Attorney Benjamin Crump endorses Al Lawson for Congress
Renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Al Lawson for re-election in the Democratic Primary for Florida’s Fifth Congressional District.
“I am honored to have received the endorsement of attorney Ben Crump, one of the nation’s leading civil rights attorneys,” Rep. Lawson said. “As we fight for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and far too many others, we have a duty to challenge the inequities in our nation’s criminal justice system. Throughout my career, I have worked to right the wrongs of our past, and end racial profiling and injustices at every step. I have always, and will continue, to put the people first.”
Crump has become the go-to attorney for racial justice, particularly those of unarmed Black men and women. He first received national recognition when he represented 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson who was killed at the Bay County Sheriff’s Boot Camp in 2006. Crump advocated for the family and received the largest settlement from the state of Florida for wrongful death. He, along with the advocacy of Rep. Lawson, worked to close boot camps in the state.
Most recently, Crump has represented the families three of the most high-profile cases in America today — George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot while jogging in Brunswick, Georgia, and Breonna Taylor, gunned down in her bed by Louisville police in Kentucky. He also worked on cases for Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, as well as Corey Jones, Pamela Turner, Botham Jean, Stephon Clark and others.
“I’ve known Al for many years, and I know he stands on the right side of justice,” Crump said. “He has been on the frontlines with me — from Martin Lee Anderson to Trayvon Martin and Markeis McGlockton — and I know he is fighting to deliver true justice reform that our community can depend on.”
As someone who grew up in the heart of segregation, Lawson knows first-hand accounts of racial inequality and injustice. He has also worked with local organizations, such as the NAACP and the Urban League, to combat the injustices in the community.
In Congress, he sponsored the Justice in Policing Act, which requires police officers to wear body cameras, ends the usage of chokeholds as a practice and ends “No Knock Warrants.”
“As we work to rebuild the relationships between police departments and communities – particularly communities of color, we need to ensure Departments are implementing systemic changes and addressing the way officers are trained to respond to citizens. We rely on our system to protect us all – and there is no room for racial bias.”
Crump is one of the latest of several endorsements for Rep. Lawson. Other endorsements include Sierra Club of Florida, LGBTQA+ Democratic Caucus of Florida, Planned Parenthood, Tallahassee National Organization for Women, Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, Jacksonville City Council Member Ju’Coby Pittman, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil, and International Longshoremen’s Association #1408.
