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, Ben and Jerry rallied in Boston against police brutality; the Marshall Project investigates aggressive policing in Memphis; the ACLU of Louisiana “defeats” qualified immunity in a wrongful death suit; and more!
FEATURED STORY
Boston 25 News: Ben & Jerry’s Founders Rally with Protestors Against Police Brutality
“‘We want to have accountability and justice in law enforcement and it simply does not exist,’ said Jerry Greenfield, the latter half of the namesake of Ben & Jerry’s.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
Last week, a judge freed 35-year-old Sheldon Thomas, who, due to police wrongdoing, spent 18 years behind bars for a killing he didn’t commit. Thomas’ case highlights “what can happen when checks in the criminal justice system break down.”
Read more here.
NYC jail captain Rebecca Hillman has been convicted of homicide for willfully neglecting inmate Ryan Wilson as he was dying in his cell. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the verdict “underscores the importance of public safety” within the prison system.
Read more here.
In 2021, retired cop Kruythoff Forrester was arrested for menacing three young teens with a gun. Instead of facing charges, Forrester was promptly released after his NYPD cronies intervened.
Read more here.
MARYLAND
“Allowing police to do searches based solely on the alleged smell of marijuana also permits officers to needlessly escalate routine traffic enforcement,” warned Yanet Amanuel and Dana Vickers Shelley from the ACLU of Maryland. Particularly troubling is that Maryland police are four times more likely to stop Black drivers than white ones.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
The Marshall Project: Aggressive Policing in Memphis Goes Far Beyond the Scorpion Unit
“In 2021, Memphis police arrested nearly 15,000 people…almost twice as many people as police arrested that year in Nashville, which…is the biggest city in Tennessee. The vast majority of people arrested in Memphis—86%—were Black, a large overrepresentation, even in a city where 65% of residents are Black.”
Read more here.
The Appeal: Police Killed His Son. Prosecutors Charged the Teen’s Friends with His Murder.
“It’s been four years since a Phoenix police officer killed Jacob Harris. Records obtained by The Appeal show officials have made inconsistent or false statements about the night police killed him. As Harris’s friends grow up behind bars, his father won’t stop until he gets justice for his son.”
Read more here.
New Jersey Monitor: Killing of Paterson Man Spurs Demand for More Mental Health Aid During Police Calls
“‘Even if police are called, you should use every resource at your disposal before you use lethal force. That does not mean in-house police resources—I’m talking about mental health experts, community-based resources that know the community and can help and could have made sure Najee [Seabrooks] was safe,’ [Liza Chowdhury, director of the Paterson Healing Collective] said.”
Read more here.
CNN: ‘Cop City’ Protester’s Hands Were Raised When Fatally Shot by Officers, Family Says
“The hands of Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, 26, who was killed in January, showed exit wounds in both palms, according to a news release from attorneys on Friday. ‘The autopsy further reveals that Manuel was most probably in a seated position, cross-legged when killed.’”
Read more here.
ACLU of Louisiana: ACLU of Louisiana Achieves Another Milestone Victory, Overcoming Qualified Immunity in Wrongful Death Suit
“The ACLU of Louisiana has defeated qualified immunity…overcoming [an] enormous legal challenge….The suit concerns the unjust seizure and wrongful death of Mr. Miguel Nevarez, a 36-year-old Afro-Latino man who officers fatally shot 17 times, and the subsequent failure to produce public records in connection with his death.”
Read more here.
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