ICYMI: Senator Scott Talks Police Reform at NBA Roundtable
Press Release
Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Representative Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and various NBA professionals for a roundtable discussion on police reform that aired over the weekend. Senator Scott highlighted the need for bipartisan, bicameral reform that strengthens both law enforcement entities and communities of color.
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Click to watch the discussion
On the opportunity to enact bipartisan reform "When you find common ground, it makes common sense to work on that common ground. And in this area, [Representative Bass] and I both have the same passion. The passion is for our [communities] to experience the highest level of quality in policing possible. I started working on this issue, by the way, in 2015 after the Walter Scott shooting. So for me, my first piece of legislation was six years ago, reforming the way that our police interact with communities of color. I think there's a way for us to do that."
On the power to make change happen "I have an appreciation for the issue as an individual. As a senator I have the power to make change happen, and I'm trying to use that power to make our communities--the American family--stronger, healthier, and better."
On bringing together law enforcement and communities of color "It is very hard to hate what you know. Spending time with people who are not like yourself really does provide you with a different kind of education. One of the things I did in South Carolina was I brought law enforcement leaders and African-American leaders together for lunches across my state
"When you break the false binary choice [between law enforcement and communities of color], you realize that in order to help one, you have to help the other. And if we would just quit stereotyping each other if we would just try our best to get to a place where we are treating individuals as individuals, we would have a powerful formula for improving the outcome of every interaction we have with people who are not like ourselves."
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