To: The California State House and The California State Senate
Grant-Martin-Brown Police Accountability Act
Title of Bill: Grant-Martin-Brown Police Accountability Act
BE IT ENACTED BY THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE
Preamble: Whereas, in light of the deaths of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown, and the scores of people of color who have died or been unfairly prosecuted in similar ways, and since there is a disproportionate number of people of color in Californian prisons in part due to reliable evidence of police racial profiling, since this racial profiling has broken communities of people’s faith and trust in police officers, since this breakdown of trust perpetuates crime and creates tragedies similar to the one’s listed above, and since the financial and social cost of police officers being accused of targeting people of color burdens our society with financial strain, unrest and upheaval,
SECTION 1: Let California set the standard of accountability for the nation by mandating that all police officers, while on duty, be required to wear a video camera that accurately records their actions.
SECTION 2: Let California restore people’s trust in police officers by incorporating best-practices and evidence-based treatment of racial profiling and racism into all police officer’s training, beginning at the police academy and continuing through-out each police officer’s career.
SECTION 3: Let Californian police officers be role models in the community that they serve by mandating community service, particularly to programs aimed at boosting disadvantaged youth and people of color.
SECTION 5: This bill shall go into effect 91 days after passage.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE
Preamble: Whereas, in light of the deaths of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown, and the scores of people of color who have died or been unfairly prosecuted in similar ways, and since there is a disproportionate number of people of color in Californian prisons in part due to reliable evidence of police racial profiling, since this racial profiling has broken communities of people’s faith and trust in police officers, since this breakdown of trust perpetuates crime and creates tragedies similar to the one’s listed above, and since the financial and social cost of police officers being accused of targeting people of color burdens our society with financial strain, unrest and upheaval,
SECTION 1: Let California set the standard of accountability for the nation by mandating that all police officers, while on duty, be required to wear a video camera that accurately records their actions.
SECTION 2: Let California restore people’s trust in police officers by incorporating best-practices and evidence-based treatment of racial profiling and racism into all police officer’s training, beginning at the police academy and continuing through-out each police officer’s career.
SECTION 3: Let Californian police officers be role models in the community that they serve by mandating community service, particularly to programs aimed at boosting disadvantaged youth and people of color.
SECTION 5: This bill shall go into effect 91 days after passage.
Why is this important?
Oscar Grant. Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Enough is enough. Now is the time to translate words into action, problems into solutions, tragedy into silver linings. Petition state legislature to enact this bill, requiring police officers to wear a video camera, mandate police training against racial profiling, and mandate police participation in community service programs for disadvantaged youth and people of color.