Let's See to It That Justice is Colorblind

Floor Speech

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, this is a historic week in the United States as we dedicate and open the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

It starts with a story of African Americans being brought to this country as slaves from Africa, not citizens but property, and considered such until they were freed, some through the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and others through an amendment to the Constitution. Even after that, they weren't really considered full citizens, as there was Jim Crow segregation, and that continued for over 100 years.

Today, we see African Americans are still threatened. I woke up Tuesday morning to the shocking video of Mr. Crutcher being shot while his hands were up and on a car, following apparent instructions from police, and was shot to death. It is one of the most shocking videos I have seen. There is no way to defend what happened. At best, it was gross negligence; at worst, it was murder.

This has been happening too often in the United States. I support police. My first job out of law school was an attorney for the police department. I worked 3\1/2\ years for the police. I understand their importance, and I support them. But police who are not well trained are doing a disservice to their profession and to the United States.

This morning on ``Morning Joe,'' former Congressman Joe Scarborough, a Republican Member of this House, said two things are necessary in light of the shootings, and particularly the Crutcher shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One is body cameras and cameras on all police vehicles so we can see, as we did in Oklahoma, exactly what occurred. And, secondly, independent prosecutors, prosecutors from outside the jurisdiction to see to it that justice is served.

There is a bill in this Congress that Lacy Clay, myself, every member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and nearly 90 Members of this House are cosponsors of. That is a bill that will require police training towards racial sensitivity and understanding of different cultures, independent prosecutors for States to determine how they would set it up, and a requirement for States to have independent prosecutors in law enforcement killings of American citizens. This is necessary for people to believe and to know that justice is, indeed, blind and justice is being meted out.

There is no way to look at Tulsa, but to see there was either inadequate training or there was racial profiling and insensitivity that ended in the death of Mr. Crutcher.

It is so sad as we open the National Museum of African American History and Culture to see that African Americans still are not being treated the same as others in our Nation.

It is not a mere coincidence that every shooting by a police person videoed has an African American victim. Nobody can say that Mr. Crutcher was resisting arrest or possibly had a gun or brandished a pistol. None of those things occurred. He was following instructions.

I ask my Republican colleagues, none of whom are sponsors of my bill, to consider coming on to the bill. The bill is important for justice in America. It is important for people to know there is justice. And in this week, as we look to the National Museum of African American History and Culture opening and the recognition of rights that people have, and the understanding that they are human beings and part of America, who built America, literally built America as slaves and built this building, we need to go forward and see to it that justice is colorblind and justice is meted out.

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