defund the police
Kristian Lorén supports the Black Lives Matter movement to reform criminal justice and policing practices in the United States. However, there are many movements with different terms. Below are the movements we support.
Reduce police responsibilities
Police officers have to many duties and responsibilities to do their job effectively. Police officers should have their duties reduced so they are only used for specific criminal activity.
reinvest in communities
Local community investment in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities has been shown to reduce crime. Less crime, less need for police officers.
invest in alternative emergency response teams
Not all crisis events require police intervention. Crisis response teams can respond to events where a police presence may escalate tensions.
END FOR-PROFIT POLICING
Police organizations should be focus on keeping their community safe, not profiting from that community. There should be an end to department quotas for tickets and arrest; a limit on fines for low income people; and a restriction on police seizing property for civilians through civil forfeiture unless the person has been convicted of a crime.
demilitirzation
Police officers are not part of our military and should not be treated as such. End the 1033 Program providing surplus military weaponry to local police departments. Also establish restrictions to prevent local police departments from purchasing or using military equipment.
reform police union contracts
Police unions contracts should not protect police misconduct or make it difficult to remove problematic officers from the police force. We need to remove the barrier to effective misconduct investigations and civilian oversight.
end qualified immunity
Qualified immunity shields police officers from being held accountable for their misconduct. End qualified immunity so police officers can be held liable for their actions.
mandatory mental health checks
Policing is a mentally exhausting job. Law enforcement officers should be checked on a regular basis to make sure they are mentally stable and able to interact with the community in an appropriate manner.
mandatory training
Many police departments are woefully undertrained. Police should be mandated to train at least 30% of their on duty time weekly on descalation and appropriate use of force. This training should be scenario-driven and each officer will be evaluated on their proficiency.
independently investigate and prosecute use of force
Every unlawful use of force by police officers should be investigated by an investigative department independent of the police force and prosecuted by a special prosecutor.
national database of officer conduct
A national database that tracks individual police misconduct. Police officers can not move to different districts without having a background check with any and all misconduct they’ve had through their career.
community representation
The police should reflect and be responsive to the cultural, racial and gender diversity of the communities they are supposed to serve.
Community oversight
Police should not investigate and decide on the consequences for their fellow officers police misconduct. There should be an all-civilian oversight structure with discipline and subpoena power that includes a complaints office as well as a police commission.
mandatory body cams
Body camera footage can provide an unbiased evidence on what happened during an alleged police misconduct incident. Body cameras should be mandatory for all police officers who interact with the community and be turned on at all times a police officers is on duty.
Justice Reform
Institutional racism permeates every step of the legal system, from policing to sentencing. We identify organizations that specialize in dismantling racial inequalities and uphold American constitutional rights.
Legal representation
The justice system is a system rife with inequalities based on race and class . We believe competent legal representation is one of the foundational parts of the justice system that needs significant reform. All those charged with a crime should have access to public defenders who are qualified and have the resources necessary to provide a competent defense. For public defenders this includes enough time to properly investigate and defend a defendants case
prison condition
Millions of Americans are incarcerated in overcrowded, violent, and inhumane jails and prisons that do not provide treatment, education, or rehabilitation. In some states incarcerated individuals are also used as a cheap labor force employed in dangerous work conditions (Fighting wild fires in California). This practice should be stopped.
children in adult prison
The charging and punishment of children as adults can be a miscarriage of justice. Kids as young as eight can still be charged as an adult, held in an adult jail, and sentenced to extreme sentences in an adult prison. We need to to protect children from abusive treatment in the adult criminal justice system.
excessive punishment
Decades of harsh and extreme sentencing have left the United States with the world’s highest incarceration rate. We need to eliminate the excessive punishment, especially for children and people living with poverty, addiction, or mental illness.
Black Lives Will Thrive
The black lives matter movement is more than a movement about Criminal Justice and Police reform. The black live matter movement also want black lives to thrive. To that end, We as a society need to do more to ensure black lives will thrive.
