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 Washington Post calls on Congress to bolster federal accountability; a human rights lawyer explains how weakening police unions can strengthen public safety; the rogue detective involved in Breonna Taylor’s death loses his second appeal; and more!
FEATURED STORY
The Washington Post: Suing Federal Officers Is Nearly Impossible. Congress Can Fix That.
“Federal officers interact with numerous people on a daily basis, with the vast majority doing their duty to protect public safely properly and judiciously. But in those instances where an officer goes too far, there should be a recourse for ordinary citizens to sue. The justices have refused to open the courts to those harmed by federal officers, so Congress must step up.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
Newly released footage shows a group of rogue NYPD officers violently arresting Jazzajilo, a popular subway saxophone player, on June 23. “The video is part of a grim genre: public, forcible arrests of people that many New Yorkers consider vital and delightful…but that the city’s ruling class have deemed as surefire signs of ‘disorder’ to be stamped out,” notes Hell Gate.
Read more here.
VERMONT
Rogue state troopers Zachary Trocki and Ryan Wood are under investigation for seriously injuring Marshall Dean, a 61-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis. Per the police report, “Trocki fired a bean-bag type projectile that hit [Dean] who then slipped and fell about 15 feet to the ground.”
Read more here.
MARYLAND
The Baltimore City Council is moving forward with the creation of a civilian-led police accountability board, part of a statewide effort to build trust between communities and law enforcement. “Incorporating some of the least recognized demographics in the city means incorporating the voices of people who have traditionally had…negative experiences with police,” said local activist Ray Kelly.
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability continues to expose disturbing cases of egregious police misconduct. The agency has recommended that two rogue cops, David Laskus and Patrick Dwyer, face consequences “for their role in an incident that injured a woman’s eye after she was pulled from her car…during the unrest that swept the city after the police murder of George Floyd.”
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
USA Today: How to Prevent Cops From Killing: Weaken Unions and Make Police Pay for Misconduct
“‘Having a problem officer on the force…is not uncommon,’ [Carli] Pierson states. ‘However, police departments too often have failed to stop dangerous officers before they kill someone.’ Oftentimes, the fault lies with police unions, ‘which can make it hard to boot bad cops off the force,’ contributing to an unjust system ‘that often overlooks police misconduct [and] doesn’t act as a deterrent.’”
Read more here.
89.3 WFPL: LMPD Detective Fired For Lying on Breonna Taylor Search Warrant Application Loses Second Employment Appeal
“A Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge upheld the firing of detective Joshua Jaynes, who Louisville Metro Police terminated in Jan. 2021 for lying on the search warrant application that led to the deadly, middle-of-the-night raid on Breonna Taylor’s apartment. Chief Judge Mitch Perry sided with the Police Merit Board, which ruled last June that LMPD was right to fire Jaynes for ‘untruthfulness.’”
Read more here.
New Haven Independent: “All The World Is Watching”: Ben Crump, Family, Civil Rights Leaders Blast NHPD In Cox Case; Vow Fight For Justice
“‘This is shocking. This is horrific. This is inhumane. We are better than this, New Haven. We are better than this, America. How many more times do we have to see Black people brutalized by the people who are supposed to protect them?’ Crump declared.”
Read more here.
Teen Vogue: Police Torture in the U.S.: What to Know About the History of Law Enforcement Violence
“But one place where most people agree accountability is supposed to stand strong is in our justice system. Yet in the United States, law enforcement and our criminal punishment system benefit from lax standards of accountability, and are often allowed to hurt civilians without consequences.”
Read more here.
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