BacktoCricaddict Posted June 12, 2020 Posted June 12, 2020 (edited) Amidst all the police brutality, rioting news and abolish-police screams that have dominated broadcast and social media, the question of "what now" has not been adequately addressed. Unless, of course, you are a libertarian and like to keep up with obscure bills in congress. Remember, in the end, it is by boring legislation and political will that existing rules change and new rules get made, and real change happens. Protests and rioting are just catalysts that expedite this real change. Libertarians - guys like Ron Paul and Justin Amash - who are ignored by the media because they are not charismatic or powerful - but are more principled than any of the Dem or Rep clown-show con-men, have been pushing for real, reasonable police reform for a long time. Much, much before the rest of the world was witness to police brutality. It is for removal of "qualified immunity." Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that allows public officials to violate your civil rights unless that right has not yet been clearly and explicitly established by case law. As you can imagine, this can and has been widely misused by police officers who have gotten away scot-free for many violations. By ending Qualified Immunity, police will be held accountable and crap like this won't happen: In Howse v. Hodous (2020), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit gave qualified immunity to two officers who allegedly assaulted and arrested a man on bogus charges for the crime of standing outside of his own house. There was also the sheriff's deputy in Coffee County, Georgia, who shot a 10-year-old boy while aiming at a non-threatening dog; the cop in Los Angeles who shot a 15-year-old boy on his way to school because the child's friend had a plastic gun; and two cops in Fresno, California, who allegedly stole $225,000 while executing a search warrant. Only public outcry following George Floyd, it finally dawned on Reps and Dems that this legal doctrine is a problem. Finally, there is a tripartisan bill in Congress sponsored by Justin Amash (Libertarian), and a Dem and Rep. https://reason.com/2020/06/11/justin-amash-tom-mcclintock-republican-cosponsor-tripartisan-support-to-end-qualified-immunity/ If only more people would vote Libertarian, and help dismantle the goddamn 2-party system. At the very least, if you are voter, tell your Congress(wo)man to vote for this bill. Edited June 12, 2020 by BacktoCricaddict
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