Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and many other artists have signed an open letter on Monday, where they have urged to New York state to repeal statue 50-A, a civil law that conceals police misconduct records from public scrutiny. Puza Snigdha reports.
The letter, which is addressed to New York State House and Governor Andrew Cuomo alongside an online petition, has been signed by a number of artists, managers, and music industry professionals.
Starting with: “We mourn the killing of George Floyd and the unnecessary loss of so many black lives before his,”
The petition adds: “We must hold accountable those who violate the oath to protect and serve, and find justice for those who are victim to their violence.”
The letter follows the wake of protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25.
“We mourn the killing of George Floyd and the unnecessary loss of so many black lives before his,” says the letter.
“It is not enough to chip away at 50-A; this boulder in the path of justice has stood in the way for far too long and must be crushed entirely. It is not just a misreading of the statute; it is not just an inappropriate broadening of its scope. It is the statute itself, serving to block relevant crucial information in the search for accountability. We were pleased to hear the Governor’s statement that 50-A should not prohibit the release of disciplinary records.
Cuomo said on Tuesday that there is a need for real discussion on how to “reinvent and reimagine policing for a new generation and a new society.”