JEFFRIES.
HE CHAIRS THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC
CAUCUS AND SERVES ON THE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
CONGRESSMAN, WELCOME.
TAKE US THROUGH YOUR BILL AND
WHAT YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT TIM
SCOTT’S REPUBLICAN BILL.
WHERE IS THERE COMMON GROUND?
>> WELL, OUR BILL CLEARLY IS
DESIGNED TO BE TRANSFORMATIVE IN
BASICALLY CHANGING THE
ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES BOTH ON
THE CRIMINAL SIDE, ON THE
TRANSPARENCY SIDE AS WELL AS ON
THE CIVIL RIGHTS SIDE, TO ENSURE
THAT IF YOU HAVE A ROGUE POLICE
OFFICER THAT IS ABUSIVE, THAT IS
VIOLENT, THAT ENGAGES IN
BRUTALITY, THAT THEY ARE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE UNDER THE LAW.
THAT IS THE ONLY WAY THAT CHANGE
WILL BE BROUGHT ABOUT.
WE’LL SEE WHAT THE PROPOSAL IS
ON THE REPUBLICAN SENATE SIDE,
BUT IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE
ANCHORED IN ANYTHING TRULY
TRANSFORMATIVE.
>> YOUR BILL WON’T HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFORM
ANYTHING UNLESS YOU CAN GET IT
SIGNED INTO LAW.
IF THERE WERE, LET’S SAY, TWO
THINGS, TWO THINGS THAT YOU
COULD WORK FROM YOUR BILL INTO
THE SENATE VERSION, WHAT’S THE
MOST IMPORTANT?
>> WELL, THE NATIONAL USE OF
FORCE STANDARD THAT WE
ESTABLISHED IN OUR BILL, WHICH
IS ANCHORED IN THE PRINCIPLE
THAT DEESCALATION TACTICS SHOULD
BE USED IN THE FIRST INSTANCE,
AND THAT DEADLY FORCE SHOULD
ONLY BE USED AS A MATTER OF LAST
RESORT, I THINK, IS CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT TO ESTABLISH BECAUSE
RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO STANDARD
THAT EXISTS.
THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENTS AND IT’S
THE WILD WEST.
AND THAT OFTEN RESULTS IN DEADLY
CONSEQUENCES.
I’VE BEEN WORKING FOR FIVE YEARS
ON A CHOKE HOLD BAN THAT WOULD
PROHIBIT SUCH TACTICS THAT
RESULT IN STRANGULATION AND
ASPHYXIATION, INCLUDING A KNEE
TO THE NECK.
AND THAT CLEARLY SHOULD BE
PROHIBITED UNDER LAW, BECAUSE
IT’S UNCIVILIZED, IT’S
UNNECESSARY, IT’S
UNCONSCIONABLE, AND IT’S
UNAMERICAN.
>> THE PRESIDENT’S ORDER
SUPPORTS THAT.
IF YOU CAN GET A NATIONAL CHOKE
HOLD BAN, IS THAT PROGRESS?
>> WE NEED COMPREHENSIVE POLICE
REFORM, BECAUSE THE SITUATION
THAT WE CONFRONT RIGHT NOW WHERE
WE SEE UNARMED AFRICAN-AMERICAN,
LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS REPEATEDLY
KILLED, NOT JUST MONTH AFTER
MONTH, YEAR AFTER YEAR, BUT
DECADE AFTER DECADE, IS
UNTENABLE.
IT’S NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE
PRINCIPLES OF LIBERTY AND
JUSTICE FOR ALL AND EQUAL
PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW.
THAT’S WHY WE’RE SAYING WE NEED
TRANSFORMATIVE POLICE REFORM AND
THAT IS WHY THE JUSTICE AND
POLICING ACT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO
GO.
>> CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND
WHAT TRANSFORMATIVE POLICE
REFORM MEANS?
UNFORTUNATELY THE PRESIDENT
TAKES THINGS LIKE DEFUND THE
POLICE AND WARPS THEIR MEANING,
AND IN WARPING THEIR MEANING
CONVINCES THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
THAT MEANS WE’RE NOT GOING TO
HAVE A POLICE FORCE AND YOU
WON’T BE SAFE, WHEN YOU AND I
BOTH KNOW THAT’S NOT THE CASE.
>> THE CHOKE HOLD BAN, REFORMING
ADOPTION OF QUALIFIED IMMUNITY,
SO IT CAN NO LONGER BLOCK PEOPLE
FROM VIPD KATING THEIR CIVIL
RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW, NATIONAL
USE OF FORCE STANDARD IS
APPROPRIATE
APPROPRIATE, EXPANDED
JURISDICTION FOR THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF CIVIL
RIGHTS SO THAT WE DON’T RELY ON
ACCOUNTABILITY TO COME FROM
LOCAL DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICES
THAT HAVE A COZY RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE LOCAL POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
WE PROHIBIT NO-KNOCK WARRANTS
AND DRUG RAIDS, THAT RESULTED IN
THE TYPE OF CASEDEATH OF BREONNA TAYLOR.
SO YOU DON’T HAVE AN OFFICER
FIRED FROM ONE POLICE DEPARTMENT
AND HIRED BY THE CLEVELAND
POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT RESULTED
IN A 13-YEAR-OLD SHOT IN COLD
BLOOD.
IT’S DESIGNED TO BRING ABOUT A
POLICING MENTALITY THAT IS NOT
ANCHORED IN A WARRIOR APPROACH
TO POLICING, BUT IN A GUARDIAN
APPROACH TO POLICING THAT BRINGS
THE COMMUNITY AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT TOGETHER.
>> WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST
ROADBLOCK TO GETTING THIS
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH?
IS IT POLICE UNIONS?
>> POLICE UNIONS HAVE NOT BEEN
CONSTRUCTIVE TO DATE IN TERMS OF
THE DEBATE HISTORICALLY.
AND, HOPEFULLY, WE’LL SEE SOME
PROGRESS.
THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE
ISSUED A STATEMENT THAT SHOWED
SOME DEGREE OF OBJECTIVITY AS IT
RELATES TO THE NEED TO DO
SOMETHING MEANINGFUL.
THAT WAS A HOPEFUL SIGN.
THAT WAS ISSUED IN CONNECTION
WITH THE JUSTICE AND POLICING
ACT.
I THINK MITCH McCONNELL IS
ALWAYS AN OBSTACLE TO PROGRESS
BECAUSE HE HAS ONE SINGULAR
INTEREST, JAM RIGHT-WING JUDGES
DOWN THE THROATS OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE SBIG NOR EVERY OTHER
PROBLEM THAT EXISTS FOR EVERYDAY
AMERICANS.
HOPEFULLY, WE’LL BE ABLE TO
OVERCOME THAT OBSTACLE THIS TIME
AROUND.
>> WHILE POLICE UNIONS MAY BE AN
OBSTACLE FOR YOU OR NOT
CONSTRUCTIVE, DO YOU THINK
THERE’S A WAY AROUND UNIONS TO
WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT?
BECAUSE WHAT YOU JUST LAID OUT
SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD
BE CONSTRUCTIVE FOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY
DOING THE JOB.
>> THERE ARE GOOD POLICE
OFFICERS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
MANY OF WHOM I REGULARLY
INTERACT WITH BACK HOME IN
BROOKLYN AND QUEENS WHO ARE
THERE TO PROTECT AND SERVE, BUT
THERE ARE VIOLENT OFFICERS,
ABUSIVE OFFICERS AND BRUTAL
OFFICERS WHO POISON THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLICE
AND THE COMMUNITY.
SO, IT SERVES EVERYBODY, WE
BELIEVE, TO HOLD THOSE BAD
OFFICERS ACCOUNTABLE AND GET
THEM OFF THE FORCE.
AND THERE ARE MANY POLICE
CHIEFS, MANY POLICE
COMMISSIONERS, MANY REFORMERS
WITHIN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT
COMMUNITY WHO BELIEVE WE DO NEED
A SHIFT FROM A WARRIOR MENTALITY
TO A GUARDIAN MENTALITY AND
THAT’S WHAT THE JUSTICE AND
POLICING ACT IS ALL ABOUT.
>> THESE PROTESTS ARE NOT JUST
ABOUT POLICING.
THEY’RE ABOUT INJUSTICE ACROSS
THE BOARD.
INJUSTICE IN TERMS OF EDUCATION,
ECONOMICS, OPPORTUNITY, HEALTH
CARE.
CAN YOU USE THIS MOMENTUM TO GO
BEYOND POLICE REFORM?
>> WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO USE
THIS MOMENT TO GO BEYOND POLICE
REFORM.
THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD --
>> HOW?
>> -- DEFINITELY WAS -- WELL
WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IS THAT
WE’RE GOING TO TACKLE ALL OF
THESE ISSUES.
HOUSING INJUSTICE, ECONOMIC
INJUSTICE, EDUCATIONAL
INJUSTICE, THE FUNDAMENTAL
PILLARS THAT UNDERLINE OUR
SOCIETY HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH SO
THE ABILITY OF EVERY SINGLE
AMERICAN, REGARDLESS OF RACE,
REGARDLESS OF COLOR, REGARDLESS
OF RELIGION, CAN PURSUE THE
AMERICAN DREAM AND BECOMES A
PROG REALITY.
WE’VE COME A LONG WAY BUT WE
STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO AS