Will you sign our petition to end qualified immunity?

What exactly is qualified immunity and why should we end it?

Dear MoveOn member,

It's Ben and Jerry, the ice cream guys. Yes, you read that right. But right now, ice cream is the furthest thing from our minds. We want to talk to you about an issue that's important to us, and impacts the lives of many Americans across the country: immunity from accountability for police officers.

The legal doctrine is called "qualified immunity." It's a rule that protects government officials—including police officers—from facing the consequences when they violate our constitutional rights.¹

In most cases—regardless of how vicious the attack was and even if there was well-documented evidence that misconduct occurred—qualified immunity kicks in, and the abusive police officer gets off scot free. That sends a message to other officers.

Earlier this year, you might have seen the news about police officers who brutally killed Tyre Nichols.² While those officers were dismissed from their jobs, that won't bring Tyre back to his family. And a single action against this group of officers won't prevent police brutality from happening to people in Black and brown communities. One way of taking away their unchecked power is ending qualified immunity.

In any other job, individuals who cause harm are held accountable for their actions. Police cannot continue to be an exception, especially at the expense of Black lives. Will you sign our petition to end qualified immunity for good?

We need to end qualified immunity. It's time we hold police officers accountable, just like anyone in any other profession. 

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor herself said qualified immunity "tells officers that they can shoot first and think later."³ This doctrine prevents victims of police brutality from seeking their day in court. Police officers remain unchecked and will continue to wield their power against other people as long as they're seen as above the law. Those who claim to "enforce" the law should never be immune to it.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Sources:

1. "Qualified Immunity," Equal Justice Initiative, accessed February 22, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/170527?t=6&akid=345910%2E53570607%2EPSbGHv

2. "What we know about the criminal, administrative cases surrounding Tyre Nichols' death," Memphis Commercial Appeal, February 21, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/170536?t=8&akid=345910%2E53570607%2EPSbGHv

3. "Supreme Court Rules for Police Officer in Excessive Force Case," The New York Times, April 2, 2018
https://act.moveon.org/go/170537?t=10&akid=345910%2E53570607%2EPSbGHv

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