U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder championed himself as the just voice for civil rights in the wake of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, MO last year. That turned out to be mere lip service because Holder has been asking the Supreme Court to excuse the behavior of violent police officers, reported The New York Times.
This is most troubling because not only has the DOJ been covering for abusive police officers, but Loretta Lynch’s nomination to replace Holder was confirmed this week. Now, we will have a DOJ that’s not only easy on violent police officers, but also easy on Wall Street thugs who seek to cheat American consumers.
The Supreme Court establishes the power limits of police officers and define what deadly force is and when to use it. There are currently more than 20 civil rights investigations related to the actions of America’s local law enforcement. However, the NYT reported that “the Justice Department has staked out positions that make it harder for people to sue the police and give officers more discretion about when to fire their guns.”
Holder said that the Justice Department was going to stand up for these people who were wronged by the violent actions of overzealous police officers. It turns out that he lied. There are some at the DOJ who want reform, but the powers that be are protecting violent police officers.
“There is an inherent conflict between people at the Justice Department trying to stop police abuses and other people at the Justice Department convincing the Supreme Court that police abuses should be excused,” said Manhattan civil rights lawyer Ronald Kuby.
Because Holder goes to bat for murderous police officers, there is tension within the ranks of the DOJ. In short, Holder is keeping his own civil rights investigators from doing their job.
“Law enforcement officers are routinely called upon to face grave dangers and to make often-unheralded sacrifices, and the law must give them the room to make real-time judgments to protect public safety,” said Emily Pierce, a Justice Department spokeswoman. “At the same time, building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and protecting human life and human dignity requires accountability for law enforcement officers. The department recognizes — and is committed to striking — that balance.”
But how can law enforcement officers take accountability when no one is forcing them to be accountable? If a police officer has a chance to kill someone in the line of duty and get away with it, the officer will do just that.
Relating to the Lynch nomination, the practices of the DOJ are very concerning. Lynch has close ties to Wall Street and will more than likely coddle corporate criminals similarly to how Holder coddles crooked police officers. There is no justice for the American people, it’s only for those wear either a badge or a $3,000 Armani suit.
