Legislature Fails to Heed Californians’ Call to Decertify Abusive Police

Statement from co-sponsors of SB 731 on Legislature’s failure to pass the Kenneth Ross, Jr. Police Decertification Act:

With widespread public demand to remove abusive police from our streets, elected officials turned their backs on California communities. By refusing to bring SB 731 up for a vote, Assembly leadership failed Californians, and they failed justice. Their inaction jeopardizes the safety of individuals who are targeted by police violence: Black people, Indigenous people, people of color - especially Black and Brown youth, LGBTQIA individuals, and those with disabilities. 

Instead of listening to the calls from community members - including the cries of families whose loved ones have been killed by police and who volunteered hundreds of hours, met with legislators and state agencies, and shared tragic stories over and over again with the media to get SB 731 passed - legislators caved to pressure and lies from law enforcement lobbyists, failing to act on a common-sense bill that would have simply brought California into line with 45 other states. 

This bill would have created a process to take away the badges of cops who commit serious misconduct like filing false police reports, tampering with evidence, domestic violence, participating in law enforcement gangs, using excessive force, sexual assault, and killing people unjustifiably. 

Despite being inundated with thousands of phone calls, visits, and social media posts in support of the bill, Assembly leaders like Speaker Rendon and Democratic Caucus Chair Gipson failed to provide any meaningful support to the bill, choosing to protect abusive police over Black and Brown communities, leaving California cemented in the ugly practices of the past. While we hold the entire Assembly who did not support this bill accountable; on this vote, leaders such as Gipson and Rendon had a specific responsibility and failed.

In a district like Gipson’s, where police brutality has had a historical and present impact on the community and as a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, we are outraged by Gipson’s active work against the bill, reported to us by reliable sources with personal knowledge. Unfortunately, we are not surprised by these actions considering his close ties with police, the money he has taken from the police lobby, and their public pressure campaign against him.

Assembly Speaker Rendon continuously failed the community by repeatedly refusing to schedule a hearing, and finally refusing to call the bill up for a vote, despite the urging of the Legislative Black Caucus. Rendon has accepted significant contributions from the police lobby, so this is also not surprising.

This fight is not over. We must decertify violent and abusive officers. We thank Senator Bradford for his leadership on this issue. We will not stop until our communities are free from police terror and abuse.

Californians who want change in Sacramento can take a first step right now – they can demand their lawmakers stop taking donations from police.  Websites like www.NoCopMoneyCA.com make it easy to see how much our representatives take from powerful police interest groups.

This statement is endorsed by families impacted by police violence, community, legal, and advocacy organizations: Anti Police-Terror Project, ACLU of CA, Black Lives Matter- California, California Families United 4 Justice, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, STOP Coalition, and Youth Justice Coalition.

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