Washington, D.C. –Today, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA) issued the following statement on the protests in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officers:
"The professional athletes who refused to play yesterday represent the best of America. These men and women trained and quarantined to uplift the spirits of a Covid-fatigued nation—and they declared no more business as usual to take a stand for racial justice. Their leadership is to be commended, and their collective protest will surely be remembered for generations to come.
"We do not pretend to have all of the answers to the crisis gripping our country, but we have proposed a way forward: H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Among other important changes in policy, this legislation holds law enforcement officials accountable for their actions, ends 'qualified immunity' for police officers, bans chokeholds and 'no knock' warrants, and limits the use of military equipment on American streets. The House of Representatives passed this bill more than two months ago. It sits on Senate Majority Leader McConnell’s desk, ready for a vote at a moment’s notice. As the lead sponsors of this bill, we demand that Senator McConnell take up this legislation. We hope that all Americans, including the brave men and women who refuse to play sports in the face of continued injustice, will join us in that call for action."
