TELL MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS: PASS A STRONG POLICE REFORM BILL

TAKE ACTION NOW

Massachusetts lawmakers are working to produce a final police reform bill in the coming weeks, and we need them to pass the strongest possible language to hold police accountable. Police misconduct happens here too, and it’s time for lawmakers to stop ignoring that fact.

After the killing of George Floyd, people across the Commonwealth rose up to demand an end to police brutality and systemic racism. Lawmakers responded by producing two separate bills that have been stuck in a conference committee for months.

In that time, police unions have gone into overdrive, conducting massive disinformation and intimidation campaigns to stop any meaningful reforms in their tracks. They keep telling us that police brutality doesn’t exist in Massachusetts—we know that’s not true.

Tell lawmakers to heed our cries for justice and pass a strong police accountability bill..

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As a Massachusetts voter, I urge you to support a strong police accountability bill that will ensure abusive officers are held responsible and victims of police brutality can seek justice in our courts.

It’s been two months since a conference committee was created to reconcile the police reform bill. In that time, we’ve witnessed more racist violence perpetrated by police around the country, and we’ve added new names to a grim roster of victims. Here in the Commonwealth, we learned about the grisly death of Juston Root, whom officers allegedly shot multiple times while he was bleeding out on the ground. Afterward, one officer reportedly doled out handshakes—but withdrew his offer when a colleague admitted that he had not fired his gun.

Despite Massachusetts police claims of exceptionalism, there are myriad examples of officers abusing their power and brutalizing residents around the Commonwealth. We can’t allow a culture of violence and impunity to fester. We can’t keep denying justice to victims of police brutality. Serious misconduct happens here in Massachusetts, and it will continue to happen until police are held accountable.

I urge you to pass a strong police reform bill that does the following:

BAN EXCESSIVE FORCE AND VIOLENT TACTICS – chokeholds, tear gas, and no-knock warrants should never be used by police. We’ve seen the deadly effects of these tactics, and we can’t let them continue.

CLOSE MA CIVIL RIGHTS ACT LOOPHOLES – The MCRA prevents victims of civil rights violations from seeking justice in court unless they can show evidence of “threats, intimidation, or coercion.” This loophole is a major obstacle to holding police accountable and should be closed.

END QUALIFIED IMMUNITY FOR POLICE MISCONDUCT – Qualified immunity allows officers to skirt justice even when they have obviously violated someone’s rights. Other reforms are meaningless unless victims can hold officers accountable for egregious misconduct.

CREATE AN INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT SYSTEM WITH TEETH – Massachusetts is one of only a few states without a POST system. We need to fix this, but we also need to get the details right. Any oversight body should have adequate civilian representation and evidentiary standards that enable rather than deny justice.

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Please support a strong police accountability bill.

Sincerely,

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

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TELL MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS: PASS A STRONG POLICE REFORM BILL

TAKE ACTION NOW

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