Philadelphia Civil Rights Attorney Calls for Legal Reforms to Hold Law Enforcement Accountable for Their Unlawful Actions
Says Officers Are Given “Qualified Immunity” to Avoid Being Prosecuted
Philadelphia, PA (FreePR.org) -- The controversial killing of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has left civil rights advocates and lawyers questioning whether legal changes are needed to prevent such fatal incidents.
On January 7, Good was shot to death by an ICE agent on a street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Good tried to run down the agent, but witnesses said she tried to move her car out of traffic when the agent jumped in front of her car.
Gerald Williams from the Philadelphia law firm Williams Cedar LLC routinely represents clients in cases alleging excessive use of force by law enforcement officers. “For more than 150 years, there have been powerful federal laws with remedies for abuses like what apparently happened in Minneapolis,” Mr. Williams said. “But, over the decades, judges have interpreted the laws in ways that have seriously hampered the ability of victims to get justice.”
After the murder of George Floyd in 2021, Mr. Williams said, there were efforts in Congress to limit the bad effects of some of these doctrines, like “qualified immunity” and barriers preventing federal and state agencies from being held accountable for illegal conduct by their officers, but the proposed legislation failed, and was later abandoned.
“There are litigation strategies available to combat these judge-made doctrines, but they are true roadblocks in the path of justice,” Mr. Williams said. “The fact is, without real legal reform, we are likely to see more incidents of a very old pattern in law enforcement reflected in Ms. Good’s death: 1) use of excessive or deadly force; 2) manufacturing justifications and blaming the victim; 3) avoiding accountability.”
For more information, call (856) 470-9777 or visit williamscedar.com.
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About Williams Cedar LLC
Williams Cedar LLC is a personal injury law firm that serves areas throughout the State of New Jersey, with offices located in Haddonfield. The firm is focused on the practice of personal injury law, employment law, and civil rights litigation, serving victims of negligence and civil rights violations throughout New Jersey. They assist clients with a variety of claims, including product liability claims, toxic torts, wage and hour violations, police misconduct, and malicious prosecution, among others. For more information, call (856) 470-9777 or visit williamscedar.com.
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Contact Information:
Hank Russell, PRMG
631-310-5268
hrussell@theprmg.com
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