Top Democrats in the House are calling for Congress to take action in the wake of the death of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis police custody.
During a House Democratic Caucus conference call on Monday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) asked her colleagues to sign onto a resolution — introduced alongside Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) — aimed at rebuking police brutality, racial profiling and the use of excessive course, according to a source on the call.
The source said Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) advocated for members to join Rep. Frederica Wilson’s (D-Fla.) proposed commission that would make recommendations “to address social problems affecting black men and boys.”
The push for action comes as protests against police brutality have erupted in cities across the country, sparked by the death of George Floyd.
Floyd died while being arrested by Minneapolis police and a widely shared video shows an officer kneeling on his neck for nine minutes as Floyd says he can’t breathe and then becomes unresponsive.
Over the course of the past several days, peaceful daytime protests in several different major cities have escalated at night into violent clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators, with looting and property damage prompting numerous mayors to put curfews into place.
On the call, Bass noted that African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, adding that the black community has faced a number of tragedies in recent weeks.
“While we’re dealing with the disproportionate death rate, there was harassment that started and black people were being assaulted by police and in some cases arrested for not wearing masks, or for not doing the public health recommendation of social distancing. We had the three murders, and so it’s kind of like you know all of these events at one time, a pandemic upon a pandemic,” she told members, according to a Democratic aide.
“This is not a CBC issue, this is an issue for all of us because all of us represent diverse populations. Twenty-nine years ago, when the Rodney King beating was on video we were almost excited because we believed finally there was no way they could deny that this didn’t happen. We were confident that these officers were going to be arrested and convicted, because it happened on video. But it didn’t. In the last 20 years, how many videos have we seen? We have to end this.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told members on the call that this “needs to be a transformative” moment, asserting that historic action will be taken.
“So, my colleagues again, as some of our others have said, let’s, you know, understand the moment … we’ve seen it again and again and nothing much has happened. But this has to be pivotal. It has to be transformative,” she told members.
“And it has to happen. The Congressional Black Caucus, working with the Judiciary Committee, will strongly, forcefully put out a message soon.”
While it’s unclear what legislative action will be taken as of now, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) expressed Democrats’ “commitment to addressing systemic racism and police brutality in America amid the absence of any leadership from the president during this time of tremendous pain and suffering,” Democratic caucus sources said.
Several influential Democratic lawmakers including Rep. John Lewis (Ga.), a civil rights icon, have called for the demonstrations to remain peaceful.
“To the rioters here in Atlanta and across the country: I see you, and I hear you. I know your pain, your rage, your sense of despair and hopelessness. Justice has, indeed, been denied for far too long. Rioting, looting, and burning is not the way,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
“Organize. Demonstrate. Sit-in. Stand-up. Vote. Be constructive, not destructive. History has proven time and again that non-violent, peaceful protest is the way to achieve the justice and equality that we all deserve.”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told members Thursday’s caucus call “will be a conversation devoted to race in America.”