Norma Torres: “With one word--one word-- George Floyd spoke to the conscience of this Nation in a way that countless cries for justice…”

“With one word--one word-- George Floyd spoke to the conscience of this Nation in a way that countless cries for justice were met with deaf ears before. When George Floyd called out, ``Mama, Mama,'' he activated every mother who saw that horrible video. We saw our own child with a police officer's knee on their neck. We saw our own child being murdered slowly, painfully. As someone who spent 17\1/2\ years as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD telling people, ``Don't worry. It will be okay. The police are on their way,'' as someone with that background, my disgust is palpable for any police officer who would harm the very same people they have sworn to protect. This was not an isolated incident. We don't have just a few bad apples. We know the names of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, and Michael Brown because George Floyd was far from the first. And we know Rayshard Brooks' name because George Floyd is far from being last. So the Justice in Policing Act is long overdue and urgently needed. It reforms qualified immunity so everyone who faces discriminatory policing or excessive force has an avenue for recourse. It creates a national police misconduct registry to track officer misconduct. It improves training and practices to make sure that officers are properly prepared for the situations that we ask them to address, and much more.…”