Dear Friends,
The recent shooting of Tyre Nichols is a horrific reminder of the pain and damage caused by unchecked police power. Police officers, shielded by a badge and qualified immunity, swathed in the protective blanket of the “blue wall of silence,” have come to believe that they can act with violence and impunity.
Five of the involved officers were quickly charged with murder, a response that stands in sharp contrast with responses to other police shootings. Yet, police who engage in misconduct generally lack accountability in ways that undermine public safety and directly harm the very people — often poor people and people of color — that they are tasked to serve. In the wake of yet another instance of lethal police abuse of power, we need to think more broadly about the role of the law enforcement, police reform, and how a lack of accountability threatens not just individuals, but the very foundation of our democracy.
It feels like threats to democracy are everywhere these days. As I explain in a recent “Q and A” with The Conversation about Trump’s recent attacks on the prosecutors who are investigating him, “every time Trump goes after one of these institutional players, like a prosecutor or even a judge, what he’s really doing is destabilizing the public’s ability to trust government institutions.” You can read the entire discussion here.
I also wanted to share with you a recent episode on Everyday Injustice, where I talk about no-crime wrongful convictions and the actors in the criminal legal system — including police and prosecutors — who contribute to the convictions on innocent people for crimes that never happened.
In far more local news, Temple Ner Tamid, a synagogue located just a few blocks from my home, came under attack by a masked man who hurled a molotov cocktail into the building in the middle of the night. Although damage was minimal and no one was injured, the bigotry underneath this act is terrifying and painful. It too threatens the democratic pillars of freedom of religion and of expression. And like the many instances of police shootings, violence steeped in bigotry has no place in a democratic society.
In these fragile times, I wish you the peace and the power that comes from communities that stand together.
Take care,
Jessica