A group of Democratic lawmakers knelt in a silent tribute to George Floyd in the Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were joined by two dozen lawmakers in the U.S. Capitol’s Emancipation Hall on Monday for the moment of silence, shortly before they unveiled a sweeping police reform bill.
The lawmakers knelt for eight minutes and 46 seconds to mark the length of time a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pinned his knee on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Memorial Day led to nationwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality.
Congressional Democrats take a knee as they observe a nearly nine minute moment of silence for George Floyd at Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol. https://t.co/JnqDlzMFDq pic.twitter.com/8CBdgtLUjz
— ABC News (@ABC) June 8, 2020
The House bill, should it pass, would ban police officers from using a chokehold or any maneuver that places pressure on a person’s neck and restricts breathing. The ban would also apply to federal law enforcement and condition federal law enforcement funding for states on their banning chokeholds.
“This is a transformational piece of legislation,” Pelosi, a California Democrat, said. “This is an important day.”
