Death of Tyre Nichols

Floor Speech

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Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to join my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus on the floor tonight for what is the first Special Order hour of the 118th Congress.

I first acknowledge our chairs for Special Orders this evening, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Kamlager-Dove).

This hour provides all of us as members an important opportunity to come to the floor to discuss issues vital to Black Americans. We will use that time to do just that tonight.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, during the State of the Union, it is my hope that President Biden will be able to put a personal touch on the story of Tyre Nichols.

The brutal beating of Tyre Nichols resulted in his death, and it is a reminder that we have a long way to go in solving systemic police violence in America. We and his parents want America to know who Tyre was. Tyre was a son. He was a father. He loved skateboarding and sunsets. He enjoyed photography. He had a purpose and a passion and a lifelong opportunity ahead of him, but that was taken.

Now, no one in our Nation should fear interacting with the police in any of our communities. Sadly, many Black and Brown people do every single day.

I want to be absolutely clear: We all want to be safe, and we want our communities to be safe. We don't want to end policing. We want to stop bad policing. All of us should agree that bad policing has no place in any community in America. That is why we need to address the public health epidemic of public safety that disproportionately affects our communities.

I want to commend our colleague, Senator Tim Scott, Republican from South Carolina, who issued this statement: ``We have been here too many times before, and we cannot continue down this path. This man was beaten by the power of the state,'' by men entrusted with protecting his safety. ``We must unite against this blatant disregard for human life, especially from those we trust with immense power and responsibility'' for our communities.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats and some Republicans agree, this is an important issue that must be addressed. Something must change to prevent further unnecessary deaths.

In the coming weeks, my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and I are engaging with leaders in our community and right here in the U.S. Capitol. We are working with the President, the Vice President, the Senate, and our House colleagues on the issue of public safety, policing, and justice, which is what we need action on now.

For every mom, dad, son, and daughter, it is imperative that we tackle this issue with legislative solutions, executive actions, and community-based results. That is how we put an end to the pattern of Black lives being taken at the hands of law enforcement, whether it is during a traffic stop, walking in a park, or sleeping in their home.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who are here on the floor with us tonight, and I thank Representatives Ivey and Kamlager-Dove for leading on this effort of the Special Order tonight and for the work that we will continue to do in the days, weeks, and months to come.

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