HES THE CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF
THE CENTER FOR POLICING EQUITY
AND A PROFESSOR OF
AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES AND
PSYCHOLOGY IN YALE
ENDING QUALIFIED E MUNITYIMMUNIT
CITY THAT HAS THE LARGEST POLICE
FORCE IN THE COUNTRY
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT
>> ITS A PRETTY BOLD STEP
QUALIFIED IMMUNITY IS AN EASY
TARGET IN SOME WAYS BECAUSE IT
HAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN THE
WAYS THAT ITS BEEN USED AND
INTERPRETED IS GROTESQUE
FOR FOLKS NOT FOLLOWING IT
CLOSELY, WHAT IT MEANS IS IF AN
OFFICER DOES A THING THAT
ABSOLUTELY LOOKS LIKE ITS
TERRIBLE AND ABSOLUTELY VIOLATES
THE LAW, BUT NO SPECIFIC CASE
SAYS THAT THEY COULDNT HAVE
DONE THAT PRIOR, THEY GET AWAY
WITH IT, RIGHT
UNLESS THERES A SPECIFIC CASE
LAW THAT SAYS THAT WAS THE THING
THAT OFFICERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO
DO, ITS OKAY AND IN NEW YORK
NOW, YOU CANT DO THAT ANYMORE
SO 36,000 LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICERS ARE SUBJECT TO A
DIFFERENT LEGAL STANDARD THAN
WHAT WEVE HAD FOR THE LAST
SEVERAL DECADES.
I THINK THATS GOOD NEWS
I THINK EVERYBODY IVE TALKED TO
WHO IS A POLICE CHIEF SAYS ITS
GOOD NEWS BECAUSE IT CORRODES
PUBLIC TRUST
IF I CANT HOLD SOMEONE
ACCOUNTABLE FROM KILLING SOMEONE
IN A WAY WHO WILL BE ILLEGAL
THAN ANY OTHER PROFESSIONEND AND
LAUCHL, HOW ON EARTH CAN AND HOW
FEEL GOOD AND THE HOPE IT SPREAD
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
>> WHEN POLICE CHIEFS AND
COMMUNITIES SAY ITS GOOD NEWS,
IT CERTAINLY IS.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT
BALTIMORE?
NO LONGER GOING AFTER
LOWER-LEVEL CRIMES
>> SO THE WAY THIS HAPPENS IS
THE PROSECUTORS ARE SAYING WERE
NOT GOING TO PROSECUTE THIS
ANYMORE, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY
ABOUT THE FIFTH CITY THAT WERE
SEEING DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS,
RIGHT?
IN BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, LAW
ENFORCEMENT HAS GONE EVEN
FURTHER AND SAID WERE NOT GOING
TO STOP PEOPLE FOR LOW-LEVEL
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT.
WE HAVE CAMERAS THAT WILL SEND
YOU TICKETS AND BIG SIGNS THAT
SAY YOURE BEING WATCHED, BUT
THE CONTACT IS JUST UNNECESSARY.
IN BALTIMORE WHATS HAPPENING IS
LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYING IF YOURE
NOT GOING TO PROSECUTE IT, WHY
ON EARTH SHOULD WE MAKE THE
ARRESTS AND THINGS ARE GETTING
BETTER AND BY BETTER HERES WHAT
I MEAN, ITS NOT THAT FEWER
PEOPLE ARE BEING ARRESTED AND
CRIME IS GOING DOWN, ITS THAT
WERE NOT SEEING PEOPLE ENTER
INTO THE CRIMINAL SYSTEM
EARLIER THIS WEEK RESEARCHERS
OUTSIDE OF TEXAS A & M FOUND
WHEN YOU REDUCE THE MEMBER OF
MISDEMEANOR ARRESTS IT REDUCES
SUBSEQUENT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE
LAW.
IT MAKES PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO
COMMIT CRIMES LATER ON
OUR SYSTEM IS NOT ACTUALLY SET
UP TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE
ITS SET UP TO PUNISH PEOPLE WO
HAVE A BAD SET OF OPTIONS FOR
THE WAY THEY DO THAT
WE WILL START PUNISHING PEOPLE
LESS AND GIVE PEOPLE THE
RESOURCES THEY NEED TO KEEP
THEMSELVES SAFE.
THATS WHY TODAY --
>> ARE WE --
>> GO AHEAD, STEPHANIE
THEN ARE WE JUST MAKING THESE
THINGS LEGAL IF TECHNICALLY
THEYRE ILLEGAL, BUT YOU WONT
BE PROSECUTED FOR THEM
IS THIS THE FIRST STEP TO
CHANGING THE LAWS?
>> IT MIGHT BE THE FIRST STEP TO
CHANGING THE LAWS AND ITS
ANOTHER WAY OF RE-EMPHASIZING
WHAT WEVE DECIDED TO ENFORCE.
JAYWALKING, I KNOW THAT YOURE
IN NEW YORK SO ITS KIND OF
LEGAL IN NEW YORK, BUT IN MOST
OF THE ARREST OF THE COUNTRY
JAYWALKING IS ILLEGAL.
YOU DONT GO TO JAIL FOR IT,
RIGHT?
LITTERING IS ILLEGAL
YOU DONT GO TO JAIL FOR IT.
YOU GET A FINE, YOU GET A STERN
WARNING AND YOU GET YOUR
COMMUNITY UPSET ABOUT IT, AND
THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS TO SAY,
THIS THING, WE DONT LIKE IT,
BUT I DONT NEED TO PUT YOU IN A
CAGE FOR IT AND THATS THE THING
WE NEED TO BE RECONSIDERING AND
THATS WHATS HAPPENING AROUND
THE COUNTRY AROUND LOW-LEVEL
OFFENSES
>> WE ARE ALSO OBVIOUSLY
WATCHING DEREK CHAUVINS TRIAL
IN MINNEAPOLIS, BUT WE KNOW IT
IS VERY, VERY RARE TO SEE AN
OFFICER FACING THESE KIND OF
CRIMINAL CHARGES
HOW MUCH PROGRESS IS RIDING ON
THE VERDICT OF THIS TRIAL?
>> ITS BEEN SAID SINCE DAY ONE,
CHAUVIN IS IN THE COURTROOM, BUT
AMERICA IS ON TRIAL.
IF WE END UP WITH AN ACQUITTAL
OR NOT GUILTY VERDICT HERE, I
CANT IMAGINE THE PAIN THAT WILL
BE IN MINNEAPOLIS.
I CANT IMAGINE THE PAIN IN MANY
BLACK COMMUNITIES AND
COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD WHO
LOOKED AND SAW A PUBLIC
LYNCHING
IF THERE IS NOT ACCOUNTABILITY
AND I WANT TO BE CLEAR, THERE
CANT BE JUSTICE -- IF THERE
WERE JUSTICE, GEORGE FLOYD WOULD
BE ALIVE TODAY
ACCOUNTABILITY, WHAT WE ARE
SAYING IS WE DONT HAVE SYSTEMS
AGAIN, THAT KEEP US SAFE WHEN
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED, THE
POLICE, CAN ACTUALLY SHOW UP AND
MAKE SURE THAT WE GO HOME ALIVE.
YOU HEARD YESTERDAY SOMEONE SAY
I CALLED THE POLICE ON THE
POLICE BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS
WITNESSING A MURDER.
IF THERES NOT ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR THAT THEN ITS VERY
DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE HOW MANY
COMMUNITY GOES FORWARD WITH THE
PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEMS THAT WEVE
GOT.
THIS IS WHY THE WHITE HOUSE
TODAY ANNOUNCES $5 BILLION FOR
VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND GUN
VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN
PARTICULAR
THATS WHAT WE SHOULD BE EXCITED
ABOUT.
THE CAMPAIGN IS SOMETHING THAT
WE SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT
BECAUSE ITS A DIFFERENT WAY OF
GUARANTEEING SAFETY BECAUSE EVEN
IF WE GET A CONVICTION IN THIS
CASE, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE
STAND AND THE CHILDREN WHO
TESTIFIED TO WHAT THEY SAW
THEY DONT GET REMEDY OUT OF
THIS LEGAL CASE.
THEYLL GET REMEDY AND THEYLL
GET ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN WE START
PUTTING THINGS IN PLACE THAT