George Floyd's brother made a sad call to the US Congress, calling for an end to the suffering of black Americans and reform of the police. Meanwhile, the White House has ruled out support for proposals to reduce police immunity.
Felonese Floyd, whose brother George was murdered on May 25 in Minneapolis by a white policeman - during a hearing before the US House of Representatives Judicial Committee - said he "could not describe the pain" he felt when he watched the video depicting his brother's death.
"George did not harm anyone that day. He did not deserve to die because of $ 20. I ask you ... Is this the value of the black man? $ 20? This is the year 2020. Enough is enough ... You have to make sure that his death It will not be in vain. "
George Floyd, who hails from Houston and worked as a nightclub guard, was fired when the police detained him in front of a Minneapolis store, after receiving a tip-off that he bought cigarettes with a fake banknote.
On Wednesday, the Judicial Committee in the House of Representatives held its first congressional hearing to study the issues behind the current turmoil, such as racial injustice and police brutality.
"We cannot turn a blind eye to the racism and injustice that pervades the ranks of the police force," committee chairman Jerry Nadler said at the opening of the session, adding that "the nation forces us to act to make real changes."
Protests erupted throughout the United States and abroad, following the death of George Floyd, after police officer Derek Chauven seated his neck for about nine minutes.
Policeman and dead man
Feloniz Floyd said that Chofin knew his brother and killed him "because he did not like him," stressing that what happened "must be linked to racism", adding, "In order for him to do something like this, he must be premeditated." It is reported that both George Floyd and Derek Chauffin worked as a goalkeeper at the same night club.
“Please, listen to my call, listen to the calls of my family, to the calls of those taking to the streets all over the world,” Feloniz addressed the members of the House, referring to the current demonstrations that have been described as the largest protest of this kind since the civil rights movement in the United States in Sixties of the last century.
"They adopted the necessary reforms to make the security forces the solution rather than the problem. Make sure that you are held accountable when you make a mistake, teach her to treat people with sympathy and respect, and teach her that lethal force should be resorted to only," Filonese said in his testimony after a sister's funeral in Houston on Tuesday. When a person’s life is at stake. ”
The Democratic-led House of Representatives is pushing for comprehensive reform, while Republicans in the Senate are crafting a competition plan.
The position of Trump and the Republicans
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Tuesday that he would assign Tim Scott the only black member of the Senate to prepare proposals to be presented to President Donald Trump.
For its part, the White House said it was putting the finishing touches on proposals to reform the police.
White House spokeswoman Kylie McKinney said - in a press briefing on Wednesday - that President Donald Trump "spent the past ten days working hard and calmly on the proposals, to address the issues raised by protesters across the country ... legitimate issues," and added that the proposals may be announced in Within the coming days.
But she ruled out the president's support for efforts to reduce police immunity, saying it would "push the police back down."
Confederate statues
On the other hand, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the removal of 11 statues of military and Confederate-era officials in the Capitol building, as part of efforts to combat racism.
In a letter sent by Pelosi - the leader of the Democrats in Congress - "The statues of the men who called for brutality and barbarism to reach this frankly racist end constitute a hideous insult to the ideals of democracy and freedom."
She believed that "their statues honor hate, not heritage," adding that "they must be removed."
In the context of other moves by civil society and companies, Amazon announced on Wednesday that it imposed a one-year ban on US police using its facial recognition technology, calling on Congress to tighten legal controls for the use of this technology.
"We hope this ban will give Congress sufficient time to implement the appropriate rules, and we are ready to help if requested," the US retail and computing giant said in a statement.
The move came in the wake of an invitation by human rights organizations struggling to combat racial disparity in the country, in which Amazon demanded to stop its technical cooperation with the US police.