POLICE ABUSE AND MISCONDUCT AGAINST LESBIAN, GAY,
BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE IN THE U.S.
Take Action: Help end police abuse and misconduct in the U.S.
Nearly four decades after Stonewall, and despite significant progress in the recognition of human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, the targeting of LGBT individuals for police abuse and misconduct remains a persistent and widespread problem in the U.S. In Stonewalled: Police abuse and misconduct against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the U.S., Amnesty International (AI) documents a serious pattern of police abuse and misconduct including:- Profiling and discriminatory enforcement of certain laws and ordinances against LGBT people;
- Sexual, physical and verbal abuse, including incidents constituting torture or ill-treatment; and
- Failure to respond or inappropriate response to “hate crimes” and domestic violence.
As part of the campaign following this report, Amnesty International is asking police departments around the country to sign its Pledge (in PDF format).
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Please send a copy of the Amnesty pledge with a cover letter
(see sample letter) to the head of your local police or sheriff's department asking them to sign the
pledge to show their commitment to ending police violence against LGBT people.