Politics

New Attorney General Tackles Police Brutality Case

Published

11 years ago

May 5, 2015

Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during her swearing-in ceremony at the Justice Department. (Freddie Allen/NNPA News Wire)

By Freddie Allen
NNPA Senior Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – On the same day that Loretta Lynch was sworn-in as the 83rd United States Attorney General, the chief law enforcement officer in the nation, about 40 miles north of Washington, D.C., pockets of “Charm City” descended into lawlessness in response to decades of police corruption and brutality in poor, Black communities in Baltimore.

The violent riots, confined to a few scattered city blocks despite media reports, included the burning of police vehicles and the looting of a CVS chain at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and W. North Avenue, were sparked by the tragic death of Freddie Gray, a 25 year-old Black man, who was chased and arrested by Baltimore city police officers on April 12. Parts of the event were recorded on personal cell phone cameras and the videos showing Gray screaming in anguish as he is dragged to a paddy wagon, have gone viral. During the arrest, Gray suffered a severe spinal cord injury and died a week later.

In a statement following the riots, Lynch, the first African American woman to be confirmed as attorney general of the United States, condemned the acts of violence that resulted in the destruction of property and injury to Baltimore city police officers.

“Those who commit violent actions, ostensibly in protest of the death of Freddie Gray, do a disservice to his family, to his loved ones, and to legitimate peaceful protestors who are working to improve their community for all its residents,” she said in the statement.

In the aftermath of the riots, the Justice Department sent Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division, and Ronald Davis, the director of Community Oriented Policing Services ,to Baltimore to meet with civic and community leaders about the case.

Less than two weeks after Gray’s death, Maryland State’s Attorney, Marilyn J. Mosby, who is also an African American, filed charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter and assault, against six police officers involved in Gray’s arrest including the driver of the police paddy wagon.

“To the youth of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf,” Mosby said during a press conference announcing the charges.

The Justice Department also continues to investigate the Gray case.

Pamela Meanes, the president of the National Bar Association, a predominately African American network of more than 65,000 lawyers, judges, educators and law students, said that Lynch is no stranger to prosecuting police when they break the law, noting her work as a New York City prosecutor on the Abner Louima case in New York City.

Louima, a Haitian immigrant was brutally assaulted by several N.Y.P.D. officers following a wrongful arrest in 1997. Officer Justin Volpe admitted to sodomizing Louima with a broken broomstick, causing severe internal injuries. Volpe was later sentenced to 30 years in prison and Louima received $8.7 million in damages from New York City and the police union and moved to Florida.

Hilary Shelton, the Washington, D.C. bureau chief for the NAACP, said Lynch has a proven track record for providing law enforcement protections and taking on terrorism, racial profiling and organized crime and gangs.

Shelton said that Lynch is someone who has earned the respect of the civil rights community and that she’ll the civil rights and voting rights battles that Attorney General Eric Holder started during his tenure.

“She clearly has her own style and ability, but she shares those common civil rights, voting rights and justice values that were so clearly articulated and demonstrated by Eric Holder,” said Shelton. “We have to make sure that we secure the opportunity for all Americans to cast an unfettered vote and have it counted even in wake of the Shelby County vs. Holder Supreme Court decision, where the Supreme Court stripped away a crucial provision in the Voting Rights Act.”

Meanes noted that although Attorney General Eric Holder received a lot of media attention for filing law suits against states such as Texas and North Carolina over their restrictive voting laws following the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, and his outspoken views on race relations, he also tackled other issues, including corporate malfeasance on Wall Street.

During Holder’s tenure, the Justice Department won settlements against Bank of America for nearly $17 billion and J.P. Morgan for $13 billion in mortgage fraud lawsuits.

“[Lynch] is not going to shy away from making sure everyone’s civil and political liberties are protected,” said Meanes.

And as the Internet continues to connect people all over the world, Shelton said that the Justice Department officials also needed to make sure that they’re focusing on cyber security.

Meanes said that if state and local civic leaders, community stakeholders and law enforcement officials don’t deal with the elephant in the room, which is police brutality, the nation will see the protests surrounding Gray’s death as just another moment and not a movement adding that it would be “excellent” if Lynch traveled to Baltimore, Md., making a trip similar to Holder’s visit to Ferguson, Mo., in the aftermath of the unrest that followed the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager who was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a White police officer.

“What we see in Baltimore, is not a fight for Baltimore it is a message to the rest of country on how we handle police brutality,” said Meanes. “The National Bar Association would be pleased if Lynch made a commitment to Baltimore, because it would send a message to the nation that this is an issue that America now has to deal with.”

Follow Freddie Allen on Twitter @freddieallenjr.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

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September 7, 2026

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Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on

Published

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Post Co-Publisher Gay Plair Cobb with Brendalynn Goodall. Courtesy photo.

By California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board.

Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities.

“Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).

“She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding.

“In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.”

CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.

According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development.

BWOPA California celebrated the appointment, describing Goodall as a dedicated advocate for workers, families and older adults.

“Her appointment reflects a lifetime of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to strengthening California’s workforce and expanding opportunity for all,” the organization stated in a press release.

Goodall served as summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland Mayor’s Office from 2012 to 2014. In that position, she helped connect young people with employment opportunities and job experience.

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Goodall was division manager for Aging and Adult Services in the City of Oakland Human Services Department from 2002 to 2011. She previously served as senior services supervisor and program director for the city’s Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.

Goodall is also a member of the California Commission on Aging, which advises the governor and state officials on policies and programs affecting older Californians.

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‘Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line’: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results

A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.

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California State Assembly Chamber. Photo courtesy of California State Assembly.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California lawmakers are finding that laws passed in Sacramento do not always work as intended once implemented. A new Assembly oversight program has identified gaps in laws addressing wildfire recovery, insurance, foster care and clean energy.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced Aug. 17 that the Assembly had completed the first year of its Outcomes Review program. Billed as the first initiative of its kind in the nation, the program enlisted 15 Assembly members to evaluate 14 laws they authored or championed. Through public hearings and community meetings, lawmakers assessed whether the measures were producing their intended results.

“Passing a law isn’t the finish line,” said Rivas. “The Outcomes Review project makes sure we’re checking our work.”

The reviews identified both successes and shortcomings. The expansion of telehealth largely improved access to care and provided patients with greater flexibility. Affordable housing financing reforms also strengthened coordination among state agencies and could reduce duplicative paperwork, development costs and delays.

Other reviews uncovered more significant implementation problems.

One focused on Assembly Bill (AB) 238, which was enacted after the Eaton and Palisades fires to provide eligible borrowers with up to 12 months of emergency mortgage forbearance. The review found lender noncompliance, insufficient consumer complaint data and a need for stronger coordination between state and federal agencies.

Those findings helped shape AB 1842 and AB 1847, both victim-protection bills that are currently pending in the Senate.

After discovering that California’s FAIR Plan clearinghouse was failing to transition affected homeowners back into the private insurance market, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) introduced AB 69 to fix the issue.

Lawmakers also found that the FAIR Plan clearinghouse was not effectively helping homeowners move into the traditional insurance market, prompting the introduction of AB 69, legislation adding new reporting, notification, and access requirements.

The program identified additional implementation problems related to foster care placement protections, oversight of charitable fundraising and wage theft enforcement.

Rivas said the findings demonstrate the need for lawmakers to continue evaluating legislation after it takes effect.

“This isn’t oversight for its own sake — it’s what accountability looks like, and we’re just getting started,” he said.

The Assembly plans to expand the Outcomes Review program in 2027 by involving more lawmakers and holding additional public hearings and community meetings. The next phase, according to Rivas, will build on the pilot year as lawmakers seek to identify implementation problems earlier and improve how state laws work in practice.