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[Pages H2678-H2679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORT STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Foster) for 5 minutes.
Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday of last week, I was proud to
join my colleagues to vote for the historic George Floyd Justice in
Policing Act.
This legislation represents the first of many steps we need to take
to achieve structural change in our criminal justice system, our
police, and our society. The American people are demanding action, and
they are not interested in more studies or talking points or half
measures.
I have been inspired by what I have seen in the Illinois communities
that I represent, in places like Naperville, Aurora, and Joliet, where
people of all backgrounds have come together to say enough is enough. I
have been proud to stand with those in my district and across the
country who are calling for change, and I am proud to help amplify
their voices.
We are all frustrated that prior action was not taken to prevent the
horror that we have witnessed far too often of Black Americans being
unjustly killed at the hands of law enforcement.
For a lot of people, the video of George Floyd being killed when a
Minnesota police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes was
shocking and put this problem front and center, as did the senseless
and brutal killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville.
But for Black Americans, this is not a new problem. It is just more
of the same, more senseless, unjust killings of Black Americans by
abusive police officers, who often seem to be protected by law
enforcement systems plagued by structural racism.
Black Americans shouldn't have had to wait this long for Congress to
take action. They deserve a Congress that is responsive to this
longstanding crisis, and they deserve a President who wants to lead our
Nation to a more just place for people of color instead of the
opposite.
{time} 0930
No, Mr. President, white power is nothing to celebrate.
So I am proud that the House took action and a step in the right
direction with the Justice in Policing Act, which includes key reforms
like banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, mandating the use of
body cameras, ending racial and religious profiling by the police,
demilitarizing the local police departments, and strengthening
accountability measures to hold abusive police officers accountable for
their actions.
Most Members of this House can share stories of similar incidents in
their own districts, often leading to the deaths of their constituents
that should have been prevented. And I know that my colleagues join me
in honoring the memory of Black lives that have been unjustly lost to
police brutality.
As I cast my vote, I carried with me with one of Naperville's very
own, Sandra Bland. Sandra grew up in Naperville before moving to Texas
to pursue her education and earn a degree in agriculture. She then
returned to Illinois, where she was a brave activist who worked for
social justice and community engagement.
A few days after celebrating the Fourth of July with her family back
in Naperville, Sandra went back to Texas to begin a job at her alma
mater, Prairie View A&M, a historically Black State university.
On July 10, 2015, she was pulled over on an empty suburban street for
failing to signal a lane change. She was arrested and 3 days later
found hanged to death in her jail cell.
Sandra Bland should never have been arrested. She should be alive
today and looking forward to celebrating another Fourth of July with
her family this weekend, just like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and
the countless Black Americans who have been the
[[Page H2679]]
victims of discrimination and brutality throughout the history of our
country.
Two months before her death, Sandra Bland posted a video raising
awareness about this important and deadly issue. ``Black lives
matter,'' she said. ``They matter. In the news that we've seen as of
late,'' Sandra said, ``you could stand there, surrender to the cops,
and still be killed.'' That is what Sandra said 2 months before it
happened to her.
Well, I am here on the floor of the House to say that Sandra Bland's
life mattered, George Floyd's life mattered, Breonna Taylor's life
mattered, and Black lives matter, and it is past time that the laws of
our Nation reflect it.
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