The Congressional Black Caucus Calls on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to Hold an Immediate Vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

The blatant disregard for human life, especially Black lives, is on display once again in our country’s police departments. This time in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Lafayette, Louisiana. Both men were shot in the back by police officers. Jacob Blake is paralyzed from the waist down and Trayford Pellerin is dead. 

The shootings of Jacob Blake and Trayford Pellerin are yet again two tragic incidents of police brutality against Black people in America.

In the letter, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), urged Leader McConnell to heed the calls of the American people for urgent reform in our police departments.

“On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, the millions of Americans we represent, and the countless more who demand justice and peace, I write today to implore you to bring the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to the floor of the Senate for a vote,” said Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA). “How many more mothers and fathers must mourn the loss of a child to police violence? How many more children must be raised without a parent lost to police violence? How many more videos must we watch before you will act? Enough is enough.”

Over two months ago, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed in the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. This transformative legislation would hold police officers accountable and ensure the culture and training of law enforcement is grounded in protecting and serving all communities. The Congressional Black Caucus championed the passage of this bill in the House and has long fought for policing reform as part of our broader criminal justice reform efforts. This is evident in the policies included in the Justice in Policing Act that were originally championed by our founding members. 

While the House has answered the public outcry against police brutality, Leader McConnell has refused to hold a vote on this critical bill. He and President Trump seem more concerned with vilifying outraged communities than addressing the root causes of their real and legitimate frustration: state-sanctioned violence, fear, and grief. Since the murder of George Floyd, we have witnessed several instances of police brutality across our country: Rayshard Brooks, Trayford Pellerin, Jacob Blake, and too many more. Meanwhile, Breonna Taylor’s murderers are still free. Black Americans continue to be shot and brutally injured at the hands of law enforcement with complete impunity. 

We call on Leader McConnell to stand with us on the right side of history and advance meaningful policing reform through the Senate. The time is long overdue to finally put an end to police violence in Black communities in America.

Read the full letter here.

NAACP APPLAUDS HOUSE PASSAGE OF “GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT”

The NAACP applauded the bi-partisan passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 7120, the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.” The legislation represents unprecedented action and a significant first step to prevent and address violence against the Black community by law enforcement all over the country.

While there is more to be done, the legislation seeks to hold law enforcement officials accountable for their actions. It bans chokeholds and “no-knock warrants,” requires body-worn cameras, removes iron-clad protections for police officers such as “qualified immunity,” provides stronger investigative authority for federal and state officials, ends racial and religious profiling, limits military equipment on American streets, and classifies lynching as a hate crime.

Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, of the NAACP, stated: “This legislation represents the only way forward. If we’ve learned anything from these past weeks, it’s that the American people are demanding systemic change. We need bold, transformative action to rethink policing and reimagine public safety in our communities.

For far too long, police across the country have operated with impunity and no regard for the people they are sworn to protect and serve. We have witnessed the tragic consequences in the brutal killings of George Floyd to Breonna Taylor to Elijah McClain, and countless others who have lost their lives to state-sponsored violence.

We now call upon the Senate to put partisanship aside and do the right thing by passing this seminal legislation. The Black community and, indeed, our entire nation cannot afford to risk one more life and wait for one more day. Congress must seize this extraordinary moment in time to push for the elimination of racism in policing and in the criminal justice system writ large, and to rid our society of the structural inequality that has tormented and held back our nation for far too long.