[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 27, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H2285-H2286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           BLACK LIVES MATTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise, as I rise today, 
Mr. Speaker, to speak the truth about the circumstance as it relates to 
African Americans in the United States of America.
  I rise to say, Mr. Speaker, that Black lives do not matter as much as 
White lives. If Black lives matter as much as White lives, Mr. George 
Floyd would still be breathing. If Black lives matter as much as White 
lives, Ahmaud Arbery would have finished his jog. If Black lives matter 
as much as White lives, Christian Cooper wouldn't have been falsely 
accused.
  Black lives do not matter as much as White lives. Why? Because we 
tolerate hatred, bigotry, and invidious discrimination. We tolerate it. 
And because we tolerate it, we allow it to be perpetuated.
  We in this country have the power to do something about the racism 
that exists as it relates to Black people. We have tolerated it since 
1619 and the arrival of Black people in the Americas. But it is time 
for us to do something about it.
  We have had the opportunity to do something.
  When the Chief Executive Officer of this country is a racist and a 
bigot, we should do something about that. And we had the opportunity 
to, but we did not. We tolerated it. And there were some who went so 
far as to almost justify it with some of their commentary about the 
comments that were being made: Oh, he is just a jerk.
  Black lives matter, and we ought not tolerate it to the extent we 
have.
  I believe that we in the Congress of the United States of America 
have a duty to do what has been done in the past. We declared a war on 
poverty. We declared a war on drugs. Why not declare a war on racism? 
Why not decide that, here and now, we are not going to allow racism to 
continue in this country to the extent that people lose their lives?
  What happened to some of the persons who have lost their lives as of 
late is almost predictable, because we have seen circumstances similar 
occur and we have not taken aggressive action.
  The officers in the Floyd case should not only be arrested; they 
ought to be prosecuted. I was a magistrate. I know probable cause when 
I see it, and there is probable cause to arrest and prosecute those 
officers.
  Black lives matter. And those who have not allowed the Black Lives 
Matter movement to continue, to become the movement that could make a 
difference in the lives of people in this country, have some 
responsibility because they fought the very movement that was going to 
make a difference in the lives of people, may have saved some lives of 
people.
  So I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to say that we in Congress have some 
responsibility to the people we serve; and a part of that 
responsibility is to assure them that they can go jogging and return 
home, that if they are arrested by the police, they won't be suffocated 
to the extent that they lose their lives. We have to make sure that we 
tell this country, in no uncertain terms, that Black lives do matter.
  And, finally, this: It is not about Democrats and not about 
Republicans.

[[Page H2286]]

I am not blaming the Republicans for what is happening. I am not 
blaming the Democrats for what is happening. I am blaming people who 
hold public trust and tolerate hate and invidious discrimination.
  We are the people who can make a difference, and we ought to make a 
difference. We ought to demand that the people running for public 
office make public statements about how they plan to end invidious 
discrimination, not how they plan to tolerate it, how they plan to 
manage it.
  How do you plan to end it?
  How do you plan to end it in banking?
  How do you plan to end it in hiring and promotions?
  This is our time. If we don't do it now, when will we do it? No 
candidate should be off limits. Every one of them ought to have to tell 
us what they plan to do.
  And, finally, as my final comments: I love my country. And because I 
love my country, I feel that I have this duty, obligation, and 
responsibility to speak up when these kinds of injustices occur.
  I love my country, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

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