Criticizing the police on social media shouldn't be a crime
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Criticizing the police on social media shouldn't be a crime
Freedom of speech and the right to assembly are two of the most important and most powerful parts of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. For Black communities, they have been the foundation of our movements for equality and liberation. Yet now, at a time when those rights are more important than ever, the police are working to curtail their power. Police departments across the nation should not be allowed to harass, arrest, and criminalize those who speak out on social media.
The Department of Justice has taken action before in the face of police overreach and abuse in cities like Baltimore, Chicago, and Ferguson, among others. It’s time for them to do the same to protect the constitutional rights of citizens on social media.
Tell the Department of Justice: Open an investigation into police departments that are arresting people for social media speech, and put an end to the injustice now.
This is the letter we'll send to Attorney General Lorretta Lynch on your behalf:
Dear Attorney General Lynch,
I am writing to ask you to open an investigation into police departments which arrest or otherwise harass citizens based on their social media comments. Though no crime has been committed, police are creating a climate of fear that persecutes any citizen who criticizes the actions of the police.
In the wake of Department of Justice investigations into police misconduct and abuse in cities like Ferguson, Chicago, and Baltimore, it’s apparent that police overreach is widespread. As citizens call for a more equitable justice system, the Department of Justice plays a pivotal role in making the case for changes. Now we are asking the Department of Justice to step in again. Police departments are constraining, or outright violating, the right to freedom of speech. No one should be allowed to make threats or incite violence on social media. But when the police arrest and charge those who simply criticize them, they make it a crime to speak out freely and without fear of repercussion or repression. We need the Department of Justice to investigate these claims and ensure that these unconstitutional policies are eradicated wherever they are found in police departments across the country.
Thank you,
[Your name]