WASHINGTON ‘STOP THE PAIN’
Floyd’s brother urges Congress to help change police practices
Philonise Floyd challenged Congress on Wednesday to “stop the pain” as lawmakers consider a sweeping law enforcement overhaul, so his brother George won’t be just “another name” on a growing list of African Americans killed during interactions with police.
Floyd’s appearance before a House hearing came a day after funeral services for George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man whose death under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis has become a worldwide symbol in demonstrations over calls for changes to police practices and an end to racial prejudices.
“I’m here today to ask you to make it stop. Stop the pain,” Philonise Floyd told the silenced hearing room.
Choking back tears, he said he wants to make sure that his brother, whom he called “Perry,” is “more than another face on a T-shirt, more than another name on a list that won’t stop growing.”
Floyd challenged lawmakers, “Be the leaders that this
country, this world, needs. Do the right thing.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., gaveled in the session — with many lawmakers and witnesses wearing masks because of the COVID-19 outbreak — as Democrats review the Justice in Policing Act, a far-ranging package of proposals amid a national debate on policing and racial inequity.
Lawmakers also heard testimony from civil rights and law-enforcement leaders as Congress considers the changes to police practices and accountability after Floyd’s death in police custody and the mass protests that followed.
“Today we answer their call,” Nadler said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi watched from the hearing
audience, and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy also joined.
Republicans are criticizing activists who want to “defund the police” — a catch-all term for shifting law-enforcement resources — though the Democratic bill does not call for that. President Donald Trump and allies have seized on the word “defund” to portray Democrats as extreme while GOP lawmakers rush to come up with their own proposals.
“The American people understand that it’s time for a real discussion,” said Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the ranking Republican on the panel. But he said what they also understand is that “it is pure insanity to defund the police.”
Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is leading the legislative effort, said the proposed changes reflect a nation coming to grips with a history of racial injustice.