Mothers Against Police Brutality Call for End to Qualified Immunity in Congressional Briefing

Staff Report

A decade after first bringing their fight for justice to the nation’s capital, members of Mothers Against Police Brutality (MAPB) returned to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2025, to advocate for legislative reforms aimed at increasing police accountability and supporting families affected by police violence.

The organization, which was founded to push for justice and policy reform, hosted a Congressional staff briefing on qualified immunity from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in Room 401 of the Cannon House Office Building. The briefing, co-hosted by MAPB and the office of Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), focused on the "Ending Qualified Immunity Act," a bill Pressley has previously introduced to remove the legal protection that often shields officers from civil lawsuits in cases of alleged misconduct.

The event featured ten women from Georgia, California, Ohio, Florida, and Texas, all of whom have lost loved ones to police violence. As part of MAPB’s Legacy Fellow program, they shared their personal stories and advocated for repealing qualified immunity, a doctrine they say denied them justice and accountability.

“All ten women have moving and compelling stories of having their loved ones killed by law enforcement,” MAPB said in a statement. “Many have been personally affected by the doctrine of qualified immunity, and they aim to ensure that no other families experience the same loss and pain.”

Speakers included Janet Baker, honoring Jordan Baker; Sheila Banks, honoring Cory Lamar Jones; Montye Benjamin, honoring Javis Benjamin; Jeralynn Brown-Blueford, honoring Alan Blueford; Deborah Jones-Bush, honoring Marquise Jones; Rosie Chavez, honoring Jacob Dominguez; Adrienne Hood, honoring Henry Green V; Dalphine Robinson Stephens, honoring Jabril Robinson; Kathy Scott-Lykes, honoring Jarvis Lykes; and Anita Wills, honoring Kerry L. Baxter, Jr.

The briefing was moderated by MAPB founder and president Collette Flanagan.

MAPB, which has been at the forefront of efforts to reform policing policies in the U.S., continues to advocate for legislative changes to improve police accountability and prevent further loss of life due to police violence.

For more information about the briefing, visit MAPB's official website.