Ben Crump Rip's Trump Administrations Decision To End Police Reform Agreement Reached In Wake Of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor
Famed civil attorney Ben Crump has weighed in on the MAGA-fied U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision to end Biden-era police-accountability agreements with Minneapolis and Louisville that came as a result of extensive investigations following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. It's the latest decision made by the DOJ's civil rights division that indicates the Trump administration's intent to halt any and all civil rights progress aimed at correcting systemic racism, except, of course, for the fictional systemic racism against white Americans (and, apparently, white Afrikaners in South Africa).
First, here's Crump's full statement:
'Just days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder — a moment that galvanized a global movement for justice — the U.S. Department of Justice has chosen to turn its back on the very communities it pledged to protect. By walking away from consent decrees in Minneapolis and Louisville, and closing its investigation into the Memphis Police Department while retracting findings of serious constitutional violations, the DOJ is not just rolling back reform, it is attempting to erase truth and contradicting the very principles for which justice stands.
'This decision is a slap in the face to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tyre Nichols, and to every community that has endured the trauma of police violence and the false promises of accountability. These consent decrees and investigations were not symbolic gestures, they were lifelines for communities crying out for change, rooted in years of organizing, suffering, and advocacy.
'These moves will only deepen the divide between law enforcement and the people they are sworn to protect and serve. Trust is built with transparency and accountability, not with denial and retreat.
'But let me be clear: We will not give up. This movement will not be swayed or deterred by fickle politics. It is anchored in the irrefutable truth that Black lives matter, and that justice should not depend on who is in power.
'We will continue to fight for the reforms we know are necessary. For federal oversight that holds police departments accountable. For an end to the brutalization of our communities. For a future where justice is not an exception, but the rule.'
Mind you, the announcement of the DOJ decision also came just one day after it was announced that the very same DOJ approved a nearly $5 million settlement for the family of Ashli Babbitt—the Jan. 6 Capitol rioter who got herself shot and killed by a Capitol police officer, Lt. Michael Byrd, while climbing over a barricade inside the Capitol building that rioters were warned not to breach. It's almost as if this administration isn't even bothering to hide its not-so-subtle intention to make white supremacy great again.
It's worth noting that, according to The Washington Post, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded to the DOJ's announcement that it will rescind the police reform agreement by declaring that his city will still follow through with it. Leaders in Louisville reportedly said the same.
'We will comply with every sentence of every paragraph of the 169-page consent decree that we signed this year,' Frey said during a recent news briefing.
Of course, it's also worth mentioning that the DOJ said it also plans to close investigations into local police departments in Phoenix, Memphis, Oklahoma City and other cities that were launched under President Joe Biden.
In short: if you want any semblance of police reform, you pretty much have to be a Jan. 6 Capitol rioter.
SEE ALSO:
Op-Ed: Unpacking Trump's Factless Claims About 'White Genocide'
Trump's DOJ Thinks Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Hired Too Many Black People, So It Launched An Investigation
SEE ALSO
Ben Crump Rip's Trump Administrations Decision To End Police Reform Agreement Reached In Wake Of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor was originally published on newsone.com
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
23 minutes ago
- The Hill
House throttled by Epstein drama
A HOUSE COMMITTEE voted Tuesday to subpoena convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein 's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as the groundswell from Republicans demanding transparency derailed the chamber's business for a second consecutive week. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to authorize the subpoena following a motion put forward by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), even as President Trump urges his party to drop the topic and move on. Republicans on the House Rules Committee adjourned Monday night without completing their work in order to dodge Democratic threats to stage additional votes to compel the release of new Epstein documents. So far, Trump's move to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case has failed to quell demands from Republicans on Capitol Hill for more transparency. Two federal judges on Tuesday asked the DOJ for more information before deciding whether to unseal the transcripts. Meanwhile, the DOJ said it planned to meet with Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison. 'I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X. 'Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.' Trump on Tuesday said he wasn't following the new developments but that the DOJ's move 'sounds appropriate.' Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are caught between Trump's insistence that there's nothing more to uncover and demands from the rank-and-file to release all government files on the case. The turmoil stems from a DOJ report released earlier this month that determined Epstein did not keep a 'client list,' which many on the right believed would include the names of powerful people implicated in Epstein's crimes. To date, Maxwell is the only person to have been convicted in the case. Epstein died by suicide in a jail cell in 2019 as he was awaiting trial. Tensions are running hot on Capitol Hill, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) swiping at Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who cosponsored a measure with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that would force a vote on releasing more Epstein documents. 'Bless his heart,' Johnson said when asked if he'd support Massie's reelection bid. Massie has repeatedly broken with Trump over spending and been a thorn in the side of GOP leaders. Trump has threatened to back a primary challenge against Massie. In an interview with NBC News, Massie said that move would 'backfire tremendously.' 'They're trying to beat up on me in order to keep everybody else in line here,' he said. But Johnson is also dealing with a revolt from other members. 'I led Republicans in a serious resolution — that protects victims — to expose the truth about the Epstein files, just like President Trump promised. But leadership is stalling,' Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) posted on X. 'The American people deserve action, not excuses. Let's vote on it before August recess and get it DONE!!' Johnson said this week the House would not vote on a resolution calling for the release of some Epstein documents, saying he wanted to give the DOJ 'space' as it seeks to unseal grand jury testimony. The Speaker on Tuesday said he supports 'maximum transparency' but is concerned about releasing information about Epstein's victims. 'Some of them were minors, some of them were not,' Johnson said. 'When the Epstein records are turned over to the public, which we must do as quickly as possible, we have to also be very judicious and careful about protecting innocent.' The House will adjourn a day earlier than scheduled this week, with lawmakers leaving town Wednesday. They'll return in September.
The Hill
23 minutes ago
- The Hill
Just 25 percent approve of Trump stadium threat over Commanders name change: Survey
A new poll found 25 percent of Americans approve of President Trump's threat to nix a stadium deal in Washington over the name of the local football team. 'I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,' Trump said on Sunday. 'The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone. Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians,' he added. Fifty-eight percent of respondents in the YouGov Monday poll said they disapproved of the president's comments regarding a name reversal for the Washington Commanders NFL franchise, and 16 percent of people were unsure of their feelings. Under the agreement, the football franchise would return from playing gamedays in Maryland to a renovated multi-billion-dollar stadium in Washington by 2030. The Commanders franchise has pledged to invest $2.7 billion in the project, marking the single largest private investment in D.C.'s history. A majority, 65 percent of participants from the country's Northeastern and Southern regions, said it was unacceptable for the U.S. president to tell a professional sports team to change its name. Fifteen percent disagreed and 21 percent were unsure. The poll found that only 34 percent of Americans approved of the 2022 decision to rename the Washington Redskins, the Commanders. Forty-three percent of people disapproved of the move, while 23 percent were unsure how they felt.
Associated Press
24 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Police deny wrongdoing in death of Alabama man, dispute family's account
Police officers in Alabama who were involved in the arrest of a man who died while handcuffed were not at fault, officials said, disputing an account from the man's family who are calling for the officers to be charged. Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, 52, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday. The Birmingham suburb's announcement came hours after attorneys for Reeder's family shared a county coroner's report that said Reeder's death was a homicide caused by a 'combination of his heart disease, cocaine, injuries, and exertion from the altercation' with police. Attorneys for the family said an police officer kneeled on Reeder's neck and compared what happened to Reeder with what happened to George Floyd in 2020 — an incident that captured the country's attention and renewed scrutiny of police practices. Reeder was white; Floyd was Black. In autopsies, the term homicide has a medical definition that is different from a criminal one. In a medical context, homicide means that a death is caused at the hands of another person, but does not necessarily mean someone is criminally guilty. Both the police department and Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, agree that police officers were dispatched to a local highway just after 5 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2024, after multiple 911 complaints of a man behaving erratically and running into traffic. Reeder continued to run in the road, shouting, when officers approached him, ignoring 'multiple commands to comply,' the city statement said. Officers then shocked Reeder with a Taser, saying he 'posed a danger to himself and others.' After officers handcuffed him, 'Mr. Reeder continued to struggle and resist for almost two minutes,' the statement read. Officers used their arms to restrain Reeder, it said, but 'No knee was placed in the back of his neck, and no excessive force was used.' The statement emphasized that Reeder had a history of 'hypertensive heart disease,' which the coroner said contributed to his death. The statement underscored the portion of the autopsy that said 'the blunt force injuries alone would not account for Mr. Reeder's death.' It also said that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the state agency tasked with investigating the incident, found no wrongdoing and that the Jefferson County District Attorney didn't see evidence 'sufficient for criminal charges' against the officers involved. Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, offered an account Monday that was starkly different. She and her attorney say they saw body camera footage of the incident on July 18, after almost a year of asking the city and police department for more information on Reeder's death. The video showed 'no attempt from the Irondale police officers to talk Phillip down,' Reeder's wife said at a news conference. She said that her husband was unarmed and was suffering from a mental health crisis. Sandra Lee Reeder said an officer put a knee on Reeder's neck for approximately three minutes after he was shocked with the Taser. She said her husband can be heard saying 'I can't breathe' three times while he was restrained. The body camera footage has not been released publicly because of an Alabama law that governs release of police recordings. The law says an agency may choose to not disclose a recording to the public if it would affect an active law enforcement investigation, but does not require an agency to provide a reason for denying a request. Reeder's family attorney, Roderick Van Daniel, has urged authorities to release the bodycam video to the public. ___ Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. She is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
