Pressley, Markey demand resources for victims of police brutality

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have sent a letter to acting Assistant Attorney General Brent Cohen demanding victims and families of police violence be granted access to the Department of Justice’s Crime Victims Fund.

The fund, established in 1984 and overseen by the Office for Victims of Crime, supports an array of programs and services that help victims in the immediate aftermath of crime. The fund currently holds more than $2 billion, according to the office, and each year millions are invested in victim compensation and programs designed to enhance support to victims of crime.

But according to the letter from the lawmakers, families impacted by police violence have been struggling to access the fund’s resources.

“Numerous victims and families have alerted us to the challenges they face in securing assistance after enduring abuse at the hands of law enforcement,” according to the letter, which The Hill received first. “This issue impacts individuals at the local, state, and federal levels and requires your immediate attention.”

The lawmakers highlighted barriers these families face, including some jurisdictions requiring victims of police misconduct to cooperate with and request aid from the same department responsible for the harm.

Other victims, the letter added, are unaware of when or how to access resources, including counselling and support services.

The two added that addressing these barriers is critical as police brutality “remains a persistent problem” around that nation.

Statistics show more than 1,000 people are killed by police and thousands more are injured each year, with wide-ranging racial disparities.

In 2024, police killed 1,250 people, according to Mapping Police Violence. Black Americans are 2.8 times more likely to be killed than their white counterparts.

Despite attempts to address the disparities and overarching violence, including through protests and proposed legislation like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, little policy change has been made.

Still, Pressley and Markey wrote, “the pain experienced by victims’ families and communities remains.”

The Democratic lawmakers are now calling on Cohen to issue public guidance to all federal, state and local administrators of the Crime Victims Fund that will clarify and improve access to support and resources for individuals and families hurt by police brutality.

“Survivors of police violence and their families deserve and require tailored support from the Office for Victims of Crime,” they wrote in the letter. “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.”

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