House Democrats kneel in memory of George Floyd, before presenting a police reform bill, US Capitol, Washington, June 8, 2020


House Democrats present a police reform bill, two weeks after the murder of George Floyd and amid mass rallies across the US in support of Black Lives Matter.

The legislation bans racial profiling by law enforcement, mandates additional training, and require the use of body cameras for federal officers. It changes immunity standards, making it easier to sue police officers for alleged violations.

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Rep. Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus and a leading drafter of the proposal, said the measures have more than 200 co-sponsors in the House and Senate.

The bill does not address funding of police forces, amid calls by activists and marchers to “Defund the Police”.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the issue of budgets “is a local decision, a local level….That doesn’t say we’re going to pile more money on to further militarize the police.”

If the bill passed the Republican-majority Senate, it would inevitably be vetoed by Donald Trump. White House spokesman Kayleigh McEnany said that the provision changing police immunity was a “non-starter”.

Just before presenting the legislation, House members knelt in silence for 8 minutes, 46 seconds — the length of time that Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck on May 25.

Chauvin was charged in court on Monday with 2nd-degree murder and given a bail of $1.25 million. Three other officers are charged with aiding and abetting the murder, with bail set at $750,000 each.

In Houston, Texas, hundreds of mourners paid their respects to Floyd, gathering at a mural and leaving messages and tokens of affection. They then entered the Fountain of Praise church in groups of up to 15 to view Floyd’s body.

Marches continued across the US. There were no reports of violence.

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Local Steps Over Policing

Cities have already taken significant steps over policing, seeking to address the issues of violence, justice, and equality raised by the marches.

Nine of the 12 members of the Minneapolis City Council have pledged to convert the police force into a community safety agency. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti have said they will redirect some policing funds to social programs.

The House Democrats concentrated on specific measures rather than a general “de-fund” approach. Rep. Bass said:

I think it can be used as a distraction and that’s my concern. I think the intent behind it is something that I support — the idea that communities need investments.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said defunding is “not the term I would use” while emphasizing the need to “listen to the pain and the lived experiences of the people who are protesting.”

A campaign spokesman said presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden “does not believe that police should be defunded” while supporting “the urgent need for reform” and financial backing of community policing programs.

Trump avoided the issues on Monday, instead putting out the diversion, “We won’t be defunding our police. We won’t be dismantling our police.” He rebuffed the marches and declared that 99.9% of police officers are “great, great people and done jobs that are record-setting”.