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[Pages H2423-H2424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MAKING OUR COUNTRY SAFER FOR BLACK AMERICANS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Brown) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I am a Black man living in
America, and that puts me at greater risk while living in America.
The fact that I served 30 years in the United States Army, an
institution that prides itself on being colorblind, doesn't change the
fact that I am Black and at greater risk.
The fact that I graduated from a good school with honors doesn't
change the color of my skin and the risk of living in America.
That I attended Harvard Law School and practiced law at a blue-chip
firm in Washington, D.C., doesn't change the fact that my family is
from Africa and that we are at greater risk, even today, in America.
Even being a Member of this august institution, the United States
Congress, doesn't shield me from the risks of being Black in America.
Mr. Speaker, 401 years after we arrived in bondage, a Black man in
America is more likely to be stopped by the police than a White man.
Mr. Speaker, 155 years after the signing of the Emancipation
Proclamation, a Black man is more likely to be arrested than a White
man.
Mr. Speaker, within my own lifetime of witnessing the first Black man
appointed to the Supreme Court; the first Black woman elected to the
United States Senate; the first Black man appointed chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff; and, yes, the Black first man elected President
of the United States, a Black man is still much more likely than a
White man to die at the hands of police.
Every day for the past 10 years, Mr. Speaker, I, like every parent of
a Black child, remind my Black boys, my sons, to be careful: Put your
hands in plain sight if approached by an officer. Don't move suddenly
when being questioned by the police. Be sure to ask permission before
reaching for your wallet. And always respond to police rudeness with
respect.
I do that because I don't want my children, anyone's Black child, to
be harmed by the use of excessive force. I don't want them to be the
victim of a police-involved shooting. They are good boys, and too many
good boys, too many good men, Black men living in America, have died at
the hands of police in America.
So today, Mr. Speaker, I rise to say: Enough. We have endured too
much, and the Congress has done too little.
Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Justice in Policing Act.
I thank my colleagues on the Congressional Black Caucus, former and
present, who have worked on these issues for far too long. I thank
House leadership for bringing the bill to the floor so that we can once
and for all bring an end to the injustice that is inflicted by those
who we look to as the first line of justice.
Mr. Speaker, systemic racism pervades our society, and the criminal
system, from police encounters to punishment, is racially biased.
This requires structural and transformational change in policing in
America: reducing militarization; removing bad officers; holding them
accountable for illegal behavior and gross misconduct; improving
training so officers are guardians and protectors of our communities,
not warriors acting aggressively toward our communities; increasing
transparency and the ability to investigate and prosecute, where
necessary; banning the chokehold; and outlawing racial profiling. But
that is not enough.
As we work in these days, weeks, and months ahead, we have to
acknowledge that, for far too long, we have neglected policies and
programs that meet the needs of our communities, and we need to address
the structural disparities heard in Black and Brown families. Instead
of criminalizing homelessness, addiction, poverty, and, yes, being
Black, we need to make the investments that will keep us safe and
address the inequities that exist in our country.
Today, Mr. Speaker, we will pass the Justice in Policing Act. But
tomorrow, we must take on other challenges: economic opportunity,
mental health, housing, pre-K, health disparities.
In this moment, we have a chance to not just transform policing but
make
[[Page H2424]]
our entire country more just and safer for Black Americans and every
American.
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