Civil Rights Coalition Denounces DOJ Dismissal of Consent Decrees and Police Investigations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rachel Hooper, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it is not moving forward with securing court-approved settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville, and closing its investigations into Phoenix, Ariz.; Trenton, N.J.; Memphis, Tenn.; Mount Vernon, N.Y.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and the Louisiana State Police:

“The protection and enforcement of civil rights is an inextricable foundation of strong democracies. The announcement that the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is not moving forward with consent decrees in several cities is appalling and further proves that the DOJ is no longer protecting our civil rights. Minneapolis and Louisville, where police officers killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, will no longer have consent decrees with their police departments, sending the message to the American people that police can violate their civil and constitutional rights — and that this regime will protect police over people.

“The Civil Rights Division is charged with enforcing the nation’s federal civil rights laws but is instead decimating its staff, twisting itself into a weapon against civil rights, and withdrawing from important litigation to protect them. The administration cut funds for community-based crime prevention and violence intervention, stopped critical civil rights enforcement by abandoning police reform, and dumped funds into federal law enforcement to target immigrants, denying them the right to see a judge and ‘unleashing’ law enforcement by calling for aggressive policing and harsh punishments.

“Even if the Department of Justice refuses to act on civil rights violations, there are attorneys general and mayors who refuse to abandon these efforts to make policing accountable — and the civil rights community will continue to call on state and local leaders to pursue their own reforms, hold police departments accountable, and protect their communities from harmful acts. Ending police violence must be a priority. We will not stop fighting for civil rights over wrongs, and we will not be silent in the face of this administration’s assault on all of our rights and freedoms, including the right to be free of abusive policing.”

Earlier today, The Leadership Conference convened civil rights leaders and state attorneys general for a press call to respond to these DOJ actions. View the recording of the press call here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 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 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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