A top House Democrat said Wednesday “a warrior mentality” plagues U.S. police departments and must be replaced with “a guardian mentality” in order to end excessive force against minorities.
“We can shift policing from a warrior mentality, that exists in far too many places, to a guardian mentality,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. “Because when you have a warrior mentality, you tend to view certain communities or communities of color or low-income communities or immigrant communities as enemy combatants.”
Jeffries made the remarks after a reporter asked him about Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s new tweet calling for “no more policing” in response to the shooting death of a black man near Minneapolis this week during a traffic stop.
“I think the focus remains on passing police reform legislation that is transformational,” Jeffries said when asked about the tweet.
Democrats are urging the Senate to pass their comprehensive police reform measure, which was drafted following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 at the hands of a white police officer.
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for murder, accused of killing Floyd by placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for around nine minutes.
New protests in Minneapolis erupted this week after a white female police officer in a nearby suburb shot and killed Daunte Wright, 20, who she was attempting to apprehend during a traffic stop. The officer said she accidentally drew a gun instead of her Taser and has resigned.
Jeffries said the House bill, named after Floyd, would curb police killings by transforming law enforcement.
Jeffries helped author the bill. It would create a national police misconduct registry and would effectively ban police from using the chokehold maneuver, among many other reform provisions.
The measure would also require independent investigation and independent prosecution when police use deadly force and require a report to be filed with the state’s attorney general.
The measure would also change qualified immunity for police, making them accountable for deaths that occur by “knowingly or reckless disregard” for a person’s safety.
Jeffries said the measure would force police to change their role when interacting with minority communities.
“If you view them as enemy combatants, then you see the types of tragedies that we’ve seen unfold before our very eyes,” he said. “If you view them through a different lens, a guardian mentality, which is what the George Floyd justice in policing act is all about, then you look to partner with communities of color to lift up public safety for everyone. So, that’s where our focus is and will continue to be.”
The House passed the measure twice, most recently in March. The Senate has yet to take up the measure. Senate passage would require the support of at least 10 Republicans to prevent a filibuster. Republicans have authored their own police reform bill that excludes the House provision eliminating qualified immunity. Democrats blocked the GOP bill in the last Congress.
