On the recordFebruary 6, 2017
the job of the Attorney General of the United States is to enforce laws that protect the rights of each and every American. More than ever--more than ever--we need leaders who can bring Americans together to improve police-community relations, to ensure that all Americans have access to the ballot, and to reform our criminal justice system. In the city in which I live, in Cleveland, we are under a consent decree today which already is improving relations between the police and the community. We saw it more than a decade ago in Cincinnati, where Mayor Cranley--then a member of the council and now the mayor-- has worked with the community, as have others. We see more people of color in the police department, and we see better training for police. We see improved relations in that community, in large part because the community came together--police, community leaders, citizens--to make for better relationships and better relations inside the community. The consent decree there made a huge difference in that city. The consent decree in Cleveland is making a difference there. That is partly the job of the Attorney General--to make sure the Department of Justice stays on course to do that. When we think of leaders whom we need to improve police-community relations, to ensure Americans have access to the ballot, and to reform our criminal justice system, Senator Sessions is simply not that leader. It is not personal.…





