A proposal to study police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s death touched off an emotional and at times divisive debate over race and policing at the State Capitol Wednesday, with several black lawmakers making impassioned pleas for changes to law enforcement practices and some white lawmakers chafing at the measure’s reference of Floyd and race.
Baton Rouge Democratic Rep. Ted James, who is black, put forth the resolution to create a study group to review law enforcement and issue a report to the state House ahead of the 2021 Regular Session, the next time lawmakers are currently scheduled to be able to take up such changes.
But several Republican lawmakers took issue with the language at the beginning of the resolution--which doesn’t carry legal weight--that pointed out Floyd died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. The language also said “the deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers in recent years raised a number of questions about the treatment of racial minorities within the criminal justice system.”
Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville, said he had problems with the “tone” of the resolution, and said the issue shouldn’t be cast in racial terms.
Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, called the language “offensive” and demanded it be stripped from the bill.
“I’ve never seen a more racist document than the one you’ve brought,” said Horton, who is white.
“If you’re offended by the words just look at me and Royce (Duplessis) and think how offended we are by the actions,” James replied, referencing Rep. Royce Duplessis, a Democrat from New Orleans who is also black.
In the end, white lawmakers stripped out the language that references Floyd and the deaths of black men at the hands of white police. James said he was fine with the amendment if it meant the measure passed and the issue was studied, saying that would “honor (Floyd) more than his name being included in the resolution.”
The debate--over a resolution that would merely allow a group to study the issue of policing--foreshadows what is likely to be a hotly-contested debate over police reform in a Legislature where the two parties are split heavily along racial lines. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who helped pass a bipartisan criminal justice reform in his first term, is also closely aligned with the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, which endorsed him in his bid for reelection last year.
Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police touched off a wave of protests across the country, including several in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and other Louisiana cities. According to a database on police shootings created by the Washington Post--which won the paper a Pulitzer Prize in 2017--black Americans are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans.
The study group, if the measure passes, would bring together lawmakers, the Urban League of Louisiana, the NAACP, ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, Voice of the Experienced and three representatives from law enforcement to study policing.
“This is a watershed moment in this country,” Duplessis said. “To ignore the issue of race I think we all would do ourselves a disservice.”
"colleague" - Google News
June 11, 2020 at 01:12AM
https://ift.tt/2XQPaBv
A black Louisiana lawmaker pitched a police reform study. A white colleague called it racist. - The Advocate
"colleague" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Uvr5Ps
https://ift.tt/2YviVIP
No comments:
Post a Comment