It was a modern lynching in broad daylight, said Philonise Floyd (File)
Washington:
George Floyd’s younger brother voiced his grief to the US Congress on Wednesday with passionate pleas that lawmakers should not leave his brother’s death in vain, lamenting that he “did not deserve to die more than $ 20 “in what he called a lynching.
The House of Representatives Judicial Committee held the first congressional hearing to examine racial injustice and police brutality after the death of George Floyd on May 25 after nearly nine policemen in Minneapolis knelt on their necks minutes. His death sparked protests in American cities and abroad.
“They lynched my brother. It was a modern lynching in broad daylight,” Philonise Floyd, 42, of Missouri City, Texas, near Houston, told the committee, her voice broken with emotion.
“His life counted. All of our lives count. Black lives matter,” he added, wiping away his tears.
The Democrat-led House is moving forward with sweeping reform that could be put to a vote on July 4, while Senate Republicans work out a rival plan.
George Floyd, a 46-year-old Houston native who had worked in nightclubs, was unarmed when he was taken into police custody outside a market where an employee reported that a man matching his description had attempted to pay for cigarettes with a counterfeit bill.
“George didn’t hurt anyone that day. He didn’t deserve to die for more than $ 20. I’m asking you, is that what a black man is worth? $ 20? That’s 2020. Enough , that’s enough, “said his brother. “It is up to you to ensure that his death is not in vain.”
He buried his brother on Tuesday and explained how they couldn’t say goodbye.
“I’m here to ask you to stop. Stop the pain,” testified Philonise Floyd. “George called for help and he was ignored. Please listen to my call now, to our family and to the streets around the world.”
It is unclear whether Democrats and Republicans will be able to overcome partisan differences to pass legislation that President Donald Trump would be ready to sign.
Several Republicans have pledged to cooperate and have expressed support for an essential provision that would reduce so-called qualified immune protections that protect the police from lawsuits by people suing for damages.
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, who said the Republican president could take political action on race and the police through a decree, called reduced immunity “non-starter”. “. McEnany said the Trump administration has almost finalized plans to combat police brutality that could be made public in a few days.
Police officer Derek Chauvin was dismissed after the incident and charged with second and third degree murder and manslaughter. George Floyd and Chauvin worked as security personnel in the same nightclub.
Philonise Floyd said that Chauvin knew his brother and premeditatedly killed him “just because he did not like him”, adding that “it must have something to do with racism”.
The emotional audience saw lawmakers and witnesses, including several civil rights activists, expressing their sadness after the death of Floyd, the latest in a series of murders of African Americans by police that sparked off anger on the streets of America and new calls for reform https: // www. reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-protests/minneapolis-city-council-pledges-to-disband-police-trump-lashes-out-at-nfl-idUSKBN23F0L1.
Political divide
The hearing highlighted divisions in Congress and across the country between those who want sweeping changes in police practices and those who defend law enforcement and blame any problems, as the official said. Republican Mike Johnson, “some bad apples”.
“The overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers are responsible, hardworking and heroic first responders,” said representative Jim Jordan, the most senior Republican official on the committee.
“While we defend human rights around the world, we must obviously defend them in our country,” said Representative Karen Bass, President of the Congressional Black Caucus, which drafted the legislation.
Angela Underwood Jacobs, a Republican witness whose police officer’s brother died in violent protests this month, urged legislators to promote a just society by investing in education, housing and the creation of jobs.
Democratic legislation would prohibit police strangling and striking orders, restrict the use of legal force, require police cameras, make lynching a federal hate crime and take other measures to limit misconduct.
(Reporting by David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Will Dunham)
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
