Martin Heinrich: “Americans are demanding an end to the persistent racial injustice and violence that inflicts our country. Protestors…”

“Americans are demanding an end to the persistent racial injustice and violence that inflicts our country. Protestors have gathered outside of the White House and the Capitol. New Mexicans from our biggest city to our smallest communities are marching for meaningful change. I have joined these protests in Emancipation Hall, in the streets of Washington, DC, and now I am joining them from the U.S. Senate floor. The systemic racism being called out is real, and it is all around us all of the time. Within law enforcement, we have seen it in the horrific videos documenting the racist violence that took the lives of Black men and women at the hands of police officers and extrajudicial killers. As a father raising two sons, my heart aches for the parents whose sons' and daughters' names we now chant loudly in the streets. It is unacceptable for any American to live in fear of violent encounters when they enter public spaces or retail stores or just go out for a walk. The very fact that painful experiences with law enforcement are ubiquitous among so many in our Nation should be evidence enough that our current model of policing is not working. That is why I am proud to support my colleagues Senator Booker and Senator Harris to cosponsor the Justice in Policing Act. This sweeping legislation reforms the police system as Americans across the country demand an end to police violence that is disproportionately targeting communities of color.…”