Opening Our Eyes to the Epidemic of Police Violence in America

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, on April 4, 2015 in North Charleston, South Carolina, following a traffic stop in broad daylight, Walter Scott was fatally shot by police officer Michael Slager. This tragedy once again brings to the forefront an issue that continues to plague communities nationwide--the alarming rate of African American deaths at the hands of law enforcement officers. Particularly troubling about this tragedy, is the video footage showing the officer firing eight times as Walter Scott is running away.

Walter Scott was a human whose life had value. He was a father, a brother, a son and a friend. His status as an American citizen gave him the right to due process. He should not have been killed by a police officer who acted, without authority, as judge, jury and executioner.

Time and again, African American families have grieved over their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons, who have been taken too soon by officers deputized with the power to protect them. The frequency of these tragedies continues to play into the deeply painful narrative that black life is not valued in this country. When I think of Walter Scott, I think of Edward Garner, Anthony Baez, Amadou Diallo, Anthony Lee, and Oscar Grant. I think of their grieving families and their lost futures. I am deeply saddened that the list of unarmed black men killed by police continues to grow.

Where do we go from here?

I would echo the words of Albert Einstein: ``the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.'' We must all act to protect the lives of our friends and neighbors. As a country, we must commit to recognizing the humanity in others. Before we identify with any race, religion, gender, or sexual preference, we are all human.

It is not likely that, in the absence of Mr. Feidin Santana's cell phone video, Michael Slager would ever face criminal charges. It is not likely that the investigators who investigate the police would have concluded that the officer's account of the shooting was fabricated. It is likely that, in the absence of one bystander's courage, Walter Scott would have been villainized and the police officer who gunned him down would have gotten away with murder. From this point forward, we must all have the courage to speak up and confront injustice.

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