Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during a press conference outside the U.S Capitol in Washington, D.C on June 24, 2019. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Jun 18, 2020
Slamming the GOP's newly unveiled policing reform bill as inadequate to the task of curbing police violence and brutality, Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered a speech Wednesday urging the Senate to pass bold legislation that abolishes qualified immunity for law enforcement, bans police use of facial recognition technology, and ends the transfer of U.S. military equipment to local police departments.
"Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture, and murder for far too long."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
"Now is not the time to think small or respond with superficial, bureaucratic proposals," Sanders said on the Senate floor, referring to the bill introduced Wednesday by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). "Now is not the time for more studies. Now is the time to hold racist and corrupt police officers and police departments accountable for their actions."
The Republican bill--which was immediately criticized as insufficient by civil rights groups--includes a narrow set of proposals to incentivize police departments to offer de-escalation training, establish a "museum curriculum to educate law enforcement personnel about the history of racism," and restrict the use of chokeholds by officers.
The GOP measure, titled the JUSTICE Act, does not touch qualified immunity, a longstanding legal doctrine that gives police officers sweeping protections from civil lawsuits. The Trump White House has also voiced opposition to abolishing qualified immunity.
While praising the nationwide protest movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd for forcing legislators to respond to police violence and systemic racism, Sanders said the Republican legislation "goes nowhere near far enough" to address the demands of the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets demanding real change.
Sanders put forth a series of transformative policy solutions that would help get at the root economic and social conditions that perpetuate inequality and state violence:
\u201cBernie on the Senate floor today:\n\n- Legalize marijuana\n- Ban military equipment for police\n- end qualified immunity\n- Create civilian corps of unarmed first responders\n- Expand Medicare to all\n- Mail high-quality masks to all\n-\u2b06\ufe0fminimum wage to $15/hr\n- Save the Postal Service\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1592434171
"Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture, and murder for far too long," said the Vermont senator. "And now is the time to act boldly to protect the First Amendment right to protest."
Watch Sanders' full speech:
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Slamming the GOP's newly unveiled policing reform bill as inadequate to the task of curbing police violence and brutality, Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered a speech Wednesday urging the Senate to pass bold legislation that abolishes qualified immunity for law enforcement, bans police use of facial recognition technology, and ends the transfer of U.S. military equipment to local police departments.
"Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture, and murder for far too long."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
"Now is not the time to think small or respond with superficial, bureaucratic proposals," Sanders said on the Senate floor, referring to the bill introduced Wednesday by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). "Now is not the time for more studies. Now is the time to hold racist and corrupt police officers and police departments accountable for their actions."
The Republican bill--which was immediately criticized as insufficient by civil rights groups--includes a narrow set of proposals to incentivize police departments to offer de-escalation training, establish a "museum curriculum to educate law enforcement personnel about the history of racism," and restrict the use of chokeholds by officers.
The GOP measure, titled the JUSTICE Act, does not touch qualified immunity, a longstanding legal doctrine that gives police officers sweeping protections from civil lawsuits. The Trump White House has also voiced opposition to abolishing qualified immunity.
While praising the nationwide protest movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd for forcing legislators to respond to police violence and systemic racism, Sanders said the Republican legislation "goes nowhere near far enough" to address the demands of the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets demanding real change.
Sanders put forth a series of transformative policy solutions that would help get at the root economic and social conditions that perpetuate inequality and state violence:
\u201cBernie on the Senate floor today:\n\n- Legalize marijuana\n- Ban military equipment for police\n- end qualified immunity\n- Create civilian corps of unarmed first responders\n- Expand Medicare to all\n- Mail high-quality masks to all\n-\u2b06\ufe0fminimum wage to $15/hr\n- Save the Postal Service\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1592434171
"Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture, and murder for far too long," said the Vermont senator. "And now is the time to act boldly to protect the First Amendment right to protest."
Watch Sanders' full speech:
Slamming the GOP's newly unveiled policing reform bill as inadequate to the task of curbing police violence and brutality, Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered a speech Wednesday urging the Senate to pass bold legislation that abolishes qualified immunity for law enforcement, bans police use of facial recognition technology, and ends the transfer of U.S. military equipment to local police departments.
"Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture, and murder for far too long."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
"Now is not the time to think small or respond with superficial, bureaucratic proposals," Sanders said on the Senate floor, referring to the bill introduced Wednesday by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). "Now is not the time for more studies. Now is the time to hold racist and corrupt police officers and police departments accountable for their actions."
The Republican bill--which was immediately criticized as insufficient by civil rights groups--includes a narrow set of proposals to incentivize police departments to offer de-escalation training, establish a "museum curriculum to educate law enforcement personnel about the history of racism," and restrict the use of chokeholds by officers.
The GOP measure, titled the JUSTICE Act, does not touch qualified immunity, a longstanding legal doctrine that gives police officers sweeping protections from civil lawsuits. The Trump White House has also voiced opposition to abolishing qualified immunity.
While praising the nationwide protest movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd for forcing legislators to respond to police violence and systemic racism, Sanders said the Republican legislation "goes nowhere near far enough" to address the demands of the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets demanding real change.
Sanders put forth a series of transformative policy solutions that would help get at the root economic and social conditions that perpetuate inequality and state violence:
\u201cBernie on the Senate floor today:\n\n- Legalize marijuana\n- Ban military equipment for police\n- end qualified immunity\n- Create civilian corps of unarmed first responders\n- Expand Medicare to all\n- Mail high-quality masks to all\n-\u2b06\ufe0fminimum wage to $15/hr\n- Save the Postal Service\u201d— Warren Gunnels (@Warren Gunnels) 1592434171
"Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture, and murder for far too long," said the Vermont senator. "And now is the time to act boldly to protect the First Amendment right to protest."
Watch Sanders' full speech:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.