1. Human Rights Watch issues urgent warning over a new “Back the Blue” law in Congress — Last week, the human rights organization penned a letter to Sens. Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein condemning the pro-law enforcement legislation, which is currently making its way through both the House and Senate. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says H.R. 2437 and S.B. 1134 “[a]mend civil rights laws to severely limit private citizens’ ability to hold police accountable for their violations of the law.” It also removes incentives for officers to refrain from abusive behavior against citizens. Additionally, it imposes mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of causing “bodily injury” to officers, “defined to include injuries as minimal as a cut, an abrasion, a bruise or even just the temporary feeling of physical pain.” The letter claims “The ‘Back the Blue Act,’ which purports to protect law enforcement officers from violence, does not propose any meaningful measures to advance this important goal of keeping officers safe. Instead, it would weaken police accountability and do serious damage to existing tools for the protection of civil rights.” The bill is currently in a judiciary committee, and HRW concluded its letter by urging lawmakers to reject it. Considering the continued police violence that plagues the United States — officers have already claimed nearly 400 lives so far this year, with few facing appropriate ramifications for their violence — the legislation appears to be a step in the wrong direction.
Read Human Rights Watch’s full statement here.
Props to /u/timo1200 for the heads-up link
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June 02, 2017 at 07:54AM
from /u/sudo-tleilaxu
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