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, Fanta Bility’s mother demands justice; Vermont primary voters prioritize public safety; the ACLU fights Arizona’s unconstitutional new law; and more!
FEATURED STORY
Fox 29: Fanta Bility Shooting: Mother of Child Slain by Police Gunfire Shares Grief on 1 Year Anniversary
“The mother of 8-year-old Fanta Bility shared memories of her daughter who was killed by police gunfire while leaving a high school football game nearly one-year ago. ‘Fanta was a giver…she was so happy,’ Tenneh Kromah said.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
Civil rights activists demanded accountability after a video showed rogue cop Michael Sher assaulting a young man during a 2020 racial justice protest. But Sher, who boasted about his behavior to colleagues, got off with a slap on the wrist—a decision that “only serves to further erode the confidence of certain communities in our law enforcement apparatus as it currently exists.”
Read more here.
Three Rikers Island corrections officials have been suspended after failing to help Michael Nieves, a 40-year-old inmate who died from self-inflicted injuries. “Mr. Nieves is the third person suspected of dying by suicide and the 13th person to die this year after being held on Rikers Island,” reports The New York Times.
Read more here.
VERMONT
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department kicked Captain John Grismore off the force when he was caught on video brutalizing a handcuffed suspect. Undeterred, the rogue former cop and public safety menace “is running to replace the Sheriff who fired him.”
Read more here.
The ACLU of Vermont has released a statement on the impact of the recent primary, discussing how the results indicate that voters expect their elected officials to reform the justice system and “reimagine public safety for the sake of [their] communities.”
Read more here.
MARYLAND
Last Thursday, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney announced that 13 rogue cops—and one retired officer—are facing various charges stemming from an alleged theft scheme. “If the allegations are proven true during the judicial process,” remarked Police Chief Malik Aziz, “their actions not only tarnish the badge…but also erode the community’s trust.”
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
The recent departure of two top officials tasked with implementing reforms within the Chicago Police Department has some public safety advocates fearing setbacks, warning that the current superintendent has shown “hostility toward reform.”
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
Reason: Lawsuit: New Arizona Law Criminalizing Filming Police Within 8 Feet Violates First Amendment
“‘We have a right to hold police officers accountable by recording their activities in public,’ Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a press release. ‘Arizona’s law will…suppress the reporting and advocacy that results from video evidence of police misconduct. The First Amendment does not permit that outcome.’”
Read more here.
News 5: New Body-Cam Released by Akron PD, Spurred by Newspaper Request, Shows What Happened After Walker Shooting
“In a letter to the city of Akron…the Akron Beacon Journal states even though police did release some of the video within seven days of the city’s police camera ordinance, the released footage stops immediately after the officer’s use of force…‘Thereby omitting everything that happens afterwards.’”
Read more here.
11 Alive: Jury Awards $100 million to Man Paralyzed After APD Officer Tased Him in the Back
“The Georgia NAACP said this is the largest settlement they’ve ever heard of, especially where the victim is still living. They believe this ruling could make it easier for law enforcement agencies to be liable in cases of excessive force or police brutality.”
Read more here.
The Washington Post: Finally, Some Basic Justice for My Girlfriend, Breonna Taylor
“After nearly two and a half years, a person connected with the Louisville Metro Police Department has finally taken some responsibility for the death of my girlfriend, Breonna Taylor. . . .This week, we got some accountability.”
Read more here.
CBS46: Court of Appeals Reverses District Court Decision in Jamarion Robinson Case
“In the ruling, judges wrote: ‘We conclude that…Officer Doyle by himself or together with Officer Heinze used excessive force by shooting Mr. Robinson after…he was unconscious.’”
Read more here.
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