Tom Malinowski Profile picture
Jun 10, 2020 9 tweets 2 min read Read on X
This week, I was proud to cosponsor the #JusticeInPolicingAct. This is the most far reaching attempt in decades to reform policing in America and to rebuild trust between police and the communities they are sworn to protect. It is long overdue.
Our bill would:

- Ban racial profiling
- Ban chokeholds & require body cams
- Empower the Justice Department to investigate & correct police misconduct
- Make it easier to hold abusive officers accountable, and, if they're fired, to keep them from getting rehired elsewhere.
The bill places strict limits on transfers of military equipment to law enforcement. I want local cops look like cops, not like the 82nd Airborne parachuting into a war zone. I will also fight for additional safeguards against enlisting the military to police dissent.
We have this chance because the overwhelming majority of Americans saw what happened to George Floyd, and understand it is part of a pattern of racial bias that requires comprehensive reform, not just the punishment of a few bad cops who were caught on video.
I'm glad that Republican leaders in Congress have thus far indicated they want to work with us, and that the Fraternal Order of Police has said we should not let this opportunity for change pass us by. insidernj.com/press-release/…
Many activists rightly ask us to reimagine the role police play in our country, and whether we make police do too much, like respond to mental health crises. Our bill funds local efforts to shift priorities & training, and promotes tactics that deescalate violent situations.
That said, I don't think "defund the police" is a good slogan or idea. Smaller forces would more likely take on a bunker mentality, focusing on self protection rather than the community policing tactics that earn trust. Wealthy communities would just pay for private cops.
Remember - it is Congressional Republicans who are trying to defund the police, by continuing to block the HEROES Act. That bill is all about helping state and local governments keep first responders on the job. They have zero standing to demagogue this issue.
There is a reason I invited the daughter of a fallen police officer to be my guest for this year's State of the Union. I respect anyone who spends his or her life doing a dangerous job to protect others. Let's honor those who uphold this ideal and hold accountable all who do not.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Tom Malinowski

Tom Malinowski Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Malinowski

Nov 22
Trump's tariffs may prove performative (and corrupt) - he may relent when countries hire lobbyists & promise to buy more US wheat, weapons or Trump bitcoin, exempt connected industries, etc. But if he means it, our economy will take multiple hits. 1/cnb.cx/40S9e7y
First, most obviously, a 20% tax on all imports from all countries will spike inflation. 98% of clothes sold in America are imported. So are over 40% of fruits and vegetables, and 90% of consumer electronics. All these things and more will instantly become more expensive. 2/
Second, goods produced in the USA will also become more expensive because even domestic manufacturers import parts and materials - aluminum for cars, chips for electronics, ingredients for pharmaceuticals - for which they'll have to pay 20% more. 3/
Read 6 tweets
Nov 6
When you get beat, you've got to listen to people who weren't sold on your arguments, so I listened to this from Dave Portnoy with an open mind. I'm sure a lot of folks who view themselves as moderates and voted for Trump feel this way. But I have some questions. 1/
First, Harris never once called Trump backers "Nazis," "fascists" or anything similar. Trump's Marine general former chief of staff did say Trump admired Hitler and many of us cited that (how could we ignore it?), but that was not about his supporters. 2/
Meanwhile, at multiple rallies, Trump referred to people like me - whether Democrats or his Republican critics - as "scum" and "vermin" and "domestic enemies" who are worse than our foreign enemies. Are we going to talk about Dems offending Trump supporters and ignore that? 3/
Read 6 tweets
May 6
I've avoided commenting on college protests because they matter way less than the real horror people in Israel/Gaza are experiencing. But there are principles worth defending here, both from the extremism of the far left and the blood lust of partisans on the right. For example:
1. The right to peaceful expression and protest should be sacrosanct, even if the ideas being expressed make people uncomfortable. Many of our elite colleges have unfortunately forgotten this in recent years. Their right wing critics forget it, too, when it suits them.
2. There's a long tradition in America of protestors violating laws that protect access to streets or buildings. That's not violence, but if you do it, you have to accept consequences. If negotiation fails, colleges are right to break up encampments that cause disorder.
Read 11 tweets
Apr 29
As a former State Department official responsible for enforcing the Leahy Laws, which prohibit US assistance to units of foreign militaries that commit gross human rights abuses, here are a few thoughts on what's going on with the Leahy Laws and Israel. 1/
First, we've enforced the Leahy Laws all over the world, including with close allies. They work because they allow a surgical approach of cutting off individual units instead of denying aid to entire countries. Foreign governments often make changes to avoid getting "Leahied." 2/
Second, it's true that till now the State Dept has in practice not applied Leahy to Israel. This is wrong - while Israel shouldn't be held to a higher standard than other countries on human rights, it shouldn't be held to a uniquely low bar either. 3/ theguardian.com/world/2024/jan…
Read 6 tweets
Oct 6, 2023
The House has the votes to pass more aid for #Ukraine (by a 3-1 margin). But the GOP leadership has refused to allow a vote. And now there is no GOP leadership.

The road to renewing aid, on which so much depends, will be hard. Here is a thread on how it could still be done.
Plan A, the normal option, would be for Republicans to elect a Speaker, who would then schedule a Ukraine vote. But Jim Jordan says he won't do that. And If Steve Scalise manages to unite his caucus to win, I doubt he'll then call a vote on Ukraine that divides his caucus.
Plan B: The Senate passes Ukraine aid attached to a bill dealing with the border crisis, and the new House Speaker agrees to take that up. But an immigration compromise reasonable enough to get bipartisan support in the Senate might not fly with the House invade-Mexico crowd.
Read 6 tweets
Apr 21, 2023
Our 12 NJ House members may have to vote next week on Kevin McCarthy's threat to default on America's debts to force massive cuts in domestic spending.

Default would destroy our economy.

But we should also talk about what the proposed extreme budget cuts would do to New Jersey.
The McCarthy plan would cut about $130 billion right away and massively more over 10 years. Since the GOP will likely exempt defense, veterans, and (I'd guess) border enforcement, that would require cutting everything else the government does by over 50%.
One obvious consequence of the McCarthy cuts would be to eliminate the increased spending on our roads and bridges from last year's infrastructure bill.

So anyone voting for this is kissing the #Gateway tunnel goodbye, along with hundreds of local projects coming to our state.
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(