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 prepares to issue a police reform executive order; the Players Coalition pens a letter asking New York legislators to end qualified immunity; the ACLU of Vermont reinforces its commitment to police accountability; and more!
FEATURED STORY
Axios: Biden Preps High-Stakes Police Reform Executive Order
“Derrick Johnson, president of NAACP, told Axios…‘We commend the administration for stepping in, but we implore the Senate to do its job and change policing in this country so that communities and police officers are safe, and so that bad actors are not a part of law enforcement culture.’”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
“Ending qualified immunity means a safer New York for everyone….You cannot have trust without accountability and there is no accountability with qualified immunity.”
The Players Coalition has signed a letter to New York legislators urging passage of S 1991, the state bill to end qualified immunity.
Read more here.
Brendan Cox joins a growing list of law enforcement voices calling out qualified immunity: the former Albany chief of police has written an op-ed backing S 1991. “Trust-building is not an optional, feel-good extracurricular activity for police, it is a core responsibility with a direct link to public safety,” he remarked.
Read more here.
Eliminating qualified immunity “will end police violence and abuse,” said Ben Cohen at the special ice cream breakfast he and End QI NY hosted for Albany lawmakers on May 17 in support of S 1991.
Watch Ben’s statement here.
VERMONT
The ACLU of Vermont reflects upon the 2022 legislative session as it comes to a close, celebrating advances and acknowledging setbacks. On the legislature’s failure to pass S.254, which would’ve eliminated qualified immunity, the civil rights organization promised they will “continue advocating for this important reform in 2023.”
Read more here.
MARYLAND
Public safety activists and impacted families from Prince George’s County are bringing attention to the community’s needs concerning state-mandated police accountability boards. “I would like for our county executives to put forth a real transparent plan,” said Dawn Delton, whose son was injured by rogue cops.
Watch here.
In 1993, two Prince George’s County officers shot and killed 24-year-old Archie Elliot during a traffic stop. As the first episode of the Mothers Podcast notes, the rogue cops “were cleared of any wrongdoing.” Nearly 30 years later, his mother, Dorothy Copp Elliot, looks back in light of the case’s recent re-examination.
Listen here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
Reuters: Prevalence of White Supremacists in Law Enforcement Demands Drastic Change
“More and more, the evidence suggests the ‘white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement’ that the FBI warned about back in 2006 is getting worse. And it points to a desperate need for policies…to prohibit people who engage in racist conduct or join white supremacist groups from becoming police officers or remaining on the force.”
Read more here.
Courthouse News Service: Oklahoma Officer Who Shot Nude Teenager Lobbies 10th Circuit for Immunity
“An Oklahoma police officer asked the 10th Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a federal judge’s denial of qualified immunity after he shot a nude mentally disturbed teenager who had broken into a stranger’s home while fleeing police.”
Read more here.
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