[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 117 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H2423-H2424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              MAKING OUR COUNTRY SAFER FOR BLACK AMERICANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Brown) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I am a Black man living in 
America, and that puts me at greater risk while living in America.
  The fact that I served 30 years in the United States Army, an 
institution that prides itself on being colorblind, doesn't change the 
fact that I am Black and at greater risk.
  The fact that I graduated from a good school with honors doesn't 
change the color of my skin and the risk of living in America.
  That I attended Harvard Law School and practiced law at a blue-chip 
firm in Washington, D.C., doesn't change the fact that my family is 
from Africa and that we are at greater risk, even today, in America.
  Even being a Member of this august institution, the United States 
Congress, doesn't shield me from the risks of being Black in America.
  Mr. Speaker, 401 years after we arrived in bondage, a Black man in 
America is more likely to be stopped by the police than a White man. 
Mr. Speaker, 155 years after the signing of the Emancipation 
Proclamation, a Black man is more likely to be arrested than a White 
man.
  Mr. Speaker, within my own lifetime of witnessing the first Black man 
appointed to the Supreme Court; the first Black woman elected to the 
United States Senate; the first Black man appointed chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff; and, yes, the Black first man elected President 
of the United States, a Black man is still much more likely than a 
White man to die at the hands of police.
  Every day for the past 10 years, Mr. Speaker, I, like every parent of 
a Black child, remind my Black boys, my sons, to be careful: Put your 
hands in plain sight if approached by an officer. Don't move suddenly 
when being questioned by the police. Be sure to ask permission before 
reaching for your wallet. And always respond to police rudeness with 
respect.
  I do that because I don't want my children, anyone's Black child, to 
be harmed by the use of excessive force. I don't want them to be the 
victim of a police-involved shooting. They are good boys, and too many 
good boys, too many good men, Black men living in America, have died at 
the hands of police in America.
  So today, Mr. Speaker, I rise to say: Enough. We have endured too 
much, and the Congress has done too little.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Justice in Policing Act. 
I thank my colleagues on the Congressional Black Caucus, former and 
present, who have worked on these issues for far too long. I thank 
House leadership for bringing the bill to the floor so that we can once 
and for all bring an end to the injustice that is inflicted by those 
who we look to as the first line of justice.
  Mr. Speaker, systemic racism pervades our society, and the criminal 
system, from police encounters to punishment, is racially biased.
  This requires structural and transformational change in policing in 
America: reducing militarization; removing bad officers; holding them 
accountable for illegal behavior and gross misconduct; improving 
training so officers are guardians and protectors of our communities, 
not warriors acting aggressively toward our communities; increasing 
transparency and the ability to investigate and prosecute, where 
necessary; banning the chokehold; and outlawing racial profiling. But 
that is not enough.
  As we work in these days, weeks, and months ahead, we have to 
acknowledge that, for far too long, we have neglected policies and 
programs that meet the needs of our communities, and we need to address 
the structural disparities heard in Black and Brown families. Instead 
of criminalizing homelessness, addiction, poverty, and, yes, being 
Black, we need to make the investments that will keep us safe and 
address the inequities that exist in our country.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, we will pass the Justice in Policing Act. But 
tomorrow, we must take on other challenges: economic opportunity, 
mental health, housing, pre-K, health disparities.
  In this moment, we have a chance to not just transform policing but 
make

[[Page H2424]]

our entire country more just and safer for Black Americans and every 
American.

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