Members of the Congressional Black Caucus used a special hour-long session on the House floor Monday evening to call for changes in the nation’s law enforcement policies. The session was a response to the grand jury decision not to indict a police officer who fatally shot teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
“Hands up, don’t shoot, is a rallying cry of people all across America who are fed up with police violence in community after community after community,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said. Jeffries was quoting a phrase used across the nation in the wake of the Ferguson verdict, by protesters who believe Brown was surrendering when he was shot by former officer Darren Wilson.
The chairwoman of the CBC, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, called the decision not to indict Wilson “another slap in our face … a reminder that law enforcement officers kill our black and brown men and boys without repercussions.”
The Ferguson grand jury did not indict Wilson, with evidence showing that some witnesses who said Wilson shot Brown in the back had not been truthful. Other witnesses said they saw Brown charging the officer and physical evidence showed Brown had his head in the police car and had been reaching for the officer’s gun.
But the CBC did not address the controversy surrounding the evidence, instead focusing on Brown’s death at the hands of Wilson even though Brown was unarmed.
“He was supposed to start technical college,” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said. “He hoped to start his own business. He strove to set an example for his younger siblings. Instead, another loss. Michael Brown fell victim to a criminal justice system that too often fails people of color.”
The CBC members said they supported initiatives announced Monday by President Obama, including a request for $263 million for body camera training and equipment for police officers, but they called for more.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said police departments needed more diversity, better training and should lose federal funding if they engage in “stop and frisk” and other anti-crime tactics that target blacks. In some cases, police forces should be put under the authority of a conservatorship, she said.
“The Congressional Black Caucus will not be silenced, because America is better than this,” Jackson Lee said. “We must fix it and fix it now.”
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, praised by name the five St. Louis Rams football players who on Sunday entered the stadium displaying the “Hands up, don’t shoot” gesture as a show of support for the protesters.
Lawmakers also spoke directly to the Brown family.
“You have our condolences,” Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said. “But, we know you want to make sure change is brought about, and we promise you we are going to do everything in our power to make that happen.”
