By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer
Before George Floyd and Benjamin Crump were Rodney King and John Burris.
Community members gathered for the premiere screening of “The Godfather of Police Litigation,” a new documentary celebrating the life and work of nationally renowned civil rights attorney Burris, June 16 at the California Museum.
Using archival video and photos, the documentary takes viewers through Burris’ groundbreaking legal career, which has spanned more than four decades and helped shape the national conversation around police accountability and civil rights litigation. From his education at UC Berkeley, to his landmark representation of King in the 1990s, Burris has earned a reputation as a fearless advocate for justice.
Produced by Doug Harris and Brian Spencer of Doug Harris Media, the Burris documentary is part of a larger series highlighting overlooked UC Berkeley alumni.
“He is the preeminent civil rights attorney in the country,” co-producer Brian Spencer said at the screening.
He explained that the series began with Walter Gordon, the first Black graduate of Berkeley Law in 1922, and will continue with stories on subjects such as Emily Vasquez, Sacramento County’s first Latina judge.
“The University of California has done a very poor job of properly highlighting all of its alumni,” Spencer told The OBSERVER. “That’s part of the purpose is to help them [the universities] rewrite their complete history.”
Burris’ first major experience investigating police misconduct came in the mid-1970s when he participated in a Justice Department probe into abuse by the Chicago Police Department. But it was the 1979 killing of 14-year-old Melvin Black in Oakland that launched him into the public eye and solidified his future as a civil rights attorney. Black, an African American teenager, was shot multiple times by Oakland police officers while running away. Burris was appointed by the mayor and City Council of Oakland to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting.
Burris’ career also includes representing plaintiffs in major lawsuits against police departments throughout California. Notably, he was involved in the landmark “Oakland Riders” case, where a group of officers was found to have planted evidence on citizens. The case settled for $10.9 million and led to ongoing federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department.
Since then, Burris has taken on some of the nation’s most high-profile police misconduct cases. He represented the family of Oscar Grant, the 22-year-old unarmed Black man fatally shot in the back by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officer on New Year’s Day 2009.
The documentary also highlights Burris’ deep commitment to mentoring young attorneys, many of whom have gone on to lead their own battles for justice, including prominent civil rights attorney Crump.
In the documentary, Crump explains that he began following Burris’ work after the Grant case and that he has been learning from him ever since.
Co-producer Doug Harris said Burris’ dedication to building up the next generation of lawyers is one of his most admirable qualities.
“One of the things I appreciate most about John is that he mentors young lawyers and encourages them to continue the legacy of civil rights work,” Harris said. “Civil rights law is one of the toughest areas of practice. Most clients in these cases don’t have the money to pay for an attorney upfront, so lawyers often have to put in all the work with the hope of being reimbursed only if they win the case.”
Harris added that the financial risk often deters young lawyers from entering the field, making Burris’ mentorship even more critical.
Even at 80, Burris’ work remains as active as ever. This year he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit tied to the police killing of Dante Day, who was fatally shot by Sacramento police on a Regional Transit light rail train in August.
Police responded to reports of a man armed with a large knife and possibly experiencing a mental health crisis. Officers encountered 44-year-old Day and ultimately shot him multiple times. The officers claimed they attempted de-escalation before firing.
On April 17, Burris filed a lawsuit on behalf of Day’s father, Derick Day, naming the City of Sacramento and two officers as defendants. The complaint alleges a failure to use proper de-escalation tactics, resulting in an unnecessary and preventable death. The officers’ names are not listed in the filing.
In an exclusive interview, Burris commented on the Trump administration’s recent executive order granting police officers broad immunity from federal prosecution.
“The Trump administration has decided that the Justice Department is not gonna enforce civil rights laws against police departments,” Burris said. “Any cases that are brought to the court have to be brought individually by people like myself. Yeah, that will still occur. They cannot stop plaintiff attorneys from filing lawsuits. It’s just that now you can’t count on the federal government to come in and take on patterns and practice cases like we’ve had in the past.”
Burris said that what troubles him most today about police brutality is the use of force against individuals experiencing mental health crises.
“Those kinds of cases have really stuck with me,” he said.
He added that some police departments have even used the push for reform as an opportunity to ask for more funding.
The screening served as both a retrospective and a call to action, reminding audiences of Burris’ enduring commitment to justice. Through archival footage, case coverage, and commentary from colleagues and clients, “The Godfather of Police Litigation” documents a life spent fighting power and protecting the rights of the most vulnerable.
The documentary will be broadcast on PBS later this year, bringing John Burris’ legacy to a wider audience, not only through the cases he has won, but through the many legal warriors he has inspired to follow in his footsteps.