Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson had some marked words for his congressional colleagues Monday. Johnson pressed representatives on their lack of effective measures to combat police brutality in America.
It feels like open season on black men in America and I’m outraged. In fact, all Americans are at risk when bad actors in law enforcement use their guns instead of their heads. Despite bipartisan nationwide calls for action and despite my bills to reform the broken grand jury process, hold police accountable, and end militarization—and despite my colleagues’ bills to encourage body cameras—this Congress does nothing. No hearings, no blue ribbon commissions, no nothing.
Johnson proceeded to read a list of names containing the most recent victims of police shootings over the past year. This puts those victims names on the official congressional record, making it much more difficult for Congress to ignore.
“Mr. Speaker, here are just a few names of our colleagues and neighbors and relatives:
“Walter Scott from [South] Carolina; Michael Brown from Missouri; Anthony Hill from Georgia; Tony Robinson from Wisconsin; Kevin Davis – Georgia; Nicholas Thomas – Georgia; Daniel Elrod – Nebraska; Antonio Zambrano-Montes – Washington; David Kassick – Pennsylvania; Jessica Hernandez – Colorado; Kevin Davis – Georgia; Dennis Grigsby – Texas; Rumain Brisbon – Phoenix; Tamir Rice – Ohio; Akai Gurley – New York; Carlos Perez – Nevada; Kajieme Powell – Missouri; Ezell Ford – California; Dillon Taylor – Utah; John Crawford III – Ohio; Naeschylus Vinzant, of Colorado; Charly Leundeu Keunang, of California; and the list goes on.”