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If you’re Black in America, it’s hard not to feel like there’s a target on your back that Congress couldn’t care less about. The recent police shooting death of Sonya Massey has renewed demands that Congress take action and pass the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. Still, we’ve seen this scenario happen many times before and nothing ever gets done.
Sonya Massey’s death should have certainly been enough for Congress to want to act when it comes to police reform, but Black Death rarely moves the legislative needle.
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On July 6, Massey called 911 to report a possible home invasion and was gunned down in her own home by Illinois Deputy Sean Grayson. Bodycam footage later released showed that, after firing a shot that struck Sonya in the head, the deputy could be heard calling her an expletive slur.
Fortunately, Grayson was fired and indicted for first-degree murder for the shooting death of Massey, but without legislative police reform at the highest level, what’s stopping this from happening again?
After Massey’s murder, advocates called for justice in her name, demanding Congress take action.
NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson called on Congress to stop stalling on the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act and get the bill on the floor immediately.
“The NAACP is saddened to mourn yet another Black life taken too soon at the hands of police violence, Johnson said in a statement. “Make no mistake – while Deputy Grayson is responsible for Sonya’s death, lawmakers are responsible for empowering him to commit this heinous crime. It is our hope that the jurors in this case follow the facts and take the necessary steps to hold this officer accountable. But that is not enough. We demand that Congress takes action to bring the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to the floor for a vote. How many more Black lives must be lost before you fulfill your duty to the American people? Those who don’t value our lives don’t deserve our votes.”
In response to Massey’s murder, the Movement for Black Lives organization demanded Congress take action on reforms to support alternatives to policing such as the hiring of professionals trained in violence de-escalation and mental health professionals as non-police first responders to emergencies.
“As we draw closer to the 2024 presidential election and watch as candidates begin shaping their platforms, these conditions need to be addressed and prioritized by presidential candidates and elected officials around the country,” M4BL said. “After the unrelenting attack on Black people that ignited uprisings in 2020, we developed the BREATHE Act, our comprehensive legislative response to police violence that offers a vision and policy proposals that actually keep us safe. Our legislation, driven by our communities, inspired Rep. Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) to sponsor the People’s Response Act, which focuses on non-police crisis response and treats community safety as a public health issue. The People’s Response Act is the first BREATHE-inspired bill introduced in Congress. We know that organizing builds the kind of electoral power that forces our elected leaders to respond, and we’re doing the work to make it happen.”
Unfortunately, Sonya Massey wasn’t the only Black person killed by police this month, as other community leaders have made pleas to Congress to reengage the conversations surrounding police reform.
Source: Samuel Sharpe Jr. / Angelique Sharpe
After Samuel Sharpe Jr. was killed by Columbus, Ohio, police outside of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the community was outraged.
Dora Drake, the state representative for the 11th Assembly District and the Chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus in Wisconsin told NewsOne she was extremely frustrated by inaction on police reform and also called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Act.
“As more details are coming out, I definitely send my condolences to the family,” said Drake. But there needs to be a real conversation about why there was law enforcement that wasn’t even part of the state of Milwaukee, what the details were about patrolling, the importance of having people from our community by law enforcement, and on a national scale addressing and signing into law the George Floyd Act,” Drake continued. “There is a bill enacted, but it still hasn’t been passed by Congress.”
President Joe Biden even agreed with sensible police reform legislation, saying, “Sonya’s family deserves justice.”
“While we wait for the case to be prosecuted, let us pray to comfort the grieving. Congress must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act now. Our fundamental commitment to justice is at stake,” Biden said in a statement.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act isn’t new legislation, its just been ignored by Republicans in the House and Senate since its inception in 2020 after the police shooting death of George Floyd. The bill was reintroduced in 2021 and passed the House on a nearly-party-line vote, but collapsed again before making its way to the Senate for a second time.
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It’s sad and obvious that Black lives aren’t valued enough in our political arenas. Time and time again we’re witness to tragic and untimely deaths of Black people at the hands of police, but yet when it is time to enact change the branches of government that are supposed to move that change forward end up frozen like a deer in headlights.
Congress, it is time to act and the Senate must follow suit. Everyone deserves to feel safe and protected.
SEE ALSO:
Family Of Black Man Killed By Cops Near RNC Says He Was Defending Himself When Shot
Sonya Massey’s Killer Had A Work History That Should Have Kept Him Off The Job
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