Criminal Justice in America, under the Trump Era?
IN THIS ISSUE: Action Against 45. | New Community Holiday. | Legislative Work.
We as a people, 'American' or not, are in the midst of a growing uprise against the 45th President of this country. Even his supporters who once claimed MAGA (Make America Great Again), an ideal that captivated those with similar sentiments have had an abrupt turn of opinion. His is hate-filled speeches inspired chaos and division. Rage is encouraged by his very presence. New, far right Trump inspired groups like the "Proud Boys" the new KKK have emerged. We are living an American nightmare. What can we do to resist?
The New York State Attorney General has filed a civil suit against the Trump Foundation, citing numerous egregious violations of state law. It is clear that there are a number of criminal violations as well but the Attorney General cannot initiate a criminal investigation unless asked to do so by the Governor. In New York State I have asked the Governor, Andrew Cuomo, to ask the New York State Attorney General to immediately initiate a criminal investigation into the activities of the Trump Foundation. This is the logical course of action given the fact of the Attorney General's recent civil lawsuit against the Trump Foundation. Given the accusations against the Trump Foundation, although tough allegations to prove. This action would serve as a message from the State of NY, "President" that Gov. Cuomo will hold accountability starting from top down.
Here in New York we defend against biased, unequal, victimizing, degrading policies and corruption in the systems that govern us. Top down accountability is typical business practice and yet when it comes to American Criminal Justice, we hold accountability from the bottom up.
We can just look at the most recent anniversary of Eric Garner and his daughter Erica Garner (Rest in Peace) and all those that we have had to memorialize as a new set of holidays in our communities:
6 years since the murder of Trayvon Martin, 2012.
5 years since the murder of Eric Garner, 2014.
3 years since the murder of Kalief Browder, 2015.
3 years since the murder of Sandra Bland, 2015.
2 years since the murder of the Philando Castile, 2016.
There's no denying the fact that our faith in Justice through accountability is dormant.
Is it more so now under his preidency or have we lived with this system that has been unveiled because of 45?
We are left with an atmosphere of zero accountability which has both detrimental effects and can leave an underlying message in its wake.
The universal message has always favored those that can afford.
Afford proper counsel/representation like in the case of Officer Pantaleo.
Afford a privileged position to not be seen as a murderer in a SYG (Stand Your Ground laws) case simply for fear of a black person is a promising defense in our judicial courts.
The opioid epidemic has been a war against the poor that can't afford the road to recovery.
We have and we will continue to hold those in power accountable and use our voices in our capitol [Albany] to influence and gather the power we need to bring Justice to all communities.
Equal, Fair, and Unbiased.
If you remember how this year started at the State of State Address Governor Cuomo told me that he would put forth a bold Criminal Justice Reform package and failed to follow through with his promise. This means that we, the Kalief Browder Foundation and its allies as well as yourself will double our efforts and continue to organize and coalition build to improve our efforts next session 2019! Want to get involved? Any ideas? Let us know by emailing us at admin@kaliefbrowderfoundation.com or leave a comment!
