Story at a glance
- George Floyd was a Black man murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer last year.
- His death prompted protests against police brutality against Black people and calls for reform.
- The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is awaiting a vote in the Senate before heading to President Biden, who has voiced support for the bill.
After the jury delivered a guilty verdict in the case of George Floyd’s murder, the nation’s sigh of relief was followed by a second wind in the fight against police violence against Black Americans.
“We can’t stop here. In order to deliver real change and reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that tragedies like this will ever happen and occur again; to ensure that Black and brown people or anyone — so they don’t fear the interactions with law enforcement, that they don’t have to wake up knowing that they can lose their very life in the course of just living their life,” said President Biden in a speech following the verdict.
READ PAST COVERAGE OF GEORGE FLOYD’S KILLING
DEREK CHAUVIN’S GUILTY VERDICT IN THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD GIVES HOPE TO BLACK AMERICA
‘CHILDREN ARE DYING’: ACTIVISTS COMPARE RESTRAINTS ON SCHOOLCHILDREN TO KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD
Biden endorsed reform in the form of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which Vice President Harris helped draft and was passed by the House of Representatives last month. In his speech, Biden chastised the lack of legislative action, saying, “it shouldn’t take a whole year to get this done.”
One year after Floyd’s death, the act is now before the Senate. The legislation includes several major reforms addressing police accountability, transparency, training, racial profiling and more. These include establishing a National Police Misconduct Registry, adding certification requirements for the hiring of law enforcement officers, establishing requirements for reporting use of force and other data and prohibiting racial profiling by law enforcement.
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
The act also addresses several specific policies including body camera technology and the militarization of the police enabled by weapons transfers from the military to federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement as well as the “law enforcement consent loophole.” Currently, law enforcement officers are permitted to engage in sexual acts with people in their custody, including minors, if “the defendant reasonably believed that the other person had attained the age of 16 years” and if they claim to have obtained consent. Considering the power dynamic that threatens free and willing consent to sexual acts, the legislation invalidates consent as a legal defense against this crime.
In his speech, Biden said he promised Floyd’s family he would continue to fight for the passage of the bill. Still, as he said, “there’s more to do.”
THE LATEST ON THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT
WHITE SUPREMACISTS DRIVE US DOMESTIC TERRORIST ATTACKS TO HIGHEST LEVEL IN 25 YEARS
EARLY STUDY FINDS KILLINGS BY POLICE DECLINED AFTER BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS
NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS PUSH TO REPEAL JIM CROW-ERA VOTER LITERACY TEST
FIRST CITY IN US TO ENACT REPARATIONS FOR ITS BLACK RESIDENTS
BLACK LIVES MATTER ANNOUNCES NEW SURVIVAL FUND AMIDST THE WAIT FOR COVID-19 RELIEF
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
