Demand fixes to broken laws on police use of deadly force

Demand fixes to broken laws on police use of deadly force

Dear Tracy, Rekia Boyd. Eric Garner. Ezell Ford. Tamir Rice. Michael Brown. These names are just a few among the countless lives that have been lost at the hands of law enforcement officers in the U.S. In neighborhoods across the country, the use of lethal force is alarming - hundreds of lives are lost each and every year. Even as I write this, lives are at stake. We must demand reform of state laws to limit police use of lethal force. From Ferguson to Baltimore, community members and civil society organizations have taken to the streets to shed light on the instances where officers have used lethal force. These responses have marked a pivotal moment in the human rights movement and in U.S. history. When I traveled to Ferguson as part of an Amnesty International delegation, I saw a community in pain - but I also saw a community rising up to demand systemic change that will come from establishing policing policies that respect human rights. We've seen similar calls for reform throughout the nation. Today, the United States lacks use of force laws that safeguard human rights. In fact, Amnesty's new report, Deadly Force, found that not only does the U.S. government fail to track how many people are killed by law enforcement officers each year, but also that not one of the 50 U.S. states complies with international laws on the use of lethal force. Tell U.S. authorities: We urgently need reform of laws on the use of lethal force. We've seen the impact of lethal force across the U.S., where black men are disproportionately impacted by police killings. We see it in the deaths of individuals like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and so many others. We must insist on the creation of laws that limit the use of lethal force by police officers to only those situations where it is strictly necessary to protect the officer or others from imminent threat of death or serious injury. In Baltimore last month, I saw another hurting community and a similar activist uprising demanding reform. It's up to us to ensure that reform is put in place nationwide. It's time to demand reform and accountability. Stand with us today. In solidarity, Steven W. Hawkins Executive Director Amnesty International USA