High lawmakers in each events, spurred to motion by the demise of a black Minnesota man within the custody of white cops, stated on Friday that they might maintain hearings within the coming weeks on using extreme drive by regulation enforcement and on racial violence.
Consultant Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, stated in an interview that he would convene a listening to in June to contemplate new federal actions that would assist stem racial violence, particularly acts of brutality by regulation enforcement in opposition to black and brown Individuals. He additionally stated his committee was taking a look at a federal chokehold ban and laws to determine a fee to check the social standing of black males and boys.
“What we’re going to take a look at very particularly is the place and underneath what circumstances the federal authorities can step in when native governments are partaking in or not stopping or controlling violence in opposition to racial minorities,” Mr. Nadler stated.
Within the Senate, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and the chairman of that chamber’s Judiciary Committee, stated he would search testimony on proposals to enhance policing, fight “racial discrimination concerning using drive” and enhance relations between police departments and the communities they serve. He described the death of George Floyd, a Minnesota man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck in an episode captured on video, as “horrific.”
Mr. Graham said both he and Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the panel, were “appalled at what we saw and believe it is important to have a hearing as soon as possible as to how to combat this outrage.”
“We intend to shine a bright light on the problems associated with Mr. Floyd’s death,” he said in a statement, “with the goal of finding a better way forward for our nation.”
The swift response on both sides of the Capitol reflected the interest by lawmakers in both parties to respond to a rash of killings of black Americans by white civilians and police officers this year, which have inspired protests across the country. But Democrats appeared to be moving more aggressively to advance specific legislative proposals aimed at forcing the Trump administration to mount a stronger response.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, said Friday that the officers involved in the Minneapolis case “look pretty darn guilty,” and he called the death of Mr. Floyd “a hideous crime.” But he condemned violent protests across the country, and said that Americans should trust that the criminal justice system would hold those involved accountable.
“I can speak for myself, I think what’s happening in Louisville and in Minneapolis really needs to stop,” Mr. McConnell said. “This senseless violence and reaction to this is not helpful. But you can certainly understand the outrage — you can certainly understand the outrage.”
Mr. Nadler’s comments came a day after he and the 23 other Democrats on the Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department calling on officials there to open investigations related to the recent deaths of Mr. Floyd, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.
“In terms of maintaining social peace in this country, it is imperative that we move ahead quickly,” Mr. Nadler said.
Many of the proposals being considered by Democrats have been discussed for years with little movement. Watching the growing national outcry in recent days, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said House Democrats would pursue “action so that this stops,” rather than just offering “expressions of concern.”
“We saw a murder take place before our very eyes,” she said on Thursday. “And so, the fact that the police officers were fired, that’s one thing, but there has to be some justice in all of this.”
In addition to drafting new legislation, Mr. Nadler said he was looking at a bill introduced by Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York that would place a federal ban on the use of chokeholds or any pressure to the neck by the police.
Mr. Jeffries, who represents Brooklyn, initially introduced the legislation in 2015 after the death of Eric Garner by police chokehold, and it would have made the tactic used by the officer in Mr. Floyd’s case illegal. In videos of the episodes, Mr. Garner and Mr. Floyd could both be heard saying “I can’t breathe” in the moments before their deaths.
Representative Karen Bass, Democrat of California and the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said in an interview on Friday that she was still looking to develop other proposals to address state laws that protect officers who use force when they say they feel threatened.
“This stuff is happening so fast,” she said, “we literally have not had a chance to have that conversation.”
Ms. Bass is among a group of prominent progressive lawmakers who are pressing for a vote on a separate, nonbinding resolution they introduced on Friday “condemning all acts of police brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive and militarized force throughout the country.” It calls on law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels to commit to reforms.
“There can be no justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, or any of the human beings who have been killed by law enforcement,” Representative Ayanna Pressley, Democrat of Massachusetts and a sponsor of the measure, wrote on Twitter. “For in a simply world, they might nonetheless be alive. There should, nevertheless, be accountability.”