Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) joined House and Senate Democrats in pushing for sweeping police reforms that fall short of defunding police.
The package known as the Justice in Policing Act would ban chokeholds, establish a police misconduct registry, and require state and local law enforcement to report use of force data broken down by race, sex, disability and religion, reports Tapinto.net.
Yahoo News reports the Justice in Policing Act would also remove some of the protections police officers have including immunity from personal liability for actions taken in the line of duty.
“We applaud the introduction of the Justice in Policing Act and we are hopeful for the conversations about police reform it will move forward,” said Quyen Dinh, executive director of SEARAC. “However, police violence persists because our country’s law enforcement and justice system are rooted in systematic racial inequity, oppression, and discrimination, and especially in anti-Blackness. In order to prevent further police violence and bring justice to all who have been impacted by it–George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others–Congress must act boldly to help communities rebuild. On the 45th year anniversary of Southeast Asian American resettlement and resilience in America, it is incumbent on us as allies to stand with the Black community now more than ever to demand justice and true change.”
The Policing Act does not include the defunding of police which would reallocate some of the money funding police department to education and social services, according to Yahoo News. The defunding proposal is not supported by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Harris, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Biden, does support defunding.
“You know how you create more safety?” Harris told Good Morning America. “You fund public schools and it wouldn’t be the case in America today that two-thirds of teachers pull money out of their own pocket to fund school supplies. The way you create more safety is that people have access to health care that’s affordable. The way you create more safety is to get jobs in the community.”
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story.
