[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13345-13346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           BLACK LIVES MATTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a crisis in our 
communities and our country. I have watched in horror, day after day, 
as people of color are shot by the police officers sworn to protect 
them.
  Now, we all know that the vast majority of law enforcement officers 
are committed to serving their communities, and many do incredible work 
despite dangerous and sometimes life-threatening conditions. I commend 
all of those speaking out and working

[[Page 13346]]

against the injustices of some. Tragically, as we have witnessed in 
Dallas and Baton Rouge, innocent police officers have been the victims 
of violence as well. However, these tragedies do not change the 
underlying reality that our criminal justice system is broken.
  Since Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson 2 years ago, 2,195 people 
have been killed by police in our Nation. As a mother of two Black men 
and the grandmother of five Black grandchildren, I worry that someone I 
love could become number 2,196.
  Each time we lose a precious life to fear, distrust, and prejudice, 
the list of things that will get you killed as a Black person in 
America gets a little longer. Today I want to spend a little time going 
through that list.
  Now you can get killed for going to buy a bag of Skittles, like 
Trayvon Martin; or even get killed for riding on New Year's Day, for 
instance, in the subway in the Bay Area like Oscar Grant. This is a 
subway card. Or maybe you can get killed for selling cigarettes, like 
Eric Garner. Or you can get killed for selling CDs, like Alton 
Sterling. This is a CD. You can also be killed reaching for your 
wallet, like Philando Castile.
  It doesn't matter if you are a child. If you are a Black boy, you can 
be killed playing with a toy gun. That is a toy gun. Now, that was what 
happened to Tamir Rice; he was 12. That is what happened to Tyre King 
last week; he was 13.
  Or you can be killed for a missing front license plate like Samuel 
DuBose.
  Heaven help you if you are driving a car. You can be killed for not 
signaling a lane change, like Sandra Bland, or for having a broken 
brake light, like Walter Scott, or for breaking down on a highway, like 
Terrence Crutcher.
  Now, should any of this warrant a death sentence? Is this the America 
you want to live in? In 2016, when you are Black, too often you are 
seen as a threat first and a person second.
  When my boys were young, I had some tough conversations with them 
about how to interact with police. I taught them that Black boys don't 
get the benefit of the doubt. I told them, to some, it doesn't matter 
who you are--it just matters what you look like.
  I shouldn't have had to have these conversations with them. This is 
America. Parents shouldn't have to live in fear that one day they will 
have the same call that Michael Brown's mother got, that Sandra Bland's 
mother got, that Dontre Hamilton's mother got, or that Oscar Grant's 
mother got.
  We need action here on the floor of Congress and in communities 
across the country. Enough is enough. We cannot stay silent while these 
murders continue unchecked. We must act now. That is why, today, 
members of the Congressional Black Caucus will march to the Department 
of Justice to demand action--because Black lives do matter.

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