SEATTLE – Critics say it is nearly impossible to charge a police officer who has used deadly force in the State of Washington, and the group Washington for Good Policing wants to change that.

Its members are collecting signatures for Initiative 873, which would strike what they see as the most onerous line in a law protecting officers who use deadly force.

The initiative’s campaign manager, Lisa Hayes, says under the current statute, prosecutors must show that officers acted "with malice and without a good faith belief" in order to charge them.

"The problem with that is, malice is a state of mind,” she points out. “It's legally defined as ‘evil intent,’ and it is nearly impossible to prove what an officer was thinking or feeling – or not thinking or feeling – for a deadly-force crime."

Congressional and state representatives, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, the Seattle Police Department and other groups back the initiative.

However, some police officers say the initiative would open up the possibility of prosecuting police in hindsight for split-second decisions they make in heated and dangerous situations.

According to the Seattle Times, police killed 213 people between 2005 and 2014. Since the law went into effect in 1986, only one officer has been charged for using deadly force, and was acquitted based on the malice clause.

Hayes says the law is the most restrictive in the country when it comes to charging officers, and the only state law on deadly force that contains this language. But she adds this is not an anti-police initiative.

"We fundamentally believe that this may actually be making officers safer, because by removing this very nebulous malice clause, it goes a long way to repair public trust and improve community relations," she states.

The initiative needs 250,000 signatures by the end of the year to bring it before the Legislature in next year's session. If lawmakers reject the measure, it would appear on the next general election ballot for voters to decide.






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NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Connecticut is among several states working on what its new recreational marijuana industry will look like, and a new coalition wants to ensure racial justice will be part of it.

The Alliance for Cannabis Equity is a collaboration between ConnCORP, a community development organization, and The WorkPlace, a workforce development group.

Connecticut's recreational marijuana law also created a Social Equity Council to ensure communities of color, that have seen the disproportionate effects of the War on Drugs, have equal access to the marijuana business sector.

Carlton Highsmith, board chairman of ConnCORP, sees the Alliance as an independent group working in concert with the council.

"It would be such a shame if the intent and spirit of the law were not realized because people didn't have information," Highsmith contended. "That, I think, would be the most tragic of consequences, and that's driving us as well, to make sure that we try to be that authoritative resource guide for the community."

Gov. Ned Lamont signed the bill into law in June, making Connecticut the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana. State regulators say they expect a full launch of the industry by the end of 2022.

One of the Alliance's first big undertakings will be to publish what it calls a "manifesto."

Joseph Carbone, president and CEO of The WorkPlace, said it will include research from other states that have already established recreational marijuana industries, to understand what has worked and what hasn't in terms of racial justice.

"Much of what we're going to do through the manifesto is to try to create the economic conditions and the social conditions that will help to make sure that the right people and the right investment entities are given a chance to do it the way in which we think the writers of the bill intended," Carbone explained.

The Alliance expects to release a draft document early in 2022 and then, host community listening sessions for feedback.

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict is fueling a variety of perspectives. In Iowa, one viewpoint is that it's adding to what's perceived as an increasingly hostile environment toward people who protest against systemic racism.

Rittenhouse, a white teen from Illinois, was found not guilty of murder charges in last year's shooting of protesters in Wisconsin.

Critics of the verdict say it's an example of the criminal justice system showing favoritism toward white people, while Black Lives Matter demonstrators in cities like Des Moines say they've been traumatized by police.

Veronica Fowler, communications director with the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, said the verdict underscores beliefs that law enforcement is choosing sides.

"That's not the way it should work," said Fowler. "We need a system of public safety that protects the lives of the entire community."

The Rittenhouse trial followed moves by several states, including Iowa, to adopt laws that increase penalties for protesters and offer greater protections for police during civil unrest.

In passing Iowa's law, supporters and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said police officers need all the help they can get when protests turn violent.

But Fowler contended most people who set out to protest are peaceful, and tension often escalates only after a large police presence is established.

"They are not violent protests until the police show up," said Fowler. "The police, too often, are still using dangerous techniques."

She suggested forceful action, such as using rubber bullets and tear gas, sets a tone that resonates with opposition groups like militias.

Other civil rights advocates fear the Rittenhouse verdict will embolden more vigilantism, especially in states with open-carry gun laws.

A recent Harvard review of Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. found 96% involved no property damage or police injuries. The report says most of the violence was directed toward BLM protesters.

Kenosha, WI - The jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial has announced not-guilty verdicts on all charges in the case. Ground-level activists say the case shows that laws and how they're applied don't work properly when white supremacy still exists in a democracy. Comments from Kyle Johnson, Kenosha-based community organizer, and Angela Lang, executive director, both of Black Leaders Organizing Communities.

In a case that drew worldwide attention, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges by a Kenosha County jury. A Wisconsin group focused on improving the lives of Black residents says the case speaks to issues of democracy not working for everybody. The 18-year-old Rittenhouse was charged with killing two protesters in Kenosha last year and wounding another with a semi-automatic rifle. Prosecutors say the Illinois resident was a vigilante in a situation where he didn't belong. But the teen's lawyers say he acted in self-defense to protect property amid protests over police brutality. Kyle Johnson, of Black Leaders Organizing Communities, feels the legal system paved the way for someone to take the law into their own hands.

"The legal system in this country operates with a tint - more than a tint - with a shade, with a shadow of racism."

Legal experts have said the case hinged on self-defense laws. Reform advocates say Wisconsin's statute for these situations is too murky and needs an overhaul. Racial-justice groups add that Rittenhouse is being portrayed as a martyr by those who strongly back police. But his backers say he had no other choice but to shoot amid the surrounding chaos, while also noting that all those Rittenhouse shot were white.

Researchers have noted criminal justice issues help to further alienate BIPOC voters, making them reluctant to demand fairness through civic engagement. The Kenosha incidents happened after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man left paralyzed by his injuries. BLOC's executive director, Angela Lang, says not taking steps to implement meaningful police reforms or change self-defense laws will only create more of these situations.

"This continues to happen because there is a space that we are giving - that it's allowing for this to happen. "

She feels white supremacy has too much influence within the legal system, arguing that people like Rittenhouse are given ample opportunity to act recklessly, while people like Breonna Taylor don't even have a chance to defend themselves. Taylor was the Black medical worker shot and killed by Louisville police officers in March 2020 during a botched raid on her apartment.

In a case that drew worldwide attention, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges by a Kenosha County jury. A Wisconsin group focused on improving the lives of Black residents says the case speaks to issues of democracy not working for everybody. Mike Moen reports:

I'm Mike Moen

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Reach both through Lang at 414-245-2293. WI self-defense law: https://bit.ly/3nlAV4F Justice-democracy research: https://bit.ly/3owkwK2