Press Releases

Congresswoman Lori Trahan Supports the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

Washington, June 25, 2020

LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) spoke on the House floor in support of H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. This transformative legislation will overhaul policing in America and begin to rebuild the trust between officers and the communities they serve. 

“We’ve long encountered excuses as to why we can’t tackle bias, discrimination, and racism in America. Excuses that have prevented equality in health care, in the classroom, in housing, at the workplace, and yes, in the way police interact with the communities they’ve sworn to protect. That approach has led to a deadly reality where Black lives are equal on paper, but not in real life,” Congresswoman Trahan said. 

Trahan will cast her vote for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 when it is voted on in the House of Representatives tonight. Footage of Trahan’s remarks in support of the legislation can be accessed by clicking HERE or the image below. A transcript of her remarks is embedded at the end of this release. 

Crafted under the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 takes numerous key steps to achieve transformative, structural change to combat the pattern of police brutality and racial injustice, including:

  • Banning all chokeholds, including the ones used to kill George Floyd and Eric Garner;
  • Banning no-knock warrants in drug cases to prevent another tragic death like Breonna Taylor;
  • Establishing a National Police Misconduct Registry to improve transparency and prevent problematic officers like the one who killed Tamir Rice who are fired or leave an agency, from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability;
  • Ending racial, religious, and discriminatory profiling;
  • Eliminating the qualified immunity doctrine that is a barrier to holding police officers accountable for wrongful conduct;
  • Requiring data collection, including mandatory body cameras and dashboard cameras;
  • Establishing new standards for policing and the Public Safety Innovation grants for community-based organizations to help reimagine policing in their communities;
  • Making lynching a federal hate crime; and more. 
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Congresswoman Lori Trahan 

Remarks as Delivered 

Passage of the Justice in Policing Act 

June 25, 2020 

 

We’ve long encountered excuses as to why we can’t tackle bias, discrimination, and racism in America. 

Excuses that have prevented equality in health care, in the classroom, in housing, in the workplace, and yes, in the way police interact with the communities they’ve sworn to protect. 

That approach has led to a deadly reality where Black lives are equal on paper, but not in real life. 

We know this because the data show it. The data show that Black Americans are more likely to die during a trip to the hospital and more likely to be killed while unarmed by the police.  

We know this because George Floyd should be alive today. So should Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and so many others. 

The Justice in Policing Act would have prevented their deaths and it’s long overdue. 

We owe it to them and to every Black American to make this bill law.  

And then we must get to work fixing the injustice that has persisted in our country for centuries so that we can create a more inclusive, truly equal, and just America for everyone to call home. 

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