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Police Reform Amidst Black Lives Matter Protests

On Behalf of | Jul 8, 2020 | Employment Law

Following weeks of protests rising after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th, the pressure put on by protesters on governments to scale back the use of force by police officers on civilians and create better systems of accountability have resulted in major police reform across the nation.

This is a monumental victory for the Black Lives Matter movement and those affected by police brutality. Police reforms of this scale in response to the BLM movement have not taken place since 2013, following the murder of Trayvon Martin and the inception of the movement.

The House Takes Action

Just last June 25th, The House passed a sweeping police reform package that would ban chokeholds, no-knock warrants and end certain legal protections for officers accused of misconduct. Crafted by the Congressional Black Caucus, the bill aims to boost police accountability by creating a national registry to track police officers with contentious records. Whereas it was common practice for aggressive officers to move from one department to another, this will help keep track of these officers’ records.

States Begin To Move Towards Reform as Well

States have also begun taking action to move towards change. In Minneapolis, where Floyd died, the Minneapolis City Council voted to join the ban of chokeholds and require police officers to intervene anytime they see unauthorized use of force by another police officer.  They also pledged to disband the city’s police department and replace it with a new system.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to redirect some of the funds of the NYPD towards youth and social services. He also committed to repealing a shield clause which prevented the public from accessing the records of officers who had been investigated for excessive force.

In California, prosecutors are lobbying to ban district attorneys from accepting money from police unions. Los Angeles is also seeking to cut anywhere from $100 million to $150 million in funds from the LAPD and redirecting them into other areas like jobs, health care and education. The Los Angeles County District Attorney also announced on June 9 that The District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation will no longer use the carotid “sleeper” chokehold.

Makarem & Associates Is Here For You

As employment attorneys in California, we are committed to ensuring that our clients receive the help they need and deserve in order to fight against racial discrimination in the workplace. We will not stand by and watch employers dismiss or fail to take action against perpetrators of racial discrimination or workplace harassment.

If you have been a victim of racial discrimination or harassment at work in California, we at Makarem & Associates are ready to step in and help you fight for your rights. With some of the best employment law attorneys in California, we will provide you with the best legal representation to help you reach the best outcome. Please reach out to us and call us at 310-312-0299 or email us at [email protected] to receive the right legal counsel and a free consultation.
https://www.axios.com/black-lives-matter-protest-police-reform-64c6efb2-31a5-463a-bc1d-2db7b24360d5.html
https://www.axios.com/police-reform-george-floyd-protest-2150b2dd-a6dc-4a0c-a1fb-62c2e999a03a.html
https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/district-attorney-jackie-lacey-orders-investigators-immediately-stop-using-carotid
https://www.axios.com/black-lives-matter-protest-police-reform-64c6efb2-31a5-463a-bc1d-2db7b24360d5.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/25/george-floyd-house-approve-sweeping-police-reforms-banning-chokeholds/3251990001/
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/25/house-votes-on-police-reform-bill-amid-george-floyd-protests.html