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, George Floyd’s family reflects on his legacy; Nashville stands firm for public safety; California high schoolers confront Antioch’s police chief; and more!
FEATURED STORY
The Real News Network: Three Years Later, George Floyd’s Family Members Are Still Fighting for Justice
Three years ago this week, George Floyd was murdered by former cop Derek Chauvin. Floyd’s brother and sister-in-law reflect on their loved one’s legacy and discuss how they’re using their voice to push for justice and accountability.
Watch here.
NEW YORK
Abuse by correctional officers has plunged the New York prison system into a humanitarian crisis. The Marshall Project spent two years investigating this problem and uncovered a database of disciplinary records that have been kept secret for decades.
Read their analysis here.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is offering generous recruitment bonuses in a bid to lure NYPD officers to the Sunshine State; signing up are scores of cops accused of unspeakable misconduct. DeSantis has called his effort the “strongest law enforcement recruitment and support initiative in the nation.”
Read more here.
VERMONT
The Vermont Attorney General’s office is charging state troopers Ryan Wood and Zachary Trocki for causing 61-year-old Marshall Dean to fall off a roof after they fired bean-bag rounds at him last year. Dean has since recovered from his injuries. The officers will be arraigned on May 30.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
Insider: A Guide to Solving Police Brutality From the Minnesota AG Who Put Derek Chauvin Behind Bars
“[Keith] Ellison said…that the more frequently police are held responsible for misbehavior, the more frequently other officers will think about it happening to them. ‘If we do this enough, and we create a norm of accountability, suddenly we start approaching justice,’ Ellison said.”
Read more here.
Nashville Fox 17: ‘The Work Must Continue’: Nashville Community Oversight Board Pushes Back Against New Law
“’Police and community relations is a journey, given our history,’ [Community Oversight Board Interim Chairman Alisha] Haddock said. ‘And the COB is still committed to…maintaining and shaping a robust public safety agenda that will help build trust in law enforcement and our city and our county.’”
Read more here.
Common Dreams: We Need More Accountability, Not More Black Trauma Porn
“The frequency of publicized police violence on social media, television, and in print is desensitizing us to violent acts against Black bodies, fueling an obsession with Black trauma porn…[that] has real consequences for real people. It can lead to further deaths by police as their workforce becomes more desensitized to unpenalized and incentivized violence.”
Read more here.
ABC News: Family of Colorado Man Killed by Police During Mental Health Crisis Gets $19 Million Settlement
“‘If we can save one more family from ever having to go through this, if we can stop some other poor person being gunned down by police for no reason, then that will be the major achievement,’ Sally Glass said in an interview along with her husband, Simon Glass.”
Read more here.
ABC 7 San Francisco: High School Students Drill Antioch Police Chief on Policies, Reform at Youth Forum
“There are many questions to emerge following the racist texting scandal at the Antioch Police Department. Wednesday night, students got to ask their questions to Police Chief Steven Ford. ‘How do we know that we can trust you?’ said one of the students of Chief Ford.”
Read more here.
NJ.com: N.J. Towns Quietly Paid $87M to Settle Lawsuits Against Cops. Inside the Secretive Deals.
“Often shrouded in secrecy, those payments were obtained through public records requests to 484 police departments in New Jersey. They represent a rare accounting of just how much legal settlements involving law enforcement are costing the state, at a time of demand for greater police accountability.”
Read more here.
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