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, public safety activists honor Breonna Taylor on the anniversary of her death; a new poll confirms that most New Yorkers favor ending qualified immunity; updates to Vermont’s civil rights bill; and more!
FEATURED STORY
The Washington Post: Two Years After Breonna Taylor Was Killed, Activists Say Protests Inspired Life Changes
“We want to see the government try something different…We won’t ever see true justice for Breonna until we see a system that is more equitable and fair, and provides resources and support. That’s what real change is going to look like.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
A new poll commissioned by End QI NY confirms that qualified immunity is a public safety concern in the Empire State, and repealing the doctrine is a top priority for voters: “an outright majority of New Yorkers, 58 percent, favor ending qualified immunity for public officials.”
Read more here.
Silvy Ovalle, a respected community leader from Long Island, explains how “Communities and law enforcement cannot work in solidarity” as long as qualified immunity exists. She believes
S 1991, the bill to eliminate the doctrine in New York, will help build public trust in policing.
Read more here.
“Ending qualified immunity gets us to a place where we can start having honest conversations about what safety looks like.” End QI NY and NYPAN-Our Revolution hosted a virtual town hall on March 10 centered on qualified immunity: What it is, why it’s unjust, and how New York can protect people’s civil rights by passing S 1991 and abolishing the doctrine.
Watch here.
VERMONT
The Fight to end qualified immunity continues in the Green Mountain State: “The Senate Judiciary Committee…voted 3-2 to advance a new version of S.254, which would commission an independent report on qualified immunity’s application in Vermont.”
Read more here.
MARYLAND
Mark Miles, the only Black officer in his Montgomery County squad, filed a lawsuit accusing his department of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation after his supervisors sent a series of hateful texts threatening Black Lives Matter protesters. “The fact that this kind of overt racist behavior has gone on unchecked inside the Police Department is just tremendously egregious, and it affects not only Officer Miles but the citizens they are charged to protect,” said Erika Jacobsen White, Officer Miles’ lawyer.
Read more here.
On March 15, the Montgomery County Council reviewed Bill 49-21, to establish a Policy Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee for the county. Watch here. (starts 1:19:37)
ADDITIONAL NEWS
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: A Philly Cop Killed a 12-Year-Old. What Happened to Police Reform in Pa.?
“In Philadelphia, city taxpayers paid out $136 million to settle [police misconduct] claims between 2010 and 2020, with more than half of that total (59 percent) involving officers who had been named in multiple claims, according to the [Washington] Post’s analysis of nearly 40,000 payments across 25 departments.”
Read more here.
Insider: A Mississippi Man Died Strapped in a Restraint Chair After Deputies Arrested Him While He Was Hallucinating. Almost a Year Later, His Family Are Still Waiting for Answers.
“[Cory Jackson] was mentally ill and I’m sure you can tell in that video that he wasn’t right. He needed a hospital, and that’s where me and my mother were taking him, and [the rogue cops] took him away from us.”
Read more here.
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