All Lives Matter

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, April 4, 1968 in an unforgettable day because on that day the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of peace who devoted his life to nonviolence, was struck down by an assassin's bullet in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sadly, April 4, 2015, will also take its place as a day of infamy because on that day in North Charleston, South Carolina, a man less celebrated but no less innocent, Walter Scott, was slain in an act of lethal violence that shocks the conscience.

I rise today to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Walter Scott, who was laid to rest this past Saturday, and call upon this Congress to enact legislation that will provide the resources and guidance needed for law enforcement personnel to maintain the trust and confidence and support of the communities they serve and the safeguards needed to protect our people from becoming victims of excessive or lethal force.

Mr. Speaker, the problems revealed by several of the more notorious incidents involving the use of lethal force against unarmed citizens that have captured the attention of the nation over the past several months require a national response because the problems identified are not isolated or limited to one region of the country.

For example, the death of 43 year-old Eric Garner resulting from the application of a NYPD police chokehold occurred in the Northeast and the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown and the resulting events in Ferguson occurred in the border state of Missouri.

The killing of 12 year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer occurred in the Midwest and death of unarmed 26 year-old Jordan Baker by an off-duty Houston police officer occurred in Texas.

In Phoenix, Arizona, Rumain Brisbon, an unarmed black father of four, was shot to death when a police officer allegedly mistook his bottle of pills for a gun.

In Pasdena, California, 19-year-old Kendrec McDade was chased and shot seven times by two police officers after a 911 caller falsely reported he had been robbed at gunpoint by two black men, neither of whom in fact was armed.

And, of course, on April 4, the conscience of the nation was shocked by the horrifying killing of 50-year-old Walter Scott by a North Charleston police officer in the southern state of South Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, while the problem is national in scope, it appears to affect disproportionately and adversely a particular demographic group: African American males.

Because all lives matter in our great nation, it is imperative that we in Congress act swiftly and decisively to focus much needed attention and resources on legislative proposals intended to address the problem of misuse of lethal force by law enforcement and to rebuild the public trust and confidence needed to ensure that law enforcement receive and maintain the support of the communities they serve and protect.

As Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, I note that are several promising legislative criminal justice reform initiatives that have been introduced and are worthy of consideration.

Among them are H.R. 59, the ``Build TRUST in Municipal Law Enforcement Act of 2015'' (Rep. JACKSON LEE); H.R. 1459, the Democracy Restoration Act of 2015 (Rep. CONYERS); H.R. 1810, the ``Collection and Analysis of Data to Educate and Train Law Enforcement Officers'' (``CADET Act''); H.R. 920, the ``Smarter Sentencing Act of 2015'' (Rep. LABRADOR); and S. 675, the ``Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2015'' (REDEEM Act) (Sens. PAUL and BOOKER).

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year FBI Director James Comey delivered a remarkable speech at Georgetown University in which he laid out several hard truths about the administration of the criminal justice system and state of community policing in our country.

One of the hardest truths discussed by Director Comey is the fact we have limited information and inadequate data regarding the scope and extent of the problems endemic in the criminal justice system.

This lack of information hampers the ability of policymakers and administrators at the federal, state, and local level to identify and implement laws, policies, and practices to remedy identified problems.

The Judiciary Committee should immediately conduct hearings to educate the Congress and the public on the nature and extent of deficiencies in the nation's criminal justice systems and the efficacy of proposed solutions.

Specifically, hearings should be held to investigate practices and policies governing:
1. the use of lethal force by state and local police departments;

2. educational requirements, mental health and psychological evaluations, and training in non-violent conflict resolution received by veteran law enforcement officers and new recruits; and

3. the feasibility and efficacy of making greater use of technological devices such as body cameras.

A fourth area to be explored is the state of the social science research in the academic study of criminal justice reform because there is much the Committee can learn by engaging leading experts in the field regarding the state of knowledge in their respective disciplines.

Mr. Speaker, reforming the criminal justice system so that it dispenses justice impartially and equally to all persons is one of the most important challenges facing this Congress.

And it is a goal that can be achieved if we work together in a spirit of goodwill and bipartisan cooperation.

There are few things we can do that will provide a greater service to our nation.

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