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, qualified immunity denies justice for Isaiah Lewis; a federal judge sides with Kenneth Chamberlain’s family; another rogue cop is sentenced for abetting George Floyd’s murder; and more!
FEATURED STORY
The Root: “Qualified Immunity” Saves Another Cop (Who Killed a Black Person) from Accountability
“Since 2019, the family of 17-year-old Isaiah Lewis have been fighting for justice. Lewis was shot by an Edmond, Okla. officer while having a mental crisis and trying to flee the police…the officer who killed him will escape charges under qualified immunity.”
Read more here.
NEW YORK
A federal judge has ruled in favor of the family of Kenneth Chamberlain by refusing to dismiss their civil suit against the City of White Plains in connection to Chamberlain’s 2011 death at the hands of rogue cops. “I’m going to stay in this fight. I’m not going to stop,” said Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. in response to the decision.
Read more here.
New York’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) sought to terminate Lt. Eric Dym, who’s been accused of 52 acts of serious misconduct over an 18-year period. In a calculated effort to evade accountability, the rogue cop has filed for retirement. “Dym is kind of a shining example of how officers with terrible histories just continue to go unpunished and even rise in their careers,” noted an attorney who worked with the CCRB.
Read more here.
VERMONT
“We have a system that too often relies on settlements for lawsuits, plea bargains. We too often rely on how the system interacts in a very broken way and we allow that brokenness to happen.” The NAACP of Rutland hosted a virtual panel to reignite the conversation around ending qualified immunity in Vermont, ahead of a report examining how the doctrine affects public safety statewide.
Read more here.
ILLINOIS
Rogue Chicago cops Christopher Liakopoulos and Ruben Reynoso face felony charges after injuring a 23-year-old man in an unprovoked attack—and then lying about it to prosecutors. “It is our position based on the facts, the evidence, and the law that the officers…did not have provocation or justification to shoot the unarmed victim during this incident,” said State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
Read more here.
ADDITIONAL NEWS
NBC News: Ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Sentenced to 3 Years in George Floyd’s Murder
“Thomas Lane, a former Minneapolis police officer who pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison. Lane held down Floyd’s legs as he cried out that he couldn’t breathe, while another former officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020.”
Read more here.
Columbus Free Press: Even Catholic Nuns Are On Board to Ending Qualified Immunity in Ohio
“When [Cynthia] Brown was in Akron, word got around to a local group of nuns she was advocating to end qualified immunity….Not only did the nuns want to sign the petition they also wanted to collect signatures.”
Read more here.
The Root: Chance Lynch: Why We Must Understand Qualified Immunity
Civil rights lawyer Chance Lynch spoke with The Root Institute about qualified immunity, clarifying how the legal loophole allows rogue cops to kill Black people with impunity.
Watch here.
The Root: Black Man in Oakland Handcuffed After Being Accused of Stealing His Own Truck
“‘They put him in handcuffs before he was even asked for his license or registration,’ [the victim’s wife] said. She further expressed that she believes beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was treated this way because he’s Black.”
Read more here.
WBRZ: Appeals Court Denies Troopers’ Request for Immunity in Ronald Greene Lawsuit
“An appellate court has decided that five troopers named in a wrongful death lawsuit after Ronald Greene died in police custody will not be immune from the litigation. The troopers…had filed an appeal seeking qualified immunity from the suit.”
Read more here.
Valley News Live: ‘We Wish that More Would Have Been Done…’ Family Speaks Out On Officer-involved Shooting
“[Andrew Martinez] was tormented by the demons of depression during his life, but he fought hard to conquer them. It’s hard for us to understand how a call for help to save his life during one of his lowest moments ultimately ended his life.”
Read more here.
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