Al Franken: “as our Nation confronts what increasingly feels like a weakening of the bond between law enforcement and the communities…”

“as our Nation confronts what increasingly feels like a weakening of the bond between law enforcement and the communities they serve, I rise to urge all of my colleagues to examine the relationship between police and communities of color. One year ago, I joined the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in urging our colleagues to convene hearings on this critical issue. The Justice Department had recently made public the, frankly, shocking findings on its investigation into the Ferguson Police Department, which found that the city engaged in a pattern and practice of constitutional violations. But the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters relating to civil liberties and criminal proceedings, and entire subcommittees devoted exclusively to matters of crime and to the protection of constitutional rights held no hearings on the broader issue. No proposals were debated by the whole committee, no testimony heard. We had already lost Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray. And rather than honor our obligation to confront this problem head-on, rather than engage in difficult conversations about race and about persistent inequality, we allowed these problems to be met with silence. It must be said that we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave officers who worked tirelessly to keep us safe from harm. Every day, they put their lives on the line to protect our safety and that of our families.…”