Waters, Butterfield Lead the Congressional Black Caucus to the Department of Justice
Washington D.C. – Congresswoman Waters, with Congressional Black Caucus Chairman, G. K. Butterfield, led Congressional Black Caucus Members to the Department of Justice to hold a press conference and urge Attorney General Loretta Lynch to bring civil rights investigations for citizens whose civil rights have potentially been violated during unarmed killings by law enforcement. After the press conference, Congresswoman Waters and Chairman Butterfield hand delivered a letter to Attorney General Lynch outlining the Congressional Black Caucus’s concerns and proposed solutions. A portion of Congresswoman Waters’ remarks and the full text of the letter can be found below.
“Today, again our hearts are burdened as we mourn the loss of several unarmed black men who have died at the hands of the police.
The list ranges from Michael Brown, Eric Gardner, Ezell Ford, Tamir Rice, John Crawford, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Saundra Bland, Reika Boyd, and Laquan McDonald, Alton Sterling, Philando Castille and now to Tyree King, a 13-year old boy who was shot dead last week in Ohio for carrying a bb gun, Terence Crutcher who was killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his arms raised standing outside of his vehicle and lastly, and just yesterday, Keith Lamont Smith who was killed in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Mr. King is the third high profile shooting of a black man who was killed for having a weapon while residing in an open carry state. Mr. Crutcher’s car had broken down on the side of the road. He should have been able to call the police for assistance, but instead a police officer took his life. Lastly, the family of Mr. Scott has said that he was reading a book while waiting for his son when he was shot by police.
Now, each of these names has been added to a list that continues to grow while our policing remains the same.
The killing of unarmed black men and women by police is a crisis. It is an emergency. And it’s not just affecting those victims and families of those killed. It is affecting every black man and woman who wonders when they or someone they know will be killed next. It is affecting every resident of the cities that erupt in protest after each killing. It is affecting the police officers who must continue to protect and serve without the trust of the community. It is affecting each of us who have born witness to these killings for years and fight against the feelings of despair and hopelessness as history continues to repeat itself. Lastly, it is affecting our entire nation, as the divide between the lives of people of color widens in this country.
We must do something to end this assault on black men and women. The conversations, the studies and the investigations are not enough. Black citizens must be afforded the right to equal protection by law enforcement and we must commit, as nation, once and for all, to end these killings.”
The text of the letter sent to Attorney General Lynch can be found below.
The Honorable Loretta E. Lynch
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Lynch:
On behalf of the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus we come to you today to urge you to aggressively pursue investigations, indictments and prosecutions, through the Office of Civil Rights, against any and all law enforcement officers who harm or kill innocent, unarmed Black men, women and children.
In 2016, 173 Black people have died at the hands of the very law enforcement officers who have been sworn to protect and serve them.
Our citizens have prayed, rallied, held press conferences, insisted on better training by police departments, and demanded the use of body cameras to record the actions of law enforcement officers. Meanwhile, many of the victims have held their hands high and cooperated, yet law enforcement officers have not been deterred from targeting, profiling, and killing Black people.
Even when body cameras are worn, the technology’s utility is thwarted when officers lose, drop or fail to turn on their cameras, and the incidents are not recorded. Without these video recordings we hear the same excuses from police officers justifying the killing of Black men and women, such as: “He appeared to be reaching for a weapon,” “He appeared to fit the description of someone that just committed a crime in the area,” or “I feared for my life.” Law enforcement officers only seem to offer these excuses after killing Black people.
It is time for the Department of Justice to take aggressive action and put an end to what appears to be the targeting and profiling of Black people that result in their death. Officers enjoy the presumption of credibility, whereas victims endure the presumption of guilt. For too long this dynamic has helped to protect law enforcement officers from being brought to justice. We demand thorough investigations within a reasonable time. We will not continue to ask our constituents to be patient without any hope for change.
Madam Attorney General, you have the unique opportunity and constitutional responsibility to change this narrative. We believe that every person whose civil rights may have been violated is entitled to a full and complete investigation by the Department of Justice. We demand an expansion of “pattern-and-practice” investigations into rogue police departments and greater transparency in the process by which the determinations on these investigations are made. We also demand that victims have the right to request independent investigations, autopsies and prosecutions. The recording of police confrontations and killings by citizens who document these incidents with their cameras and cellphones and share through social media, have provided you with more evidence than ever before to prosecute these cases and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
The Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will not rest until we have determined that you are using the full power of your office and performing the fullness of your duty to bring about fairness and justice to victims, families and communities who have suffered for far too long at the hands of law enforcement. Americans of all backgrounds have mobilized to express their outrage and fear that our country has lost its way. The world is watching and these killings cannot continue to go unaddressed or ignored by our government.
Madam Attorney General, you have the authority and the resources to address these matters. We urge you to aggressively utilize all that is available to you and your office to ensure these killings do not continue.
Very truly yours
/s/
Rep. G.K. Butterfield
Member of Congress
Rep. Maxine Waters
Member of Congress
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