Everyone from President Biden to Sens. Murphy and Booker has called for the passage of police reform after video footage of the police murder of Tyre Nichols was released.
Sen. Booker (D-NJ) said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, “Although Senate action on policing reform has proven difficult, from the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to more targeted reforms, I will never stop working to build a broad coalition to enact the changes that will make our nation safer, stronger, and more just. In the coming days as this new Congress is beginning, I will be renewing my legislative efforts to advance the reform we need and that Americans are demanding.”
Sen. Murphy said (D-CT), “Under no circumstances should the outcome of a routine traffic stop be the death of an innocent Black man. 32 years after the nation was transfixed by eerily similar footage of the beating of Rodney King, it’s time to ask: have we made any progress at all? Last year, killings by the police in the United States reached an all-time high. Congress must recognize that without systemic reform that addresses the root causes of this violence, Tyre’s death will just be one of over a thousand fatal police interactions in 2023.”
President Biden called on Congress to act, “We must do everything in our power to ensure our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all. Real and lasting change will only come if we take action to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again. That is why I called on Congress to send the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to my desk.”
If Americans protest for a few days or weeks and then forget, nothing will change. The American people need to pressure Congress to act, and if House and Senate Republicans won’t act, voters need to elect members of the House and Senate who will have the courage to pass police reform.
Supporting law enforcement doesn’t mean supporting police brutality, which is a distinction that Republicans are certain to blur in the coming days.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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