Kim Kardashian backs Police Decertification Bill to 'get abusive cops off', here's what the legislation is about
Kim Kardashian West's August 29 Twitter post shows that the media mogul is keen on getting ‘abusive cops off' by supporting the Police Decertification Bill. The 39-year-old socialite is urging her 66.5 million followers on Twitter to support the bill that reportedly decertifies abusive and racist cops. She retweeted a post that read, “The Police Decertification Bill would establish a process to decertify abusive and racist cops, end qualified immunity in CA, the CA Assembly votes on the bill TOMORROW. Help us get abusive cops off of our streets for good! Let’s make 1K calls for justice!”
This is not the first time that Kim Kardashian West is striving for social justice. In April 2019, the media star announced she registered for the California State Bar to pursue law. However, her decision was met with widespread disbelief that she won’t be able to balance her life as a mom, entrepreneur and reality television star as reported by Vogue. But it seems that the star knows the mantra to excel in personal life and professional domain while vouching for social justice. She not only committed herself to her studies, but also became an active advocate for prison reform as reported by Vogue. In the past, she has met with President Donald Trump to discuss changes for the incarceration system and the length of sentencing and helped free almost 20 wrongfully imprisoned inmates in 90 days, the site reports.
Kim had released a documentary, ‘Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project’, which premiered on April 5 this year. The show portrays the real experiences of the imprisoned Americans and what their families are facing to promote social, legislative, and systematic change in the nation often nicknamed “land of the free,” reports Vogue. In the past, Kim Kardashian West has extensively worked in the area of prison reform. She has advocated for the commutation of the sentence of Chris Young and also of Alice Marie Johnson, a woman who received a life sentence for a first-time drug offense. Kim has also been instrumental in persuading POTUS to support the First Step Act, which enacted major reforms in the US prison system like helping nonviolent offenders receive leniency as reported by Cheatsheet. Hence her support of Police Decertification Bill does not come as a surprise given her endeavors in social justice.
What is Police Decertification Bill?
As per Politico, California is currently one of the few states without a law for decertifying police officers. The Police Decertification Bill seeks to change that by creating a procedure to strip police powers from officers who have committed a gamut of offenses where the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has urged the Legislature this year to create a decertification process as reported by the site.
Politico adds that the bill was amended in August with the creation of a new accountability arm within the state commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. This arm would investigate misconduct and consider whether to revoke certificates of officers. A prior version of the Bill would have given that responsibility to the civil rights enforcement division at the California Department of Justice as reported by the site. The amendment has come into light after lawmakers in the US have responded to George Floyd’s death and an ensuing wave of activism for police reforms.