In what’s expected to be a dramatic moment in the crisis over race and policing, George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, is testifying Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee on reform proposals, following his death in the custody of Minneapolis officers that triggered national outrage.
Asked what he plans to tell the committee as he arrived on Capitol Hill, Floyd said, “Justice for George.”
Also testifying are the Floyd family’s lawyer, Benjamin Crump, a former Secret Service agent and the sister of a federal law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.
The hearing will “examine the crisis of racial profiling, police brutality and lost trust between police departments and the communities they serve,” the panel said in announcing the hearing.
Here is how the hearing is unfolding. Please refresh for updates:
10:08 a.m. Nadler says everyone must keep masks on as he gavels in hearing
Philonise Floyd is wearing a mask as he sits at the witness table.
Though the hearing is taking place in the larger auditorium of the Capitol Visitors Center instead of the usual House Judiciary Committee room, there was little social distancing before the hearing started, with many participants visiting on the floor, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Chairman Nadler has asked that everyone present keep their masks on at all times, unless speaking, citing public health reasons.
10 a.m. Emotional, political hearing on policing reform about to get underway
A few moments before the hearing got underway, House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., signaled to reporters its high stakes, noting public pressure and partisan politics.
“There’s going to be very heavy pressure from the American people. I hope the Republicans will be responsive to that pressure, but we must have real reform, real change and frankly, anybody who stands in the way is going to get bulled over.”
Though the hearing is taking place in the larger auditorium of the Capitol Visitors Center instead of the usual House Judiciary Committee room, there was little social distancing before the hearing started, with many participants visiting on the floor, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Nadler asked that everyone present keep their masks on at all times, unless speaking, citing public health reasons.
Earlier this week, Democratic leaders introduced a sweeping police reform package on Monday aimed at improving accountability and police training. It would ban police chokeholds, and also require states to gather data on police misconduct, among other provisions.
Republicans have invited three witnesses to Wednesday’s hearing, including Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and conservative pundit frequently quoted by President Donald Trump, Darrell Scott, a pastor who served an adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign and several White House advisory councils. Angela Underwood Jacobs, a former congressional candidate and a city council member in Lancaster City, California, and the sister of a Federal Protective Services officer who was killed during protests in Oakland, California, is also expected to testify.
Trump, who has called for justice for Floyd since his death, has also criticized protesters and pledged to support “law and order.”
He floated a baseless conspiracy theory on Twitter Tuesday, suggesting that one protestor in Buffalo, New York, hospitalized after being pushed to the ground by police officers, was an “ANTIFA provocateur,” a comment widely condemned by Democrats and many Republicans.
Trump and Republicans have also used some activists’ calls to “defund the police” — a push generally calling for the reallocation of some police funds to other social services — to criticize Democrats, though party leaders have made clear that they oppose the idea.
Congressional Republicans are also working with the White House on their own policing reform measures that could improve training and data collection on misconduct, though the details of the proposals have not been finalized.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has scheduled a hearing next week on policing reform, telling reporters that he has told his members to “think big” in terms of witnesses.
