The NAACP calls it “a moment of reckoning for our nation’s conscience.”
As we mourn George Floyd and protest his murder, we’re forced to recognize his death was not an isolated incident. African Americans are two and a half times more likely to be killed by police than white Americans are.
It’s not enough to say “Black Lives Matter” when we act as if they don’t.
That’s why I’m announcing a plan today to
end police violence. Among other actions, I will push to:
- Ban chokeholds and strangleholds.
- Revamp police use-of-force and response protocols.
- Require police officers to intervene and stop other officers from using excessive force.
- Mandate body cameras and comprehensive reporting.
- Prevent the abuse of warrants.
- Eliminate racial profiling.
- Pursue Department of Justice consent decrees, civil rights enforcement, and pattern-and-practice investigations of rogue agencies.
- Create a national database of police officer misconduct.
- End the use of qualified immunity or other legal doctrines that shield misconduct from prosecution.
- Form independent and effective oversight bodies with the authority to hold officers accountable.
- Demilitarize police operations.
- Recruit, train, and hire officers who reflect and respect the communities they serve.
No one is above the law—including those who enforce it.
Andrew Romanoff
