Community Policing, Lessons Learned From Ferguson

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join with my colleague, the coanchor, Mr. Jeffries from New York, to lead this Special Order hour on this, the first day back after the August congressional district work period.

We are here for a very important reason tonight, Mr. Speaker, because on August 9, in Ferguson, Missouri, a young boy, an unarmed young boy by

the name of Michael Brown, had his life tragically taken. He was taken from his friends and his family. That community was devastated and has left behind so many questions of how this could have happened.

I was honored to join with other colleagues at the invitation of the Representative from that area, Mr. Clay, to attend Michael Brown's funeral. It was an incredibly powerful service in which a city and a Nation came together to mourn. But out of that mourning and frustration, we have an obligation to act. And so tonight, members of the Congressional Black Caucus will use this Special Order hour to discuss the challenge of profiling, of militarizing our local law enforcement agencies, and the need to build community policing approaches that work.

I am honored to work with my cochair and to lead this Special Order hour because it is a very significant moment that will allow us to heal and to move forward as a Nation.

I would like to start by yielding time to the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who provides so much leadership and direction to the 43 members of the CBC each and every day.

This is an issue that we have been working on far before Michael Brown lost his life. There are a pattern of issues and young people who have been profiled, and we are committed to making sure that this does not continue.

I would like to yield now to the gentlewoman from Ohio, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chairwoman Marcia Fudge.

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I thank the gentlewoman, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, for your ongoing commitment and leadership on these important issues and the recognition that there is so much more work that needs to be done. And while there are local law enforcement agencies and police officers who do a good job every day and who put their life on the line, we know that there are individuals who are not necessarily living up to those standards of public safety and trust, and so we look forward to improving that.

I would like to now yield to the gentleman from Missouri, Representative LACY CLAY, who provided the leadership on the ground, on the scene, particularly following the days after Michael Brown's shooting. He represents the community of Ferguson in St. Louis, Missouri.

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I thank the gentleman from Missouri, and I thank you for really putting your heart and soul into serving your constituents and the outpouring of compassion that was shown following this unfortunate death of Michael Brown.

At the funeral, the one remark that really stayed with me was that Michael Brown wanted the world to know his name. I think out of this unfortunate situation, there is this opportunity now, as you indicate, Representative Clay, for us to have a discussion, an action, to take action on a pattern of practices that are not limited to just Ferguson, Missouri. And as you just indicated, this is an issue that has happened in other places, whether it is John Crawford in Beavercreek, Ohio; Ezell Ford in Los Angeles, California; or Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York; or Dante Parker in Victorville, California; or constituents in my home State in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This is a pattern that must end. And for Michael Brown, for him to have the world know his name, the best outcome could be to change and improve the community-police relationship so that all people are treated fairly and equally under the law. That is our hope and aspiration here tonight as we bring attention to this very important issue during this Special Order hour.

I would like to now yield time to the gentlewoman from Florida, Representative Frederica Wilson, for her to add comments to this very important topic and to bring her perspective, as well.

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I thank the gentlewoman from Florida. Thank you for providing the information about the resources that are available to young people to know their rights, to understand how they need to approach the situation.

I just had the privilege of participating at a ``Know Your Rights'' townhall that was hosted in my congressional district by the National Bar Association, the Las Vegas chapter of the

National Bar Association. We had approximately 100 attendees, many of them young people, who do need this information.
Regardless of whether there is a parent in the house or not, every young person needs to understand their rights and the best practices on how to interact with law enforcement when and if that does occur.

We want to encourage young people to know their rights. I think working with the Congressional Black Caucus, we will find opportunities to post that information, to share it with organizations in our local communities, to help connect young people and adults alike, so that we can improve on the relationship between police officers and our community.

I would like to now turn to our next Member for the Congressional Black Caucus for this hour, the gentleman from Texas--I was very delighted to join with him and other Members at the funeral, to pay our respects to the family and the community. I would like to now yield time to the gentleman from Texas, Representative Al Green.

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I thank the gentleman from Texas for his comments.

I would like to yield now to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin, the great State of Wisconsin, and to extend whatever time she may need. I appreciate, again, her leadership, compassion, and dedication on so many issues, but particularly on bringing the voice and perspective of people who aren't always heard in this institution. I have great respect and admiration for her. I would like to yield time now to Representative Gwen Moore.

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I thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for your very compassionate remarks and the perspectives of so many people who are expecting this Congress to act. We will take heed of your words and your recommendations.

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Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject matter of this Special Order.

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May I inquire as to how much remaining time we have left?

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to also include for the Record the fact that the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recently issued a 14-page-long scathing report on the United States' failure to fully comply with our obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in numerous areas affecting racial and ethnic minorities.

While the report commended the Obama administration for steps it has taken to combat racial discrimination, it highlighted the gaps stated commitments and the glaring reality of laws and practices that continue to discriminate against and disproportionately impact people of color and indigenous communities.

I think it is rather important for this body to know, particularly tonight, because I know there will be some who will ask: Why are they doing this Special Order on this topic? Why are they bringing attention to the need for reform?

Well, whether it is in your local community, in your State, or federally, we have an obligation to make sure that people are treated fairly and equally under the law, and where our laws or our practices fail to meet that standard, we have an obligation to change it.

For the United Nations to call into question the United States' failure in these areas I think speaks to the fact that this is not just a local issue, but it is also an international one. So I hope that my colleagues understand that that is, in part, why we are bringing attention to it.

I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for recognizing the fact that many Members have proposed legislation well before the Michael Brown case. Mr. Conyers, the ranking member of the Judicial Committee, called for the End Racial Profiling Act. Representative Hank Johnson's legislation calls for greater accountability and a fundamental review of the militarization of our local law enforcement agencies. I am honored to be one of the sponsors for the Universal Respect Act, to have a review and meaningful change, again, of our local law enforcement so that their practices meet the intent of our laws.

I would like to now yield to my good friend and a fellow freshman Member. He is actually a redshirt freshman because he came in a little earlier than the rest of us. He has been a dynamic leader that came to this Congress with the commitment to serve his constituents from the great State of New Jersey. I yield to my friend, Representative DONALD PAYNE.

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I thank the gentleman from New Jersey. Thank you for sharing your own personal experience. I know each of us can probably recall an incident where we have felt that we were being profiled, targeted, singled out, not because it was warranted necessarily, but because of some characteristic. And that is part of what we are here to bring attention to tonight. So thank you for your honesty and for your genuineness in expressing that personal story.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Empire State, New York (Mr. Jeffries), my fellow coanchor. I have great respect for this gentleman. We have gotten to know each other very well, and I know that this is an issue, in particular, that he has provided direct leadership on because of the communities in which he serves in New York. And the comment by the gentleman, the previous comment about ``stop and frisk'' is something that you have worked to challenge, and because of that there is a change that is underway. That is what we are hoping to bring tonight.

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Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my coanchor, for this Special Order hour, and for your bringing to this body a reminder of the Kerner report, which is very instructive on what should be done as a model to move community policing approaches forward.

I think that is one of the absolute objectives that must come from any action that this body takes. And there is a role for Congress to play. Absolutely, there is a responsibility for the Department of Justice, which has a statutory objective, a responsibility to ensure profiling does not occur in our Nation's law enforcement.

In addition to the example of the Kerner report, I would also like to bring to attention the work of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the COPS office, which is working to develop an initiative known as the collaborative reform model.

Now, they came to my home State of Nevada in January of 2012, following growing community concern and scrutiny of its use of deadly force practices, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, under the leadership of our sheriff, voluntarily agreed to have this review by the COPS department in order to identify areas of improvement.

So I believe that this report and this program, along with the Kerner report, are examples of what we could do to make sure that every local law enforcement agency has high standards and is not practicing profiling.

Mr. Speaker, I know our time has expired. I would like to thank my colleagues for this Special Order hour, and the gentleman from New York for coanchoring.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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