Policing

Jacob Blake. Another name in the long list of Black men and women shot by police. This time a father, security guard, and a sibling. He was shot multiple times while his children watched from the car. Just imagine being a small child and witnessing your father being gunned down by police. Thankfully, they did not take his life.

The militarization of police is a key factor in the policing crisis we face today. Congress has opportunities to reform the 1033 program this year and limit the Department of Defense’s practice of transferring surplus military grade equipment to local police departments.

Black communities deal constantly with police harassment and violence. Some law enforcement agencies had made positive steps to curb these abuses, but these reforms must be coupled with increased transparency and oversight.

Every law enforcement agency across the country has what’s known as a “use of force standard” or “use of force continuum.” These regulations govern when officers can use force—and how much they’re permitted to use.

The protests and conversations of the past couple months have laid bare a fact that Black and Brown Americans have known for decades: America has a policing problem. And that problem is firmly and undeniably rooted in racism,

José Woss, FCNL’s legislative manager for criminal justice and election integrity, provides powerful testimony about the experience of living in America, coming to terms with its racial realities, and taking a stand for the generations to come.

At the heart of the American policing problem is the increased militarization of the American police force. Simply put, police have become an occupying force in Black and Brown communities that do far more harm than good.

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Rayshard Brooks, and countless others have laid bare the problems with the American policing system. Recently, Sen. Tim Scott (SC) proposed the Justice Act (S. 3985) as a response to this ongoing crisis. This bill, though, falls far short of the moment that inspired it.

There are many reasons to end the use of the death penalty. Executing criminals does not effectively address the roots of violence in our society. It has not been shown to effectively deter the sorts of crimes for which it is applied. It does not restore lives destroyed by acts of violence.