Dear Friend,

Earlier this week, after less than 12 hours of deliberation, a jury in Minnesota convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died after being placed in an illegal hold during an arrest last May. 

Nothing will bring George Floyd back. But Tuesday’s verdict was one step in a long march towards justice and accountability for Mr. Floyd and his family. 

As Americans of color already know far too well, what happened to George Floyd wasn’t an isolated incident. Whether it’s Windsor, Va., or Minneapolis, Minn., our Black and Latino friends and neighbors have long been subjected to unacceptable discrimination and brutality at the hands of those who have been charged to protect and serve. 

Policing is a local issue, and much of the change we need must come at the state and local level. I applaud the many state and local officials who are working to bring change to their own neighborhoods and communities. But it’s clear that there are areas where we can and must take federal action at the federal level. 

In the Senate, this means passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which takes a comprehensive legislative approach to ending police brutality and changing the culture of law enforcement by holding police accountable in court for misconduct, increasing transparency through better data collection, and improving police practices and training. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would, among other steps:

• Reform qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that as currently interpreted shields law enforcement officers from being held legally liable for violating an individual’s constitutional rights;
• Create a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent problem-officers from changing jurisdictions to avoid accountability;
• Saves lives by banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants;
• Require police to wear body cameras; and
• Limit the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local enforcement.

You can read more about the Justice in Policing Act here. 

We can’t change the culture of policing in this country overnight, but we owe it to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Daunte Wright, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Michael Brown, and far too many other victims like them to get this bill to President Biden’s desk without any further delay. Please know that I will be fighting in the Senate to make that happen. 

If you want to share your thoughts about this or any other issue that’s important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,