At Loevy + Loevy in Boston, my thoughts in April naturally turn to Patriots’ Day, which commemorates the start of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord. I was a licensed History teacher in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and taught students about the origin of the Bill of Rights after the Revolution.
Loevy + Loevy’s work in holding police accountable is traced directly to the principles laid out in the Bill of Rights to protect our freedom from government persecution. The same is true for the Exoneration Project. Our fundamental freedoms require a firm commitment to protecting our rights to freedom of expression, to be free from unlawful searches and seizures, and to due process.
When governments strip these rights from us, they oppress us all regardless of our beliefs. No person should be above the law, including police and politicians. By holding each other accountable for violating the law, we protect all our freedoms.
For those who complain that police are unable to do their jobs because of lawsuits or “criminals” being released on “technicalities,” they need to remember that these consequences are checks on abuses of government power. Those rules do not lead to a lawless society, but rather to one in which government actors as well as those governed must act within the confines of the law.
As we celebrate Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, we can cherish the freedoms that so many have fought to create and protect. And we can continue to work for a more just society in which all have to play by the rules.
