DEPARTMENT IS A PRIORITY.%FO
LLOWING ANOTHER WEEK OF STATE
% AND NATIONWIDE PROTESTS OVER THE
% DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD, U.S.
% CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE OF
% BUILDING IS CALLING TO BUILD A
% GROUND-UP APPROACH TO DISMANTLE
% STRUCTURAL RACISM.
% AND THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK
% CAUCUS WHICH SHE IS A MEMBER,
% ROLLED OUT A PACKAGE OF
% LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS POLICING.
% U.S. REPRESENTATIVE GWEN MOORE
% JOINED US EARLIER THIS WEEK AND
% THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
% US.
% >> WONDERFUL.
% ALWAYS TO BE WITH YOU.
% >> WE HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO YOU IN
% THE WAKE OF GEORGE FLOYD'S
% DEATH.
% AFTER POLICE HAVE INFLICTED
% DEADLY FORCE ON OTHER BLACK MEN
% OVER SO MANY YEARS, INCLUDING IN
% YOUR DISTRICT IN MILWAUKEE, WHY
% THIS TIME DO YOU THINK HIS DEATH
% SPARK THE WORLDWIDE PROTEST?
% >> YOU KNOW, THAT IS A LOT OF
% PONDERING AND HISTORIANS WILL
% TELL US WHY, BUT THE ENTIRE
% WORLD WAS AN EYEWITNESS TO THIS
% LYNCHING, AND IT WAS A
% STRANGULATION, VERY INHUMANE,
% REMINISCENT OF THE LEGACY OF
% SLAVERY, AND EVEN THOSE FOLKS
% WHO DOUBTED THAT THERE WERE,
% THAT THERE WAS DISCRIMINATION
% AND THAT POLICE WERE
% PARTICULARLY VIOLENT TO THE
% AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY,
% COULD NO LONGER DENY IT.
% I THINK THAT IT REALLY MADE A
% HUGE DIFFERENCE FOR PEOPLE TO
% HAVE TO BEAR WITNESS TO SUCH A
% HORRIFIC ACT.
% >> YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE PROUD
% THAT AS LAWMAKERS YOU ARE
% DIRECTING YOUR OUTRAGE INTO
% LEGISLATIVE ACTION, SPECIFICALLY
% PROVISIONS OF THE JUSTICE IN
% POLICING ACT OF 2020, INCLUDE
% BANNING CHOKEHOLDS, TRACKING
% POLICE MISCONDUCT, MAKING IT
% EASIER TO SUE POLICE OFFICERS,
% AND MAKING LYNCHING A FEDERAL
% CRIME.
% AND YET YOU CALL THIS JUST A
% STARTING POINT.
% HOW SO?
% >> WELL, I JUST WANT TO POINT
% OUT MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL
% BLACK CAUCUS HAVE BEEN WORKING
% ON THIS LEGISLATION FOR YEARS
% PRIOR TO THE UNTIMELY AND
% UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF GEORGE
% FLOYD.
% ONE OF THOSE PROVISIONS, THE
% DEESCALATION TRAINING, REALLY
% WAS INSPIRED BY THE DEATH OF
% DANTRAY HAMILTON IN MY OWN
% COMMUNITY, WHERE SOMEONE WHO WAS
% ASLEEP ON A PUBLIC PARK BENCH
% ENDED UP BEING SHOT 14 TIMES BY
% A POLICE OFFICER.
% AND SO THAT, I CAN REMEMBER AS
% FAR BACK AS ERNEST LACEY, ALMOST
% 40 YEARS, DYING BY STRANGULATION
% IN THIS TOWN AND PARTICIPATING
% IN THOSE MARCHES AS WELL.
% AND THIS, OF COURSE, IS A VERY
% INHUMANE WAY TO TRY TO SUBDUE
% ANY PRISONER, AND I THINK THESE
% ARE COMMON SENSE THINGS THAT WE
% THINK ARE A START BECAUSE WE
% DON'T THINK THAT THEY ARE
% DRACONIAN MEASURES.
% NOW, THERE IS A MEASURE TO LOOK
% AT QUALIFIED IMMUNITY AND I
% THINK THAT WILL BE THE HARDEST
% PIECE TO GET OVER THE FINISH
% LINE.
% >> IN REGARD TO THAT, WOULD YOU
% FAVOR WEAKENING THE ROLE OF
% POLICE UNIONS, FOR EXAMPLE,
% PARTICULARLY THEIR ROLE OF
% PROTECTING AND DEFENDING
% OFFICERS' BEHAVIOR?
% >> WELL YOU KNOW, I'M AN ARDENT
% DEFENDER OF UNIONS.
% I THINK UNIONS ARE VERY
% IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF BARGAINING
% FOR WAGES AND BENEFITS.
% BUT I THINK IT'S OUTSIDE OF THE
% SCOPE OF A UNION TO BE ABLE TO
% NEGOTIATE LACK OF
% ACCOUNTABILITY, TO BE ABLE TO
% NEGOTIATE THOSE KINDS OF THINGS
% AWAY.
% I THINK THAT HAS GONE, THAT'S A
% BRIDGE TOO FAR.
% AND SO YES, I SUPPORT UNION
% RIGHTS AT LARGE, BUT I DO THINK
% THAT THE LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY,
% THE LACK OF TRUST, WE ARE NEVER
% GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD GOOD
% POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS,
% COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING
% UNLESS WE HAVE SOME
% ACCOUNTABILITY.
% YOU KNOW, THE PIECE THAT I HAVE
% PUT INTO THIS LEGISLATION
% DEESCALATION IS SOMETHING THAT
% EVERYBODY AGREES WITH.
% BUT DEESCALATION WILL NOT WORK,
% YOU CAN'T TRAIN OUT OF A PERSON
% THE PROPENSITY TO KILL, TO, IF
% THAT IS, IN FACT, WRITTEN INTO
% AN ACCOUNT THAT THEY ARE NOT
% GOING TO BE ACCOUNTABLE.
% AND SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO
% GET RID OF THAT PROVISION IN
% UNION CONTRACTING.
% >> VERY, VERY BRIEFLY, WHAT WILL
% IT TAKE FOR GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH
% NOT TO BE IN VAIN?
% >> IT WILL TAKE CAPTURING THIS
% MOMENT NOT ONLY LEGISLATIVELY TO
% DEAL WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE
% REFORMS, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT
% THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK
% AT STRUCTURAL RACISM, PERIOD.
% I MEAN, THE HOUSING
% OPPORTUNITIES, THE DERTH OF
% HOUSING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES,
% THE DERTH OF EDUCATIONAL
% OPPORTUNITIES.
% I THINK THAT HERE IS A MOMENT
% WHERE EVERYONE IN THE UNITED
% STATES, 60, 70% OF PEOPLE IN THE
% UNITED STATES AND GLOBALLY HAVE
% JUST HAD A -- AN A-HA MOMENT OF
% HOW RACISM AFFECTS BLACK PEOPLE
% IN AMERICA AND GEORGE FLOYD'S
% DEATH WAS JUST THE END OF THE
% STORY.
% IT'S NOT THE BEGINNING OF THE
% DISCRIMINATION.
% >> REPRESENTATIVE GWEN MOORE,
% THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.