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U.S. SenateJohn Cornyn (R) vs. MJ Hegar (D)

Hegar supports reforming qualified immunity, which protects police from many civil suits, and creating a national database of police misconduct. During a June debate, her runoff opponent, state senator Royce West, suggested that both she and Cornyn were afraid to explicitly say Black Lives Matter. She shot back, We need to vote in leaders that, yes, absolutely acknowledge that Black lives matter. Cornyn receives the seventh-most funding from police-affiliated groups of any U.S. senator. In a June op-ed, he acknowledged the existence of systemic problems in policing and voiced support for the JUSTICE Act, legislation blocked by Democrats, who considered it a half-measure. The bill would have incentivized departments to ban choke holds, use body cameras, and offer de-escalation training.

House District 113: East Dallas, Garland, Mesquite

In 2016 Bowers, then a substitute teacher, attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas during which a shooter opened fire and killed five officers. Elected to the Legislature in 2018, she introduced a measure, which failed in committee, to require more police training on how to interact with homeless Texans. After George Floyds killing, in May, she said she would reintroduce the bill and advocate for funding to train police on how to handle mental-health issues. Its not so much about reforming but reimagining what policing looks like, Bowers said. Her opponent, Douglas, is backed by the Dallas Police Association. He has pledged to file legislation banning knee-on-neck choke holds and requiring de-escalation training.

2nd Congressional District: Harris County

Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL and freshman congressman, cosponsored the JUSTICE Act, which a Crenshaw spokesperson called the only real chance of making meaningful reforms to address police brutality this year. Hes also blamed unrest on antifa, which he labeled a terrorist organization, and linked a spike in coronavirus cases to BLM rallies. Ladjevardian has called the demonstrations one of the few bright spots we had this year and voiced support for an outright ban on choke holds and for ending qualified immunity.

23rd Congressional District: West Texas

Gonzales is running to replace the retiring Will Hurd, a moderate Republican who marched with BLM protesters. Gonzales has advocated for sensible police reform, including a federal ban on choke holds. Hes tried to paint his opponent, Jones, as a radical who supports abolishing the police. I support law enforcement, he said. Bad cops make the job harder and more dangerous for good cops, who represent the vast majority. Jones, however, says she doesnt want to abolish the police and instead supports policies such as better data collection and a federal standard on the use of force.

10th Congressional District: Austin to Houston

Unlike other Democrats in contested races in red-leaning districts, Siegel, a civil rights attorney in Austin, is making criminal justice reform a focus of his campaign, as he also did in a failed 2018 bid against McCaul. Hes called for demilitarization of the police, an end to qualified immunity, community oversight of police departments, redirecting first-response duties to other agencies, a national registry for use of force complaints, and decriminalization of jaw-walking, loitering, and disturbing the peace. Asked by Texas Monthly whether he supported defunding or reducing funding for police departments, Siegel said, I support major investments in public safety and want to look at effective ways to address violence and support healthy communities. McCaul, the districts Republican incumbent who has served eight terms, supports the JUSTICE Act and says his constituents generally have good relationships with police. He has called Siegel the most radical candidate in the entire country and released an ad portraying him as a Cuban revolutionary.

Twenty-second Congressional District: Fort Bend County

In a virtual town hall on criminal justice reform in June, Kulkarni said that George Floyds death was a flashpoint in a national reckoning on criminal justice reform, and that he had personal experience with over-policing. As a teenager, he was asked to identify someone in a police lineup who he knew had not committed a crime, he said. Kulkarni marched with protesters and attended Floyds Houston funeral. He supports a slate of criminal justice reforms, including ending qualified immunity, banning choke holds, creating a national registry of misconduct, and making lynching a federal crime. His opponent, Fort Bend County sheriff Troy Nehls, has called George Floyds murder a tragedy, but says protests have been hijacked by domestic terrorists and supports deploying the military to reestablish peace.

Twenty-fifth Congressional District: Austin to Fort Worth

In the wake of Floyds killing, Oliver attended BLM protests across her districtin upscale Marble Falls, rural Glen Rose, and East Austin. Following the Austin City Councils vote in August to cut APD funding by $150 million, her opponent, incumbent Roger Williams, accused Democrats of turning Austin into an inner city. She has in turn attacked Williams for his vote against the HEROES Act, a coronavirus relief measure that would have increased funding for first responders, including police. Oliver has urged an end to qualified immunity and programs allowing police departments access to military equipment. She also wants a ban on no-knock warrants and a requirement for officers to wear body cameras.

Seventh Congressional District: Harris County

The only Black Republican up for a congressional seat in Texas, Hunt has condemned both the killing of George Floyd and the looting of businesses by protesters. During the first weekend of protests in Houston in early June, he delivered coffee to police officers. The JUSTICE Act is a step in the right direction, said the helicopter pilot and Iraq War veteran, who was endorsed by the Texas Fraternal Order of Police in September. Legislation like Senator Scotts will clarify incidences of inappropriate, brutal or illegal behavior, and enable officers to more effectively do their jobs. His opponent, incumbent Lizzie Fletcher, cosponsored the Congressional Black Caucuss police reform bill, which goes further than the JUSTICE Act by also reforming qualified immunity, granting funding for district attorneys to investigate police departments, and strengthening the subpoena powers of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

A version of this article originally appeared in the November 2020 issue of Texas Monthlywith the headline Eight Candidates on Policing and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Subscribe today.

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Sixteen Candidates on Policing and the Black Lives Matter Movement - Texas Monthly

Oregons U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden joined with two other Democratic lawmakers Thursday to urge an independent federal agency investigate allegations that government agencies have been conducting surveillance of recent Black Lives Matter protests.

The letter by Wyden, U.S. Reps. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., and Bobby L. Rush, D-Ill., was sent to the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The board was created in 2007 to ensure that the federal governments efforts to prevent terrorism are balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties, according to the mission on its website.

They urged the board conduct an inquiry looking into, among other things: the use of a single-engine Cessna Caravan, owned and operated by the U.S. Marshals Service, that flew over Portland on June 13 with a camera that took still pictures of the protest crowd; alleged intelligence reports compiled on journalists covering protests in Portland and the Federal Protective Services' examination of cell phones seized from protesters who were arrested.

In response to Congressional questions, a federal official from the Marshals Service said the plane that flew above Portland in June took photos but the images did not contain personally identifiable information of any kind and didnt include any recorded video or cell site simulators, according to the letter.

The House Intelligence Committee found that the Federal Protective Service has seized cell phones from protesters, although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security appears to have denied the federal agencys request to extract data from the phones, the letter said.

The federal oversight board should investigate the legal authority (Federal Protective Service) used to confiscate protester cell phones with the intent of extracting data, the legislators wrote.

The Washington Post reported at the end of July that the Department of Homeland Security had disseminated intelligence reports to federal law enforcement, summarizing tweets written by a New York Times reporter and the editor in chief of the blog Lawfare, noting they had published leaked unclassified documents about federal operations in Portland. The Homeland Security Department has since ceased the practice, the lawmakers noted in the letter.

The oversight board should hold public hearings to determine whether and to what extent federal agencies have collected or processed personal information of protesters, what legal basis they have for any surveillance and whether those procedures are being followed.

Government surveillance has a chilling effect on the constitutionally protected act of peacefully protesting, the letter said. Because several federal agencies have gathered information about protesters, we ask that (the oversight board) investigate whether these activities infringe on fundamental rights or violate laws.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

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Wyden seeks inquiry into government surveillance of Black Lives Matter protesters - OregonLive

Last month, we asked our readers what issues they wanted to hear the candidates running for office address ahead of Novembers general election. Based on the input we received, we developed a five-item questionnaire for candidates running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Kansas.

Well be publishing the candidates responses to one item per day each day this week. Today were publishing the candidates responses to item #1:

Protests over police treatment of Black Americans have roiled the country since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. What changes to law enforcement policy would you support to ensure that Black Americans do not face increased risk of harm or harassment at the hands of police?

People are learning what Black Americans have known and have been saying for decades too often, they simply get different treatment by the police. Its time we all started listening to those experiences and doing something about it. I support funding the police, and also support reforms that would help end inequities in our systems that harm communities of color.

We need to fund community policing programs that strengthen relationships between police officers and the communities they serve. Communication and trust helps prevent crimes before they occur. I support increasing anti-racism and anti-bias training for our police force, banning chokeholds, additional de-escalation training, and increasing transparency among other reforms. Additionally, I would have voted for the Senate bill that would have outlawed lynching by making it a federal crime to conspire to violate existing hate crime laws. As that vote shows, this is not a partisan issue.

We also need to prevent crime before it happens. Thats why, in addition to common sense police reforms, we need to fund early childhood initiatives, increase access to health care including mental health care services, and increase the number of substance abuse centers to ensure that our police can have the capacity to concentrate on protecting our communities from violent offenders.

My dad was the Police Chief in El Dorado for 25 years. Growing up, I saw firsthand just how difficult it is to be a police officer. Im grateful to all of the brave men and women who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. I will always stand with our law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line each day. Im adamantly opposed to any effort to defund the police. That is a dangerous and absurd idea.

The murder of George Floyd was a horrific tragedy that cant be repeated, and I believe the officers involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I condemn all forms of racism; there is no place for hate in our society. We must hold law enforcement accountable when there are problems.

Its imperative that we acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers are honorable men and women doing their best to protect all members of their communities. Kansas is one of five states that already requires additional training for law enforcement officers every year. We have programs that help hold officers accountable and increase transparency in policing.

I know there is always room for improvement. Thats why I was proud to co-sponsor the JUSTICE Act which would improve the performance of law enforcement, require greater transparency, and hold all law enforcement accountable to increase public trust. I was disappointed when congressional Democrats blocked this bill and refused to debate or offer amendments to the legislation. I remain committed to finding solutions to this problem. Im willing to work with anyone, regardless of party affiliation, to pass common sense legislation that still allows law enforcement officers to do their job, maintains law and order, and increases public trust in the police.

Tomorrow, we will publish the U.S. Senate candidates responses to item #2 on our questionnaire:

By the end of this year, the federal debt will be nearly equal to the size of the entire United States economy. The deficit has been exacerbated in recent years by the 2017 tax cuts and the stimulus package enacted at the start of the pandemic. How big a priority to you is lowering the federal debt? What specific steps would you support to reduce it?

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US Senate candidates on the issues: Responding to Black Lives Matter protests - Shawnee Mission Post

Over the summer, Embrace, a domestic violence organization in northwestern Wisconsin, decided to hang Black Lives Matter signs at its four locations.

It was a small but meaningful sign of allyship amid a national reckoning on police violence and systemic racism. Embrace serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in four rural, predominantly white counties Rusk, Washburn, Barron and Price and Katie Bement, the executive director, wanted to ensure people of color felt comfortable visiting it.

We were approaching it from an accessibility standpoint, she told HuffPost over Zoom on Thursday. We needed to show that were safe for those communities of color.

In September, Bement said, she began receiving emails from local law enforcement who were disturbed by the signs, interpreting them as anti-police. Around the same time, mass protests had erupted in Wisconsin over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. After some private back-and-forths, Embrace issued a formal statement online to explain its support for Black Lives Matter. If we want to end intimate partner violence and sexual violence, we must grapple with our countrys long history of racism, slavery, genocide, and colonization, the letter, posted to Facebook on Sept. 30, read. We hope you will join us in breaking the cycle of trauma created by racism and violence.

The goal was to clear up any misunderstandings, Bement said. Instead, it has led to an all-out revolt from local officials and law enforcement who have since cut ties with the domestic violence agency.

Nicole Neri for HuffPostKatie Bement, executive director of Embrace, poses at Rusk County Office & Safe Shelter in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. The agency recently lost both funding and police support after displaying Black Lives Matter signs at its four locations.

Eight days after Embraces statement was posted online, Barron Countyvoted to strip the organization of $25,000 in funding for 2021. The countys director of health and human services resigned from Embraces board of directors. Since then, a majority of the 17 law enforcement agencies that work with Embrace have indicated that they will no longer partner with the domestic violence organization, including all law enforcement in Washburn County. That means women who call the police for help, for instance, may not be referred to Embrace for help with safety planning, counseling and support.

Embrace is not the only domestic violence organization feeling the backlash. In multiple states, a number of groups are experiencing a similar reckoning with law enforcement agencies for backing the Black Lives Matter movement. Support is being withdrawn, alliances broken.

As an emotional dialogue over police brutality and racial justice has roiled the nation, domestic violence agencies have found themselves in an uneasy position. Founded on anti-violence principles, many have felt compelled to reflect on the ways in which their historical reliance on the criminal justice system has excluded and even harmed some victims, especially people of color. In internal meetings and on private email lists, domestic violence advocates have embarked on soul-searching. A working group of national leaders has even been formed to discuss the issue.

But staking out a public position that might be perceived as anti-police can be perilous for domestic violence groups, who rely on partnerships with local law enforcement and often receive funding from criminal justice sources. Some have still chosen to do so. In June, 47 state and territorial coalitions against sexual assault and domestic violencesigned a letter decrying the the consequences of centering police and prisons as the solution to violence and calling for greater investment in community resources.

At home, some of the signers faced backlash. In Nebraska, the Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence was contacted by the state Sheriffs Association, which requested that it remove the coalitions name from the letter. It declined.

Nicole Neri for HuffPostTop left: Kendra Carillon, youth development advocate at Embrace, is shown working at the shelter. Top right: Binders and toys sit on shelves inside the shelter, which serves clients in four rural counties. Bottom left: A drawing from a child who stayed in the shelter is pinned up. Bottom right: Bement walks by a Maya Angelou quote on the wall.

Our organization has chosen to intentionally center our work with an anti-oppression lens, and to raise the voices of women of color, said Lynne Lange, the coalitions executive director. We will not shy away from that now.

In Idaho, the state Chiefs of Police Association, Sheriffs Association, and the Prosecuting Attorneys Association withdrew their support from the states coalition against sexual and domestic violence because it signed the letter, according to its executive director Kelly Miller.

We wonder how these responses will support the healing and safety of people who experience violence? she wrote in an email to HuffPost.

The experience of survivors is not a monolith, Miller added. Some who call the police experience safety and the form of justice they seek. Others experience revictimization as a result of implicit bias or discrimination, or choose not report to police, often fearing they would not be believed, nothing would be done, or that the criminal justice system would not otherwise offer what is most helpful to their healing, she said.

That complicated picture was captured in an anonymous survey of survivors conducted by Alliance for Hope International, a domestic violence organization based in California, in August. When survivors were asked if they had positive experiences with police officers or detectives during domestic violence incidents, almost 57% said yes. But when asked if theyd had a negative experience, 50% also said yes.

To date, Embrace is the most extreme example of a domestic violence agency losing law enforcement support over its anti-racism work.

To me, it sounded like they were declaring war on Embrace, none of which is good for victims and survivors, said Gricel Santiago-Rivera, the interim executive director of Wisconsins state coalition, End Domestic Abuse.

Embrace has three outreach offices and one shelter serving victims from all four counties, a geographic area almost the size of Connecticut. In 2019, it provided services to almost a thousand people.It is the only domestic violence agency in the four-county area.

While the counties are around 95% white, a reservation for the St. Croix Chippewa Tribe falls partially within Embraces service area, and a large community of Somali Muslim refugees reside in Barron County. According to Embraces annual report, around 15% of survivors seen by the organization are Black, Indigenous or people of color.

Exactly how Embrace will be affected by the police revolt will vary from county to county, police department to police department. In Barron County, Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald told a local news outlet that while his office would no longer partner with Embrace on projects, it would continue to refer victims until an alternative was found. Some other police departments in Barron have indicated they will not make referrals, Bement said. Either way, the domestic violence agency will have less money to work with, as the county has withdrawn $25,000 in funding.

Nicole Neri for HuffPostIf you put the most marginalized and oppressed person in our community at the center of our work and you work towards their safety and liberation, its going to necessitate the safety and liberation of everybody else, said Bement.

In Rusk County, where the shelter is located, law enforcement has not changed its relationship with Embrace. In Price County, two departments have indicated to Bement that they are looking for different service options.

In Washburn County, all law enforcement has cut ties with Embrace.

On Oct. 8, the day after Barron County stripped Embraces funding, Bement received an email from Washburn County Chief Deputy Nick Helstern, notifying her that the Washburn County Sheriffs Office, Shell Lake Police Department, Spooner Police Department, Minong Police Department and the Birchwood Police Department had withdrawn their partnership from Embrace.

Bement said police in Washburn County will no longer refer victims to Embrace for help. They asked us to come pick up all of our brochures and referral materials because they dont need them anymore, she said.

HuffPost reached out to law enforcement in Washburn County for comment and did not receive a response.

Among her biggest concerns is how police will handle high-risk domestic violence cases. In the four counties that Embrace serves, police are encouraged to screen victims for risk of lethality using a questionnaire, and to immediately refer high-risk victims to a domestic violence advocate for safety planning or shelter. Lethality assessments, as they are called, have been found to reduce domestic violence homicides.

Bement said she did not know what police in Washburn County will do now when they interact with victims who are at high risk of homicide, as Embrace is the only domestic violence agency in the county.

A lot of times, what those calls result in is either somebody being transported to our shelter, or using a hotel voucher system that we have set up in each of our counties, she said. Were extremely worried about this collaborative program in particular not existing as we believe it saves lives.

Embrace has set up a GoFundMepage to raise money. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Bement said she never expected the level of pushback that Embrace has received from law enforcement. She believed the Black Lives Matter statement would inspire tough, important conversations with Embraces partners, she added, not having her budget held hostage, and ultimately victims denied services.

The best practices philosophy in our field is if you put the most marginalized and oppressed person in our community at the center of our work and you work towards their safety and liberation, its going to necessitate the safety and liberation of everybody else, she said. We felt we couldnt stay silent and neutral.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for theNational Domestic Violence Hotline.

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Police Are Cutting Ties With Domestic Violence Programs That Support Black Lives Matter - HuffPost

DECISION 2020Racial tension amid the backdrop of a pandemic that has affected disproportionate numbers of Black and Brown people could significantly impact the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

In fact, according to legal, political and race relations analyst Atty. Malik Zulu Shabazz, The race issue will be the albatross that will sink Trumps electoral boat.

Atty. Shabazz outlines six reasons why he thinks President Trump will lose his bid for re-election:

There will be no miraculous comeback for the ego-maniac President of the United States, Atty. Shabazz says. For the man who lusted and craved the attention of the top spotlight in the world and who tweeted with no regard for policy or decency, the chickens have come home to roost.

Through his work as an attorney, author, activist and organizer,Malik Zulu Shabazz has maintained a frontline position in the fight for justice with cutting-edge lawyering and otherwise exemplary work as a Black professional.Shabazz has established a stellar careerwith anear-unparalleled record of accomplishments in effective organizing, lecturingand litigating.

He is currently theNational President of Black Lawyers for Justice and Black Rights Matter (www.blackrightsmatter.org) andcontinues to make great strides in the legal field. Throughout his career as anactivist,he hasmaintained a Civil Rights practice and personal injury practice that serves and gives justice to victims.Hissuccessful cases haveincluded The Million Youth March Court battles,Washington D.C.public school andjail abuse cases,consumer racism cases,and now several high-profile Federal Court cases currently fillhis calendar. Shabazz has been featuredon many major television news broadcasts and in printed news outlets. He is also the author of the long-awaitedThe Book of Khallid,a biographical account of the notorious Dr. Khallid Abdul Muhammad.

(Phoebe Emmanuel is with Black Lawyer for Justice.)

-cw

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6 Reasons Why Trump is Behind in the Polls: Black Lives Matter Analyst Weighs In - City Watch