Ask President Biden to take Black Lives off of the backburner
- The Strange Fruit Collection
- Sep 13, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 15, 2021
Urge President Biden to sign and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020
Demand the Passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin who cut off his airways for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
The long struggle for equal justice for all Americans has reached a fever pitch in the months since then, with millions calling for real change. Citizens are demanding justice, including crucial reforms to prevent police brutality and ensure appropriate punishment for officers involved in these assaults and killings.
Racism runs through the veins of our policing culture and, sadly, too many of its sworn officers. If we wait, the body count of Black Americans will continue to rise. To change behavior, we need unequivocal standards and real accountability.
On June 25, 2020, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 was passed by the House of Representatives.
This bill addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It increases accountability for law enforcement misconduct, restricts the use of certain policing practices, enhances transparency and data collection, and establishes best practices and training requirements.
The bill enhances existing enforcement mechanisms to remedy violations by law enforcement. Among other things, it does the following:
lowers the criminal intent standard—from willful to knowing or reckless—to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution,
limits qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer, and
grants administrative subpoena power to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in pattern-or-practice investigations.
It establishes a framework 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 bill 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).
Finally, it directs DOJ to create uniform accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies and requires law enforcement officers to complete training on racial profiling, implicit bias, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force.
Status Update: On July 20, 2020, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 was read the second time in the U.S. Senate and placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders.
Considering that, that was over a year ago and that there are 13 other related bills such as the Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act of 2019 and the Emmett Till Antilynching Act for passage, we must demand action.
Why? Because we can make lasting change by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Among other reforms, this vital legislation would:
Require police officers to engage in all the steps necessary to de-escalate situations before using deadly force.
Mandate the use of body cameras and dashcams.
Make it easier to prosecute offending officers and recover civil damages when a citizen’s constitutional rights are violated.
Lead to real action, transparency, and accountability, promoting the longer, cultural transformation to reshape hearts and minds by reimagining the role of police in communities.
During his presidential campaign, President Joe Biden made numerous promises to marginalized minorities in America.
As a result, American voters took action. By showing up for Biden and his commitments to racial equity, we made our collective voices loud and clear.
Now that he is president, we need him to show up for us by upholding his promises.
Yes, he is a very busy man with the world on his plate, but President Biden needs to know that the time for action is NOW.
Black lives are under attack at an alarming rate in America, but the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will help protect us and our loved ones.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the bill will become law. We need to make sure that it becomes a reality!
We have the optimal opportunity to pass much-needed police reform in our country, but we need President Biden’s help.
We must urge him to push for the passage of this crucial legislation! We must encourage him to remain engaged with the congressional negotiators AND the public about the urgency of this bill.
Black men and women across America are suffering preventable deaths at the hands of police. It's imperative that we protect Black lives by passing this important bill into law as soon as possible.
Encourage President Biden to break the silence and push for the urgent passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Send him an email today. We have created a template to make this quick and easy.
Together, we can seize this pivotal moment to create history and ensure accountability.
It only takes 30 seconds to personalize your pre-typed email to Joe Biden. Click https://act.bencrump.com/a/justice-in-policing-biden to send yours NOW.
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