On the recordJune 25, 2020
I thank our conference chair. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in honor of the lives I took an oath to serve as long as I draw breath. Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Dominique ``Rem'mie'' Fells, Sandra Bland, Saheed Vassell, Eric Garner, Sean Bell, Patrick Dorismond--how many more Black lives must be hashtagged before we deliver equal justice to all of our people? I have heard my colleagues on the other side of the aisle make every excuse under the Sun for maintaining the status quo. Not today, my friends. When Americans are dying at disproportionate rates across the country at the hands of law enforcement and have been doing so for generations, enough is enough, and Congress must act. This crucial legislation will make police accountable for their actions. 1976, Randolph Evans, 15 years old, unarmed Black boy, shot dead, Brooklyn, New York. 1978, Arthur Miller, choked to death, Brooklyn, New York--my first protest as a child. The only crime: Being Black. Here we are 2020, Breonna Taylor, shot dead in her home; George Floyd, choked to death. Their only crime: Being Black. So, my colleagues, as the only Black woman in the New York State congressional delegation, there are two things I know are true and will remain true whether we acknowledge or accept it: Black lives matter. No justice, no peace. Today, I choose justice. I vote ``yes.''
