Hastings' Statement on the Introduction of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020

Statement

Congressman Alcee L. Hastings released the following statement after he joined Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Karen Bass (D-CA), Senators Corey Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) as an original cosponsor of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities:

"It is unacceptable that living while Black in America means legitimately fearing for your life whenever you encounter the police, when you are in your own home, or as you go about your daily life. In the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others whose stories we may never learn, I join Americans from coast to coast in mourning and demanding reforms in policing to address the lost trust between police departments and the communities they are meant to serve and protect.

"The wounds left open by centuries-old systemic racism in this country need healing and this legislation takes urgent action to address how that manifests in the culture of policing. This transformative legislation reforms policing to ban chokeholds, require body and dashboard cameras, get weapons of war off our streets, establish a police misconduct registry and more. As a Member of the Congressional Black Caucus and an original cosponsor, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the CBC and the Judiciary Committee to pass this bill, meaningfully address systemic racism in policing, curb police brutality, end racial profiling, and ultimately save lives."

Source