House Democrats unveiled a landmark police reform bill on Monday as a response to nationwide protests that have called for widespread changes in police departments across the country. The protests were sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis two weeks ago.
The bill’s biggest reforms including banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases
How does it accomplish this? It’s certainly not making chokeholds and no-knock warrants federal crimes. Does it make them civil rights violations for civil lawsuits under 42 U.S.C. § 1983? Does it take away funding for police departments that employ them?
it would appear so.
The bill would amend the requirement of intent in the federal criminal statute to prosecute police misconduct, by changing the standard of prosecution from “willfulness” to “recklessness.” It would also reform qualified immunity, meaning that individuals would be able to recover damages when their constitutional rights are violated by law enforcement officers. cbs news
YEAH!!! A story on something real.
So I guess that means it would amend 18 U.S.C § 242 to make it a criminal violation to “recklessly” deprive a person of their civil rights, not just “willfully” doing so. That’s an improvement, but it does not have anything to do with chokeholds or no-knock warrants.
Cory Booker made the statement that instead of leaving investigations just in a Federal AG like Sessions or Barr’s hands it would incentivize state AGs to do their own investigations. Of course, in many cases we have to change out the red governor’s to do that so we’ll see.
They need to steer the conversation away from defunding the police. That’s not going to play with white, suburbs women many of whom are going to vote Joe this time. Reforms, yes.
your guess would be better than mine. Just felt the other article gave more details on the contents of the bill. It is rather sweeping. Hoping they’ll update it here with more info from experts.
According to the NYT
The legislation would also ban chokeholds or other carotid holds, and condition law enforcement funds on states and other agencies doing the same.
It also says the no-knock warrants were eliminated for federal drug cases.
ETA:
“It’s unlikely Democrats will be able to shore up major Republican support when the bill hits the Senate floor by early July.”
Look for Sen. Harris to champion this legislation.
And woe be to any lying, empty-suit Republican who stands in the way of her righteous anger on this.
All they need to do is throw one line in about police can’t violate people’s rights due only to gun possession then they will have no choice but to support it.
The line can even already be true but if it’s codified in this bill that will give them the shove they need. Or run ads about them voting against gun rights.
So that suggests the chokehold and no-knock bans are only binding on federal law enforcement, and that federal funds to local agencies depend upon them banning them as well. That’s great, but it won’t result in any criminal charges being brought against cops who ignore the policy anyway. Plenty of evidence out there suggests that cops are not especially good at following departmental policies, except maybe the unwritten policies of brutalizing peaceful protesters and instigating violence against the public.
Naturally the Repugnants will hammer “defund” the police. If you want to win over moderates, you have to not sound radical.
The biggest problem right now is qualified immunity. But also consider the odds of passing any more effective legislation this cycle. Do we want this to be a messaging bill or become a law?
It doesn’t matter what’s in the bill, they’ll still lie and say it’s a defunding
#ditchMoscowMitch will never bring it to the floor of the Senate.
It can be taken up again in the next session of Congress when the craven ones are no longer in control, along with all the other good stuff Mitch has sat on.
There will be zero reforms at the federal level before the election. After the election there will be zero reforms at the federal level because (D) will not want to rock the boat and risk losing the people that got them elected. They’ll “try” for reforms, but it will go nowhere.
Actually, the “Defund the Police” actually helps the Democrats. Biden and Democrats can claim they are taking the “moderate” approach of rejecting both extremes (i.e. “Defund the Police” on the left and “Dominate the battlespace” on the right).
And you belief is that everything wont to filibustered by the minority in the Senate?
Not gonna worry about that now. Because, as it stands, nothing is getting through the Senate. So what’s the difference? Keep pointing out in contrast to the constant drumbeat of ‘do-nothing Dems’ that the real do-nothings are in the Senate.
That’s as good as it gets.