Thread by @ACLU

If by "anti-law enforcement," Barr means that a wave of new prosecutors are against the racist, classist, mass incarceration machine that has made America the world’s biggest jailer – we hope he's right.

The data is clear: Voters want a new kind of prosecutor.

https://twitter.com/markberman/status/1160944026507460609

We know where William Barr is on issues of mass incarceration: He literally wrote the book on it.
aclu.org/blog/smart-jus…

Here's what is so dangerous about Barr's rhetoric earlier today: There‘s no evidence that the old wave of “tough-on-crime” prosecution has made communities safer.

If anything, it has torn families and communities apart and made them less safe — particularly communities of color.

Reform prosecutors champion important policies like:
▪️Ensuring police officers are held accountable for abuses of power
▪️Using discretion to decriminalize crimes of poverty
▪️Increasing transparency
▪️Ending predatory cash bail

These reforms are pro-community AND pro-safety.

Last week marked the 5th anniversary of Michael Brown's death. We must reject the notion that to be 'pro-law enforcement,' prosecutors can't fight over-policing and abuse.

Police violence erodes community trust and does nothing to advance safety.

We‘ve seen what our country’s traditional prosecutorial approach gets us: A mass incarceration crisis which disproportionately locks up people of color, poor people, and other vulnerable people.

Let’s not forget that prosecutors answer to voters.

An overwhelming majority of voters — 89% to be exact — support prosecutors who want to cut mass incarceration. aclu.org/fact-sheet/new…