Statements By Reverend Al Sharpton & Attorney Benjamin Crump Regarding S.3985, The Justice Act

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Jun 22, 2020

(New York, NY) — “S. 3985, or the JUSTICE Act, is a nonstarter in the conversation to truly make a difference when it comes to the pervasive issue of over-policing Black communities,” said Rev. Al Sharpton. “Republicans don’t seem to understand the voice nor the pain of Black America when their panacea comes in the form of pouring additional federal dollars for law enforcement without addressing the establishment of a misconduct registry, the militarization of police, a ban on chokeholds and the elimination of no-knock warrants and racial profiling practices.”

“The Black community is tired of the lip service and is shocked that this $7 billion package can be thought of as legislation,” said Attorney Benjamin Crump. “We all know that as the Act is written, it is in direct contrast to the demands of the people, who have taken to the streets, to call for the reallocation of resources in order to improve social safety nets and public mental health programs.”

“We urge all to strongly oppose the JUSTICE Act as its name only serves to misconstrue the truth and fails egregiously short of addressing decades of systemic racism and lax policies that do not hold police accountable,” said Rev. Al Sharpton.

Selected Press

Washington Post — Floyd family lawyer, Sharpton and NAACP Legal Defense Fund urge senators to oppose GOP police reform bill

National Action Network calls JUSTICE Act ‘woefully inadequate’