Has questions for congressman

I read with interest the May 25, 2021, edition titled “Supporting Meaningful Police Reform,” (Congressman Andy Levin’s newsletter).

You noted that May 25 was the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd. Because you perceived “enormous outpouring of public support” you were proud to cosponsor and vote for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The purpose of the legislation was “to hold police accountable for discrimination and violence, end racial profiling, change the culture of law enforcement, empower our communities, and address systemic racism and bias to help save lives.” You describe this bill as a “step towards ending the scourge of police brutality in our country.”

You state: “We have so much more to do to dismantle racist systems that have infected our country since before we were a country, and indeed were part of our foundational documents.”

I am a historian by education and avocation and I found this sentence to be an intriguing point of view. What was your thought process that led to its creation?

I discussed my questions with your staff and I was assured I would get a response. I followed up on July 13 since I still hadn’t heard from you. Your staffer responded on July 14, thanked me for reminding him, apologized for the delay, and was going to check on the status of the response. I have heard nothing since.

Following are the questions I would like you to answer:

1) What racist systems were you referring to?

2) Please identify the foundational documents you were referring to.

3) What do you mean by “dismantle.”

4) How will that dismantling be accomplished?

John E. Walus, Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army (retired)

Mount Clemens