Gun Violence

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank my good friend and colleague from the First District of Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline) for leading tonight's Special Order hour on the Republicans' decision to leave for 52 days without taking any action to address the gun violence epidemic in this country.

Mr. Speaker, as I sat here this evening, listening to my colleague on the other side of the aisle repeatedly talking about this administration and how this administration's work had brought great harm to this America that we live in, well, Mr. Speaker, tonight, as I sit here and listen to my colleagues and to the great history lesson that we just received from Congressman Clyburn in his reminding us of all the things that happened with the Charleston 9, I reflect on just the other day when four Black men went on national TV--not elected officials, not scholars in the world that we represent, but athletes who stood, dressed in black--who were there to honor another athlete, the great Muhammad Ali.

Those four young Black men, with young minds, decided that they would take their time on national TV--unrehearsed, unscripted by folks like you and me, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to share, just very briefly, what Carmelo Anthony said when he came to the podium.

``Tonight, we cannot ignore the reality of the current state of this America we live in. The events of the past week have put a spotlight on injustice and the distrust and anger that plagues so many of us.''

Mr. Speaker, he said: ``The system is broken. The problems are not new, and the racial divide is definitely not new, but the urgency to create change is at an all-time high.''

Then Chris Paul followed him and said: ``We stand here tonight, accepting our role in uniting communities to be the change we need to see.''

Now, think about that--to go from distrust, Mr. Speaker, to trust and have this young athlete speak like we should be speaking, as Democrats and Republicans, in talking about change.

Do you know why they were saying this, Mr. Speaker?

It is because innocent lives are being taken because we don't have simple gun laws, because we can't close the loop. Certainly we should have the intellect to understand that if you can't fly, you can't buy.

When I listen to my colleagues say that we have not brought before this House laws that we can implement, that is not my responsibility as a Member of this Congress; it is our responsibility. It is not the Democrats' responsibility to do this. It is not the Black men's of the Congressional Black Caucus or the Hispanic men's of their caucus or the Democrats'. Mr. Speaker, we are better than this. It is our united responsibility.

When we stand here and make a joke of Black Lives Matter, let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, Black lives do matter--but blue lives matter, and all lives matter.

If that mother, like the mother that I am bringing from my Third Congressional District tonight, tells the story of her 13-year-old daughter who was sitting in her kitchen as her windows were riddled with gun bullets that killed that child, that matters to her.

Do you think the wife of that murdered police officer doesn't value that blue White life as much?

When these young folks come here tonight, many of them representing Black Lives Matter, they will come as these four athletes did on TV the other night. It is because they feel the pain, and they don't have an outlet, they don't have a place. They could march anywhere, but they are marching at the United States Capitol.

Do you know why?

They are coming here hoping for hope. They are coming here hoping for leadership. They are coming here hoping that we will unite one another and bring that trust.

Let me now tell you what the next speaker, Dwayne Wade said. ``The racial profiling has to stop. The shoot-to-kill mentality has to stop. Not seeing the value of Black and Brown bodies has to stop.''

Then let me tell you, as he ended with ``enough is enough'' and, ``As athletes, we challenge you, America,'' then LeBron James, from my great State of Ohio, came to the microphone and said: ``We all feel helpless and frustrated by the violence, but that is not acceptable. It's time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves: What are we doing to create change?''

He knew that night that that was not what he was there to do, but he said it was his legacy that he wanted to talk about, and he wanted to use that moment in time for a call to action.

Mr. Speaker, I come with that same call to action tonight. I come to say to you that you should be better than what we are doing.

I am not pleased that it is empty on this side of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, I want America to know that I came here tonight willing to stand up and to talk to the thousands of folks who will come with that pain, with that anger. I want them to know that, as Democrats, we are here today because we know we can be so much better. We are not asking for a lot. We are asking for four simple bills. I won't walk you through them because you have heard them, Mr. Speaker. You have heard my colleagues repeatedly today through 1-minutes, through 5-minutes, through a Special Order hour, come and ask for help.

I don't know what more we can do tonight, but as you go home, I ask you to think about those lives that were taken, whether it was an innocent, young boy, a Trayvon Martin, a Tamir Rice, a Jordan Davis, or a Sandra Bland, whether it were those children at Newtown, whether it was someone in a theater or on a football field or in a restaurant, whether it was in Minnesota or in Baton Rouge or, yes, whether it was the Emanuel nine in South Carolina, or whether it were those innocent police officers in Dallas.

I will sleep well tonight, Mr. Speaker, and I want America to know that I will sleep well tonight because I came here to unite the communities, to unite Democrats and Republicans. I want America to know that I am talking to an empty audience of seats on the other side of the aisle because they went home.

I say to you: America deserves better. The innocent families who lost their loved ones deserve better. Yet, we are trapped here with the inactivity of Congress. We deserve to do more for our communities.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source