After George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis last year, widespread public activism demanded change in police practices and greater transparency and accountability in law enforcement. Through her work at the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, law alum Enoka Herat has helped create landmark legislation around police tactics and use of force. MATT HAGEN
CHANGING THE LAW Law alum Enoka Herat works with law enforcement leaders and the families of people who have died from police violence to change policing practices in Washington By Luna Reyna Enoka Herat, ’10, is the daughter of Sri Lankan immigrants. They had a very idealistic view of America, she says. “Living as a little girl of color in the predominantly white space where I was growing up, I saw where a lot of those ideals fell short.” After college, she went to law school so she could be an advocate for and amplify the voices of those in her community. While attending UW, she was co-president of the Immigrant Family Advocacy Project, a member of the Innocence Project clinic and an editor on the Washington Law Review. Today she is a legal engine behind a group of police reform bills that were recently signed into law. As the Police Practices and Immigration Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, she plays a leading role in drafting many of Washington’s recent police reform bills. “What drove me to law school,
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