GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT

In the absence of Congressional legislation, President Biden has signaled his plans for a set of executive orders aimed at reform.

In the absence of Congressional legislation, President Biden has signaled his plans for a set of executive orders aimed at reform.

With midterms approaching and amid a spike in violent crime, the White House is struggling to advance police reform without appearing soft on crime.

He praised the Justice Department’s ban on police use of chokeholds, restrictions on no-knock warrants and body cam requirements for federal officers, while pushing for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on police abuse and accountability that remains stalled in the Senate. Biden reminded the audience that the department is ending the use of private prisons, no longer makes federal prosecutors seek the harshest penalties and has opened police misconduct investigations in four cities. Even critics impatient with administration actions celebrate Biden’s judicial confirmations, which include many women, African Americans and other people of color, as well as lawyers with civil rights and public defender experience.

As former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel gets to appear before a U.S. Senate committee considering his nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to Japan, opponents argue his actions over the police murder of Laquan McDonald disqualify him for such a post.

The current stalemate in the Democratic Party between moderates and progressives proved to be destructive after Congress failed to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Author Eddie Glaude says appeasing Republicans should no longer be in the interest of Congressional Democrats, who instead need to stand their ground on progressive policies. GuestEddie Glaude Jr. is Chair of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s American and Its Urgent Lessons.” He says the Democratic Party that came into existence to respond to Reaganism is no longer relevant. “Most people who respond to ‘defund the police’ negatively are acting in bad faith … we know it was a slogan aimed at budgeting values …. Instead some politicians used it to focus on our fears.”Glaude says many moderate Congressional Democrats are uninterested in addressing the systemic background to the issue of police overreach.

Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, called on legislators to pass the George Floyd in Policing Act.

‘This is reckless use of force by this officer in my opinion’, city councilman Devyn Keith says

Rivers around the biggest city in Brazil's Amazon rainforest have swelled to levels unseen in over a century of record-keeping, according to data published Tuesday by Manaus' port authorities, straining a society that has grown weary of increasingly frequent flooding. The nearby Solimoes and Amazon rivers were also nearing all-time highs, flooding streets and houses in dozens of municipalities and affecting some 450,000 people in the region. Higher-than-usual precipitation is associated with the La Nina phenomenon, when currents in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean affect global climate patterns.

Coleman Thomas Blevins had ‘radical ideology paraphernalia’Sheriff: ‘The plot interrupted in this case is unthinkable’ This photo provided by the Kerr county sheriff’s office, shows Coleman Thomas Blevins, who arrested in Kerrville, Texas, on Friday. Photograph: AP A Texas man with “radical ideology paraphernalia” was thwarted last week after authorities intercepted a message detailing his plans for a mass shooting at a Walmart store, police said. Coleman Thomas Blevins, 28, was arrested north-west of San Antonio in Kerrville, Texas, on Friday for a terroristic threat to create public fear of serious bodily injury. “Many think ‘that can’t happen here’, and it was well on the way to happening,” said the Kerr county sheriff, Larry Leitha, adding that investigators “possibly saved many lives”. “The plot interrupted in this case is unthinkable,” he said. During a week-long operation, law enforcement “made contact and conversed with” Blevins, who is white, confirming “his affiliation and networking with extremist ideologies”, according to a news release. On 27 May, Blevins “made a specific threat” involving a mass casualty event at a Walmart, and the FBI and local sheriff’s office confirmed his ability to carry it out, the release said. After arresting Blevins, authorities searched his residence, where they found firearms, concentrated THC, ammunition, electronic evidence and what they dubbed “radical ideology paraphernalia” such as books, flags and handwritten documents. The sheriff’s office posted a photo of the haul, which included a Confederate flag and a copy of The Turner Diaries, a novel by the neo-Nazi William Luther Pierce that depicts an Aryan revolt against the US government. Blevins is on active felony probation and is not allowed to possess firearms. He was taken to Kerr county jail and is being held on a $250,00 bond, according to jail records. In 2019, another white man, Patrick Crusius, drove across Texas to target Hispanics at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso. That racist attack left 23 people dead. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security called violent white supremacy the “most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland”. The US is also dogged by a general epidemic of gun violence, with 239 mass shootings already in 2021, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Last week, a gunman killed nine co-workers, then himself, at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose, California.

Floyd's family met with President Biden and Vice President Harris to speak about the status of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

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On the anniversary of George Floyd's death shooting erupts at his memorial in Minneapolis

"I think he did a good thing by putting a deadline out there, trying to motivate more momentum, but he understands what's important here is to get a landmark bill done," Booker said Tuesday.

Congress missed Biden's deadline to pass a law enforcement overhaul by the anniversary of George Floyd's death on Tuesday.

President Biden wanted to sign the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by the first anniversary of his death.

In the past year, some states and municipalities have passed laws banning police chokeholds, mandating body cameras or eliminating “no-knock” warrants. But some have gone in another direction, passing anti-protest bills and proposing legislation to “back the blue.”

One year ago George Floyd’s death shocked America. In the 12 months since little has changed

President wanted bill ‘done’ by anniversary of his death. Lawmakers now debating how to hold officers accountable for killing people in the line of duty

The president will discuss police reform with the Floyd family

Congress is unlikely to pass a police reform bill before President Joe Biden's deadline, the first anniversary of George Floyd's death.

Bernice King, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Nick Cannon, Julian Castro and other prominent Americans share how George Floyd's murder affected them.

Both he and Sharpton called for additional police reforms to be enacted nationwide, including the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — which has been approved by the U.S. House but has languished in the Senate. Floyd’s family has been invited to the White House on Tuesday to meet with President Biden, which Sharpton described as a “nice” gesture, but not enough.

“You’re not saying that you do not support police officers when you call for police reforms. We all agree that there needs to be more training. I absolutely do believe that we need police reform, but for people to take it out of context and talk about how that also means to basically eliminate police departments, that’s lunacy,” said Commissioner Jonathan C. Kinloch.

Qualified immunity protects police officers from lawsuits while on duty.

Qualified immunity protects police officers from lawsuits while on duty.

President Biden urged Congress to pass a police reform bill by next month, the first anniversary of George Floyd's death.

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and GOP Rep. John Katko are teaming up on a bill to address historically high numbers of migrants crossing the southern border into the U.S.

With the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, many hope it is the beginning of change.

While the verdict may have brought a sense of relief for many, others see it as just the beginning for real change to happen.

The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in March.

The House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in March.

Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts in the killing of George Floyd.

Michigan elected officials, community leaders and organizations are reacting to the verdict in the trial of ex-cop Derek Chauvin.

Crowds cheered outside the Minnesota courthouse as the judge read the jury’s verdict: guilty, guilty and guilty. Related: Guilty verdict in George Floyd murder trial ‘sends a strong signal to police,’ says Kalamazoo activistChauvin, 45, was handcuffed and walked off to jail as his bond was revoked following the verdict. Related: Washtenaw County reacts to guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin trialHere are more immediate reactions from around Michigan:Michigan Gov. We need to make real change, and it starts with getting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed in the Senate and signed into law. 41 Michigan reacts to Derek Chauvin verdict in death of George FloydThe Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion“Guilty on all 3 counts!

MINNEAPOLIS – Nearly a year after he was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, members of George Floyd’s family are discussing their civil lawsuit against the city and the four former police officers charged with his death. Members of the Floyd family and their attorney, Ben Crump, are holding a news briefing on Friday, March 12 to discuss the lawsuit. Just ahead of the family’s news conference, news broke that the city of Minneapolis agreed to agreed to pay $27 million to settle the civil lawsuit. More: Minneapolis to pay $27M to settle Floyd family lawsuitThe lawsuit conference comes as the trial of former police Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin -- who knelt on Floyd’s neck for about 9 minutes during an arrest in May of 2020 -- is officially underway. AdJudge Peter Cahill seated two more jurors Wednesday to go with the three picked Tuesday for Chauvin’s trial on second-degree murder, manslaughter and -- as of Thursday -- third-degree murder charges.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – House Democrats passed the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide, avoiding a potential clash with moderates in their own party who were wary of reigniting the “defund the police” debate they say hurt them during last fall's election. Approved 220-212 late Wednesday, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is named for the man whose killing by police in Minnesota last Memorial Day sparked demonstrations nationwide. “We want to feel safe when we encounter law enforcement. “Our law enforcement officers need more funding not less,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis. Another possible point of contention is provisions easing standards for prosecution of law enforcement officers accused of wrongdoing.

House Democrats are hustling to pass the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing. The bill would ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. “Our law enforcement officers need more funding not less,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said during Wednesday's debate. AdPolice unions and other law enforcement groups have argued that, without such legal protections, fear of lawsuits will stop people from becoming police officers — even though the measure permits such suits only against law enforcement agencies, rather than all public employees. California Rep. Karen Bass, who authored the bill, understands the challenge some House members face in supporting it.

DETROIT Theres a new push from House Democrats to get the Senate to take up the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. READ: Prosecutors charge 3 more officers in George Floyds deathAs elected officials, Debbie Dingell and I, are both clearly aware that we must enact policy. Thats why you all sent us to Congress, not to give speeches, said Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence. Lawrence and Dingell said they represent the people, and thats why they voted for the act. How important is to have this bill in predominately African Americans communities like Detroit, like a St. Louis.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON For a moment, Congress had a chance to act on policing reform, mobilized by a national trauma and overwhelming public support. There are other high-profile examples where public support has been unable to overcome hyper-partisanship in Congress most notably on gun control. The parties have also failed to make progress in overhauling the nations fractured immigration laws, despite broad public support. Murray said in an interview that there was little attempt to do that kind of behind-the-scenes work on policing reform. The feeling that you want to accomplish something, that you want to get something done ... is a very different feeling than we saw with policing reform."

Exactly one month ago, George Floyd spoke his final words I can't breathe and changed the course of history, Pelosi said. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is perhaps the most ambitious set of proposed changes to police procedures and accountability in decades. After the GOP policing bill stalled this week, blocked by Democrats, Trump shrugged. The two parties are instead appealing to voters ahead of the fall election, which will determine control of the House, Senate and White House. Senate Democrats believe Senate Republicans will face mounting public pressure to open negotiations and act.