The future of police reform now lies with the Senate
The Congressional Black Caucus introduced H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, calling for police reform. Under the bill a national registry would be formed to flag problem officers, like the one involved in the shooting death of Tamir Rice. That officer had been fired from another police department after being deemed unstable with a high propensity for violence. Choke holds would be deemed civil rights violations and no knock warrants in federal drug cases would be banned. Every Democrat in the house voted in favor of the bill which is now on its way to the Senate.
“I urge the Senate to immediately consider the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to demonstrate Congress’ bipartisan commitment to enacting real change,” said Rep. Brenda Lawrence, second vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. “We will no longer tolerate willful or reckless police misconduct, which has led to the unnecessary killings of too many unarmed Black men and women for decades.”
George Floyd, a black man killed in Minnesota by a white police officer, was captured on cell phone video. It ignited national and global outrage reminiscent of the 1960’s.
Now as then, the filming of hatred would prove undeniably that there is indeed a race problem in America. Not only were protests over Floyd’s murder held in all fifty states, but in countries all over the world. The entire African continent came together to level a protest at the United Nations against racism in America.
It must be remembered that policing sprang from slave catching, in a culture that was based on the premise that African Americans had no rights the white man was bound to respect.
“Together, we will continue to hold police departments across the country accountable and demand transparency in all cases of misconduct because that is what Americans deserve,” said Rep. Lawrence.
