Reverend: ‘The end goal is to end’ qualified immunity
Police reform debate rages on
Police accountability advocates amped up the pressure on Beacon Hill senators on Monday as they pondered a set of sweeping reforms, saying the “goal is to end qualified immunity” in Massachusetts.
“We are behind this bill because we believe this is the first step. This is the first step for us to move forward to our end goal,” said the Rev. Willie Bodrick, speaking from the steps of the State House.
“The end goal is to end qualified immunity. That’s what advocates are standing on. That’s what protesters are believing in,” Bodrick continued.
Flanked by prominent members of Boston’s Black community and other clergy, Bodrick spoke as the Senate began its fourth day of deliberation on a bill that would place limits on — but not completely end — qualified immunity.
The bill would allow officers to be held personally responsible for certain misconduct on the job. Massachusetts is the second state in the nation to take on the concept of qualified immunity, after Colorado.
The Senate bill would end qualified immunity for police except in cases where “no reasonable defendant could have had reason to believe that such conduct would violate the law,” according to the bill language.
The proposal has drawn sharp backlash from police groups around the state — including members of the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers who gathered at the State House just hours earlier claiming they “weren’t invited to the table” or asked for input on the bill.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Policy Group and the Latino Law Enforcement Group of Boston have also called for the preservation of qualified immunity.
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley weighed in over the weekend saying, “Let me be clear, qualified immunity is a barrier to accountability and healing and we must dismantle it.”
The bill has seen pushback from Republican senators as well as some Democratic senators who say the bid to limit qualified immunity goes too far.
All opponents say they support other major principles of the bill that would create the state’s first-ever certification system for police officers and allow for suspension or decertification of officers who commit acts of misconduct. It would ban chokeholds, limit crowd-control tactics and require officers to step up against brutality.
“I asked for our senators to stand strong against the pushback. Stand strong against those who are not wanting change. Stand strong and stand on the side of justice,” Bodrick said.