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 Cato Institute explains how qualified immunity hurts law enforcement; advocates hold a press conference supporting New York’s public safety bill; renewed calls for federal police reform intensify following Amir Locke’s death; and more!
FEATURED STORY
Cato Institute: How Qualified Immunity Hurts Law Enforcement
“Police appropriately have many protections to ensure they can do their job.…But qualified immunity is an arbitrary standard that goes beyond these protections—providing cover for bad officers.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
VOCAL-NY and EndQINY led a virtual press conference urging legislators to pass S 1991 and hold rogue cops and correctional officers accountable for their civil rights violations. “This is about fixing a culture of impunity that’s been rampant in law enforcement for years,” said Darlene McDay, co-founder of EndQINY.
Read more here.
Watch the press conference here.
Eleven years ago, off-duty Nassau County police officer Anthony DiLeonardo gravely injured innocent cabdriver Thomas Moroughan in a drunken fit. Records reveal the appalling lengths higher-ups went to cover up this sickening act of police brutality. “They don’t want the truth to come out, because if the truth comes out, it’s very embarrassing. And maybe even worse, it’s criminal,” said Pace University law professor Bennett Gershman.
Read more here.
WASHINGTON
Disregarding public safety, the Washington State Senate recently passed SB 5919, a bill expanding the police’s ability to use physical force. “It’s disappointing to see the Senate rush through a bill that will harm communities, particularly the communities of color and people with disabilities this Legislature made a commitment to protect…,” said the ACLU of Washington’s Enoka Herat.
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended firing a group of officers caught pistol-whipping a man in a convenience store in 2017. But despite the rogue cops’ shocking use of excessive force, “The police department has thus far not fired any of them.”
Read more here. (CW: Article contains video depicting graphic police violence.)
ADDITIONAL NEWS
CNN Opinion: A Police Reform Can’t Wait Any Longer
“For all the impassioned speeches about the senseless deaths of [George] Floyd, [Breonna] Taylor and so many other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement, federal lawmakers have done absolutely nothing to prevent the cycle from repeating itself—something the world witnessed once again with the death of Amir Locke.”
Read more here.
The Washington Post: What the Father of the Miranda Warning Can Teach Us About Modern Police Reform Debates
“The help provided by [Yale] Kamisar’s work in guaranteeing protections to suspects and criminal defendants had a profound impact on America’s criminal justice system—and therein lies an important lesson for these turbulent times when law enforcement is again being challenged to undergo needed change.”
Read more here.
Huffington Post: Officer Placed On Leave After Viral Video Shows Him Choking Black Purdue Student
“‘Stop it, that’s my girlfriend,’ [Adonis] Tuggle is heard saying as the video continues. The woman recording the video repeatedly tells [Jon] Selke to stop and says ‘Get off of him’ twice, and then tells Selke that he is ‘hurting’ Tuggle and asks him to ‘take his elbow off his neck.’”
Read more here.
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