Press Releases
Congresswoman Escobar Hosted Town Hall on Police Accountability and the Justice in Policing Act of 2020
El Paso, Texas,
June 16, 2020
Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) hosted a virtual town hall on Police Accountability and the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. Congresswoman Escobar was joined by Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA-37), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Pastor Michael Grady from the Prince of Peace Church. During the virtual town hall, Congresswoman Escobar and her guests discussed the Justice in Policing Act, a bold reform bill to curb police brutality and end racial profiling, and answered questions from the virtual audience. “The brutal murder of George Floyd has finally forced our country to wake up to the reality of systemic racism and police brutality. In Congress and in our communities, we have an obligation to rise to this moment, act to honor the victims, and create the meaningful, structural changes our nation needs,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “I am extremely grateful to Chair Bass for joining this critical conversation with El Pasoans about police accountability and the importance of the Justice in Policing Act, and I’m grateful to Pastor Michael Grady for leading the effort to transform the culture of policing to address systemic racism and help save lives.” “Thank you to my colleague Congresswoman Escobar for inviting me to speak at today’s event,” said Chair Bass. “Right now the world is witnessing the birth of a new movement demanding not just change, but transformative change that ends police brutality, that ends racial profiling and laws that deny local jurisdictions the power to fire or prosecute offending officers. We are on the cusp of a moral moment in this country that can only be met with action and I’m so happy to have Congresswoman Escobar alongside us in this fight.” On June 8, 2020, Congresswoman Escobar became an original cosponsor of the Justice in Policing Act. The legislation, introduced by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass, Senator Cory A. Booker, Senator Kamala D. Harris Chair, and House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler, is the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, end racial profiling, change the culture of law enforcement, empower our communities, and build trust between law enforcement and our communities by addressing systemic racism and bias to help save lives. On June 10, 2020, Congresswoman Escobar participated in a House Judiciary Committee hearing on policing practices and law enforcement accountability, and tomorrow, she will join the House Judiciary Committee to markup the Justice in Policing Act. The full video of the virtual town hall is available to watch here. ### |