George Floyd's brother to House lawmakers: 'Enough is enough'
Philonise Floyd delivers a call to action to the House Judiciary Committee's oversight hearing on policing practices and law enforcement accountability: 'It is on you to make sure his death isn't in vain.'
Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, condemned Democrats as he accused them of not speaking out against the “defund the police” movement, lambasting it as “crazy policy.”
The committee held a hearing Wednesday on racial profiling and police brutality, coming after riots and protests engulfed the country in response to the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd while in police custody last month. It also comes amid a growing push from liberals to abolish, reform or defund police departments.
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Jordan, the committee ranking member, in his opening statement Wednesday, said that the American people “understand it is time for a real discussion, real debate, and real solutions about police treatment of African Americans."
“Americans also understand that peaceful protest…honors George Floyd’s memory, and it helps those debates and solutions actually happen,” Jordan said, while noting that “there is a big difference” between rioting and looting.
“And there is certainly a big difference between peaceful protest and killing police officers,” Jordan said. “You know what else the American people fully understand? They know that the vast, vast majority…of law enforcement officers are responsible, hardworking, heroic first responders.”
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Jordan said that officers “in every one of our neighborhoods, every day, every night, every shift they work, they put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe.”
“They know it is pure insanity to defund the police,” Jordan said. “And the fact that my Democratic colleagues won’t speak out against this crazy policy is just that—frightening.”
Jordan went on to reference Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, both of whom have said they support slashing police budgets and reinvesting in communities.
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De Blasio, over the weekend, said he would be diverting funding for the New York Police Department toward social services.
And Garcetti said he plans to make cuts up to $150 million to the city’s police department and redistribute the money to “black communities and communities of color.”
Minneapolis’ left-leaning City Council members on Sunday announced a veto-proof push to disband the Minneapolis police, which appears to be a complete structural dismantling of the department. In other places, departments would remain in place but get fewer government resources, with some of their funding directed toward social justice programs.
But Jordan slammed his Democratic colleagues Wednesday, noting that the legislative session began with “folks on the left pushing to abolish ICE, then abolish the Department of Homeland Security, and now they’re talking about abolishing the police.”
“This is wrong and the American people know its wrong,” Jordan said. “We should honor the memory of George Floyd and work hard so nothing like this ever happens again.”
Jordan went on to quote President Trump’s remarks last month, where he said “our mission” was “healing not hatred, justice not chaos.”
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“Healing not hatred, justice not chaos,” Jordan said again. “Let’s work together to continue to make America the greatest nation ever.”
But many top Democrats have been reluctant to speak out on the sudden momentum behind the movement.
Sources told Fox News Monday that top House Democrats warned rank-and-file members on a conference call about being sucked into a debate about defunding the police, amid concerns about its impact on their election chances.
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