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, President Biden addresses police accountability during State of the Union; Ben and Jerry host a press conference for public safety in Vermont; NAACP attorneys condemn the “deepest failures” of qualified immunity; and more!
FEATURED STORY
ABC News: Biden Speaks on Law Enforcement During State of the Union Speech
“Let’s come together to protect our communities, restore trust, and hold law enforcement accountable.”
Watch here.
VERMONT
“Officers of the law have the right and ability to detain people, to pull a gun on people, to take away their civil liberties, and in some cases their life—[they] need more accountability, not less.” A group of Vermont lawmakers and public safety activists—including Sen. Kesha Ram-Hinsdale, Rev. Mark Hughes, and Ben and Jerry—held a press conference in Burlington, drawing attention to the necessity of abolishing qualified immunity in the Green Mountain State.
Read more here.
In an effort to curb racial disparities in policing, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, who supports ending qualified immunity, “will decline to prosecute charges stemming from evidence collected from non-safety-related traffic stops.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
“The public’s demand for greater access to police misconduct records stemmed from a demand to know why officers who abused New Yorkers face no consequences for their actions,” says Michael Sisitzky of the New York Civil Liberties Union, regarding a new police-transparency measure that could block rogue cops from hiding abuse.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
“Accountability is public safety, when we have the public’s trust and you have transparency.” On March 1, Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins introduced HB 1012, the bill to end qualified immunity, to the House Judiciary Committee.
Watch Del. Wilkins’ testimony here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
USA Today: They Told Her She Could Register to Vote. Why Should She Be in Prison for Their Error?
“The whole situation stemmed from a government official’s error, but [Pamela] Moses was the one held accountable. Meanwhile, law enforcement officers routinely harm and kill innocent people without consequence. This dichotomy illustrates some of the deepest failures of our legal system, which protects officials and punishes citizens—particularly Black citizens, like Moses.”
Read more here.
Reuters: Texas Police-Shooting Victim Featured in Reuters Qualified Immunity Series Dies
“Paralyzed from the waist down after the 2016 shooting, [David] Collie suffered from pressure wounds, infections, post-traumatic stress disorder and bouts of severe depression. His mother, Pamela McCloud, said his condition deteriorated in recent weeks as he nearly stopped eating and refused wound care and other treatments.”
Read more here.
Missouri Independent: St. Louis Tries to Block Lawsuit Against Police Officers from Going to Trial
“They’re asking for the Eighth Circuit to issue an order to tell everybody in the nation that there is an expansion of qualified immunity when police officers beat people when it’s during a protest. . . .Any decision that they make will be binding over all of the George Floyd protests of Minnesota.”
Read more here.
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