Benjamin Crump: I'm disappointed, but not surprised
From Eric Garner, an unarmed adult killed by New York police, to Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager killed by a Ferguson police officer, to Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old killed by Cleveland police, the outcomes of these incidents last year are all the same: unarmed people of color needlessly killed during interactions with law enforcement.
There have been no state indictments of the officers and no due process for the families of the victims, but there is unbridled and unjust protection of law enforcement.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced that it will not indict Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown. I was not surprised but was extremely disappointed. This underscores the need for change in the federal law and reform of an unjust system.
As we prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s March from Selma, we are reminded that unjust laws and unbridled police officers set a precedent for injustice and a bar to human rights. Shielding police officers from criminal prosecutions and failing to indict them for using excessive deadly force against unarmed minorities is unjust. Until there are real consequences for this conduct, it will persist.
We need independent, unbiased special prosecutors. We need more Justice investigations to determine whether there is a pattern of excessive force or discrimination. Even more, we need officers to think twice before using deadly force in interactions with unarmed minorities. Right now, there's no compelling deterrent.
Willful, explicit racial bias should not be required for federal hate crime prosecutions, which make the possibility of jail time remote. A standard requiring only implicit racial bias would open the door for successful criminal prosecutions.
The senseless killings of unarmed people of color necessitate a change in the federal law and a new legal standard.
If we do not make those changes, our communities will continue to suffer fatalities not only from police, but worse yet, also from an insensitive, unconcerned and uncompassionate American legal system.
Attorney Benjamin Crump represents the families of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin.