8 minutes 46 seconds. This is the time that a white policeman spent with his knee resting on George Floyd's neck, until he suffocated and killed him on May 25 during his arrest. 8 minutes 46, it is therefore the time of silence observed by the Democrats of the American Congress who knelt down, Monday, June 8, to pay tribute to this African-American who died at the age of 46, as well as to all the other black Americans "who lost their lives unjustly".

The Democratic president of the Congress, Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Senate democratic minority, Chuck Schumer, as well as about twenty parliamentarians, including several black American elected representatives, were gathered in the "Hall of Emancipation", named in homage to slaves who worked on the construction of its headquarters in Washington, the Capitol, in the 18th century. 

Legislation to hold police to account

These Democrats were then to introduce a bill to "end police brutality, hold the police to account, improve transparency and create far-reaching and structural changes that protect the right of all Americans to security and freedom from harm." egalitarian justice ". 

The Justice and Policing Act, presented before the two chambers, intends in particular to create a national register for police officers committing blunders, to make it easier to prosecute officers, as well as to rethink their recruitment and training. 

His future in the Senate, with a Republican majority, remains uncertain. President Donald Trump - who is running for a second term - has already accused the Democrats of wanting to "cut the police supplies". He argued for "efficient and well paid law enforcement." 

With AFP

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