George Floyd's relatives urge Congress to approve law enforcement changes, four years after his killing.
"Change is essential," Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's sibling, declared during a press conference where democratic legislators introduced their latest effort to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This legislation was previously passed in the House when it was democratically controlled in June 2020 but failed in the Senate.
Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee reintroduced this bill on Thursday, just days before the fourth anniversary of Floyd's murder. It suggests holding law enforcement officers "accountable for misconduct in court" and proposes police training and policy reforms.
"We have the ability to enact substantial, comprehensive changes to policing practices to correct and prevent unwarranted deaths," Rep. Jackson Lee stated in a Facebook post. "We must pass the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicingAct of 2024."
Philonise Floyd concurred.
"In their thinking, they see you as a target simply because of your color," he said. "At the end of the day, if they can create federal laws to protect the bird, which is the bald eagle, then they can create federal laws to safeguard people of color."
George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, perished on May 25, 2020, in police custody. Derek Chauvin, a White police officer, was captured on video kneeling on Floyd's neck and back for almost nine minutes as Floyd begged for assistance and stated he couldn't breathe.
The subsequent year, Chauvin was found guilty and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for murder and manslaughter in a state trial. He later admitted guilt in federal court of violating Floyd's civil rights.
Three other former Minneapolis police officers also faced state and federal charges and were sentenced to prison terms for their role in Floyd's murder.
At Thursday's press conference, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who represents Minneapolis, urged her fellow lawmakers to "consider the lives that might have been saved had we had the bravery to act."
"We need a distinct national standard to uphold the pledge of equal protection under the law," she added.
George Floyd's murder ignited protests against racial injustice and police brutality across the globe. Four years later, his family feels his loss acutely, joining the ranks of Black Americans driven to action after losing loved ones to police violence.
"I vowed to myself as I watched that video (of his murder) that I needed to act," Floyd's uncle Selwyn Jones told CNN. "And I have not stopped."
Jones participated with Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man killed by police in 2014, to discuss how they've transformed their pain into purposeful activism at Harvard University.
Jones expressed he co-founded Hope929.org, a charity that empowers people marginalized by society, to bring about change in honor of his nephew.
"What I can do is utilize the injustice that he endured that day to make a difference," he said.
Yet, he is not optimistic about the legislation's fate.
"I'm weary because I don't believe it'll ever pass, and if it does, it will be so watered down," he said, "but we were promised that bill would pass."
Jones said he and his family will keep commemorating Floyd's legacy. He plans to attend a celebration in Floyd's honor this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"It will be like it used to be," Jones said. "Let's gather around and eat, drink, rejoice, and look after one another."
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The Floyd family urges US politicians to uphold their promise and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Philonise Floyd, George's sibling, emphasized during a press conference that if laws can protect animals like the bald eagle, they should also safeguard people of color in the US.
Source: edition.cnn.com
