LWVUS Welcomes House Introduction of George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

The League of Women Voters of the United States joined a sign-on letter to leadership in the US House of Representatives, welcoming the reintroduction of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

May 23, 2024

The Honorable Mike Johnson            The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries
Speaker of the House                            House Minority Leader
H-232, The Capitol                                2433 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515                         Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries,

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, and the undersigned organizations, we welcome the introduction of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the 118^th Congress as a first step toward changing the conversation in Congress on police reform and true public safety. Comprehensive police accountability measures must go hand-in-hand with investments in initiatives that strengthen communities and prevent violence through evidence-based, non-carceral programs that approach community safety through the lens of public health.

After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, we and hundreds of other groups sent Congress a letter outlining accountability principles that must be adopted to address rampant, systemic, white supremacy in policing across America. We appreciate that Congress has introduced legislation that attempts to hold true to some of these accountability principles, seeking to advance systemic reforms rooted in transparency. We do, however, believe the bill can be improved and that there are opportunities to strengthen some of the bill’s provisions, including those on “no-knock” warrants and police militarization. Finally, this legislation must be accompanied by policies providing the necessary investments in our communities that will lead to real safety.

To fully reckon with our nation’s history of violent, discriminatory policing, Congress must also move away from the punishment-first policies that neither make us safe nor serve justice for anyone. These policies have led to the targeting of Black and Brown people by law enforcement and the public based on a dangerous and wrongful association of Blackness with criminality. Elected officials and policymakers have made our communities less safe by upholding outdated policies that continue mass incarceration of Black and Brown people and perpetuate a history of structural racism and anti-Blackness in this country. These harsh policies also disproportionately affect those with intersecting or other marginalized identities – for example, people with disabilities are at heightened risk for harm from police encounters and are disproportionately incarcerated.

We cannot arrest or imprison our way to safety. We must look to build safety by investing in the actual communities suffering from violence, implementing proven prevention strategies, and investing in the resources and systems that make all communities thrive. Investing in programs and strategies that address the root causes of instability in communities is the most effective way to keep people safe and enhance community wellbeing, and is also more popular with the public than harsher criminal laws.

We look forward to discussing with you the ways in which this legislation can be improved, from ensuring accountability and transparency in its disbursement of funds to police to addressing concerns about specific provisions within the bill, as well as our overarching vision for affirmative investments in community safety. Should you have any questions, please contact Chloé White, senior policy counsel, justice, at The Leadership Conference, at [email protected].

Sincerely,

See Attached Letter for Signatories