“The race of a police office isn’t the determining factor of whether they’re going to commit excessive use of force, but the race of the victim.” – Ben Crump.
The 2021 bill – George Floyd Justice in Policing Act – addressed a wide range of law enforcement policies and issues including:
- Lowering the criminal intent standard—from willful to knowing or reckless—to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution,
- Limiting qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer,
- Granting administrative subpoena power to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in pattern-or-practice investigations.
- Restricting the use of no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and carotid holds.
- Creating a National Police Misconduct Registry—to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct
- Creating uniform accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies and requires officers to complete training on:
- racial profiling,
- implicit bias
- the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force.
What that bill was missing: Its scope was limited to law enforcement officers. Plenty of other government officials, such as prison guards, can and do violate the rights of citizens, including their right to continue living. A separate bill – the Ending Qualified Immunity Act– was proposed to close this loophole.
Let’s put them both together this time!
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 