Marc Veasey: “One of my favorite pastimes is playing video games with my 13-year-old son, just as Atatiana Jefferson was doing with…”

“One of my favorite pastimes is playing video games with my 13-year-old son, just as Atatiana Jefferson was doing with her 8-year-old nephew when she was murdered by a police officer in front of him in Fort Worth, Texas, this past weekend. I rise today to commemorate the legacy of Atatiana, also known as ``Aunt Tay'' by her 8-year-old nephew, and call on our law enforcement to stop these killings now. It only took 3 seconds before a police officer fatally shot this woman in front of her 8-year-old nephew while they were playing video games. She didn't even have a chance to show her hands. The reality for many Black and Brown people in this country is that this is our America, this is the America that we live in every day. It doesn't matter what neighborhood we live in or how much money we make. This is what we face. Until law enforcement reforms their culture of rogue policing that has led to the slaughtering of so many people in this country, justice cannot fully be served. Nothing is going to bring Atatiana or all of those who have been unjustly killed back, but we have to do better. We have to hold our law enforcement accountable and fix the systematic failures that have brought us here today. Until then, our communities cannot have full confidence in those who are tasked in protecting all of us. ____________________”