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African-American Police Officers File Discrimination Complaint Against Brookline →

Boston, MA – Two African-American police officers from the Town of Brookline filed complaints today with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), alleging racial discrimination in employment.  In their complaints, Officers Prentice Pilot and Estifanos Zerai-Misgun cite a range of conduct that they say has created a hostile work environment...

Lawyers’ Committee Sues Boston Police Department To Obtain Records On Racial Impact Of Employment Practices →

In a lawsuit filed yesterday, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice sued the Boston Police Department (BPD), Commissioner William Evans, and the City of Boston, seeking public records that are critical to ascertaining the racial impact of BPD’s employment practices. The lawsuit, brought in partnership with Birnbaum...

A Call for Action on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day →

“Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is a time to make justice a reality for all…” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, we are reminded...

BNN News Interviews LCCR’s Litigation Director On Finding Of Discrimination By Boston Police Department Against Black Recruits →

Statement on the Failure to Indict the Police Officers Involved in the Shooting of Tamir Rice →

Statement on the Failure to Indict the Police Officers Involved in the Shooting of Tamir Rice The announcement that a grand jury failed to indict the police officers who gunned down Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy playing with a toy gun in a playground in Cleveland, Ohio, is the...

Federal Appeals Court to Hear Police Diversity Case →

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN POLICE DIVERSITY CASE Boston, MA – A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments tomorrow in a case of far-reaching importance concerning diversity in police forces throughout Massachusetts.  In Lopez v. Lawrence, Black and Latino police officers are challenging an examination used by...

Black Cops Sue BPD Over Racially Discriminatory Hair Test →

Diversity in police ranks is a key component of community representation and accountability.  Yet, the Boston Police Department (“BPD”) continues to use a drug testing modality that is scientifically unreliable and racially discriminatory.  The Banner featured LCCR's ongoing work on behalf of African American officers challenging BPD's policies.  In connection with this...

Coalition Says Hair Testing for Drugs Not Ready for Prime Time →

The coalition of 17 organizations, including the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, sent a letter to the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee urging them to follow established protocols for developing drug testing procedures and to exclude any provisions for hair specimen testing from any...

Community Forum on Policing & Diversity →

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice (LCCR), the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO), the Boston Branch NAACP, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and the Blackstonian invite individuals and organizations committed to ensuring police accountability and community representation in policing to participate in a Community Forum on Wednesday, July...

Rahsaan Hall Testifies to End Mandatory Minimum Sentences →

On June 9, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a public hearing to solicit testimony on the impact and potential elimination of mandatory minimum drug sentences. Deputy Director, Rahsaan Hall, who worked for 8 years as a Prosecutor in Suffolk County, provided testimony at the hearing. Hall stated that, "Despite the spirit behind these...

Community Conversations Highlight Policing Problems →

Tension between black communities and police departments was the focus of several community meetings in Boston this past week. Topics from police misconduct to diversifying police departments resonated with attendees. When discussing misconduct Deputy Director Rahsaan Hall stated, “It’s good to have diversity within the department, but let us not...

Greater Transparency Needed from Police →

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice is encouraged by Boston Police Department's reaction to a fatal shooting in Roxbury. However, police must continue to be transparent with communities. Deputy Director Rahsaan Hall was quoted in a WBUR article advocating for a conversation between police and the communities...

Celebrating Black History Month With Mass. Housing →

Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency began as an independent public authority in 1966 charged by the Legislature to increase access to affordable housing in the Commonwealth. Since then they have gone on to receive numerous awards from the National Council of State Housing Agencies, as well as an A+ credit  rating...

Yancey Calls for Civilian Board to Investigate Police Misconduct →

Rahsaan Hall quoted in an article in the Bay State Banner.   Read the full article here.

Rahsaan Hall Quoted in Boston Herald →

Deputy Director Rahsaan Hall quoted in the Boston Herald on new Boston Police Department Civilian Review Board.   Read the full article