The Congressional Black Caucus is demanding that Attorney General Loretta Lynch immediately take action to prevent police killings with a nationwide crackdown on law enforcement.
“The world is watching and we cannot continue to ignore these killings,” said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., presenting the letter to the media Thursday while the entire caucus stood in support outside the Department of Justice.
The Congressional Black Caucus’ letter urges Lynch to “aggressively pursue investigations, indictments and prosecutions through the Office of Civil Rights against any and all law enforcement officers who harm or kill innocent unarmed black men, women and children.
“No American should have to fear the people sworn to protect them,” said Congressional Black Caucus PAC chair Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. Meeks said that despite the violence, civil rights icon Martin Luther King would have similarly called for action in the face of alleged racial profiling by police.
“Dr. King’s soul and essence is in every peaceful demonstrator that is on the streets because Dr. King would be demonstrating today when you see the kind of attack that apparently happens to unarmed black men and women with no transparency.”
The lawmaker said they will call upon House Speaker Paul Ryan to come up with some legislation to address policing nationally, but said the caucus decided to take immediate action by petitioning the attorney general.
Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., whose district includes riot-ravaged Charlotte, said she is requesting on behalf of her constituents that Lynch use the full force of federal power to resolve the racially charged tensions between police and African-Americans. North Carolina’s Republican Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in the city after the protests turned violent.
“We’ve had a lot of violence in our community and I am saddened about that because people should have an opportunity to protest and to protest peacefully. And that’s what many of the residents were trying to do last night,” Adams said. “The National Guard has been called into Charlotte and we regret that. I don’t think this should have gotten so far.”
“We are serious about what we do, we will not be deterred from our actions,” said Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C.
