Civil and Human Rights Coalition Suspicious of Anti-Policing Reform Executive Orders

WASHINGTON—Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to today’s executive orders from the White House on policing issues:

“People who care about building stronger police-community relationships, about reducing violence by and against police, and about public safety should view these executive orders with a healthy suspicion. 

President Trump has been eager to caricature Black communities into vestiges of violence and despair while ignoring legitimate concerns about biased policing. These executive orders double down on this twisted view of America’s cities and are a distraction from the real pressing issues facing our broken criminal justice system.

Under the Obama administration, our country made slow but important progress in policing reforms because the Department of Justice and White House were eager to bring communities and police together behind the shared goals of protecting people and building trust.

But these executive orders, along with the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, indicate that this fragile progress has already begun to unravel under the Trump Administration.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.