Policing Bill 2020

Dec. 19, 2020 - Light The Way for Justice Caravan & Vigils

With the police reform bill back in the legislature for revision, Essex County Community Organization (ECCO), our affiliate on the North Shore, partnered with MCAN and allies to hold candlelight vigils at Senate President Karen Spilka’s home in Ashland, House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s home in Winthrop, and then ultimately met up to share song and testimony in Swampscott across the street from Governor Baker’s home urging him to take a stand for racial justice in the police reform bill.

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December 10, 2020 - Gov. Baker refuses to sign racial justice policing bill and returns it to legislature with amendments

In this conversation on the right, we unpacked the amendments to the Racial Justice Policing Bill sought by the Governor and how they threatened to weaken the bill presenting opportunities for further abuse and harm. Along with friends, Rahsaan Hall who was then with the ACLU/MA and Rev. Mariama White-Hammond of Police Reform Now, we discussed how the wheels of the legislative process were turning in that moment and the crucial ways in which each of us could raise our voice to say it is TIME FOR JUSTICE.

Dec. 9, 2020 - Second Commonwealth Conversations

The second in our Commonwealth Conversations series was held on ZOOM on December 9, 2020 to unpack and better understand the Racial Justice Policing Bill that had been issued by the Massachusetts legislature the previous week and was awaiting Gov. Baker's signature.

The conversation included stakeholders from throughout the MCAN Network's seven affiliates across the Commonwealth and featured guests Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, an author of the bill, Rahsaan Hall, then Director of Racial Justice Program, ACLU/MA, and Money Gaston, a youth leader with UTEC/Breaking Barriers To Youth Success.

A snapshot of the bill as we unpacked it on this call…

What the bill accomplishes that is GOOD

Shifting power- POST SYSTEM- Majority Civilians (6 out of 9) Massachusetts is only 1 of 4 states without this!
Commission to make recommendations to increase diversity
Public Facing Database - people can look at officer complaints
Vision Of Public Safety:  duty to Intervene; don’t have to have; ban on Racial Profiling
Reduce Officer Misconduct: affirmative System stating up front requirements; when it is ok/not ok to use force
Increase Accountability: power to decertify
Regulation of Face Surveillance Technology: must have a warrant to use it
Police Violence as a Public Health Issue
Structural Racism in Department of Correction, Parole, etc.

What about the bill is BAD

Does not Limit Qualified Immunity as much as it should BUT there is a commission
Does not have a Total Ban on no knock warrants or tear gas
Does not require collection of data for all stops 
Does not implement Justice Reinvestment Act
Number of charges not eligible for expungement has been disappointing

What will the IMPACT of the bill be?

Increased number of incidences that allow you to seek expungement from 1 to 2 incidences, regardless of the number of charges
Dismantling the school to prison pipeline with fewer officers in their lives
Increased trust between youth and schools - knowing data isn’t being shared
We won’t see people being choked by cops
We’ll see fewer no knock warrants leading to escalation
Children’s info not being shared
Commissions will create data trail
More humane public safety/policing and a reduction in harms will come at a price  
Initial wave of problematic officers being fed in through the POST and being weeded out

What we as leaders and activists need to do moving forward?

Need to watchdog this process
Local Work to remove school resource officers
Data trail will create opportunity for advocacy
Keep in mind the young people who are still not eligible for expungement 

Senator Will Brownsberger has a useful page with bill details by topic at this link. Sen. Brownsberger was an ally in the passage of the Criminal Justice Reform Bill of 2018 and for this Racial Justice Policing Bill for which he served on the House-Senate Conference Committee that negotiated the final bill that passed along with Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Rep. Carlos Gonzalez and Rep. Clair Cronin.