On Thursday, Democrats in the House of Representatives quickly defeated a Republican resolution opposing so-called autonomous zones and the push to “unseat the police.”
The resolution was presented to the floor by Representative Greg Steube, R-Fla. He called for justice for George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis police custody last month sparked protests across the country; condemned violence, riots, and looting; and asked Congress to “unequivocally oppose the autonomous zones and efforts to remove the police.”
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The resolution declared the importance of law enforcement in the communities of the United States, while noting that the work of law enforcement officials is “inherently dangerous” and that officers “risk their lives every day.” .
The measure also condemned officers who abuse their positions of authority and supported peaceful protests, while opposing “autonomous zones,” such as the one excavated in several blocks from the city of Seattle, and efforts to remove the policeman.
“What happened in Minneapolis that we all know was a tragedy. It should never have happened. He could be wrong and his family deserves justice,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on the floor of the House said Thursday. difference between peaceful protests and riots. There is a big difference between peaceful protests and violence. There is a big difference between peaceful protests and attacking police. And there is certainly a big difference between peaceful protests and forming CHAZ or CHOP or any kind of autonomous zone. “
Jordan added that the resolution “strongly opposes what I think is one of the craziest public policy proposals I have ever seen: this idea that we are going to vanish the police.”
The office of House of Ministers leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday that “no Democrat voted in favor of this resolution.”
“His refusal is totally embarrassing,” said McCarthy’s office.
This occurs when the House is slated to vote and is likely to pass a Democrats-authorized police reform package, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which would curtail officers’ immunity from the legal ramifications of acts committed in the fulfillment of duty.
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The Police Justice Act would also establish independent investigations at the state and local levels and allow “model and practice” investigations by state attorneys general and the Department of Justice. Currently, many investigations of police misconduct are handled internally.
The legislation would also create a national police record of misconduct, change the use of force and other regulations, make lynching a federal crime and establish recommended best practices.
Democrats in the Senate blocked a Republican-led police reform bill on Wednesday.
The Republican Party’s efforts to publicly denounce the drive to “fire the police” come as the movement gains momentum in recent weeks.
The appearance of the police is different in various locations. In Minneapolis, the City Council supermajority supported a complete structural dismantling of the department. Elsewhere, departments would remain in place but would get fewer resources from the government, with some of their funds going to social justice programs.
