National Urban League President and CEO Hails the Department of Justice’s New Policy Limits on Chokeholds and No-Knock Entries
Washington, D.C. (September 21, 2021) –National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice’s new policy limits on chokeholds and no-knock entries:
“Last week, the Department of Justice took an important and necessary step to mitigate the alarming use of police tactics that have resulted in unnecessary deaths, especially within Black and Brown communities. For far too long, the law enforcement community has allowed a minority of officers to cause inexplicable tragedies and atrocities in communities they police with little to no accountability.
“This nation has a dark, discriminatory, and violent history as it pertains to the over-policing of Black and Brown men, women and children, one that extends far back to the slave patrols of the 1700s and persists today. The brutal murders of Breonna Taylor because of a no-knock warrant and George Floyd and Eric Garner due to the illegal use of a chokehold and so many others are only the latest names of those who have succumbed to the dangerous misuse of law enforcement techniques. This nation is in desperate need of a transformation of policing policies and practices, and it is my hope that the policy limits announced this month will improve transparency and accountability in these communities.
“While we are excited at this step towards progress, now, more than ever is when we double down on our efforts to call on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which will ensure consistency in law enforcement. To truly build trust and confidence in law enforcement within communities who have often felt bullied and threatened by law enforcement, we must ensure that the limits on chokeholds and no-know entries remain in place regardless of political administration.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Niambe Tomlinson
(202) 629-5750 | ntomlinson@nul.org