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Social Media Roasts Congressional Democrats for Kneeling in Kente Cloth
The representatives also unveiled a new plan for police reform.
On Monday morning, House and Senate Democrats knelt in the Capitol building for nearly nine minutes to honor George Floyd. The symbolic gesture came before representatives unveiled a new plan for police reform.
\u201cHouse and Senate Democrats kneel for an 8 minute and 46 second moment of silence for George Floyd.\u201d— Sarah Reese Jones (@Sarah Reese Jones) 1591626425
"Police brutality is heartbreaking reflection of an entrenched system of racial injustice in America," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said. "True justice can only be achieved with full, comprehensive action. That's what we are doing today."
However, tweets about the gesture quickly drowned out any details of the proposal. For the most part, Twitter users pointed out the limitations of symbolic gestures like kneeling. Considering the manner in which George Floyd died, this reaction is more than understandable.
\u201c\u201cAll I can say is don\u2019t knock it til you try it, the bean pies are very delicious and the pamphlets quite informative\u201d\u201d— Young Person (@Young Person) 1591628336
\u201cwhen you're about to propose a sweeping three cent per bullet tax on all police ammo expenditures\u201d— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL) 1591629723
\u201cincredible levels of not getting involved\u201d— backhoe mix (@backhoe mix) 1591630688
\u201cNancy Pelosi is joining the cast of In Living Color. 2020 is crazy af\u201d— Alex Sayf Cummings\ud83c\udf39 (@Alex Sayf Cummings\ud83c\udf39) 1591633546
The six-point plan would create a national police misconduct registry. Additionally, the plan would ban the use of chokeholds by officers. It would also limit qualified immunity, and mandate the use of body cameras and dashboard cameras. The plan calls to limit the transfer of military weapons to state and local departments. Lastly, the bill would ban no-knock warrants for drug cases and also make lynching a federal hate crime.
Louisville police obtained a no-knock warrant to enter the home of Breonna Taylor on March 13. Despite LMPD identifying themselves as officers with a warrant at the time, it's unlikely the situation escalates without the warrant. The LMPD recently dropped attempted murder charges against Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker, who fired at the officers after they entered the building.
"The martyrdom of George Floyd gave the American experience a moment of national anguish," Pelosi continued. "This moment of national anguish is being transformed into a movement of national action as Americans from across the country peacefully protest to demand an end to injustice."
