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, The Washington Post reports on the devastating effects of nonfatal police shootings; Maryland’s attorney general re-examines cases for police bias; another cop pleads guilty for George Floyd’s death; and more!
FEATURED STORY
The Washington Post: The Unseen Toll of Nonfatal Police Shootings
“For every five people shot and killed by police…four others were shot and survived….a hidden population whose circumstances largely echo those in fatal shootings but who survive to grapple with a lifetime of debilitating wounds, emotional trauma and legal fallout.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
Former jail guard Jason C. Stachowski, who pleaded guilty to a felony last April, had a known history of misconduct allegations from when he served in the Buffalo Police Department. Yet that didn’t stop the Erie County Correctional Facility from hiring him five years ago—and offering him a $15,000 pay increase.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
Responding to concerns over former state medical examiner David R. Fowler’s alleged record of pro-cop bias, Maryland’s attorney general has announced that his office will re-examine about 100 cases where the victims died under police custody. Last year, Fowler testified in Derek Chauvin’s defense in the George Floyd murder trial.
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
Following an investigation, Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability has determined that Eric Stillman, the officer who killed Adam Toledo, “acted inconsistently with his training” when he fatally shot the 13-year-old last year and thus deserves to be fired.
Read more here.
Invisible Institute founder Jamie Kalven has written an op-ed blasting disgraced former Chicago police sergeant Ronald Watts. Over the years, Watts and his team eroded public trust in law enforcement by “routinely plant[ing] evidence and fabricat[ing] drug and gun charges against those who did not cooperate with them.”
Read more here.
“The outcome of this case represents a determination that someone who made ‘false’ and ‘contradicting’ statements about his association with the Proud Boys should continue to wear the uniform of the Chicago Police Department.” After an investigation revealed that Officer Robert Bakker had ties to the far-right Proud Boys, his supervisors placed him on a 120-day suspension—a decision that sparked outrage at City Hall, as many believe the racist cop should’ve been fired outright.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
Reuters: Former Minnesota Police Officer Pleads Guilty in George Floyd Case
“J. Alexander Kueng, who pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter in state court, was one of three officers who did not intervene while Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020, killing him.”
Read more here.
The Guardian: California Sheriff’s Office Stops Black Drivers Five Times More Often Than White People, Data Shows
“‘The vast amount of time that law enforcement is out on patrol is counterproductive to community safety,’ said Chauncee Smith, co-author of the report and Catalyst California’s senior manager of reimagine justice and safety. ‘It amounts to millions of dollars of public resources wasted on these racially biased practices.’”
Read more here.
Them: A Florida Police Officer Illegally Choked an Unarmed Trans Woman
“‘You see the video; what [the police] said happened compared to what actually happened is not true,’ [attorney Katherine] Viker told HuffPost in a statement. ‘The video is the best representation of what actually occurred. Videos don’t lie.’”
Read more here.
NBC News: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Police Officer Accused of Kicking a Handcuffed Man in the Face
“The grand jury indicted Sgt. Eric Huxley, 44, on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that Huxley was charged ‘with violating the civil rights of [Jermaine Vaughn] by using excessive force.’”
Read more here.
CBS News: Tennessee Man Claims Racial Profiling After Violent Arrest
“[The victim’s] father, Ed Calloway,…[remarked] that the situation ‘revealed the issues that we still have with the relationship between police and young African-American males, and this innate fear of being caught up in this situation.’”
Read more here.
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