Human Rights Body to Hold Hearing Thursday on Police Killings in U.S.

WHAT:
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a preeminent regional human rights body that is part of the Organization of American States, will hold a hearing to investigate the lack of accountability for police killings across the United States. Relatives of victims, civil and human rights activists, and Trump administration officials will give statements and answer questions. A press briefing will be held after the hearing at 1:30.

The topics that will be covered include:

• Recent developments under the Trump administration, including deficiencies in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and recent proposals that would modify federal oversight into allegations of police killings and other misconduct
• The legal framework authorizing the use of force
• Trump administration’s dismantling of federal oversight mechanisms to prevent the militarization of police departments
• How people from minority communities are struggling to seek justice for unlawful police killings
• The need for more transparent and credible investigations into police shootings
• The lack of official data collection and reporting of police killings at the state and federal levels.

WHO:
U.S. government representatives
Shaun King (via recorded video), Writer and civil rights activist
Jennifer Turner, ACLU Human Rights Program
Maria Hamilton, Mother of Dontre Hamilton (killed by police in Milwaukee) and founder of Mothers for Justice United
Luis Poot Pat, Cousin of Luis Góngora Pat (killed by police in San Francisco)
Adriana Camarena, Civil rights activist
Professor Justin Hansford, Executive Director, Thurgood Marshall Center for Civil Rights, Howard University School of Law

The ACLU, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and Santa Clara University’s International Human Rights Clinic will also provide written testimony, which will be available here: https://www.aclu.org/IACHR-police-testimmony

WHEN:
Thursday, Dec. 7, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. ET

WHERE:
Organization of American States
General Secretariat Building, 8th Floor, Room A — Rubén Darío Room
1889 F St., NW
Washington, D.C.

WEBCAST:
http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/webcast_schedule.asp