Qualified immunity is especially hurtful because it is the only recourse left when prosecutors decline to prosecute cases against police, the norm even in Floyd's case (only one out of four killers has been charged). Yes, it would be ideal of prosecutors prosecuted police properly or if we had an independent investigation/prosecutor for such cases but this is never the case, even when officials pretend it is. It's always cops investigating other cops and the same prosecutors that normally work closely with police and have clear conflicts of interest doing the prosecution. Activists want to get rid of qualified immunity because trying to reform the actual criminal investigation and prosecution is impossible. Also, the doctrine changes the actual law to make it the exact opposite of what was intended, effectively rewriting the law into its opposite. The focus on qualified immunity assumes there will be a miscarriage of criminal justice. That's almost always the case.
>>mnm1+(OP)
Which happens in part because the office of attorney general is an elected position. Police are very powerful politically. And for whatever reason, you are seen as "soft on crime" if you attempt to prosecute police for carrying out crimes.
>>bcrosb+E4
As an example, the VA GOP yesterday called for Lee Carter, a member of the VA house of delegates, to resign for even suggesting cutting police budgets.