“President Trump’s new executive orders belie the fact that the overall rates of crime across the country and instances of violence against police officers have been declining for decades and are currently at historically low levels. More importantly, they completely ignore more pressing criminal justice issues such as the systematic mass incarceration of people of color and police killings of unarmed civilians, particularly young Black men.

“As Jews and as Americans, senseless losses of life are an affront to our most fundamental values. If President Trump is serious about addressing violence and creating a safer, freer society, he must take steps to ensure that police officers are also held accountable when they break the law and that individuals are not treated inequitably by law enforcement based on the color of their skin.  

“These executive actions are unsurprising from a president who campaigned on authoritarian, ‘law and order’ rhetoric and appointed an attorney general with a history of championing radical and discriminatory policies. However, that does not make them any less troubling or misleading. We continue to stand with communities of color in their struggle for real justice in the criminal justice system and against the repressive policies of the Trump administration and its allies.”

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