Welcome to the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity’s weekly wrap-up for 1/10–1/14! Here, we highlight the week’s updates and notable news as we continue our state-focused fight to abolish the unjust rule.
This week, Aloe Blacc slams qualified immunity; Seattle watchdogs expose rogue cops; Oregon policymakers protect the right to protest in Portland; and more!
FEATURED STORY
USA Today: Want to Build Trust? Quit Trampling Our Right to Hold Government Officials Accountable.
“‘Police and other government officials can make mistakes,’ Aloe Blacc writes. ‘Qualified immunity tramples our basic right to a fair trial against them in civil court.’”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
“Jason [Jones] was…not threatening anyone when the police hit him with 50,000 volts of electrical current and he ignited.” This is how the rogue cops reacted to their negligence: “[they] ran out the room, shut the door and let him burn.”
Read more here.
VERMONT
In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Vermont traffic stops dropped 40 percent—a record low. However, this had no effect on unjust racial disparities, as “the stop rate for Black drivers was twice as high as for white drivers.”
Read more here.
WASHINGTON
The National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) recently testified in support of HB 1202, the public safety bill to end qualified immunity in the Evergreen State. Washington’s House Judiciary and Civil Rights Committee held a hearing on HB 1202 on January 11, which also featured testimony from Colorado Rep. Leslie Herod (who was instrumental in ending qualified immunity in her state) and members of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership.
Read NPAP’s statement here.
Rogue Seattle cops undermined 2020 racial justice protests by fabricating threats concerning the Proud Boys. Although a watchdog group exposed this awful ploy, “It appears unlikely, however, that anyone will face punitive actions.”
OREGON
In the name of public safety, Portland policymakers recently passed House Bill 2928, a measure that “prohibits the use of tear gas…[and] restricts the use of impact munitions for crowd control” in order to protect racial justice protestors from violent cops.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
The ACLU of Maryland has released a statement on behalf of the Maryland Coalition for Justice & Police Accountability calling for Prince George’s County to halt recruitment for Police Accountability Board members “until the community has had a fair and equitable opportunity to participate in the process and offer…recommendations.”
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
Governing: The Fight to End Qualified Immunity Is Just Beginning in States Across the Country
The Institute for Justice: “grass-roots support is essential to demonstrate to policymakers at the state and local level that their constituents are desperate for the accountability necessary to restore trust between government officials and the communities they serve.”
Read more here.
The Hill: 3 Other Police Officers Involved in George Floyd Death to Go on Trial This Month
“[Tou Thao, J. Kueng and Thomas Lane] are charged…with using their government authority to deprive Floyd of his rights. . . .The trial comes about nine months after Derek Chauvin was convicted for second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder.”
Read more here
New Jersey Monitor: Cops Shouldn’t Be Able to View Body-cam VIdeo Before Writing Reports
“Community leaders and residents of Black and Brown communities have not only had to deal with trauma that comes with experiencing and witnessing police violence, they also have had to constantly deal with the trauma of witnessing those that do harm not being held accountable.”
Read more here.
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