Although President Joe Biden directly addressed Congress last month to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act “by the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death,” officials could not meet the deadline. Because of this, the White House discussed different options to commemorate the day.
What We Know:
- One of the ideas included a meeting with key congressional negotiators. However, the Biden Administration scrapped the idea over concern that it might “disrupt sensitive negotiations;” lawmakers also declared they did not want to partake in the meeting.
- Instead, Biden will host Floyd’s family at the White House. However, the Biden Administration reassured the public that the president would mainly focus on personal connection. “It is important to him to hear from them about their perspective on this moment in our history and the progress that must be made to stop the agonizing trend of people of color being killed at the hands of law enforcement and to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” an official said.
- The House of Representatives already passed the bill. Still, the Senate halted decisions over issues like qualified immunity, blocking victims or their family members from suing law enforcement officers over civil rights violations. While both parties acknowledged they would continue working past the deadline, they vowed to find common ground.
- In addition, the White House downplayed Biden’s disappointment. Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser, told MSNBC that despite Biden calling for its completion by May 25, “it’s better to have a meaningful bill than worry about a deadline.” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also informed reporters last week that negotiators will keep discussing the bill and reach a mutual agreement on it because “the president wants to sign it into law.”
“We are not going to slow our efforts to get this done, but we can also be transparent about the fact that it’s going to take a little bit more time. Sometimes that happens, that’s OK,” Psaki declared.
- Floyd’s family and their non-profit, the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, already began a series of tributes to celebrate his legacy. On Sunday, they took to the streets of Minneapolis with hundreds of people and held up signs with pictures of Floyd and other victims of police brutality. Another event, a virtual “day of action,” encouraged advocates to organize remotely on Monday. The foundation also hosted two panels with Floyd’s family members and other activists. Tuesday will follow with a community festival and a candlelight vigil.
- Alongside this, Floyd’s brother Terrence attended a Brooklyn gathering hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton on Sunday. Terrence told attendees not to forget George, or other victims of racist violence, such as Breonna Taylor, Sean Bell, Ahmaud Arbery, and more.
- The White House warned Congress of serious consequences if they extended talks too much. If the discussions take much longer, they will enter a summer when racial justice protests may continue, and midterm election politics may “increasingly loom larger.”
While there is no current expected date for the bill’s approval, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) suggested an informal deadline of two months to NBC News. “Two months from now we’ll either be done celebrating or we won’t be done at all,” he stated.
