Dear John, 

Congress is going out of its way to protect police officers from a problem
that does not exist. The Protect and Serve Act would give police officers
the same protections used in federal hate crime laws to protect
marginalized groups. The proposed law effectively would make it a federal
hate crime “to knowingly cause bodily injury to any person, or attempt to
do so, because of the actual or perceived status of the person as a law
enforcement officer.”^1 Police officers already have sufficient protection
at the state and federal levels. This would be yet another tool for police
and prosecutors to place people under more pressure to plead guilty to
crimes they haven't committed.

[ [link removed] ]We must tell our legislators we don't need to give police even more
power to threaten our community members with incarceration.

[ [link removed] ]Keep Communities Safe - Call on Congress to vote against the harmful
bills up for a vote in the next few months.

There is no war on the police. We need Congress to focus on real issues
and to promote policies to keep our communities safe.

We call on lawmakers to say “No” to the Protect and Serve Act.

We've seen officers across the country lie about being assaulted.^2 We
also know police officers and prosecutors use the threat of additional
charges with harsh penalties to force people who've been arrested into
making false confessions to avoid lengthy jail time.^3 We do not need
Congress to pass legislation giving law enforcement even more power to
apply these harmful practices.

[ [link removed] ]Keep Communities Safe - Call on Congress to vote against the harmful
bills up for a vote in the next few months.

Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, there has been no congressional
action aimed at reforming our flawed policing system. Instead, Congress
has consistently prioritized law enforcement over our communities'
well-being, sending a clear message that lawmakers are willing to stand
with the police at the expense of Black people.

[ [link removed] ]Make sure your voice is heard! Sign now to tell your congressional
representative to oppose the Protect and Serve Act.

Until Justice Is Real,

Sakira Cook
Vice President of Campaigns, Policy and Government Affairs
Color Of Change

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 References:

 1. Rutherford, J. (2023, February 2). H.R.743 - 118th Congress
(2023-2024): Protect and serve act of 2023. Congress.gov. Retrieved
May 1, 2023, from
[link removed]
 2. Bogel-burroughs, N., & Robles, F. (2021, August 28). When police lie,
the innocent pay. some are fighting back. The New York Times.
Retrieved May 1, 2023, from
[link removed]
 3. Wilford, M. (2023, April 24). The American Bar Association's plea
bargain task force. Psychology Today. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from
[link removed]



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