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Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

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Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

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There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

MA Lawmakers Aim to End Qualified Immunity, Let People Sue Police

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Monday, April 24, 2023   

Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress have reintroduced legislation which would allow people to sue police officers and other state and local government officials.

The Ending Qualified Immunity Act would eliminate the doctrine created by the Supreme Court, which protects police officers from individual liability for violating a person's constitutional rights.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said the bill ensures police, and all officials, are held accountable for their actions.

"It makes no sense that the very people responsible for enforcing the law face no consequences for breaking it," Pressley contended.

The bill was first introduced in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, and Pressley argued it provides the families of those abused by police with the healing they deserve. Supporters of qualified immunity said officers should not have to fear lawsuits when dealing with potentially dangerous suspects.

More than 1,000 people in the U.S. were killed by police last year, a record high, according to the nonprofit Mapping Police Violence.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said for decades, qualified immunity has shielded officers who use excessive force, far too often suffered by Black and brown Americans.

"There will be no true justice until there is racial justice," Markey asserted. "And there will be no racial justice until we end qualified immunity."

Markey added victims and their families are due their day in court against those officials who violate their civil rights. At least forty lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.


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