Some activists are taking aim at police tactics that can lead to deadly middle-of-the-night raids they say are carried out overwhelmingly in communities of color. Rather than waiting for direction from lawmakers, a group of academics, policing experts and activists called Campaign Zero has created model legislation around so-called no-knock warrants that it hopes will be attractive to President-elect Joe Biden.
The activists are working with cities and states around the country to help curtail police tactics that have led to both civilian and officer casualties. While Biden has said his administration will support criminal justice reforms, it’s unclear where he will focus.
This week Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor who was shot and killed by Louisville police when they entered her apartment with a no-knock warrant, penned a letter to the President-elect asking him to act on criminal justice reform. Palmer said a vote for Biden was a vote for those who have been "failed repeatedly by the criminal justice system under the current administration" and she called on the Democrat to honor pledges to hold police accountable. She also asked that investigations into police-related violence that were left unfinished as President Obama's term ended as well as investigations into the shootings of Jacob Blake, Casey Goodson and her daughter be reopened.