[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H3623-H3624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 LAUNCHING JUSTICE IN POLICING WEBSITE

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, it has been nearly 4 weeks since the House 
passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Leader McConnell and 
the Republican-led Senate, however, refuse to call it up for 
consideration or a vote. Meanwhile, the problem of racial injustice is 
not going away on its own.
  For millions of Americans, this issue is deeply personal, having 
experienced racial bias in our justice system firsthand. Most police 
officers, Madam Speaker, are trying hard to do their job

[[Page H3624]]

professionally and serve their communities well, and there are so many 
exemplary officers committed to addressing head-on the inherent bias 
and the problems in the culture of policing that lead some to commit 
acts of misconduct.
  Still, millions of people live in fear simply because of the color of 
their skin and because of the history of police misconduct against 
African Americans in our country.
  Madam Speaker, we must never accept this norm. Indeed, in his last 
public appearance, John Lewis visited Black Lives Matter Plaza in 
Washington and then encouraged Americans to stand up for social 
justice. He said this: ``We must continue to be bold, brave, 
courageous, push and pull till we redeem the soul of America and move 
closer to a community at peace with itself.''
  His wise words continue to inspire Americans to be courageous in 
standing up, speaking out, and working to lift our country up to the 
highest of our ideals.
  In order to make sure that all voices are being heard in Congress and 
in this national discourse, I launched a website to make it easier for 
Americans to share their own stories, learn about the legislation we 
passed, and share their thoughts on our bill. It is a platform for 
people to contribute to this work of redeeming the soul of America, as 
John Lewis urged us to do. That site is JusticeinPolicing.us.
  Already, Madam Speaker, thousands of Americans from nearly every 
State have visited the site, and many have shared their own wrenching 
stories about why we need to pass this bill.
  One woman in my district wrote about how, as the mother of 2 young 
Black men, she worries every day about them encountering the police. 
That should not be the case in America. That isn't good for families. 
It isn't good for the police. It isn't good for our communities. And as 
I said, it is not good for our country.
  Another wrote about how her elderly parents were pulled over in 
Oklahoma because the officer couldn't believe that her African-American 
father was married to her White mother. Both were in their eighties. 
That was just 3 years ago.
  One person from Iowa posted about being a lifelong Republican who is 
tired of her party's failure to tackle police misconduct and systemic 
racism in our country. That person is right. And it is not Republicans 
alone whom I am sure she is concerned with.
  The Senate could act today on the George Floyd Justice in Policing 
Act. The Senate ought to act today. But it is sitting on Leader 
McConnell's desk or someplace else gathering dust while our site 
continues to gather stories of real lives impacted by these injustices.
  Madam Speaker, I hope Americans will continue to speak out and give 
compelling and concrete examples of why action is necessary.
  And I might say, we need to speak out on the extraordinarily good 
actions that are taken by our law enforcement officers as well. We need 
to be balanced. But we do not need to be balanced to the extent of 
ignoring the carnage that has occurred because of the color of skin. 
These stories need to be told.
  In his very powerful New York Times column last month on the five 
crises facing America at this moment in our history, the 
extraordinarily insightful David Brooks wrote: ``All Americans, but 
especially White Americans, are undergoing a rapid education on the 
burdens African Americans carry every day. This education,'' he said, 
``is continuing, but already, public opinion is shifting with 
astonishing speed.'' It is right that it does so.
  The more we hear of the stories of personal experiences with systemic 
bias, the better equipped we will be as a Nation to confront this 
challenge together. As more people visit JusticeinPolicing.us to speak 
up and support this bill, I will be sharing their names and stories 
with this House and its Members, making sure that Members hear from 
their constituents on this issue.
  We are the people's House. We are the people's voice. We are the 
protectors of democracy, yes, of our Constitution and our laws, but the 
soul and character of our country are in our hands as well.
  As long as people of color continue to face dangerous and deadly 
systemic bias in our country, we will not stop pushing for the reforms 
that are so sorely needed.

                          ____________________