Four members of Congress have now shown their support for Michael Brown, but their support comes with an asterisk.
Protests broke out around the country after the Aug. 9 shooting death of Brown by Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson.
The protests were highlighted by a raising of hands to show what Brown reportedly did before being shot, accompanied by the moniker “hands up, don’t shoot.”
As the protests have escalated in recent days since the grand jury’s decision, many others have raised their hands to “show solidarity with the protestors” in Ferguson, including four members of Congress on the House Floor Tuesday: Reps. Yvette Clarke, D-NY, Al Green, D-Tex, Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY and Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Tex.
The “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture has reached the House floor. http://t.co/2j7DuVNvgt pic.twitter.com/B2lH9WnL0A
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) December 3, 2014
But all four voted against a June amendment on H.R. 4435, the National Defense Authorization Act, that would have put limits on the transfer of Department of Defense military equipment to local police agencies and thus had an effect on the militarized response by police in Missouri that drew national criticism, according to Reason.
In August after the shooting, President Obama called for a re-examination of programs that have transferred military equipment to police forces.
“There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement, and we don’t want those lines blurred,” Obama said during a press conference at the White House. “That would be contrary to our traditions.”
On Monday, Obama announced executive actions to increase oversight of militarized gear used by local police departments. The three-year, $263 million spending package would not only fund 50,000 new body cameras for police officers, but would call on law enforcement agencies to better oversee the use of military-style weapons.
