A variety of music companies including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Group — along with dozens of artists from Rihanna to Ariana Grande have signed a letter urging Congress to support the newly-introduced Justice in Policing Act.
The legislation unveiled earlier this month, which the House of Representatives is expected to take up this week, intends to hold police accountable and end racial profiling. It includes orders to ban police use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, establish a national police misconduct registry, promote de-escalation practices and create new police training programs, among other measures.
“The Justice in Policing Act is not about marginal change; it takes bold steps that will make a real, positive difference for law enforcement and the communities they serve,” the letter reads. “We celebrate the long-overdue rejection of qualified immunity, emphasizing that law enforcement officers themselves are not above the law – that bad cops must be held accountable and victims must have recourse.”
The list of signatories runs nearly 18 pages long, and also includes high-profile executives like Scooter Braun, Irving Azoff, Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman and CEO Jon Platt and artist manager Ebonie Ward, who works with fellow signatories Future and Guna A wide range of music companies have also signed to show support, from Spotify to Dina LaPolt’s LaPolt Law to Full Stop Management, plus organizations like the RIAA and Music Artists Coalition.
Earlier this month, many of these artists, executives and organizations also lent support to a successful repeal of New York state’s statute 50-A, which shielded police officers’ personnel and disciplinary records from public view.
Congress will consider the Justice in Policing Act amid recent protests across the country over racial injustice and police brutality, which erupted anew after Minnesota police officers killed George Floyd during an arrest in May. Since, the music community has rallied behind efforts to advocate for racial equality in the industry and beyond, like #theshowmustbepaused and the Black Music Action Coalition, which was announced today.
Read the full letter to Congress, and see the complete list of signatories, here.
