessary. ‘I was upset because I didn’t know why they would come and arrest me,’ she said.”
Read more here.
Black Wall Street Times: Aaron Dean on Trial for the 2019 Murder of Atatiana Jefferson
“After many delays, Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth police officer who fatally shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her own home, is now sitting on trial for her murder….The story of a White cop murdering a Black auntie playing video games with her nephew grabbed national headlines, sparking outrage and demands for accountability.”
Read more here.
The Washington Post: As Fatal Police Shootings Increase, More Go Unreported
“Even though federal records indicate that fatal shootings by police have been declining nationwide since 2015, The Washington Post’s Fatal Force database shows the opposite is true: Officers have shot and killed more people every year, reaching a record high in 2021 with 1,047 deaths.”
Read more here.
CT Insider: No Longer Uncommon for Police to Be Charged for Misconduct, Experts Say
“When it comes to prosecutors charging police officers for misconduct, ‘I am certain that it is more common today than it was perhaps as little as 10 or more years ago,’ Quinnipiac law professor William Dunlap said. ‘I think the primary reason for it is technology.’”
Read more here.
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