Take Action: End police brutality in Florida

Send your email

TAKE ACTION:The tragic killings of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless other Black people at the hands of law enforcement has made it clear: The policing systems in America are causing deadly harm to the nation’s Black and Brown communities, and it cannot continue.

As an elected leader in our communities, the sheriff is responsible for protecting all members of the community they are sworn to serve. Yet, too often, law enforcement are not held accountable for their actions, and without accountability there can be no justice.

Tell sheriffs across Florida #NotOneMore. Take two minutes to send your email to demand they take immediate action to end police brutality in our communities.

Message Recipients: Florida Sheriffs

[The Form Label field is hidden on ACLU message action forms]

Your Message

Subject

I'm writing to you today to urge you to commit to making the necessary changes outlined below in your police department to keep Black and Brown communities safe from police brutality.

Message Body

The tragic killings of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless other Black people at the hands of law enforcement has made it clear: The policing systems in America are causing deadly harm to our Black and Brown communities, and it cannot continue.

A few days after the country witnessed police officers brutally and forcibly kneeling on the neck of George Floyd and suffocating the life out of him, we saw these same tactics being used by Florida law enforcement against Black men, women and children.

As protesters exercised their First Amendment right to take to the street and demand justice, we witnessed too many instances where law enforcement in Florida used excessive and unnecessary force on protesters through numerous tactics, including tear gassing, shoving, punching, shooting rubber bullets, arresting protesters and threatening arrest, and forcibly preventing videotaping.

For too long, police officers have been able to use excessive and deadly force without repercussions. This lack of accountability erodes trust in law enforcement and makes our communities less safe.

As Sheriff, you have tremendous power in our community. You can promote accountability and trust between law enforcement and your community, by supporting civilian oversight of law enforcement, and honoring independent investigations of police misconduct. You can take officer-involved shootings seriously by investigating them and holding police accountable, or you can turn a blind eye to officers who shoot and kill members of our community.

I’m urging you today to pledge to take these eight steps to keep Black and Brown communities safe from police brutality, allow protesters to demand justice for the countless lives lost at the hands of law enforcement, and hold law enforcement accountable for excessive uses of force, and to ensure that your local police chiefs take these steps as well:
 
1. Safeguard constitutional rights by supporting protesters’ right to protest and protecting the vital role of the media and legal observers in covering such protests.

2. Immediately stop using rubber bullets, flashbangs, bean bag rounds, stun grenades, tear gas, and other weapons of war aimed at crowds of Floridians. Force should be used only as a last resort if there is an imminent and real threat to human life.

3. Stop implementing curfews that give license for broad arrests of civilians participating in peaceful protests or conducting routine activities in their communities. Any limited curfews must allow the media and legal observers to operate freely.

4. Immediately end the use of strangleholds, choke holds and all other neck restraint tactics.

5. Renegotiate agreements with police unions to improve effectiveness of investigation and discipline for officer misconduct.

6. Develop measures to ensure officers disciplined for misconduct do not get hired in other Florida jurisdictions.

7. Publish officer use of force data on your website.

8. Support implementation and funding of independent civilian review boards with subpoena, investigative, and power to terminate, as permitted by law.

I strongly urge you to adopt these policy recommendations today.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

Your Information

This system requires that you provide your name and contact information. This information will not be used for any purpose other than to identify you to the recipient.

Salutation *

(required by some officials)

ABOUT HONORIFIC TITLES

Many public officials use "web mail forms" that this system will send your message to, so you don't have to visit their web sites to communicate with them. The systems that some of these officials use requires that the honorific field be used (Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc.).

Unfortunately, we do not have control of which honorific titles are presented as options. We must adhere to what the officials are using in order for your message to be delivered.

Alternate Salutation

Most elected officials’ constituent email systems accept a very limited set of salutations. Please select the one you would most prefer.

First name *

Last name *

E-mail address *

Address *

Address Line 2

City *

State *

Zip Code *

Phone *

Phone Type *

Show my name in a list of action takers.

If I've entered a mobile phone number, I allow the ACLU and its representatives to contact me via text messages and mobile phone calls about ways to take action and support the ACLU.

Leave this field blank

Take Action: End police brutality in Florida

Send your email

Recent participants