USA: Hispanic National Bar Association Establishes Special Committee On Law Enforcement Reform And Racial Justice

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) has established a Special Committee on Law Enforcement Reform and Racial Justice in response to the recent deaths and historic racial injustice faced by Black Americans and people of color.

The Special Committee consists of legal experts from law enforcement, the private sector, public service, and higher education.

These 17 Committee members will review existing policies and provide recommendations to the HNBA on reforms to nationwide law enforcement practices as well as advise on other related efforts to expand racial justice and equality.

“With each death of a Black or brown person during an encounter with law enforcement in our cities, the morality and values of our country are tested,” HNBA National President Irene Oria said. “Now is the time to move past statements in support of racial justice and instead galvanize into action that will produce tangible reform. As Hispanic lawyers, we are well positioned to use our legal skills to help influence and create change that directly affects us and our communities.”

The goals of HNBA Special Committee on Law Enforcement Reform and Racial Justice are to:

  1. Generate recommendations to address actions HNBA should take in advocating for law enforcement reform and racial justice at the federal, state, and local level.
  2. Provide recommendations that address systemic racial bias in policing; disparities in the use of body cameras; the effectiveness of independent reviews of police-involved fatalities; and evidenced-based alternatives or related approaches to traditional law enforcement, to include community policing models, crisis intervention training programs, and reducing the school-to-prison pipeline.
  3. Provide recommendations on programming as well as pro-bono and community service opportunities for HNBA membership.

The Committee members represent the geographic, ideological, and professional diversity of the HNBA’s members, and include:

  • Co-Chair: Camelia M. Valdes, Passaic County Prosecutor (Paterson, NJ);
  • Co-Chair: Miguel Alexander Pozo, Partner at Cozen O’Connor and past HNBA National President (Minneapolis, MN);
  • Ann Anaya, Chief Diversity Officer at 3M (Minneapolis, MN);
  • Rose Carrion, Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County (Los Angeles, CA);
  • J. Antonio Del Campo, mediator/arbitrator and former Judge for the DeKalb County State Court (Atlanta, GA);
  • Carol Dominguez, Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of New Jersey (Newark, NJ);
  • Jason Foy, criminal defense attorney and Partner at Foy & Seplowitz (New York, NY)
  • Norma Garcia, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Rent-A-Center (Dallas, TX);
  • Peter Harvey, Partner at Patterson Belknap and former New Jersey Attorney General, (New York, NY);
  • Román D. Hernández, Partner at Troutman Pepper and past HNBA National President (Portland, OR);
  • Sunny Hostin, Senior Legal Correspondent & Analyst for ABC News (New York, NY);
  • Jessica Massey, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California (Fresno, CA);
  • Peter Muñiz, Deputy General Counsel at The Home Depot (Atlanta, GA);
  • Janice Robinson, Vice President for Diversity & Community Affairs at Columbia University’s Teachers College (New York, NY);
  • Gina Rodriguez, Partner at Wilmer Hale (Denver, CO);
  • Jacqueline C. Romero, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA); and
  • Ramona Romero, General Counsel at Princeton University and past HNBA National President (Princeton, NJ).

Further announcements regarding the Special Committee are forthcoming. The HNBA thanks these distinguished community leaders for their important work in service of our community.

Source: https://ladailypost.com/hispanic-national-bar-association-establishes-special-committee-on-law-enforcement-reform-and-racial-justice/