No justice, no apologies.
Activists fighting for reform said Monday that an apology from an organization representing police chiefs for decades of brutality is nothing but empty rhetoric.
“The problem is that police continue to enforce racist and discriminatory laws and policies,” said Constance Malcolm, whose unarmed son, Ramarley Graham, 18, was shot to death by a cop in his Bronx home in 2012.
“They continue to abuse us every day and they are never held accountable. Until we see officers doing real jail time for murdering and abusing black and brown people, and real changes in the way the police treat us, this kind of statement is meaningless.”
Nicole Paultre Bell, whose unarmed fiancé Sean Bell was shot to death by police as he was leaving his bachelor party in 2006, said the apology from International Association of Chiefs of Police President Terrence Cunningham was too little, too late.
“It’s a good thing that at this time it’s being acknowledged,” Bell said. “I only wish it had been done way sooner. Many people have lost their lives. And now he has acknowledged that there is a problem.”
But Bell said the gesture was a “baby step” in the right direction.
“I believe law should be changed, and meetings should be held with the community leaders and the family members,” she said of how cops interact with communities.
Others also saw it as a good first move — but that much more needs to be done to change police culture.
“This is an important group, and an apology coming from this group speaks volumes. It is a well-respected organization,” said lawyer Earl Ward, who represented the family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old Cleveland boy shot and killed by police while carrying a toy gun in 2014.
“I don’t really think it has much of an impact in terms of change. It’s an important step, but I don’t see it changing the police culture.”
Some of the Black Lives Matter supporters said they were not impressed.
“We neither need nor want your apology,” tweeted a supporter named Brandon. “We need corrupt police officers to be imprisoned when they engage in acts of brutality and fraud.”