Equal rights for all - Oppose HB 928 because Law Enforcement Officers need good pay - not extra rights

 

House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety 

Hearing Room 6

HB 928                                                                                                                                    

April 15, 2019

Dear Honorable Committee Members,

The NAACP - Missouri State Conference works to preserve and strengthen constitutional liberties for all with an end of justice and equality for all.  The NAACP Travel Advisory was imposed because the actions of some government officials in Missouri were not ethical or transparent. Law enforcement officers, charged with protecting our society and empowered to take lethal actions, must not be an exception. Law enforcement officers, like all other residents of the U.S. are protected under the Constitution. Creating special procedures as listed in HB 928 does nothing to ensure police accountability. 

In particular, Section 3.2 will severely limit the willingness of the public to hold officers accountable. This section reads  that “Anyone filing a complaint against a law enforcement officer shall have the complaint supported by a sworn affidavit. Any complaint having been supported by a  sworn affidavit and having been found to contain knowingly false material information,  in total or in part, shall be presented to the appropriate prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney for a determination of prosecution…” Already, we know that members of the public are disinclined to bring a complaint against law enforcement, sometimes fearing retribution other times deeply concerned that nothing will come of such a complaint. I mentioned this in a recent article in the Jefferson City News Tribune just last week.  If we erect further barriers to participation, including the threat of prosecution, we do ourselves an investigative disservice. If we as a society are committed to justice, we must investigate allegations of wrongdoing. If we as a society are committed to a safe work environment for law enforcement, we should take steps to encourage robust police-community relationships. This is not one of those steps. 

HB 928 will not address the harm done by racial profiling nor facilitate a process for reform. There are meaningful steps we could and should take to reform law enforcement in Missouri:

-We should offer more deescalation training, we should make sure our policing is data-informed and stop patterns of racial profiling. 

-We should also know how many complaints are currently filed, how many are verified, how many lead to disciplinary action, and what the process of resolution process is for each department before we mandate a revision. 

All citizens deserve Constitutional protections, but none above others when it comes to ensuring the integrity of our Democracy.  Law enforcement officers, if accused of a crime, have the same due process rights as all of us:  rights to an attorney and the ability to mount their own defense. Upholding the Constitution means upholding the principles of equality not requesting carve outs to protect one group of people from the community they serve. 

Sincerely,

Nimrod Chapel, Jr.

President of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP

Don't let the politicians UNDO your vote with bad legislation.

Clean Missouri could come before voters again
https://www.komu.com/news/clean-missouri-could-come-before-voters-again

JEFFERSON CITY - A Missouri House committee heard testimony Wednesday on a trio of proposals that would change or completely repeal Constitutional Amendment 1--the Clean Missouri amendment--which voters passed in November.

Opponents say lawmakers are trying to undo the will of the people while supporters say voters might not have fully understand what they approved.

“I actually pose before the people that they would consider some of the unintended consequences of their actions when it came to the Clean Missouri,” said Rep. Jeff Pogue, R-Salem, the sponsor of the full repeal.

Amendment 1, which 62 percent of voters approved, bars most lobbyist gifts to lawmakers, requires legislators to wait two years after leaving the General Assembly before becoming lobbyists, requires legislative records to be public, lowers campaign contribution limits to state legislative candidates and changes how legislative districts are drawn.

Pogue’s proposal would eliminate Clean Missouri in its entirety. The other proposals heard by the committee Wednesday would prohibit all lobbyist gifts to lawmakers and change Amendment 1’s redistricting provisions. All three proposals would require voter approval before taking effect.

Nimrod Chapel, president of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, said lawmakers shouldn’t “undo the will of the people.”

“The people read it. Okay? They picked what they wanted, and they voted for it,” he said.

But Pogue said Amendment 1 empowers “the unelected bureaucracy and it also, we are losing the privacy and the confidence of our constituents.”

Martha Brownlee-Duffeck, a member of Missouri Faith Voices, attended Wednesday’s hearing. She said she knocked on doors and encouraged people to vote for Amendment 1.

“Give Clean Missouri a chance the way it was written and the way it was voted for by 62 percent of the population,” she said of her message to lawmakers.

The proposals heard in committee Wednesday are just some of the changes to Clean Missouri lawmakers are discussing.

One proposal, for example, would restrict access to public records. 

The legislation heard Wednesday requires a committee vote before advancing.

THE NAACP SUPPORTS THE EQUAL PAY ACT

Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women in the United States are typically paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the statistics are even worse for women of color.  As a result, women were 35% more likely to live in poverty than men.  While the Equal Pay Act of 1963 has helped to narrow the wage gap between men and women in our workforce, significant disparities remain and must be addressed.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, H.R. 7, was written to close a number of the loopholes and gaps in the 1963 act which have contributed to this stubborn, and troublesome, phenomena.  Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act by a bipartisan vote and sent it on to the Senate for action.   To learn more about this important bill and what it does, and to see how your Representative voted, as well as to see how you can advocate to the US Senate, please read the attached Action Update / Action Alert and take Fast Action.

Hilary O. Shelton
Director, NAACP Washington Bureau/
SVP Advocacy & Policy

NAACP
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215
United States

Blackface today - what it means and why - SPECIAL EVENT

The NAACP Stands for Equality

For Immediate Release

March 25, 2019

For more than 100 years the NAACP has been an advocate for civil rights. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People supports Title IX.

We cannot allow further erosion of civil rights in Missouri by allowing protections against sexual assault on college campuses through Title IX to be taken away. Missouri needs help enforcing the protection of civil rights and can do better. The NAACP Travel Advisory remains in effect. Missouri is still harboring criminal justice and civil rights violations including:

- the disproportionate driving while Black (DWB) contact as quantified through the Vehicle Stops Report;

- murders of individuals like Tory Sander that have NOT been charged;

- stripping minorities of the ability to protect themselves from the harms of discrimination through the state court system;

- keeping men like Marcellus Williams from finding justice through the criminal Courts; and

- a failure to investigate the complaints of students who experience civil rights violations occurring across campuses.

The national leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has been firm in support of Title IX and the protections offered through it. We sued the federal government to prevent poorly guided leadership from ignoring basic human rights to be free from assault. We offered comment to proposed rule changes to Title IX in conjunction with civil rights organizations all over the county. 

Be clear, the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP is in alignment with the National NAACP and supports Title IX and no unit has taken a position contrary to that in our state. Our organization believes in civil rights for everyone.

The most important thing for you to know is that the work continues. From advocating for equality, to litigating discrimination and its effects, to agitating for voting rights in opposition to Voter ID, the work is going strong.

Thank you for your support.

Nimrod Chapel, Jr.

President

Missouri State Conference

844 NAACP HELP

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP's work and our six "Game Changer" issue areas by visiting NAACP.org. To become a member of the NAACP, and part of the solution,

visit: http://www.naacp.org/membership/. 

Is your city abusing its workers?

#Missouri City sued for racial slurs.

#JimCrow

#FairCourts

We MARCH in to April

Wednesday April 3rd: "McDs, Day Late, $15 & Union Short!" - Mobilize 11:30am (3845 Broadway KCMO) & March 12pm, Co-Sponsor JWJ: In response to the historic victory last week, McDs announcing they'll no longer oppose local, state, or federal minimum wage increases, we are organizing a quick action to celebrate and to tell them they're a "Day Late, $15 & Union Short!' If they truly want to support raising wages they'll stop trying to undermine the 2018 increase won in Missouri and recognize workers union. *See flyer attached 

Thursday April 4th "Faith for $15" - Mobilize 11:30am (5170 Roe Blvd, Roeland Park, 66205) & March 12pm - Co-sponsors MORE2 & Network: An interfaith group of KS and MO faith leaders will join nation faith leader Sr Simone Campbell for a Faith for $15 action and press conference. Rep. Sharice Davids specifically asked to hear that faith leaders support the Raise the Wage act for $15 federal minimum wage. We are 10 votes shy of passing in the U.S. House. This is a critical action to move Rep. Davids to be one of those 10 votes! 

Jefferson City Community - Police Relations MEETING TO SHARE YOUR VIEW

Please share with the NAACP members and ask that they attend.

Please share and invite residents to attend.

http://empowermissouri.org/community-police-relations-listening-sessions/

Contact - Jeanette Mott Oxford for more information if necessary.

314-775-3261 voice/text
Be the change you wish to see!