Eric Holder Quotes:
Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.
Eric Holder
I am not a proponent of the death penalty, but I will enforce the law as this Congress gives it to us.
Eric Holder
Though race-related issues continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion, and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation, we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about things racial.
Eric Holder
Saturdays and Sundays, America in the year 2009 does not in some ways differ significantly from the country that existed almost 50 years ago. This is truly sad.
Eric Holder
I think one of the things that I don’t think people focus on is that there are some red states that have done some really innovative things when it comes to criminal justice reform, including on rehabilitation, reentry efforts. I think one of the things that we have seen in that regard is that you save money.
Eric Holder
The inability to pass reasonable gun safety laws after the Newtown massacre is something that weighs heavily on my mind.
Eric Holder
In January 2013, I told the people in the Justice Department after the re-election that I wanted to focus on reforming the federal criminal justice system. I made an announcement in August of that year in San Francisco, when we rolled out the Smart on Crime initiative.
Eric Holder
I’m a prosecutor first and foremost, and as a judge, I put people in jail for extended periods of time when that was appropriate.
Eric Holder
Smart on Crime says if you commit violent crimes, you should go to jail, and go to jail for extended periods of time. For people who are engaged in non-violent crimes – any crimes, for that matter – we are looking for sentences that are proportionate to the conduct that you engaged in.
Eric Holder
If I were attorney general in Kansas in 1953, I would not have defended a Kansas statute that put in place separate-but-equal facilities.
Eric Holder
Kids who I grew up with, who I played ball with, basketball, baseball, and went to parties with – for whatever reason – they ended up in a fundamentally different place than I did. I’m the attorney general of the United States and they are ex-felons.
Eric Holder
The full resources of the Department of Justice have been committed to the investigation into Michael Brown’s death.
Eric Holder
I urge the citizens of Ferguson who have been peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights to join with law enforcement in condemning the actions of looters, vandals and others seeking to inflame tensions and sow discord.
Eric Holder
As the brother of a retired law enforcement officer, I know firsthand that our men and women in uniform perform their duties in the face of tremendous threats and significant personal risk. They put their lives on the line every day, and they often have to make split-second decisions.
Eric Holder
Enforcement priorities and arrest patterns must not lead to disparate treatment under the law, even if such treatment is unintended. And police forces should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
Eric Holder
I am the attorney general of the United States, but I am also a black man.
Eric Holder
Those who peacefully gather to express sympathy for the family of Michael Brown must have their rights respected at all times. And journalists must not be harassed or prevented from covering a story that needs to be told.
Eric Holder
Studies show that if people think that they are treated fairly by the police, that matters almost more than what the result is. If you get stopped for a traffic stop and feel that you are treated courteously and fairly, you are much more likely to accept the fact that you got a speeding ticket.
Eric Holder
History simmers beneath the surface in more communities than just Ferguson.
Eric Holder
On a personal level, I’ve seen a lot in my time as attorney general, but few things have affected me as greatly as my visit to Ferguson. I had the chance to meet with the family of Michael Brown. I spoke to them not just as attorney general but as a father of a teenage son myself.
Eric Holder
Michael Brown’s tragic death has revealed a deep distrust between some in the Ferguson community and its police force. It also developed a need to develop and widely disseminate law enforcement best practices for responding to public demonstrations.
Eric Holder
Ferguson and St. Louis County are not the first places that we have become engaged to ensure fair and equitable policing, and they will not be the last. The Department of Justice will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the Constitution has meaning for all communities.
Eric Holder
Displays of force in response to mostly peaceful demonstrations can be counterproductive.
Eric Holder
The reality is that we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden. He will never appear in an American courtroom. That’s the reality. He will be killed by us, or he will be killed by his own people so he’s not captured by us. We know that.
Eric Holder