The George Floyd bill

The Purpose of the Act: 

To hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, improve public reporting of misconduct through record keeping of misconduct, and reform police training and policies.

How Policing Looks Now:  

  1. Police are judge and jury
  2. Police can make the decision to take a life without being questioned
  3. Many of the murders committed by police there was no trial or investigation
  4. Police currently function with little accountability when they use force or unjust practices when relating to people
  5. Police are called in to address mental health, domestic disputes, etc. and they may not have the training to address the issue properly
  6. Police have little training or understanding of how to de-escalate  a situation

How Policing will look IF the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is Passed:

  1. holds all law enforcement officials accountable for their actions
  2. ends “qualified immunity” for police officers, so officers WILL have to stand trial for misconduct, unjust use of force, murders, etc. 
  3. ends racial and religious profiling by police
  4. establishes uniform policies for the use of force
  5. mandates data collection on police encounters so police misconduct will be documented on the offending officer
  6. bans chokeholds and “no knock” warrants
  7. limits military equipment on American streets
  8. requires body-worn cameras at the national level
  9. classifies lynching as a hate crime, therefore making it open to Federal resources for investigations and prosecutions.
  10. More training in how to de-escalate a situation without deadly force

Where is the Bill Now?

The Bill passed in the House on June 25, 2020, and is now gridlocked in the Senate. We must pressure our Senate to pass the bill.  If it passes in both houses, then it will be left to our president to sign the bill into law.  In this election season it is critical that whoever becomes president feels the pressure of our public to sign the bill.  

What Can You Do?

Write a letter, send an email or call your senator and pressure them to pass the bill.  For more info on how to reach your senator or take other action, go to the NAACP Brochure on the bill (click the link).