Abandoning accountability

The federal consent decrees that emerged after the police killings of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, were supposed to represent a turning point. For a moment, there seemed to be a change happening of real accountability and reform because federal agencies would review local and state policing to ensure they aligned with needed reforms. But now, the U.S. Department of Justice has dropped these federal agreements, yet another example of the Trump administration's departure from federal oversight to help protect civil rights across the country.

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Last month marked the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder — a moment that sparked global protests and renewed movements demanding justice and an end to police brutality. After his death, Floyd’s young daughter, Gianna, powerfully declared, “Daddy changed the world.” As we reflect on this anniversary, her words serve as a reminder of the responsibility people of faith and conscience bear to ensure that the legacies of Floyd, Taylor and others result in lasting transformation.

Consent decrees are legal agreements used to enforce reform in police departments with established patterns of misconduct and civil rights violations. They are a key tool when local mechanisms have failed to hold law enforcement accountable. By backing away from these agreements, the DOJ is in effect abandoning the communities most impacted by racist policing, particularly Black communities who disproportionately suffer from police violence. The Southern Poverty Law Center has emphasized that consent decrees are vital for holding law enforcement agencies accountable and ensuring compliance with civil rights standards, advocating for their continued use to promote systemic change and justice.

Data from the Mapping Police Violence project shows that Black Americans are nearly three times more likely to be killed by police than white Americans. This troubling disparity underlines the systemic nature of the problem — one that cannot be addressed through minor reforms or symbolic promises and one that can’t be left to local or state police departments alone. The withdrawal from consent decrees reveals a federal lack of commitment to racial justice, meaningful change and accountability — concerning because it will reinforce these same lacks of commitment in states that had previously been required to have these decrees because of the documented concerns they might sidestep the necessary reforms without them.

In Louisville, Breonna Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, has expressed deep frustration with how local leadership handled the consent decree process. This kind of political maneuvering shows how fragile progress can be when leaders aren’t committed to the community's demand for justice.

Many faith communities, including the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), have spoken clearly on the need for racial justice and police accountability. The 222nd General Assembly’s resolution, "Facing Racism: A Vision of the Intercultural Community," called the church to confront systemic racism and actively work toward racial equity. More recently, the 224th General Assembly reaffirmed the church’s commitment to dismantling structural racism, supporting movements for Black lives and investing in alternatives to traditional policing.

The Presbyterian Hunger Program understands that racism is not only a driver of police violence — it is also a root cause of hunger and poverty, and to push for racial justice is also to push against hunger and poverty. When communities of color are systematically denied access to basic resources through discriminatory policies and practices, the resulting economic instability is its own form of violence. True racial justice requires equitable access to food, housing, health care and education —essentials that are still intentionally denied to many due to the legacy and ongoing impacts of racism. Confronting these root causes is not only a moral imperative, it is fundamental for building a more just and thriving society for all.

While the current administration is weakening federal tools, state and local advocacy is more important than ever. Faith communities must join hands with the most vulnerable to push for independent civilian oversight boards with investigative power, demand transparency in police data and support alternative responses, like mental health crisis counselors and community-based safety initiatives.

What else can Presbyterians do?

• Join Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO) groups that are holding local governments accountable
• Attend meetings of your city council or county commission
• Let your voice be heard! Contact your state and local leaders.

Faith communities can offer both a moral voice and tangible support for these efforts. We cannot allow the federal government's failure to indicate an end to the fight for justice. We must use it to inspire us to act — boldly, consistently, and alongside one another — rooted in the call to help create a Beloved Community, where justice, compassion, and solidarity are not just ideas, but lived commitments, as Micah 6:8 reminds us: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Jennifer R. Evans is Associate for Presbyterian Hunger Program Communications and National Partnership.