[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 57 (Monday, April 20, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ALL LIVES MATTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 20, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, April 4, 1968 in an unforgettable day 
because on that day the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of 
peace who devoted his life to nonviolence, was struck down by an 
assassin's bullet in Memphis, Tennessee.
  Sadly, April 4, 2015, will also take its place as a day of infamy 
because on that day in North Charleston, South Carolina, a man less 
celebrated but no less innocent, Walter Scott, was slain in an act of 
lethal violence that shocks the conscience.
  I rise today to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and loved 
ones of Walter Scott, who was laid to rest this past Saturday, and call 
upon this Congress to enact legislation that will provide the resources 
and guidance needed for law enforcement personnel to maintain the trust 
and confidence and support of the communities they serve and the 
safeguards needed to protect our people from becoming victims of 
excessive or lethal force.
  Mr. Speaker, the problems revealed by several of the more notorious 
incidents involving the use of lethal force against unarmed citizens 
that have captured the attention of the nation over the past several 
months require a national response because the problems identified are 
not isolated or limited to one region of the country.
  For example, the death of 43 year-old Eric Garner resulting from the 
application of a NYPD police chokehold occurred in the Northeast and 
the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown and the resulting events in 
Ferguson occurred in the border state of Missouri.
  The killing of 12 year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer 
occurred in the Midwest and death of unarmed 26 year-old Jordan Baker 
by an off-duty Houston police officer occurred in Texas.
  In Phoenix, Arizona, Rumain Brisbon, an unarmed black father of four, 
was shot to death when a police officer allegedly mistook his bottle of 
pills for a gun.
  In Pasdena, California, 19-year-old Kendrec McDade was chased and 
shot seven times by two police officers after a 911 caller falsely 
reported he had been robbed at gunpoint by two black men, neither of 
whom in fact was armed.
  And, of course, on April 4, the conscience of the nation was shocked 
by the horrifying killing of 50-year-old Walter Scott by a North 
Charleston police officer in the southern state of South Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, while the problem is national in scope, it appears to 
affect disproportionately and adversely a particular demographic group: 
African American males.
  Because all lives matter in our great nation, it is imperative that 
we in Congress act swiftly and decisively to focus much needed 
attention and resources on legislative proposals intended to address 
the problem of misuse of lethal force by law enforcement and to rebuild 
the public trust and confidence needed to ensure that law enforcement 
receive and maintain the support of the communities they serve and 
protect.
  As Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, 
Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, I note that are 
several promising legislative criminal justice reform initiatives that 
have been introduced and are worthy of consideration.
  Among them are H.R. 59, the ``Build TRUST in Municipal Law 
Enforcement Act of 2015'' (Rep. Jackson Lee); H.R. 1459, the Democracy 
Restoration Act of 2015 (Rep. Conyers); H.R. 1810, the ``Collection and 
Analysis of Data to Educate and Train Law Enforcement Officers'' 
(``CADET Act''); H.R. 920, the ``Smarter Sentencing Act of 2015'' (Rep. 
Labrador); and S. 675, the ``Record Expungement Designed to Enhance 
Employment Act of 2015'' (REDEEM Act) (Sens. Paul and Booker).
  Mr. Speaker, earlier this year FBI Director James Comey delivered a 
remarkable speech at Georgetown University in which he laid out several 
hard truths about the administration of the criminal justice system and 
state of community policing in our country.
  One of the hardest truths discussed by Director Comey is the fact we 
have limited information and inadequate data regarding the scope and 
extent of the problems endemic in the criminal justice system.
  This lack of information hampers the ability of policymakers and 
administrators at the federal, state, and local level to identify and 
implement laws, policies, and practices to remedy identified problems.
  The Judiciary Committee should immediately conduct hearings to 
educate the Congress and the public on the nature and extent of 
deficiencies in the nation's criminal justice systems and the efficacy 
of proposed solutions.
  Specifically, hearings should be held to investigate practices and 
policies governing:
  1. the use of lethal force by state and local police departments;
  2. educational requirements, mental health and psychological 
evaluations, and training in non-violent conflict resolution received 
by veteran law enforcement officers and new recruits; and
  3. the feasibility and efficacy of making greater use of 
technological devices such as body cameras.
  A fourth area to be explored is the state of the social science 
research in the academic study of criminal justice reform because there 
is much the Committee can learn by engaging leading experts in the 
field regarding the state of knowledge in their respective disciplines.
  Mr. Speaker, reforming the criminal justice system so that it 
dispenses justice impartially and equally to all persons is one of the 
most important challenges facing this Congress.
  And it is a goal that can be achieved if we work together in a spirit 
of goodwill and bipartisan cooperation.
  There are few things we can do that will provide a greater service to 
our nation.

                          ____________________