“We are a legal advocacy organization that works to ensure that people of color live in a society that respects their humanity, provides equality of economic opportunity, empowers them to use their voice in the political process, and protects equal justice.”
Brooke Lewis, Legal Advocacy Fellow, NJ Institute for Social Justice – testifying at a hearing of the NJ Senate Law & Public Safety Committee on July 15, 2020.
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We embrace their recommendation of six steps for NJ legislators to take:
1) Reform the state’s use-of-force policies, especially banning of chokeholds (A4284 & S2617)
2) Pass legislation to eliminate qualified immunity defense against claims brought under the NJ Civil Rights Act – see A4578 (referred to Assembly Law & Public Safety Comm. on 8/25/20).
3) Safeguard citizens’ right to criticize and record police conduct (i.e. record w/out fear of retaliation), and create statewide standards. Model: Newark Police Division’s policy [see her summary]:
“… prohibits officers from stopping, detaining, or arresting citizens for record police conduct. It limits exigent circumstances under which an officer may pursue a warrantless search and seizure of a recording device and expressly prohibits officers from threatening force or arrest towards citizens who criticize police.”
Additional steps: pass key bills S2656/A5301 – OPRA transparency of police records bills. Also see bills S117/A5028, setting up a pilot program to record police interrogations involving charges of violent crime. Its goal: to prevent detectives from lying to suspects to elicit confessions.
4) Stop police militarization by discouraging local depts. from participating in Defense Dept’s 1033 program and increasing statewide oversight of transfer of military equipment to local law enforcement. (Since 2018, NJ received $11.8 million work of equipment.) Advocate for bills S1632/A5027.
5) Redirect law enforcement funding toward developing a non-law-enforcement first-responder system to address mental health issues (i.e. mentally-ill comprise ¼ of all fatal police-civilian interactions). Crisis intervention training isn’t enough. See Oregon’s CAHOOTS program (24/7 crisis intervention w. an emergency response team w/medic and crisis worker).
6) Investing in restorative justice practices, including restorative justice centers. See bills A4663/S2924, setting up a two-year restorative justice pilot program for juveniles in 4 NJ cities.