Senate Judiciary holds hearing on police use of force
Updated: 6:37 p.m.
The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held its first hearing on policing since the May 25 death of George Floyd — a black man who was killed in custody by Minneapolis police — triggered a wave of protests and international outcry for reform of the U.S. police system.
The hearing included two panels, one on policing in the black community, and another, according to Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., of "folks who can tell us about the other side of the story and ways to go forward." The afternoon hearing looked to cover police use of force and community relations, with nearly a dozen witnesses from civil rights and law enforcement backgrounds.
In his opening address, Graham acknowledged how differently he, as a white man, views his interactions with police, as opposed to how many black Americans feel in their dealings with law enforcement.
"I've learned over the years, but particularly recently, that every black man in America apparently feels threatened when they are stopped by the cops. It is not 99%; it's like 100%," Graham said. "When I see a cop behind me, the first thing I think about is what did I do wrong, and can I talk myself out of this ticket? There is literally no fear. And I wouldn't like to live in a country where I'm afraid to be stopped."
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Some of the same witnesses testified last week in a hearing before the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee. Among them: Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, joined the first panel. And Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who heads up the Major Cities Chiefs Association, will also return to testify, but this time as part of a second panel before the Senate committee.
Other witnesses include St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter; civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt of Philadelphia; Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas; and the heads of several other police organizations.
The hearing comes as Senate Republicans, including Graham, move to craft legislation to respond to demands to address police brutality. The panel convened just hours after President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday on policing following his own vision for reform.
House Democrats plan to vote later this month on their new proposal, the Justice In Policing Act, which includes outright bans of no-knock warrants in drug-related cases and the use of chokeholds.
South Carolina's junior senator, Tim Scott, the lone African American Republican in the upper chamber, has led the charge to draw up legislation for his caucus. Scott has said his measure won't include outright bans but instead will focus on de-escalation training to reduce the use of chokeholds, increased use of body cameras and wider federal reporting requirements for police departments across the country.
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