FOLLOWING 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.