Civil rights panel faults Trump policies on asset seizures, voting rights, transgender military ban
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights launched a multipronged critique of the Trump administration Friday, disapproving of new stances on voting rights, transgender people in the military, and asset forfeiture.
The eight-person panel, which is chaired by an Obama appointee, met Friday to discuss a range of issues, resulting in a flurry of public statements on civil rights following a week in which issues of racism and civil liberties have dominated headlines.
The commission, an independent, bipartisan federal agency, also issued a statement about the violence at a gathering of white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville last weekend, which resulted in one woman being killed and more than a dozen others injured.
“White supremacy and religious intolerance dishonor national commitments we have forged over time . . . and violence in the name of these ideologies must be met swiftly and forcefully with condemnation and an unwavering and unified response,’’ the commission said in a joint statement.
By unanimous vote, the commission also said it strongly disagrees with the Justice Department’s recent decision to expand federal involvement in civil asset forfeiture by state and local police authorities. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the move last month, reversing an Obama administration decision to rein in the practice.
In announcing the policy change in July, Sessions said asset forfeiture “is a key tool that helps law enforcement defund organized crime, take back ill-gotten gains and prevent new crimes from being committed.’’
http://www.armwoodopinion.com/2017/08/civil-rights-panel-faults-trump.html
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights launched a multipronged critique of the Trump administration Friday, disapproving of new stances on voting rights, transgender people in the military, and asset forfeiture.
The eight-person panel, which is chaired by an Obama appointee, met Friday to discuss a range of issues, resulting in a flurry of public statements on civil rights following a week in which issues of racism and civil liberties have dominated headlines.
The commission, an independent, bipartisan federal agency, also issued a statement about the violence at a gathering of white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville last weekend, which resulted in one woman being killed and more than a dozen others injured.
“White supremacy and religious intolerance dishonor national commitments we have forged over time . . . and violence in the name of these ideologies must be met swiftly and forcefully with condemnation and an unwavering and unified response,’’ the commission said in a joint statement.
By unanimous vote, the commission also said it strongly disagrees with the Justice Department’s recent decision to expand federal involvement in civil asset forfeiture by state and local police authorities. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the move last month, reversing an Obama administration decision to rein in the practice.
In announcing the policy change in July, Sessions said asset forfeiture “is a key tool that helps law enforcement defund organized crime, take back ill-gotten gains and prevent new crimes from being committed.’’
http://www.armwoodopinion.com/2017/08/civil-rights-panel-faults-trump.html
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