In 2020, Students United’s Board of Directors adopted a series of stances on policing legislation, including the recommendations from the Minnesota Legislature’s POCI Caucus and in support of the federal Justice in Policing Act. Discussions at the state and federal level indicate there is an important opportunity for additional movement on some of these provisions.
Below you will find details on federal and state legislation and who to contact to make your voice heard.
Federal Action
OVERVIEW:
The Justice in Policing Act, first introduced in 2020, would end qualified immunity, ban choke-holds and no-knock warrants, make racial profiling illegal, mandate body cameras, criminalize sexual misconduct by police, limit militarization, and more. Here is a fact sheet about the bill from the House Judiciary Committee.
THE ASK:
Contact Senator Tina Smith and Senator Amy Klobuchar and ask them to vocally support this legislation and to do everything within their power to push for movement on this legislation in the Senate. You can also call your Representatives to push them to urge their Senate colleagues to vote on the legislation. This has passed the House of Representatives, but the Senate has yet to act.
SAMPLE SCRIPT:
My name is [your name] and I am a constituent of the Senator. I am contacting the Senator to request that they support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and do everything in their power to bring this legislation to a vote in the Senate. I believe this this legislation is important because [insert your talking points.] Thank you.
Find your Congressmembers’ information: https://www.studentsunited.org/federalreps
State Action
OVERVIEW:
The Minnesota House’s Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform Omnibus is dense but contains multiple provisions Students United supports. Among them: emergency paid sick leave for essential workers unable to work due to COVID-19; allowing a person to be prosecuted for assaulting a person who was intoxicated through voluntary consumption to the point where they could not give reasoned consent; limit the use of no-knock warrants; require the board to modify the peace officer code of conduct to prohibit peace officers from affiliating with, supporting, or advocating for white supremacist groups, causes, or ideologies or participation in, or active promotion of, an international or domestic extremist group; and more. Because of where the Minnesota legislature is at in their session, it’s important that the Minnesota Senate be encouraged to include some of these provisions we support.
THE ASK:
Contact your State Senators and ask them to include provisions that are laid out in the House’s omnibus public safety and criminal justice reform finance bill and encourage your State Representatives to hold firm on their recommendations as the omnibus bills are heard in conference committee this week.
SAMPLE SCRIPT:
My name is [your name] and I am a constituent of the Senator living at [your street address.] I am contacting the Senator to request that they support the inclusion of some provisions that are laid out in the house’s omnibus public safety and criminal justice reform finance bill in the senate’s language. I support [one of the provisions Students United supports] because [any talking points about why you feel it’s important.] Thank you.
Find your State Senators’ information: https://www.studentsunited.org/statereps