Conyers Announces Judiciary Braintrust Forums at CBC Annual Legislative Conference

Forums will be held on: “H.R. 40 Sustaining a Dialogue on the Legacy of Slavery,” “The Trayvon Martin Tragedy,” “Protecting the Right to Vote,” and “The Return of Detroit: From Bankruptcy to Rebirth”

(WASHINGTON) – This Friday, September 20^th at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislation Conference, in Room 143-A of the Washington Convention Center, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) will be hosting four separate Judiciary braintrusts on Advancing the Civil Rights Agenda. The four forums will include discussions with participants on the legacy of slavery, the Trayvon Martin Tragedy, protecting the right to vote following the Supreme Court’s decision in Holder v. Shelby County, and the way forward from Detroit’s bankruptcy filing. The braintrusts will feature panels composed of leaders in the civil rights movement, elected officials, prominent academics, critical advocacy organizations, and civic leaders.

Further information about the four braintrusts is detailed below:

What:	Chairman Conyers Judiciary Braintrust – H.R. 40: Sustaining a Dialogue on the Legacy of Slavery
Who:	Ø  Moderator – Dr. Ron Daniels – Institute of the Black World 21stCentury Ø  Dr. Julianne Malveaux – Former President of Benedict College Ø  Nkechi Taifa – Open Society Institute Ø  Council Member JoAnn Watson (Detroit At-Large)
When:	Friday, September 20th, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Where:	Washington Convention Center: Room 143-A

What:	Chairman Conyers Judiciary Braintrust – The Trayvon Martin Tragedy: The Intersection of Criminal Justice Reform and Racial Profiling
Who:	Ø  Moderator – Tanya Clay House – Public Policy Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Ø  Benjamin Crump, Esq. – Counsel to Trayvon Martin Family at Parks & Crump Ø  Chief John Dixon – President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Ø  Professor Charles Ogletree – Harvard Law School Ø  Laura Murphy – Director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, DC Ø  Patricia Rosier, Esq. – President of the National Bar Association Ø  Ron Scott – Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality Ø  Reverend Al Sharpton – President and Founder of the National Action Network Ø  Imani Walker – Executive Director of the Rebecca Project Ø  Donnell White – Detroit Police Commissioner
When:	Friday, September 20th, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where:	Washington Convention Center: Room 143-A

What:	Chairman Conyers Judiciary Braintrust – Protecting the Right to Vote
Who:	Ø  Moderator – Professor Spencer Overton – George Washington University Law School Ø  Barbara R. Arnwine – Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Ø  Nicole M. Austen-Hillery – Director and Counsel Washington Office, Brennan Center for Justice Ø  Wade Henderson – President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Ø  Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. – Founder Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Ø  Dr. Tyson D. King-Meadows, Ph.D. – University of Maryland Baltimore County Ø  Greg Moore – Executive Director of the NAACP National Voter Fund Ø  Professor Charles Ogletree – Harvard Law School Ø  Becky Pringle – Secretary/Treasurer of the National Education Association Ø  Hilary Shelton – Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy of the NAACP Ø  Deborah J. Vagins – Senior Legislative Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office
When:	Friday, September 20th, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where:	Washington Convention Center: Room 143-A

What:	Chairman Conyers Judiciary Braintrust – The Return of Detroit: From Bankruptcy to Rebirth
Who:	Ø  Moderator – Dr. Michael Eric Dyson – Professor, Georgetown University Ø  Reverend Wendell Anthony – President of the NAACP, Detroit Chapter Ø  Krystal Crittendon – Former counsel for the City of Detroit Ø  Al Garrett – President of AFSCME, Detroit Chapter Ø  Harvey Hollins III – Director of the Michigan Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives Ø  State Senator Bert Johnson (MI-2nd District) Ø  James Spiotto – Partner and head of the Special Litigation, Bankruptcy and Workout Group, Chapman & Cutler LLP Ø  Professor John A. E. Pottow – University of Michigan Law School Ø  Council Member JoAnn Watson (Detroit At-Large)
When:	Friday, September 20th, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Where:	Washington Convention Center: Room 143-A

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Conyers Joins Senator Cardin and Civil Rights Groups in Calling for Passage of the End Racial Profiling Act

(WASHINGTON) – Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) joined civil rights groups in calling for passage of their legislation, the End Racial Profiling Act. This legislation is designed to protect minority communities by prohibiting the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officials. The End Racial Profiling Act is supported by 136 national organizations including the NAACP, Rights Working Group, the ACLU, Blacks in Law Enforcement in America and the Sikh Coalition. Following his participation in a press conference announcing the introduction of this legislation, Rep. Conyers issued the following statement:

“Recent events demonstrate that racial profiling remains a divisive issue that strikes at the very foundation of our democracy. Though the death of Trayvon Martin was not the result of a law enforcement encounter, the issues of race and reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct are so closely linked in the minds of the public that his death cannot be separated from the law enforcement profiling debate.  Ultimately, Trayvon is one of too many individuals across the country who have been victimized by a perception of criminality simply because of their race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.  These individuals are denied the basic respect and equal treatment that is the right of every American,” said Conyers.

“To address this issue of racial profiling and criminal suspicion, I am pleased to introduce the End Racial Profiling Act of 2013, along with my longtime colleague Senator Cardin, to continue federal efforts at supporting good policing.  This legislation represents a comprehensive federal commitment to healing the rift caused by racial profiling and restoring public confidence in the criminal justice system at-large. This legislation is designed to enforce the constitutional right to equal protection of the laws by changing the policies and procedures underlying the practice of profiling.                            

“Decades ago, in the face of shocking violence, the passage of sweeping civil rights legislation made it clear that race should not affect the treatment of an individual American under the law.  I believe that thousands of pedestrian and traffic stops of innocent minorities and the killing of innocent teen calls for a similar federal response. The practice of using race as a criterion in law enforcement undermines the progress we have made toward racial equality. For these reasons, I will work with my colleagues in Congress to make the End Racial Profiling Act a reality.”

Rep. Conyers alongside Senator Cardin and supporters of the End Racial Profiling Act from the Rights Working Group, Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, the NAACP, and the Sikh Coalition.

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Conyers Supports Justice Department Investigation into Trayvon Martin Case

(WASHINGTON) – Following the jury’s verdict in the Trayvon Martin case, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

“In the wake of this weekend’s verdict, I strongly support the Department of Justice’s determination to conduct an independent and thorough review of the Trayvon Martin case and consider whether federal charges should be brought.”

“Beyond the Department’s investigation, I believe it is more critical than ever that we adopt a nationwide law concerning racial profiling.  That is why I will be reintroducing theEnd Racial Profiling Act of 2013 to address the improper use of race in our law enforcement activity.

“I believe the Trayvon Martin shooting and its aftermath should stand as a clarion call for states to repeal so-called ‘stand your ground’ laws.  I first conducted a Democratic forum on this case in March 2012 with Trayvon Martin’s parents, and believe more strongly than ever that the laws are short-sighted, dangerous and disproportionately impact people of color.”

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Racial Profiling Victims Join Members Of Congress To Call For Federal Action To Ban Racial Profiling

Tomorrow, April 17, 2012 victims of racial profiling will be joined by members of Congress and national advocates at a press conference urging the Senate to pass the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA). The press conference, which will take place in a Senate office building, immediately follows a Senate hearing  on the bill, the first hearing of its kind since 9/11.

The Trayvon Martin case, along with recently passed state anti-immigrant laws and increased surveillance of Muslim and South Asian communities, has reignited the charge to prohibit racial profiling in America. Not only is the practice ineffective, it allows law enforcement to rely on stereotypes when making critical decisions about individuals’ freedoms.

Speakers will advocate for the passage of the End Racial Profiling Act and for reform of the Department of Justice Guidance Regarding the Use of Race by Federal Law Enforcement agencies to eliminate loopholes for national security, border security while prohibiting profiling based on national origin and religion. The following day, a number of press conference speakers will meet with congressional representatives, senators and their staffs about the need for federal action to ban racial profiling.

What: Press conference featuring victims of racial profiling immediately following the Senate hearing on racial profiling and the End Racial Profiling Act.

Who: Sen. Dick Durbin, (D-Illinois) Chairman of Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, a co-sponsor of ERPA who spearheaded a dear colleague letter effort to revise the U.S. Department of Justice’s racial profiling guidance.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Senate sponsor of the End Racial Profiling Act.

Margaret Huang, Executive Director, Rights Working Group

Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee and House sponsor of the End Racial Profiling Act will discuss the need for this legislation.

Bonita Rhodes-Berg, an African-American mother and grandmother who settled a civil rights lawsuit involving the Drug Enforcement Administration after she was racially profiled.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), House cosponsor of the End Racial Profiling Act.

Tiburcio Briceno, a U.S. citizen of Mexican origin who was stopped by Michigan State Police for an alleged traffic violation and handcuffed to await the arrival of Customs Border Patrol despite his protests that he was a citizen.

Rep. Judy Chu (D-California), House cosponsor of End Racial Profiling Act and chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Elizabeth Dann, a third-year law student at New York University recently learned that the New York Police Department had placed the Muslim Student Association she belongs to, like others in the Northeast, under surveillance based on the students’ religious beliefs.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, (D-Illinois), House cosponsor of End Racial Profiling Act. (invited)

Anthony Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union.

Hilary O. Shelton, Director, NAACP Washington Bureau & Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Policy.

Rev. Jamal Bryant , Pastor, Empowerment Temple AME Church of Baltimore, youth activist,
and advisor to the Trayvon Martin Family.

Kevin Lavine, a retired police officer and criminal justice professor.

When: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 (Approx 11:45 a.m. Begins immediately after hearing.)

Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226, Constitution Ave. and 1st Street NE.

Contacts: Keith Rushing, Communications Manager, Rights Working Group, 202.591.3305 (o), 202.557.4291 (c), krushing@rightsworkinggroup.org mailto:krushing@rightsworkinggroup.org

Scott Westbrook Simpson, Press Secretary, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 202.466.2061 (o) simpson@civilrights.org mailto:simpson@civilrights.org 

Sandhya Bathija, Media Relations Associate, The American Civil Liberties Union, 202.715.0833 (o), 202.568.0079 (c), sbathija@dcaclu.org mailto:sbathija@dcaclu.org 

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This New York Times opinion was submitted as testimony in the death of  Trayvon Martin in the Judiciary Forum on Racial Profiling, Federal Hate Crimes Enforcement and

“Stand Your Ground” Laws: Protecting a “Suspect” Community. March 26, 2012

Lobbyists, Guns and Money

Florida’s now-infamous Stand Your Ground law, which lets you shoot someone you consider threatening without facing arrest, let alone prosecution, sounds crazy — and it is. And it’s tempting to dismiss this law as the work of ignorant yahoos. But similar laws have been pushed across the nation, not by ignorant yahoos but by big corporations.

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Paul Krugman

Specifically, language virtually identical to Florida’s law is featured in a template supplied to legislators in other states by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a corporate-backed organization that has managed to keep a low profile even as it exerts vast influence (only recently, thanks to yeoman work by the Center for Media and Democracy, has a clear picture of ALEC’s activities emerged). And if there is any silver lining to Trayvon Martin’s killing, it is that it might finally place a spotlight on what ALEC is doing to our society — and our democracy.

What is ALEC? Despite claims that it’s nonpartisan, it’s very much a movement-conservative organization, funded by the usual suspects: the Kochs, Exxon Mobil, and so on. Unlike other such groups, however, it doesn’t just influence laws, it literally writes them, supplying fully drafted bills to state legislators. In Virginia, for example, more than 50 ALEC-written bills have been introduced, many almost word for word. And these bills often become law.

Many ALEC-drafted bills pursue standard conservative goals: union-busting, undermining environmental protection, tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. ALEC seems, however, to have a special interest in privatization — that is, on turning the provision of public services, from schools to prisons, over to for-profit corporations. And some of the most prominent beneficiaries of privatization, such as the online education company K12 Inc. and the prison operator Corrections Corporation of America, are, not surprisingly, very much involved with the organization.

What this tells us, in turn, is that ALEC’s claim to stand for limited government and free markets is deeply misleading. To a large extent the organization seeks not limited government but privatized government, in which corporations get their profits from taxpayer dollars, dollars steered their way by friendly politicians. In short, ALEC isn’t so much about promoting free markets as it is about expanding crony capitalism.

And in case you were wondering, no, the kind of privatization ALEC promotes isn’t in the public interest; instead of success stories, what we’re getting is a series of scandals. Private charter schools, for example, appear to deliver a lot of profits but little in the way of educational achievement.

But where does the encouragement of vigilante (in)justice fit into this picture? In part it’s the same old story — the long-standing exploitation of public fears, especially those associated with racial tension, to promote a pro-corporate, pro-wealthy agenda. It’s neither an accident nor a surprise that the National Rifle Association and ALEC have been close allies all along.

And ALEC, even more than other movement-conservative organizations, is clearly playing a long game. Its legislative templates aren’t just about generating immediate benefits to the organization’s corporate sponsors; they’re about creating a political climate that will favor even more corporation-friendly legislation in the future.

Did I mention that ALEC has played a key role in promoting bills that make it hard for the poor and ethnic minorities to vote?

Yet that’s not all; you have to think about the interests of the penal-industrial complex — prison operators, bail-bond companies and more. (The American Bail Coalition has publicly described ALEC as its “life preserver.”) This complex has a financial stake in anything that sends more people into the courts and the prisons, whether it’s exaggerated fear of racial minorities or Arizona’s draconian immigration law, a law that followed an ALEC template almost verbatim.

Think about that: we seem to be turning into a country where crony capitalism doesn’t just waste taxpayer money but warps criminal justice, in which growing incarceration reflects not the need to protect law-abiding citizens but the profits corporations can reap from a larger prison population.

Now, ALEC isn’t single-handedly responsible for the corporatization of our political life; its influence is as much a symptom as a cause. But shining a light on ALEC and its supporters — a roster that includes many companies, from AT&T and Coca-Cola to UPS, that have so far managed to avoid being publicly associated with the hard-right agenda — is one good way to highlight what’s going on. And that kind of knowledge is what we need to start taking our country back
.

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Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Statement For Trayvon Martin Judiciary Hearing, March 26, 2012

Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Statement on Legislative Expansion of the Castle Doctrine. March 26, 2012
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Join Us for a Forum on Racial Profiling, Federal Hate Crimes Enforcement and “Stand Your Ground” Laws: Protecting a “Suspect” Community

Please join us for a forum on the Federal hate crimes enforcement authority and
racial profiling and “Stand Your Ground” laws on Tuesday, March 27, in Rayburn House
Office Building Room 2237, from 3 PM – 5 PM.  


Please note:  this is not a formal hearing and will not be broadcast on the Judiciary website.  Video will be posted as soon as available.
Join Us for a Forum on Racial Profiling, Federal Hate Crimes Enforcement and “Stand Your Ground” Laws: Pr...

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Trayvon Martin killing puts Sanford, Florida on edge

Trayvon Martin killing puts Sanford, Florida on edge

View Photo Gallery —  The fatal shooting of an unarmed black 17-year-old from Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla., has led to a federal investigation, numerous protest rallies and a national spotlight.

(Bloomberg) -- This isn’t the Florida retirement Becky Drumheller imagined back home in Pennsylvania.


She and her husband arrived March 24 in Sanford, a city about 20 miles north of Orlando consumed by the killing of Trayvon Martin, a black, unarmed 17-year-old Miami Gardens resident who was shot Feb. 26 in his father’s gated community by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman, whose mother is Hispanic and father is white, has claimed self- defense and has not been arrested, a decision that has prompted rallies across the nation, and that residents say has fractured this city of 54,000.

“There is so much negativity,” Drumheller, 63, said as a driver honked and motioned her out of the way in a shopping-mall parking lot. “It’s overwhelming.”

The Sanford City Council will hold a special meeting this afternoon at which Martin’s parents are expected to speak. In addition to the 1,200 seats at the Civic Center, where the meeting will be held, an overflow viewing area with a video screen has been set up at a nearby park.

Martin’s parents will lead an eight-block march to the Civic Center.

“The events that have recently occurred here in the city of Sanford have certainly taken a toll on everyone,” acting police Chief Darren Scott said at a news conference. Scott was appointed to the position today by City Manager Norton Bonaparte after former Chief Bill Lee stepped aside last week.

Florida to Washington

The U.S. Justice Department last week opened a civil rights inquiry into the incident. Fourteen Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking that as part of it he “explore the applicability” of the federal hate-crime statute and other federal laws.

Tomorrow, Democrats on the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will hold an unofficial hearing on Capitol Hill seeking to bring attention to the Justice Department probe of the shooting.

The forum starts at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Matt Morgan, a spokesman for Representative John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the panel, said in an e-mail today. Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, will testify, said Ryan Julison, a family spokesman.

Force Meets Force

The Congressional Black Caucus, which has been calling for formal hearings to probe the shooting, will hold briefings this week to “raise the level of awareness around the country about hate crimes and racial profiling,” Representative Barbara Lee, a California Democrat and former caucus chairwoman, said today in a statement.

Representative Xavier Becerra of California, a member of the Democratic leadership, said it was “incomprehensible” how long it took for Florida leaders to act after the shooting.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist, has advocated a voter-registration drive with the aim of electing officials who would repeal Florida’s “stand your ground” law.

Local officials said the law, which relieves a citizen of responsibility to retreat when he feels threatened in a public place and gives him the right to “meet force with force,” prevented them from making an arrest after Zimmerman killed Martin. The teenager was walking to his father’s home after buying Skittles candy and an iced tea from a convenience store.

Suspended From School

The Orlando Sentinel, citing “authorities” whom it didn’t name, reported today that Martin attacked Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk. That matches the account that Zimmerman gave police and was corroborated by eyewitnesses, the newspaper reported.

Julison, the Martin family spokesman, said today that the teenager was in Sanford because he was suspended from school last month for having a baggie that contained marijuana residue in his book bag. The family believes the suspension had nothing to do with the killing, he said.

Scott today urged patience for residents who want a “quick and positive resolution in this tragic event.”

“We do have a system in place, a legal system,” he said. “It may not be perfect, but it’s the only one we have.”


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House Judiciary Democrats Encourage Department of Justice to Review Trayvon Martin Shooting Under Federal Hate Crime Laws

U.S. Democratic House Judiciary Letter to Attorney General requesting investigation of hate crime in the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Chairman Conyers' Judiciary Letter to Holder Re Trayvon Martin March 22, 2012

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