On June 26, Crystal Caldwell was subject to a violent attack while on the job at the Quality Inn in Mystic, CT. The perpetrators of this hate crime were allowed to flee the state by the Stonington police department. With the help of U.S. Marshals, the perpetrators were arrested and extradited to Connecticut where they have since posted bond. 

Crystal is a lifelong resident of our southeastern Connecticut community. We seek justice for Crystal through the vigorous and effective prosecution of the hate crimes that were committed. We call for the following actions in seeking justice for Crystal:

We call upon Connecticut General Assembly and its state representatives and senators to support Crystal’s Law (proposed changes to CGS 53a-181(j)-(l)). We call upon the executive and judicial branches of the state of Connecticut to support Crystal’s Law.

We call upon the Town of Stonington to secure funding for body cameras for the Stonington police department. 

We call upon the Stonington Board of Police Commissioners to take the following actions:

• Mandate anti-bias training for all Stonington police department employees. Training should specifically address anti-bias in leadership.
• Complete a public review of Stonington police department policies and procedures.
• Commit to ongoing public reviews of these policies and procedures.