Floyd’s loved ones testify on reform bill
George Floyd’s loved ones appeared before a state House committee Thursday to support a sweeping police reform bill named for the former Houston resident, who was killed last May when a Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee to the neck for almost nine minutes.
Floyd, a Black man, has become a symbol of the movement against police brutality and systemic racism in the United States. The bill named in his honor would introduce a series of reforms, including new requirements that police develop new policies emphasizing conflict deescalation tactics and receive racial sensitivity training. The legislation would also ban police from using chokeholds to subdue people and would require officers to stop their colleagues from using excessive force.
“We have been sentenced to a life without George, and we will be reminded for the rest of our lives of the horrific way that he was killed at the hands of police,” said Tera Brown, Floyd’s cousin. “I believe that the outcome for him could have been different if at least one of the officers tried to intervene or offer aid — yet none of the officers stepped in to help him.
“He could, possibly, still be alive today.”
As the bill faced its first test in the Texas House’s public safety
committee Thursday, the most disputed change appeared to be a provision scrapping some legal protections for officers who violate a person’s rights. Similar legislation in Congress — the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — passed the House this month despite opposition from every Republican lawmaker in the chamber.
“Let’s put the right people behind the badge,” testified Travis Cains, Floyd’s close friend. “You’re not there to kill. You’re there to protect and serve.”
In Texas, Thursday’s hearing was just the first step in a long road to approve the bill. It would need to pass both chambers and earn Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature to become law.
It’s unclear where Abbott stands on the bill, though it was the governor who first floated the idea of a George Floyd Act last summer at a public memorial. An Abbott spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Many of those who testified in opposition to the bill acknowledged the need for at least some of its measures but rejected a total abandonment of qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that shields officers from liability if they violate someone’s civil rights while on duty.
Stan Standridge, the president of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, said the group objected to the bill as written — but “not entirely.” While he supports some of the bill’s provisions — including de-escalation tactics and a responsibility to intervene — he said tossing qualified immunity could endanger officers who are truly performing their jobs to the best of their ability.
Often, officers are involved in situations where they don’t yet know all the facts but still have to make split-second decisions. They need to be able to take action in those cases without fear of legal consequences, Standridge said.
“Now is the time to make change,” he said. “We just need to be careful stewards of said change.”
DeAndre’ Hutchison, the president of the Afro American Police Officers’ League, similarly said his organization supported a statewide misconduct database, de-escalation tactics and mandatory body cameras but feared a total repeal of qualified immunity.
“We have to make this distinction very clear: When officers violate people’s civil rights and the oath they took to protect and serve, that’s when they need to be held accountable,” Hutchison said. “And that’s where we have to close the loopholes — not punish the officers that are doing this job the right way.”
The hearing mostly steered clear of “defund the police” talk. The issue has often been falsely equated with any proposed police reform, and Texas’ Republican leaders have launched separate efforts to punish cities that strip funding from their police departments — but bill supporters explained that nothing in the George Floyd Act would reduce police budgets.
“This bill is not about punishing the good cops. There are many of them out there, and we’re thankful for their service,” said state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, the sponsor of the legislation. “This bill is about preserving the sanctity of life . ... It is about transparency and accountability, and it is about preventing others from abusing the power that the state of Texas gives to officers in order to protect our communities across the state.”
Ahead of Thursday’s hearing, social justice activists rallied outside the Texas Capitol in support of the policy changes. There, advocates made their case for the bill, speaking of Texans who have also died at the hands of police.
“The leaders of Texas claim to value personal liberty, life and the families of this great state,” said Alycia Castillo, a policy analyst at the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. “Yet time and time again, violence at the hands of those meant to keep us safe robs Texans of each of those things, with little to no consequence. It is time for our state Legislature to take meaningful action and hold law enforcement to a higher standard — one that works to serve and protect all Texans, regardless of the color of their skin.”
Later, Floyd’s family and friends would testify both virtually and in person. The former Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd’s death is set to stand trial next week.
“After the murder of George, there were two things that the family committed to doing individually and collectively, and that is to fight for justice for him, and also to work toward changes that would cause police reform,” said Shareeduh Tate, another cousin of Floyd.