SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG

Read and share the extraordinary stories from the frontlines of social change

Systems Not Symptoms - Impact Fund Grant Program Tackles Racial Injustice Head On
Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter, Structural Racism Teddy Basham-Witherington Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter, Structural Racism Teddy Basham-Witherington

Systems Not Symptoms - Impact Fund Grant Program Tackles Racial Injustice Head On

“While we are a small funder, we are in complete solidarity with the movement to end the killing of unarmed Black men by police, as well as all other police brutality. That the list of names of men who have been so killed is so long that it would take up more than a whole page is a commentary on how police have been protected from accountability, at least until now. They have been protected by police unions who block the imposition of discipline. They have been protected by politicians who want to be seen as ‘tough on crime’ and pass laws that make it next to impossible for the public to find out which officers are engaging in brutality against people. And they are protected by the courts that make up rules like ‘qualified immunity’ that let police off the hook when brought to court. We recognize that the police function as part of the system that has been called the criminal justice system, they are but one part. That whole system is what gave us mass incarceration. And the whole system now must come down.”

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Civil Rights Class Action Challenges Broken Criminal Justice System in Louisiana
OverDetention, Civil Rights, Class Actions Teddy Basham-Witherington OverDetention, Civil Rights, Class Actions Teddy Basham-Witherington

Civil Rights Class Action Challenges Broken Criminal Justice System in Louisiana

Under Louisiana law, confining any person without legal authority to do so is false imprisonment. And the United States Supreme Court has said that, while some extra time to process paperwork may be necessary, it is unreasonable to imprison a person any longer than 48 hours after they are entitled to release. Louisiana’s imprisonment of people for months after they are entitled to release flagrantly violates the laws of Louisiana and the United States.

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