By Ashlee Banks ·March 18, 2021March 18, 2021
The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), a collective of 150 civil rights organizations, says it’s against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and wants Congress to propose new legislation. M4BL, which has been a driving force behind nationwide protests over the deaths of unarmed African Americans at the hands of police, says the Floyd Justice act is flawed, according to The Associated Press. They believe it fails to properly address police brutality, and puts forth strategies that have historically failed to help minority communities.
“Over this summer, communities lifted up solutions that would truly address the root causes of police violence and terror,” M4BL said in a letter addressed to congressional leaders and obtained by the AP. “Justice in Policing, by its very name, centers investments in policing rather than what should be front and center — upfront investments in communities and people.” The justice collective said Congress needs to propose a bill that will address issues of mass incarceration, systemic racism, and how money, once given to police departments, can be filtered into minority communities.
The House earlier this month passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which is named after the Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020. If the bill is passed by the Senate, it will ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for police officers. It will also create a national standard for how police should behave in an effort to hold officers accountable for misconduct.
In spite of concerns expressed by M4BL, The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act has been widely supported. President Joe Biden and other civil rights leaders have thrown their weight behind the bill, saying it’s necessary in order for change to take place.
However, with the justice collective’s opposition to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, it could be difficult to get it approved by the Senate. It will likely be even more difficult for M4BL to generate enough support to get the Policing Act revised, or to get Congress to propose entirely new new legislation.
TOPICS: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
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