We deserve freedom from excessive force Letter to the editor Tallahassee Democrat, 11/30/2020 When our government allows police to use excessive and even deadly force against innocent people, it is past time for us to stand up for our civil liberties. As an American, I have a right to be free from police violence and so do you. Even with our Constitution guaranteeing our rights, how is it that bad cops can still walk away scot-free after taking a life? One reason is that Congress has done nothing while the courts have stripped away our basic ability to sue the cop who brutalized us. Even if, for example, a cop shot your child playing in the backyard, you have no way to sue. The court-created rule called 'qualified immunity' continues to allow individual cops off the hook for blatant overreach. Qualified immunity is a shield only given to cops and other public officials to keep them from ever facing consequences when they defy the Constitution. We should allow victims to seek their own justice in court and hold the cop in question liable for their actions. It's time to call on Congress to do its job and end qualified immunity. - - - BrendaLee Lennick, Tallahassee, mrs.sapience@gmail.com