On the recordApril 14, 2015
I thank Representative Johnson for raising a very important point. This is a difficult conversation. I understand it. It is not easy to have a conversation about law enforcement conduct that crosses the line into illegality, but we have got to ask the question: Is there a blue wall of silence that exists such that good officers who observe inappropriate conduct engaged in by bad officers are afraid to speak the truth about encounters that take place that cross the line? If, in fact, there is this blue wall of silence, I ask the question: How can that be good for our democracy when it means that a victim of police violence in most instances will never get equal protection under the law consistent with the 14th Amendment because of this almost impenetrable blue wall of silence? {time} 1930 As we have this conversation about what we are going to do about police violence, it should be a Democratic conversation and a Republican conversation, a Black, a White, a Latino, and an Asian conversation, a blue State conversation--it happened in New York--a red State conversation--it happened in South Carolina. This is an American problem. I thank the distinguished gentleman for raising this issue. It is a difficult one, but we weren't sent here to the United States Congress to run away from difficult issues when it is impacting the people we represent. We have got to run toward difficult issues and try to confront them.
