Congress Must Act on Police Violence

George Floyd drew his last breath after one police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes and another taunted “Don’t do drugs, kids” to the gathered crowd.

Breonna Taylor was shot to death in her own bed by Louisville Police in what was a baseless warrant in a drug investigation.

There is no excuse for these unconscionable deaths. Yet time and time again, drugs are used as a justification to target, harass, assault and kill Black people by law enforcement.

Ending the war on drugs is only one piece of dismantling the systemic racism that persists in American society. As mass protests gather strength across the country in response to police violence and racism, we share the grief, outrage, and demand for accountability and justice.

Join us in calling on Congress to take immediate action to stop fatal police killings and violence.

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Subject

Dear Member of Congress,

Message Body

I urge you to take swift and decisive legislative action in response to ongoing fatal police killings and other violence against Black people across our country. Federal statutory reforms are urgently needed on a range of policing issues, including use of force, police accountability, racial profiling, militarization, data collection, and police tactics and training (https://civilrights.org/resource/civil-rights-coalition-letter-on-federal-policing-priorities/).

In recent weeks, the chronic structural issue of police killings against Black people across our country has, again, escalated to a boiling point. The case of Breonna Taylor’s death on March 13 demonstrates the unresolved problem of militarized policing, which we also saw in Ferguson, Missouri after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Ms. Taylor was fatally shot eight times by police in her Louisville home, after a heavy-handed, military-style raid. Police executed a no-knock warrant based on alleged drug activity even though the suspect the police were looking for was already detained and did not live where Ms. Taylor was killed. This case demonstrates the need for police agencies to prohibit the use of no-knock warrants and institute mandatory de-escalation training for all officers. This case also indicates the need for Congress to end the transfer of military weapons to state and local police agencies through the Department of Defense 1033 program and other such programs.

These recent police killings of residents across the country are part of a longer history of fatal police killings against Black people in America and require Congressional action immediately. It’s time for Congress to adopt legislative measures to ensure that police officers live up to their oath to protect and serve, beginning with prohibiting the use of no-knock warrants, especially for drug searches, and ending programs that facilitate the transfer of military equipment to local police departments.

Now is the time for Congress to pass meaningful police reform legislation to protect Black communities from the systemic perils of over-policing, police brutality, misconduct, and harassment, and end the impunity with which officers operate in taking the lives of Black people.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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