WASHINGTON, D.C.–The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in June. Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.), is one of many House Democrats who are pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to act on the bill.
“I think this legislation is very personal to me, not only because I’m a Black man, who has been unjustly arrested and profile because of my race, and in some regards my religion, it’s because I also worked for more than a decade in law enforcement,” said Carson, on a conference call with other representatives who support the bill.
LISTEN: Congressman Andre Carson offers thoughts on the police reform bill
The Senate has its own, Republican-backed version of police reform, that’s been endorsed by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.). The Democrats on Friday’s conference call believe that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is holding out on considering the House legislation, and should bring the bill before the Senate immediately.
“It hold police accountable through changes like requiring them to have body and dashboard cameras, a provision I strongly pushed for,” said Carson.
The bill would also ban choke holds and no-knock warrants, which are also addressed in the Senate legislation. It also increases data collection in police incidents and has provisions meant to end racial and religious profiling. The bill also requires training to change police culture.
“I saw first-hand the culture of white supremacy can thrive, particularly in police organizations,” said Carson. “Too many officers are motivated by racism and unchecked bigotry, or even corrupted by unchecked power and the ‘blue wall of silence’, quite frankly.”
Carson said policing must be reimagined and reformed to ensure Black and Latino Americans that the people who have sworn to protect them, will do just that.
“I’ve been hearing this from constituents and from Hoosiers and folks across the country. I’ve been honored to join several rallies for Black Lives Matter in Indianapolis recently,” he said. “We have to work much harder to build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
Carson said he believes the bill should pass so that the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor “are not in vain”.
