Letter Comes as Families Struggle to Access Resources Under DOJ’s Crime Victims Fund

Text of Letter (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime urging it to ensure resources and supports are made available to people impacted by police brutality. The lawmakers’ letter comes as families struggle to access resources under the DOJ’s Crime Victims Fund.

“Numerous victims and families have alerted us to the challenges they face in securing assistance after enduring abuse at the hands of law enforcement,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Acting Assistant Attorney General Brent Cohen. “This issue impacts individuals at the local, state, and federal levels and requires your immediate attention.”

Police brutality remains a persistent problem in the United States. Annually, more than 1,100 people are killed by police and thousands more are injured. Black people, in particular, are 2.5 times more likely to be murdered by police compared to their white counterparts. This issue was the central focus of the 2020 global racial justice movement that led to the largest protests in the history of the United States.

“Although the news headlines may have faded, the pain experienced by victims’ families and communities remains,” the lawmakers continued. “Survivors of police violence and their families deserve and require tailored support from the Office for Victims of Crime. It is incumbent upon your agency to ensure that victims of all crimes, including those affected by excessive use of force, have the resources needed to set them on a pathway to healing.”

In their letter, the lawmakers cited some of the barriers in the administration of the Crime Victims Fund that impede access to available resources, including some jurisdictions requiring victims of police misconduct to cooperate with and request aid from the same law enforcement department responsible for their harm. The lawmakers also noted how victims are often unaware of when or how to access assistance, including counseling and support services.

Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey urged Acting Assistant Attorney General Cohen to promptly issue public guidance to all federal, state, and local administrators of the Crime Victims Fund that clarifies and improves access to supports and resources for individuals and families hurt by police brutality.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

Rep. Pressley has been an outspoken advocate for community-based, trauma-informed public safety responses, as informed by her People’s Justice Guarantee, a comprehensive, decarceration-focused resolution that outlines a framework for a fair, equitable and just legal system. Congresswoman Pressley has also introduced legislation to recognize the survivors of homicide victims nationwide and end qualified immunity.

Throughout her career, Congresswoman Pressley has also been a tireless advocate for trauma-conscious policymaking.  

In April 2023, Rep. Pressley re-introduced her Ending PUSHOUT Act, her bold legislation to end the punitive pushout of girls of color from schools and disrupt the school-to-confinement pathway.

• Rep. Pressley is also the lead sponsor of the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds to increase police presence in schools and instead invest resources to school districts to hire counselors, nurses, social workers and other health care providers. 
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley celebrated $250,000 in Community Project Funding she secured for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston (Big Sister) to support its one-to-one mentoring and enrichment programs for girls.
• Rep Pressley introduced the STRONG Support for Children Act to take a holistic and community-based approach to addressing the growing crisis of childhood trauma.
• In March 2021, Rep. Pressley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to address the nation’s growing trauma crisis and laying out a series of steps the administration should take to confront the far-reaching hurt plaguing our communities and our nation. In April, she published an op-ed where she reflected on the collective pain experienced by communities in her district over the past year.
• In July 2019, she worked with then-Chairman Cummings to convene the first-ever Congressional hearings on childhood trauma.  Watch Congresswoman Pressley’s full question line and follow-up questions here and here.
• As a Boston City Councilor, she convened the Council’s first-ever listening-only session on trauma.

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