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The Week In News
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JUNE 18, 2020
selves before entering a home would allow suspects to destroy evidence.
Police Reform Ending “No Knock” Warrants
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) has introduced a bill that would ban law enforcement from conducting “no knock” warrants. Titled the “Justice for Breonna Taylor” Act, the legislation mandates that law enforcement announce themselves before forcing their way into someone’s home. According to the wording of the bill, police cannot enter a private domicile “until after the officer provides notice of his or her authority and purpose.” The bill would apply to any federal, state, and local law enforcement agency that is funded by the Department of Justice. The move comes after 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by Louisville’s SWAT team in March after they used a battering ram to break down her door. Taylor, a licensed gun owner, had opened fire after believing that the drug raid was a home invasion due to the fact that the officers failed to announce their presence first. Taylor’s death outraged civil libertarians nationwide, who said that she had no way of knowing that those breaking down her door were, in fact, police officers. “After talking with Breonna Taylor’s family, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s long past time to get rid of no-knock warrants,” said Paul. “This bill will effectively end noknock raids in the United States.” The Louisville Metro Council has already outlawed “no-knock” warrants after Taylor’s death, despite concerns that forcing them to announce them-
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on policing amid increasing pressure and nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of law enforcement officers. At the signing in the Rose Garden President Trump said that he had just met with the families of several recent victims of lethal police violence, adding, “All Americans mourn by your side. Your loved ones will not have died in vain.” He added, “I could never imagine your pain or the depth of your anguish, but I can promise to fight for justice for all of our people.” Trump said that order will use grants to help departments meet certification standards on the use of force, create a national database on excessive force complaints, and encourage the involvement of mental health professionals when responding to nonviolent cases, like addiction, homelessness and mental illness. The president also said the order would prioritize grants to police departments to certify that they meet certain standards, and those standards would include a ban on chokeholds except in situations when an officer’s life is at risk. The goal of the executive order is to take action without restricting the ability of police to do their jobs, a White House official said, claiming that Democrats are going too far with proposals that “would render police departments ineffective.” The White House official described Tuesday’s executive order as a “starting point,” telling NBC News that it was “as far as we can go at the executive level” and expressing skepticism
that Congress would be able to act. Attorney General William Bar, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt, who represents a number of Black families who’ve had loved ones die in encounters with police, also joined Trump in the Rose Garden. “I am committed to working with Congress on additional measures,” Trump said Tuesday. “Hopefully they will all get together and come up with a solution that goes even beyond what we’re signing today.” Democrats unveiled a sweeping policing overhaul bill earlier this month that would ban chokeholds like the kind that led to the death of Floyd and no-knock warrants, as was used before Taylor’s fatal shooting. Senate Republicans, too, have been working on their own plan separate from the White House efforts, which Trump said could go “hand-in-hand” with his executive order. Last week Senate Majority Leader McConnell tapped South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — the only Black Republican in the Senate — to lead efforts on a police reform bill, but Republican leadership is expected to wait until after the July 4 recess to act on the measure.
GOP Convention to be Held in FL
ward to bringing this great celebration and an economic boom to the Sunshine State in just a few short months.” The announcement comes after weeks of sparring between South Carolina’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and the RNC. Cooper had been working to minimize the convention as much as possible in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, while the Trump administration insisted that the health guidelines were politicized. After Cooper refused to budge, Trump threatened to find an alternative location for his nomination speech. However, the RNC is contractually obligated to hold the event in Charlotte, meaning that the actual convention will take place hundreds of miles away from Trump’s acceptance speech. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Mayor Lenny Curry praised the decision to host the acceptance speech in Jacksonville, promising that the state would do everything possible to make the GOP feel welcome. “Jacksonville, I know what you’re thinking. Are we big enough, bold enough to host the RNC?” Curry said in a video he released following the announcement. “What city would take on the Republican National Convention with just 75 days to pull it off? Probably not many, but Jacksonville isn’t just any city. Here in the River City, we do things big and bold, and we’ll be ready.”
Atlanta Police Chief Resigns
President Donald Trump will accept the Republican Party’s nomination in Jacksonville after the Florida city was selected to host the celebration. Trump’s acceptance speech is now slated to take place on August 27 at VyStar Memorial Arena, a 15,000 multipurpose indoor stadium. The decision was officially announced by the Republican National Committee (RNC) in a press release on Sunday. “We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion in the great city of Jacksonville,” RNC Chairperson Ronna McDaniel said. “We look for-
Atlanta Chief of Police Erika Shields was forced to resign over the weekend after law enforcement killed an African American man. Shields’ resignation was announced by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in a press conference, who called for the police officer responsible for killing 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks to be put on trial. Saying that
