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Brother George Floyd calls for police reform: ‘Stop the pain’
Philonise Floyd will appear Wednesday in front of the House Judiciary Committee for hearings on law enforcement oversight and accountability. It happened after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody, an event that sparked a national protest along with ongoing protests and civil unrest over the issue of police violations and racial injustice, as well as calls for Congress to act.
In his testimony, Floyd’s brother said, “George always sacrificed for his family. And he sacrificed for strangers. He gave a little that he had to help others. He was our gentle giant. I remembered that when I watched the video of his murder. He called all officers ‘sir.’ He was polite, didn’t fight, he listened to all officers, people who took his life, who choked him for eight minutes and 46 seconds, he still called them ‘sirs’ when he begged for his life. ”
He added, “I can’t tell you what kind of pain you feel when you watch something like that.”
His voice rising, he said, “I’m tired. I’m tired of pain, the pain you feel when you watch something like that. When you see your brother that you’ve been looking for all your life dead, die begging his mother. I’m here to ask you to stop him. Stop the pain. Stop us from being tired. “
Floyd’s brother referred to mass protests that took place throughout the United States and urged police reform and accountability.
“George asked for help and he was ignored. Please listen to the call I am making for you now. Our family’s calls and calls that are walking the streets throughout the world,” he said.
“Respect them, respect George, and make the changes needed to make law enforcement the solution and not the problem. Make them responsible when they do something wrong, teach them what it means to treat people with empathy and respect. Teach them what strengths they need are Teach them that the power of death should be used infrequently and only when in danger. George did not hurt anyone that day. He did not deserve to die for more than $ 20. ”
The package – put together by the Congressional Black Caucus, the Parliamentary Judiciary Committee, Democrats, and Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey – will ban chokeholds, make a National Police Bad Behavior Record, provide incentives to state and local governments to conduct racial bias training for officers, and set limits on the transfer of military grade equipment to enforcement entities. local law, among other provisions.
Judicial Council Chair Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York, spoke in support of the law during the hearing, saying that it would “take a holistic approach that includes various front-end reforms to change the law enforcement culture, while also holding bad police officers accountable. to separate them from those who have the right ethics to protect and serve. ”
“This nation demands and deserves significant change,” Nadler said, adding, “it is the responsibility and obligation of the Council of Justice Council to do everything in our power to help bring change to the American people.”
Representative Jim Jordan from Ohio, a prominent Republican on the committee, said during the trial that “the Americans understand that it’s time for real discussion, real debate, real solutions, about the treatment of police from African-Americans.” He added that Americans also understand that “most law enforcement officials are responsible, hardworking, and heroic first responders.”
Jordan added that Americans also understand “it is pure madness to denigrate the police,” referring to calls that have been shared by some activists, but high-level Democrats in Congress have not supported them when they pushed for reform.
A number of other witnesses also testified at the hearing on Wednesday. Witnesses who gave testimony included Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights & Human Rights, Sherrilyn Ifill, president and Director-Advisor for the Defense Fund and Legal Education of NAACP, and Chair of Art Acevedo, President of the Association of Heads of Major Cities and heads of policeman for the Houston Police Department.
Her voice was broken and full of emotion, Floyd’s brother, Philonise, told the committee Tuesday that he had no chance to say goodbye to his brother, adding, “I was robbed of it, but I know he is looking down on us now.”
Speaking to George directly, he said, “Look what you are doing, brother, you are changing the world. Thank you for everything, for caring for us on Earth, for caring for us now. I hope you find mama and you can rest in peace with strength. Thank you. ”
This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.
Lauren Fox, Haley Byrd, and Harmeet Kaur from CNN contributed to this report.
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