Thread by @NAACP_LDF

The @HouseJudiciary Oversight Hearing on Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability has begun. Watch it live: bit.ly/3cOTIwK

"I couldn't take care of George that day he was killed, but maybe by speaking with you today, I can make sure his death will not be in vain...make sure that he's...more than another name on a list that won't stop growing."--Philonise Floyd, Brother of George Floyd

"The man who took his life, who suffocated him for eight minutes and 46 seconds--he still called him "Sir" as he begged for his life. I can't tell you the kind of pain you feel when you watch something like that."--Philonise Floyd

"[George] didn't deserve to die over $20. I'm asking you, is that what a Black man's worth?...Enough is enough. The people marching in the streets are telling you enough is enough."

-Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s younger brother
#JusticeInPolicingAct

"Despite the unrest in northern cities-in over 100 cities-during that decade, there was no legislation to address the issue of police brutality in African American communities. As a result, very little has changed since that period as it relates to this issue." --@Sifill_LDF

"...too many officers know that they can commit the most heinous acts against African Americans without fear of accountability."

"That snapshot of...Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of George Floyd...should shame...everyone who has participated in the perpetuation of a system that calls itself the 'justice system,' but routinely allows officers of the state to take innocent life with impunity."

"The Justice in Policing Act seeks to address qualified immunity by amending the civil rights statute used most in police excessive use of force cases...and we welcome this amendment...and we will continue to work towards the elimination of qualified immunity."

"It is a moment in which we have a chance to transform our approach to public safety...and to speak our values through federal and state budgets that prioritize our commitment to anti-discrimination, public health, and to true public safety for all."

In case you missed it, watch or read @Sifill_LDF's full testimony on the #JusticeInPolicingAct here.

naacpldf.org/news/sherrilyn…

"I've spoken to many police officers about the culture of impunity around these killings and around these acts of brutality, and they know...that accountability is critical to influencing behavior. Unfortunately, our legal system has failed in providing that accountability."

"There needs to be an entire overhaul of the funding that goes from the federal government through the [DOJ] to local police departments to ensure that they comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

"Justice has to be served. Those officers...have to be convicted. Anybody with heart, they know that's wrong. You don't do that to a human being, you don't even do that to an animal. His life mattered. Black lives matter." --Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's younger brother

"It takes a village to allow for the persistent systematic murder of Black Americans by our government, and this has got to stop." --@RepTedLieu

"If we want to change culture, if we want to change relationships, then you have to change the rules that govern that system."

"Black lives matter, yet month after month, year after year, decade after decade, the list of tragedy continues to grow."--@RepJeffries

"There is nothing in this bill that should be objectionable to anyone who cares about public safety truly, who cares about anti-discrimination and pledges themselves to it, who cares about the rule of law, and who cares about this country." #JusticeInPolicingAct

"What you are seeing...is a colossal lack of confidence in the justice system...That confidence only comes back if the justice system can be said to be fair, can be said to be legitimate, and can be said to produce just results...at this point, we do not have those three."