Vote No on SB 242!

Dear Assemblyman/Assemblywoman,

We are writing to  you in opposition to SB 242, a bill written by Senator Nicole Cannizzaro, that if passed will increase police power, secrecy, and immunity.

You may not be aware but like the rest of the nation, Nevada has an excessive-use-of-force problem.  Ranking 6th in the nation in police homicides (Source:  Mapping Police Violence), Nevada police are a prime example of the infamous patterns and practices of many law enforcement agencies across the country:  police rush to use deadly-force on civilians, racially profile Black, Brown and Native communities, mistreat vulnerable populations like the mentally ill, disabled, homeless, sex workers and LGBTQ, and are hardly ever, if ever, held criminally liable for their crimes and civil and human rights violations.  These policing practices ruin entire families and communities who are already battling other systemic forms of oppression including mass incarceration, food deserts, environmental injustices, and lack of access to resources.  

Since 1990, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police has killed approximately 200 civilians, and no on-duty officer has been indicted or convicted for taking the life of a civilian in Nevada state.      

It’s time for the Nevada State Legislature to investigate this horrendous human rights issue, and rather than focusing on giving police even more control in incidents that involve themselves, work with the community to write legislation that will make our criminal justice system more fair and balanced by increasing police oversight, police transparency, and police accountability, which will in turn help repair the broken relationship between Nevada communities and Nevada’s law enforcement agencies.  It's time for the Nevada State Legislature to join California, Washington, Wisconsin and New York, where police reform through legislation is taking place, and those who are directly impacted by police violence are no longer ignored and are finding a voice at the table.  

History of SB 242:
March 20, 2019 - SB 242 was heard in front of the Senate Committee.
Several families impacted by police homicide and police abuse survivors testified in opposition to SB 242.
April 19 - Nicole Cannizzaro presented an amendment to SB242, striking the section that would allow officers’ faces to be redacted from video.  However, the section that allows for redactions of officers’ statements in civil trials remains in the text.  The committee voted all in favor of SB 242, and has been passed to the Assembly.

We are petitioning you to vote against SB 242 so that hiding evidence in use-of-force cases does not become legal in the state of Nevada.

Sincerely, 

Families United 4 Justice & Supporters

Families United 4 Justice is a nationwide collective of families impacted by police homicide and police brutality survivors organizing for systemic and social change.

http://FU4JNetwork.org