Biden Calls On Congress To Deliver Police Reform By Anniversary Of George Floyd’s Death: ‘A Giant Opportunity’

 

President Joe Biden delivered his first address to Congress on Wednesday night in order to discuss the first 100 days of his presidency and set forth several new policy initiatives. He also took the chance to discuss police reform and the recentlhy tried George Floyd case.In his speech, Biden discussed a conversation he had with George Floyd’s daughter last year after Floyd died while in police custody, as seen around the world in a viral video. Biden said, “She looked at me and she said, ‘My daddy changed the world.’ Well, after the conviction of George Floyd’s murderer, we can see how right she was if — if — we have the courage to act in the Congress. We have all seen the knee of injustice on the neck of black Americans. Now is our opportunity to make some real progressDiscussing members of law enforcement, Biden said, “The vast majority of men and women wearing the uniform and a badge serve our communities and they serve them honorably.”

“I know them. I know they want to help meet this moment, as well. My fellow Americans, we have to come together to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve. To root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system and enact police reform in George Floyd’s name that passed the House already.”

Biden continued, “I know Republicans have their own ideas and are engaged in a very productive discussions with Democrats in the Senate. We need to work together to find a consensus, but let’s get it done next month by the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death.”

“The country supports this reform and Congress should act. Should act. We have a giant opportunity to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. Real justice. And with the plans outlined tonight, we have a real chance to root out systemic racism that plagues America and American lives in other ways,” Biden said.

Last week, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in relation to the death of George Floyd.

On May 25, 2020, Chauvin and three other officers arrested and detained Floyd after he allegedly gave counterfeit money at a convenience store. Following a struggle to get Floyd into the back of a police cruiser, viral video shows that Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck and back for nearly nine minutes to detain Floyd while awaiting paramedics.

As reported by The Daily Wire, Biden called the Floyd family once the jury was sequestered before the verdict was announced.

“I can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they are feeling, and so I waited until the jury is sequestered and I called,” Biden said, speaking about a phone call he shared with Floyd’s family Monday. “I wasn’t going to say anything about it … it was a private conversation.”

“They’re a good family and they are calling for peace and tranquility no matter what that verdict is. I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict, which is, I think it’s overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury is sequestered,” he continued.