Rihanna, Billie Eilish & More Pen Letter To New York To Fight For Police Reform
Image via Cubankite / Shutterstock.com and Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com
The police brutality seen in the death of George Floyd has spurred anti-racism protests, and now, people are calling for New York State’s Civil Rights Law 50-A to be repealed.
The law has been used to protect police personnel files, including information regarding misconduct. It is completely “confidential and not subject to inspection or review” by the public.
However, the unjustified deaths of many innocent unarmed Black people call for a systematic change within the law. New York legislators are now looking into several bills this week, including 50-A. Musicians have also joined onboard to urge legislators to repeal the statute through an open letter.
The lineup of musicians, including Rihanna, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Lizzo, and Post Malone, signed the petition to push for the removal of 50-A.
“New York statute 50-A blocks that full transparency, shielding a history of police misconduct from public scrutiny, making it harder to seek justice and bring about reform. It must be repealed immediately,” the note reads.
Governor Andrew Cuomo also recently addressed 50-A, stating that it should not prohibit the transparency of “disciplinary records.”
Read the full open letter here.
[via Vulture, cover image via Cubankite / Shutterstock.com and Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com]
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