(Washington, D.C.) – Exactly one month after George Floyd
was killed by police in Minneapolis, the U.S. House of Representatives will
vote to
approve the George
Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Floyd’s arrest and death
sparked a widespread movement across the country to address racial injustice and
police brutality against unarmed Black men and women. The bill emphasizes
de-escalation tactics, bans police techniques like chokeholds and some no-knock
warrants, ends qualified immunity and enhances the ability of the Justice
Department to prosecute officers for civil rights violations.
The following is a statement from Kristen
Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“The killing of George Floyd was an awakening for America’s moral conscience on police misconduct, laying bare the racism that infects policing in our country. Demonstrations across the country have been focused on securing comprehensive reform that will change the culture of policing, promote accountability and alter policies that have had devastating impacts on African Americans and communities of color. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act meets the challenge by incentivizing officers to act as peacekeepers and partners with the community, rather than promoting the shoot-first ask questions later culture we have today. We applaud the House for moving with all deliberate speed to adopt a historic and comprehensive bill responsive to the national crisis of police violence that we face today.”
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