The Brown Firm PLLC

02/11/2022

Another appellate victory for TBF in a Section 1983 excessive force case: On Feb 3, 2022, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed officer's interlocutory appeal in "The Estate of D'Londre Minifield v City of Wi******er, et al." (USCA4 Appeal 20-1301). The case is now set to go to trial for the 2016 killing of 20 year old D'Londre Minifield and the conspiracy to cover it up by asserting Minifield shot himself in the back of the head after being chased by police. TBF looks forward to the opportunity to finally achieve justice for the family

02/11/2022

It was a pleasure to serve as a panelist on the "Toolkit For Police-Citizen Encounters" CLE alongside the Honorable David R. Hicks, Lieutenant Michelle Rhone and Daymen W.X. Robinson for the Virginia State Bar's 52nd Annual Criminal Law Seminar. The CLE airs 2.11.22 at 4 pm; check the VSB website for info.

- Christopher Brown, managing partner at TBF.

11/18/2021

Voters rejecting this amendment does not mean the end of police reform in Minneapolis, or the end of police reform broadly. The fight for fairer & safer policing must continue.

Minneapolis residents voted 56% to 44% against an amendment that would have transformed the city’s police. The reasons they did so are complicated, an expert writes.

11/17/2021

The best way to understand how policing is biased against Black Americans is to listen to their stories. I hope the Justice Department takes these experiences into account in their probe of the Minneapolis police.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Terrance Jackson remembers driving down Lake Street in 2002 when he saw police arresting his cousin for driving with an invalid license. When he pulled over and offered to take his cousin's car home to keep it from being towed, things went badly.

11/09/2021

A first step, but we need to actually implement these reforms instead of being stuck in the debate phase. The more we delay , the more we’re going to see an inept system at play that endangers our communities.

Anti-police candidates and a policing overhaul referendum were rejected on Election Day in Seattle, Minneapolis an Buffalo, continuing a trend of voters and public officials choosing moderate and measured approaches to policing over sweeping or radical changes.

11/08/2021

We need to stop showing officers that if they unjustly use excessive force, they are more likely than not to get away with it. This is what feeds into the vicious cycle of police brutality and why our policing problems continue.

Advocates have called for the court or Congress to reform the qualified immunity doctrine, the controversial legal defense that protects police from liability when accused of misconduct.

11/01/2021

“Until officers know they are going to be held accountable for their actions, they are going to act with impunity.”

I spoke with Erin Tiernan of the Boston Herald about recent Supreme Court decisions on qualified immunity.

The conversation around qualified immunity for Massachusetts — and all — police has reignited after the U.S. Supreme Court last week sided with police in two separate rulings upholding …

11/01/2021

There is no excuse for killing unarmed drivers in routine traffic stops. The findings of this investigation show how badly our policing system needs reform. We must hold officers accountable for excessive uses of force.

Officers, trained to presume danger, have reacted with outsize aggression. For hundreds of unarmed drivers, the consequences have been fatal.

10/22/2021

Inspiring article about the family behind new measures to reduce police excessive force and increase police accountability in California.

For the relatives of Angelo Quinto, a 30-year-old Filipino American Navy veteran who died in police custody in California last year, the past nine months have

10/22/2021

Glad to see that President Biden hasn't given up on federal police reform. The people of this country have spoken out for change and our federal leaders must listen.

Speaking at the a memorial service for fallen law enforcement officers, the president acknowledged the pain that accompanies losing a loved one. He also pushed again for police reform.

10/21/2021

The 2 recent decisions out of the US Sup Ct indeed double down on qualified immunity for officers & give a clear indication that legislation is the answer, as I've said everytime I've been asked about how to address the problem of this antiquated doctrine

The court’s rulings in favor of police in two cases suggest new political battles to come over the doctrine, advocates said.

10/20/2021

Thanks to Thom Hartmann for having me on the show today to talk about the recent decisions.

-- National Progressive Townhall Meeting - Congressman Mark Pocan (full hour w/calls) (1) -- Professor Richard Wolff on Marxism (2) -- Is The Final Stage for...