Greene County Democrat

Tag: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

  • Newswire: MLK Day 2022 follows another year of racial strife

     CNN video showing man carrying Confederate flag inside the U. S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022.

     

     


    By Hazel Trice Edney

    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – On Jan. 6, 2022, thousands of insurrectionists stormed the United States Capitol, attempting to stop the counting of Electoral College votes that were to confirm Joseph Biden as president. Other than the violence itself, the single most visible image among the insurrectionists was the Confederate battle flag.

    The image was so disgusting to historian Dr. Mary Frances Berry that she told the New York Times that she just “wanted to scream” seeing the image of racism and White supremacy cross the lines where it had not even gone during the Civil War as it stood for the enslavement of Black people.

    “To see it flaunted right in front of your face, in the United States Capitol, the heart of the government, was simply outrageous,” said Berry, professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and former chair of the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights.

    Fourteen days later, Biden was inaugurated in front of the building, surrounded by more than 26,000 armed troops to prevent further physical attacks. But even that show of force could not end the insurrection that continued – in spirit – using what has come to be known as “the big lie” – the untruth spread by President Donald Trump and his supporters that say Biden did not legitimately win the 2021 election. It is a lie that is being spread, in part, because of his vast support from Black voters and a desire to discount those votes.

    Now a year after January 6, 2021, there appears to be no end in sight for racial strife in America. At another Martin Luther King Holiday on Monday, January 17, the nation looks back on a year that revealed stark division – especially between Whites and Blacks.

    On April 21, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the brazen murder of George Floyd on a Minneapolis street. He had knelt on Chauvin’s neck for almost 10 minutes, even after he was already dead.
    On the other hand, Kyle Rittenhouse on Nov. 19, an 18-year-old White teen vigilante, was acquitted on all charges after killing two White people and wounding another in Kenosha, Wisconsin during protests led by activists against the disparate police killings of Black people.
    On Nov. 24, in yet another trial, three White men who killed 25-year-old B Black man Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged through their Georgia neighborhood were found guilty of murder.
    Ultimately, with only days before Christmas on Dec. 23, former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, a White woman, was found guilty of manslaughter drew her handgun instead of her Taser during a routine traffic stop in April in which she fatally shot a young Black man Daunte Wright, 20.
    Despite the perceived wins for justice as juries convicted the killers of Floyd, Arbery and Wright, racial statistics across America continue to reveal the pains of racial division as an underlying force across the nation. Those examples include:

    In the COVID-19 pandemic, African-Americans have died at a staggering three times more often than Whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    In other health statistics Black people sicker, and die earlier, than other racial groups, according to the American Bar Association
    Yet, the uninsured among African-Americans remain at twice that of Whites.
    In economics, “the median white household has a net worth 10 times that of the median Black household,” according to the Brookings Institute.
    Even as these statistics continue as America faces yet another King Holiday, civil rights leaders continue to fight for congressional voting rights legislation that would protect the voting rights that have been stripped by dozens of states as the so-called “big lie” continues.

    “This assault on democracy is fueled by a racial backlash against the growing electoral power of people of color,” writes Rev. Jesse Jackson. “This isn’t the first time that democracy has been assaulted. After the Civil War freed the slaves, the 15th Amendment was passed to prohibit discrimination in the right to vote. When coalitions of Black and white people emerged to threaten the privilege and power of the plantation South, the reaction was fierce. Armed bands — the Ku Klux Klan and others — terrorized Black people and their allies. Laws were passed and enforced to make it virtually impossible for Black people to register and vote.”

    But during the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965 the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. then activist John Lewis and thousands of others who protested.

    Now, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, in this year alone, “19 states have enacted 33 laws that will make it harder for Americans to vote.”

    Facing these attacks, the family of Dr. King, after initially calling for no celebration of the King Holiday this year until voting rights legislation is passed by Congress, have now called for a D.C. march to honor Dr. King. The march would demand that Congress take action by passing the two voting rights bills.

    The march is being led by Martin Luther King III; his wife, Andrea Waters King; and their daughter, Yolanda Renee King.

    According to the Washington Post, the Jan. 17 march will take place across the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in D.C. at 10 a.m.

    before joining the city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Peace Walk.

    “MLK Day has always been a day on, not off. When we call for ‘no celebration without legislation,’ we’re not urging Americans not to honor this day — we’re asking people to honor Dr. King through action to protect the right to vote,” Martin Luther King III, chairman of the Drum Major Institute, a nonprofit started by his father, said in a statement to The Washington Post. “We’re directly calling on Congress not to pay lip service to my father’s ideals without doing the very thing that would protect his legacy: pass voting rights legislation.”

  • Newswire: Families and Civil Rights Attorneys launch Call-A-Thon with goal of 50,000 calls to Senators in 50 hours, urging passage of Police Reform Bill

    By  Stacy M. Brown, NNPA
    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci today launched a call-a-thon that will run through September 16, asking supporters to call their U.S. Senators to urge them to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The campaign’s goal is to generate 50,000 calls to senators in 50 hours.
    The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, sponsored by Rep. Karen Bass, passed in the House of Representatives on March 3, 2021. The bill is currently stalled in the U.S. Senate due to partisan disagreements on the changes to nationwide policing it would enact.
    Supporters of the police reform legislation can visit this website, where they will submit their phone number and be automatically connected to their senator’s office to encourage a yes vote for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
    “This call-a-thon gives elected officials on Capitol Hill the push they need to prioritize this great concern to their constituents. It is no longer enough to say they are working on police reform legislation. We need meaningful action now,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump. “The families of police brutality victims are relying on us so not one more family has to suffer. They deserve better. Passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will save lives and hold police accountable.”
    Crump and Romanucci joined several of the families they have represented who have lost loved ones to police brutality to create a video voicing support for the bill. Philonise Floyd, Tamika Palmer, Jesse Brittain, Chelsie Rubin, Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, Alissa Findley, Teena Acree, and Tashyra Prude voice their support for the bill’s passage in the video.
    “We are calling for real, lasting change — but we’re running out of time. Every day that goes by and every death that results from police brutality is a life that could have potentially been spared had lawmakers acted sooner. Put partisan politics aside and realize that Congress has a responsibility to address this human rights issue immediately,” said Antonio Romanucci.
    If passed, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would:
    • Limit the unnecessary use of force and restrict the use of no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and carotid holds
    • Create the National Police Misconduct Registry to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct
    • Lower the criminal intent standard to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution
    • Limit qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer
    • Grant administrative subpoena power to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in pattern-or-practice investigations

  • SOS holds rally to support George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and other steps to support criminal justice reform

    Members of SOS rally and press conference on May 14, 2021 in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act at the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama (photo by K. C. Bailey, Selma, AL)

     

    The SaveOurselves Movement for Justice and Democracy (SOS) held a rally and press conference on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery last Friday, May 14, 2021. The focus of the event was to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and other steps to combat racial profiling and brutality by police in Alabama. The rally also expressed opposition to Governor Ivey’s multi-billion plans to build three private prisons, in response to Federal complaints about unsafe conditions in the state’s existing prisons. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a critical step to address the pandemic of police injustice and killing of innocent Black, Brown and poor people in Alabama and across the nation. This act, HR 1280 has passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting action by the U. S. Senate. The act includes provisions to prevent and remedy racial profiling by law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels. It also limits the unnecessary use of force and restricts the use of no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and carotid holds. The act would limit the use of ‘qualified immunity’ for the defense of police who hurt unarmed civilians. It also creates a national registry—the National Police Misconduct Registry—to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct. It also establishes new reporting requirements, including on the use of force, officer misconduct, and routine policing practices (e.g., stops and searches). At the rally, Rev. Kenneth Glasgow of the Ordinary People’s Society in Dothan, Alabama, an organization committed to serving incarcerated people both in prison and after their release, said “The same communities with high rates of poverty, health conditions like diabetes, low educational levels are the same communities that are providing the inmates to fill our prisons. All of these problems are inter-related and need solutions that reduce the numbers of people in Alabama prisons and provides more opportunities for the inmates.” Morgan Dunkett of the student group, Communities Not Prisons, who opposes Gov. Ivey’s plan to borrow funds illegally to build three private prisons, said, “ We oppose the Governor’s plans to build these prisons and we oppose the laws and conditions that feed people into the prison system. Adoption of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will make a difference in reducing the number of people from our communities that are sent to prison.” Yogi Gillbey of Yogiesmedia and mother of an incarcerated son, said, “Too many innocent people have been sent to Alabama prisons. People are being raped and tortured in our prisons. Guards in the prisons should be required to have on cameras at all times to cut down on the violence in our prisons. More people should be released on reasonable bail, rather than spending months in prison because they cannot afford bail.” William Harrison, an SOS member from Montgomery said that reform of the criminal justice system was linked to voting and voter suppression. “We must encourage people to vote to elect people who will support the George Floyd Act and other legislation to reform the system. Too many states are adopting voter suppression measures which will make this situation harder to turn around,” he said. Danielle Chanzez, from Jacksonville, Florida, asked to speak and unfurl a banner about the case of Diamond Ford and her partner Anthony Grant who were arrested by police exercising a “no-knock warrant” at their home one night last year. Diamond and her partner said the police broke in their apartment, without identifying themselves. Diamond and her partner fired back and were arrested at which point they found out that they were not the subjects of the incorrectly drawn warrant. Because they tried to defend themselves – they are now in jail. John Zippert, SOS Steering Committee member said, “The case we just heard about in Jacksonville, Florida is a clear reason why we are here today to ask people to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would curtail no-knock warrants and work to get it passed by the Senate and signed by President Biden.” “SOS is also concerned about abuses of criminal justice and prisons in Alabama which the George Floyd Act would help to resolve which is why highlighted these issues at the May 14 rally,” said Zippert.

  • Newswire : The racist past of the filibuster and why it should end now

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

    The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and a voting and ethics bill passed the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, but neither stands a chance in the evenly divided Senate. President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan faced fierce opposition in the Senate, but ultimately a slimmed-down version passed using the reconciliation procedure. Reconciliation is used only in rare cases. Lawmakers cannot use it for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the voting rights and ethics measure, D.C. Statehood, and other causes near and dear to some Democrats and most African Americans. But Democrats do have a rare opportunity to get rid of the filibuster, a Senate cloture rule requiring 60 members to end debate on a topic and move to a vote. NNPA Newswire has reached out to all 50 Senate Democrats and Independents seeking their position on the filibuster. While some responded, others have held their positions close to the vest. “If we want to get things done in the Senate, then we must abolish the filibuster,” declared Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). “It is an antiquated, Jim Crow rule that overrides the majority and halts progress. It’s got to go.” Nora Keefe, a spokesperson for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), told NNPA Newswire in an email that Warren “is a long supporter of getting rid of the filibuster.” Sen. Warren tweeted that the ‘For The People Act’ includes critical parts of her bill to end corruption. “It’s a good first step for protecting voting rights and restoring trust in our government,” Sen. Warren noted. “We can’t let [Sen. Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) veto this critical bill for our democracy with the filibuster. If the Senate is going to do the things the American people expect us to do, we must abolish the filibuster.” Noting that any significant voting rights legislation would need unlikely Republican support, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) admitted she had changed course on the filibuster. “I’ve gone from a ‘maybe’ to a ‘yes,’” Klobuchar said. Sen. John Tester (D-Montana) also is reportedly leaning toward approving any attempts to end the filibuster while Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) remains a “yes.” Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona both have opposed efforts to eliminate the filibuster. However, after the marathon session to pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, Sen. Machin hedged slightly in a nationally televised interview with NBC News. “I’m not going to change my mind,” he insisted. Sen. Manchin noted he would support establishing a “talking filibuster” that might require any senator objecting to ending debate to remain on the floor and speak for the entire time. “If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk, I’m willing to look at any way we can,” Sen. Manchin remarked. “But I’m not willing to take away the involvement of the minority.” Professor Jared Carter, a Constitutional Law Expert at Vermont Law School, said it’s time to end the filibuster. He noted that the first filibuster occurred in 1837 and was used infrequently until after the Civil War when minority parties employed the measure to stop civil rights efforts. “It is a relic of reconstruction and Jim Crow South. It was regularly used to oppress racial minorities and oppose civil rights laws,” Professor Carter wrote in an email to NNPA Newswire. “Last year, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) threatened a filibuster over an anti-lynching law,” Professor Carter noted. “It’s anti-democratic in that it gives the minority party veto power over popular legislation.” Rashad Robinson, the president of Color of Change, noted the filibuster has always stood in the way of racial progress. “Whether employed by Southern Democrats of the Jim Crow era or the Republican Party today after a major shift in the party’s stance on racial equality,” Robinson wrote in an op-ed for USA Today. “When you understand the filibuster’s racist past, it becomes clear that it has a racist present as well — and that we need to get rid of it.” In 1922 the House passed a vital anti-lynching bill to combat the Ku Klux Klan’s worst violence, but it was filibustered in the Senate by southern Senate Democrats, Robinson noted. Congress tried again in 1935, but Georgia Democrat Richard Russell organized a six-day filibuster to oppose it. Russell once said he was “willing to go as far and make as great a sacrifice to preserve and ensure white supremacy in the social, economic, and political life of our state as any man who lives within her borders.” As Robinson wrote, the Senate’s grandest office building is now named in Russell’s honor, and Congress has never – to this day – passed an anti-lynching bill. Lawmakers used the filibuster attempting to stop the 1957 Civil Rights Act, and, most recently, Republicans have asserted it in attempts to thwart the DREAM Act, the Affordable Care Act, and other bills that benefit communities of color. Many have posed the question similar to David Leonhardt of the New York Times, who asked, “if forced to choose between the protection of voting rights and the protection of the filibuster, what will Democrats do?” Leonhardt characterized his position by declaring that “it’s shaping up to be the most significant question about the new Democratic Senate.” He noted that Republican legislators in states throughout the nation are on a mission to make voting more difficult because they believe that lower turnout helps the party win elections. The Supreme Court – with six Republican appointees among the nine justices – has generally allowed voter restriction laws to stand. “The filibuster hurts all of us, not just the Black community,” Robinson, of Color of Change, noted. “Anyone who needs real change or help loses out to the Republican obsession with power.” Leonhardt concluded that “there does not appear to be a compromise path on this issue. Democrats can overhaul the filibuster — and, by extension, transform the Senate, ushering in an uncertain era in which both parties would be able to pass more of the legislation they favor. Or Democrats can effectively surrender on voting rights. It’s one or the other.”