For Immediate Release: April 23, 2015

Contact: Michele Setteducato, 732-614-3818, michele@fitzgibbonmedia.com

Statement from Rashad Robinson, Executive Director, ColorOfChange.org:

 

“We join more than 50,000 ColorOfChange members in strongly applauding the confirmation of Loretta Lynch, who has made history as the first ever Black woman attorney general despite historic obstruction from Senate GOP leadership.

Top priorities for Attorney General Loretta Lynch should include prosecuting killer cops, creating a national database on police use of force, ending federal anti-drug grants that encourage discriminatory policing, and ensuring transparency of law enforcement as they continue to incorporate unchecked forms of high tech dragnet surveillance that disproportionately target black communities.

We also urge Attorney General Lynch to aggressively defend against attacks on our right to vote. As the next presidential election approaches, it is more important than ever that voting rights are protected. Republicans used Lynch’s confirmation hearings to tout policies designed to disenfranchise people of color, students, the elderly, and the poor. Attorney General Lynch has spoken of her commitment to fight back against attacks on voting rights, including discriminatory voter ID laws; we are counting on her to follow through.

We don’t agree with Attorney General Lynch on every issue. One area of divergence is in regards to her support for the death penalty. We firmly believe it simply has no place in a justice system with widespread, systemic discrimination. Additionally, Lynch’s soft touch approach with HSBC in the money-laundering incident clearly provided no deterrent to their future bad action. As Attorney General, it is imperative that she aggressively prosecute the Big Banks and defend our communities against predatory Wall Street practices.

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With more than 1 million members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.