ACTION ALERT! Help Support SB 627 - No Secret Police Act
Legislation would ban all law enforcement from covering their faces while policing California communities
Scenes of arrests from across the country have been captured in videos posted online by firsthand witnesses of the current administration's aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration across several U.S. cities. The arrests have common threads, and one of the most notable is the use of masks by law enforcement. Masked agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal officers assigned to work with ICE, wearing plainclothes and sometimes arriving in unmarked vehicles. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told National Public Radio that agents are covering their faces to protect themselves from doxing and increasing threats. But civil rights groups and legal advocates say it's creating fear and undermining public trust.
"It may well be a reason for masking if you are engaged in a clandestine operation against an organized drug ring or a well-armed gang of some sort," said Stephen Kass, a member of the New York City Bar Association, which last month criticized agents for obscuring their identities through masking. "But that's not what's happening here."
This week, the California Assembly Public Safety Committee passed the No Secret Police Act (SB 627), which will ban all law enforcement officers operating in the state from concealing their faces while policing our communities. While we celebrate this win, we know there is still significant opposition to the bill, including from many in law enforcement, and we need to show broad public support to get this bill across the finish line.
This is where we need the help of our supporters and advocates. We want to show California's legislators how many of their constituents support SB 627 so we're calling folks to take action and encourage their legislators to stand for their communities in backing the passage of this bill.
Action steps you can take:
- Sign and share the petition: --->>> Tell Your Elected Leaders: No Secret Police on Our Streets
- Use the SB 627 Social Media Toolkit on your social media channels, which contains graphics and sample posts to share with your social networks and email lists.
Felony Murder Elimination Project is deeply grateful for the advocacy of our supporters in upholding our shared values toward a fairer criminal justice system. Our work together seeing this legislation become law is one of many steps we can take to see these values uplifted.
