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[Pages H2285-H2286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BLACK LIVES MATTER
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Green) for 5 minutes.
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise, as I rise today,
Mr. Speaker, to speak the truth about the circumstance as it relates to
African Americans in the United States of America.
I rise to say, Mr. Speaker, that Black lives do not matter as much as
White lives. If Black lives matter as much as White lives, Mr. George
Floyd would still be breathing. If Black lives matter as much as White
lives, Ahmaud Arbery would have finished his jog. If Black lives matter
as much as White lives, Christian Cooper wouldn't have been falsely
accused.
Black lives do not matter as much as White lives. Why? Because we
tolerate hatred, bigotry, and invidious discrimination. We tolerate it.
And because we tolerate it, we allow it to be perpetuated.
We in this country have the power to do something about the racism
that exists as it relates to Black people. We have tolerated it since
1619 and the arrival of Black people in the Americas. But it is time
for us to do something about it.
We have had the opportunity to do something.
When the Chief Executive Officer of this country is a racist and a
bigot, we should do something about that. And we had the opportunity
to, but we did not. We tolerated it. And there were some who went so
far as to almost justify it with some of their commentary about the
comments that were being made: Oh, he is just a jerk.
Black lives matter, and we ought not tolerate it to the extent we
have.
I believe that we in the Congress of the United States of America
have a duty to do what has been done in the past. We declared a war on
poverty. We declared a war on drugs. Why not declare a war on racism?
Why not decide that, here and now, we are not going to allow racism to
continue in this country to the extent that people lose their lives?
What happened to some of the persons who have lost their lives as of
late is almost predictable, because we have seen circumstances similar
occur and we have not taken aggressive action.
The officers in the Floyd case should not only be arrested; they
ought to be prosecuted. I was a magistrate. I know probable cause when
I see it, and there is probable cause to arrest and prosecute those
officers.
Black lives matter. And those who have not allowed the Black Lives
Matter movement to continue, to become the movement that could make a
difference in the lives of people in this country, have some
responsibility because they fought the very movement that was going to
make a difference in the lives of people, may have saved some lives of
people.
So I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to say that we in Congress have some
responsibility to the people we serve; and a part of that
responsibility is to assure them that they can go jogging and return
home, that if they are arrested by the police, they won't be suffocated
to the extent that they lose their lives. We have to make sure that we
tell this country, in no uncertain terms, that Black lives do matter.
And, finally, this: It is not about Democrats and not about
Republicans.
[[Page H2286]]
I am not blaming the Republicans for what is happening. I am not
blaming the Democrats for what is happening. I am blaming people who
hold public trust and tolerate hate and invidious discrimination.
We are the people who can make a difference, and we ought to make a
difference. We ought to demand that the people running for public
office make public statements about how they plan to end invidious
discrimination, not how they plan to tolerate it, how they plan to
manage it.
How do you plan to end it?
How do you plan to end it in banking?
How do you plan to end it in hiring and promotions?
This is our time. If we don't do it now, when will we do it? No
candidate should be off limits. Every one of them ought to have to tell
us what they plan to do.
And, finally, as my final comments: I love my country. And because I
love my country, I feel that I have this duty, obligation, and
responsibility to speak up when these kinds of injustices occur.
I love my country, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
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