[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H2678-H2679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SUPPORT STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Foster) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday of last week, I was proud to 
join my colleagues to vote for the historic George Floyd Justice in 
Policing Act.
  This legislation represents the first of many steps we need to take 
to achieve structural change in our criminal justice system, our 
police, and our society. The American people are demanding action, and 
they are not interested in more studies or talking points or half 
measures.
  I have been inspired by what I have seen in the Illinois communities 
that I represent, in places like Naperville, Aurora, and Joliet, where 
people of all backgrounds have come together to say enough is enough. I 
have been proud to stand with those in my district and across the 
country who are calling for change, and I am proud to help amplify 
their voices.
  We are all frustrated that prior action was not taken to prevent the 
horror that we have witnessed far too often of Black Americans being 
unjustly killed at the hands of law enforcement.
  For a lot of people, the video of George Floyd being killed when a 
Minnesota police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes was 
shocking and put this problem front and center, as did the senseless 
and brutal killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville.
  But for Black Americans, this is not a new problem. It is just more 
of the same, more senseless, unjust killings of Black Americans by 
abusive police officers, who often seem to be protected by law 
enforcement systems plagued by structural racism.
  Black Americans shouldn't have had to wait this long for Congress to 
take action. They deserve a Congress that is responsive to this 
longstanding crisis, and they deserve a President who wants to lead our 
Nation to a more just place for people of color instead of the 
opposite.

                              {time}  0930

  No, Mr. President, white power is nothing to celebrate.
  So I am proud that the House took action and a step in the right 
direction with the Justice in Policing Act, which includes key reforms 
like banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, mandating the use of 
body cameras, ending racial and religious profiling by the police, 
demilitarizing the local police departments, and strengthening 
accountability measures to hold abusive police officers accountable for 
their actions.
  Most Members of this House can share stories of similar incidents in 
their own districts, often leading to the deaths of their constituents 
that should have been prevented. And I know that my colleagues join me 
in honoring the memory of Black lives that have been unjustly lost to 
police brutality.
  As I cast my vote, I carried with me with one of Naperville's very 
own, Sandra Bland. Sandra grew up in Naperville before moving to Texas 
to pursue her education and earn a degree in agriculture. She then 
returned to Illinois, where she was a brave activist who worked for 
social justice and community engagement.
  A few days after celebrating the Fourth of July with her family back 
in Naperville, Sandra went back to Texas to begin a job at her alma 
mater, Prairie View A&M, a historically Black State university.
  On July 10, 2015, she was pulled over on an empty suburban street for 
failing to signal a lane change. She was arrested and 3 days later 
found hanged to death in her jail cell.
  Sandra Bland should never have been arrested. She should be alive 
today and looking forward to celebrating another Fourth of July with 
her family this weekend, just like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and 
the countless Black Americans who have been the

[[Page H2679]]

victims of discrimination and brutality throughout the history of our 
country.
  Two months before her death, Sandra Bland posted a video raising 
awareness about this important and deadly issue. ``Black lives 
matter,'' she said. ``They matter. In the news that we've seen as of 
late,'' Sandra said, ``you could stand there, surrender to the cops, 
and still be killed.'' That is what Sandra said 2 months before it 
happened to her.
  Well, I am here on the floor of the House to say that Sandra Bland's 
life mattered, George Floyd's life mattered, Breonna Taylor's life 
mattered, and Black lives matter, and it is past time that the laws of 
our Nation reflect it.

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