Launching Justice in Policing Website

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, it has been nearly 4 weeks since the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Leader McConnell and the Republican-led Senate, however, refuse to call it up for consideration or a vote. Meanwhile, the problem of racial injustice is not going away on its own.

For millions of Americans, this issue is deeply personal, having experienced racial bias in our justice system firsthand. Most police officers, Madam Speaker, are trying hard to do their job professionally and serve their communities well, and there are so many exemplary officers committed to addressing head-on the inherent bias and the problems in the culture of policing that lead some to commit acts of misconduct.

Still, millions of people live in fear simply because of the color of their skin and because of the history of police misconduct against African Americans in our country.

Madam Speaker, we must never accept this norm. Indeed, in his last public appearance, John Lewis visited Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington and then encouraged Americans to stand up for social justice. He said this: ``We must continue to be bold, brave, courageous, push and pull till we redeem the soul of America and move closer to a community at peace with itself.''

His wise words continue to inspire Americans to be courageous in standing up, speaking out, and working to lift our country up to the highest of our ideals.

In order to make sure that all voices are being heard in Congress and in this national discourse, I launched a website to make it easier for Americans to share their own stories, learn about the legislation we passed, and share their thoughts on our bill. It is a platform for people to contribute to this work of redeeming the soul of America, as John Lewis urged us to do. That site is JusticeinPolicing.us.

Already, Madam Speaker, thousands of Americans from nearly every State have visited the site, and many have shared their own wrenching stories about why we need to pass this bill.

One woman in my district wrote about how, as the mother of 2 young Black men, she worries every day about them encountering the police. That should not be the case in America. That isn't good for families. It isn't good for the police. It isn't good for our communities. And as I said, it is not good for our country.

Another wrote about how her elderly parents were pulled over in Oklahoma because the officer couldn't believe that her African-American father was married to her White mother. Both were in their eighties. That was just 3 years ago.

One person from Iowa posted about being a lifelong Republican who is tired of her party's failure to tackle police misconduct and systemic racism in our country. That person is right. And it is not Republicans alone whom I am sure she is concerned with.

The Senate could act today on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The Senate ought to act today. But it is sitting on Leader McConnell's desk or someplace else gathering dust while our site continues to gather stories of real lives impacted by these injustices.

Madam Speaker, I hope Americans will continue to speak out and give compelling and concrete examples of why action is necessary.

And I might say, we need to speak out on the extraordinarily good actions that are taken by our law enforcement officers as well. We need to be balanced. But we do not need to be balanced to the extent of ignoring the carnage that has occurred because of the color of skin. These stories need to be told.

In his very powerful New York Times column last month on the five crises facing America at this moment in our history, the extraordinarily insightful David Brooks wrote: ``All Americans, but especially White Americans, are undergoing a rapid education on the burdens African Americans carry every day. This education,'' he said, ``is continuing, but already, public opinion is shifting with astonishing speed.'' It is right that it does so.

The more we hear of the stories of personal experiences with systemic bias, the better equipped we will be as a Nation to confront this challenge together. As more people visit JusticeinPolicing.us to speak up and support this bill, I will be sharing their names and stories with this House and its Members, making sure that Members hear from their constituents on this issue.

We are the people's House. We are the people's voice. We are the protectors of democracy, yes, of our Constitution and our laws, but the soul and character of our country are in our hands as well.

As long as people of color continue to face dangerous and deadly systemic bias in our country, we will not stop pushing for the reforms that are so sorely needed.

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