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, Newark redefines public safety; the New York City Council weighs in on police transparency; an elderly Florida woman seeks justice after Texas cops broke her arm; and more!
FEATURED STORY
The Nation: The Future of Public Safety Is Here in Newark
“[Newark], under the leadership of Mayor Ras Baraka, has been building the model for the future of public safety for nearly a decade. At its core is the principle that the people closest to the problem—residents who experience the violence—are those best equipped to identify the needs of the community and build solutions to the violence.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
Seeking to increase police transparency, the New York City Council is eyeing a slate of new measures, including a bill that would give the Civilian Complaint Review Board “unfettered access” to bodycam footage. In response, the local police union has started a smear campaign, claiming that these public safety proposals are an “anti-cop caucus.”
Read more here.
In 2011, NYPD cop James Connolly fatally shot John Callado and used his police connections to evade accountability. As a reminder of the injustice—and as “a sign of resistance”—the Inwood, New York, community has renamed a street John Callado Way.
Read more here.
VERMONT
On Tuesday, New York State authorities unsealed the indictment for Vermont cop Vito Caselnova, who faces several charges—including attempted murder—for his involvement in an off-duty shooting last November in Saratoga Springs.
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
A Chicago watchdog group has revealed that the city’s police academy encourages recruits to “justify or even cover up police brutality” by teaching officers that their lives are more valuable than those of the community members they are sworn to protect.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
The Austin Chronicle: Austin Jailer Breaks Elderly Deaf Woman’s Arm After Misunderstanding at Airport
“Karen McGee, a deaf, 71-year-old Florida resident, is considering a lawsuit against the city of Austin after what was supposed to be a three-hour layover at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport turned into an arrest, a weekend in the Travis County Jail, and an arm broken by a jailer and left untreated for three days.”
Read more here.
The New York Times: Another Mental Illness Tragedy Spurs Questions About Virginia’s Health System
“‘Having a mental health crisis cannot be a death sentence,’ said Princess Blanding, [Marcus-David] Peters’s sister, who pushed for improvements to the system but believes that the changes that resulted from her brother’s death were still inadequate. ‘When a person’s kidneys fail them or their heart stops functioning, we don’t throw them in jail. Why are we doing that when their brains are not functioning the way they normally would?’”
Read more here.
AP News: Muddy Clothes? ‘Cop City’ Activists Question Police Evidence
“Following the arrests, numerous activists told The Associated Press that they fear being detained on flimsy charges that could have huge ramifications. But they are committed to ensuring that what they refer to disparagingly as ‘Cop City’ will never be built.”
Read more here.
ABC News: Police Release Body Camera Footage Showing Fatal Shooting of Timothy Johnson
“The surveillance and body camera videos from Feb. 22 were shown publicly for the first time during a Thursday press conference led by Police Chief Kevin Davis, who announced that the officer who fired the fatal shot has been dismissed from the department.”
Read more here.
Fox 13: Family of Man Shot, Killed by Police Officer in Sandy React to Sudden Loss
“‘You think you’re going to call 911 like I did and you think it’s going to help the family or help him, and it turns out he gets murdered,’ said Dylan [Murphy’s] older brother, KC Murphy….The shooting is being investigated under the Salt Lake County officer-involved critical incident protocol, and the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave.”
Read more here.
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