Support Structural Change in Criminal Justice System

Floor Speech

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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.

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 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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