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The death of George Floyd last May and the summer of protests that followed in its wake led members of Congress to try to mandate basic changes in police practices nationwide. But partisan and presidential-election politics prevented any bill from being enacted. That failure can be remedied by swift adoption of the reforms set forth in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate along with related bills introduced by senators from both parties.

Written by the House Congressional Black Caucus under the leadership of Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), with an identical version introduced in the Senate by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Floyd bill addressed decades of racial inequity in policing, but its basic reforms should be demanded by all Americans for their own protection. Supporters of the proposal are expected to reintroduce it this term.

The bill would, for example, prohibit no-knock warrants judicial orders permitting police to burst into peoples homes without warning. Police bearing a no-knock warrant last March killed Breonna Taylor in her own Louisville, Ky., apartment, an incident that has become part of the litany of police outrages against Black Americans. But all Americans are endangered and their freedom diminished by such practices.

Likewise, the measure would prohibit chokeholds of the type that led to the death of Floyd in Minneapolis last year, Eric Garner in Staten Island in 2014, and countless others. The once barely hidden racism in chokehold use has been an open subject at least since 1982, when Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates attempted to explain why it kills so many Black people. We may be finding that in some blacks when it is applied, the veins and arteries do not open as fast as they do in normal people, he famously said.

But again, purported racial disparities aside, police officers should not be cutting off blood and oxygen flow to any American, even those suspected of committing crimes.

Other provisions include the establishment of a federal registry of police misconduct complaints and disciplinary actions, so that officers who are fired or resign after investigations in one department dont simply move to another.

Critics correctly note that Congress has limited power to order states, counties and cities to change their police practices. The no-knock warrant and chokehold bans, for example, would directly apply only to federal law enforcement officers. Federal grants can encourage, but cannot compel, states and local jurisdictions to comply with similar bans.

But such criticism fails to recognize the crucial role of federal leadership in setting acceptable standards for law enforcement. And some provisions the national police registry, for example can indeed have direct impact. A California bill to stop bad cops from jumping from department to department failed last year under pressure from police unions, and even if it is more successful in the current session, its scope is limited to this one state.

Furthermore, the Floyd Act would expressly authorize the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division to issue subpoenas to police departments to determine patterns and practices of misconduct. The department used to conduct such investigations, leading to improved police practices in Los Angeles and a number of other cities, but they were ended under the Trump administration.

Former President Trump offered his own brand of police reforms with an executive order that attempted to address issues like chokeholds, but it was modest in its reach and lacked the force of a bill signed into law. Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina pushed his own bill with some of the same provisions as the House proposal, but it, too, was a victim of last years political jockeying over control of the police reform message.

The real question, Scott asked last year after his bill failed to get a hearing, is this: Do we matter? Meaning, of course, do Black lives matter in the United States?

Congress has a moral obligation to demonstrate that they do, and it can begin with sending police reforms to President Biden, who described Floyds death as a turning point in the nations reckoning with systemic racism Tuesday.

But beyond that obligation, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act or any bill that includes its provisions confronts Congress with an equally urgent set of questions. Does Congress matter? After a period in which the legitimacy of American institutions has been attacked, can it restore faith and respect by demonstrating the will to adopt modest laws that extend basic protections to all Americans? If it cant do that now, we may be in even more trouble than we thought.

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George Floyd bill will tell if Black lives matter to Congress - Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Police Commission announced Friday that the National Police Foundation will assess the LAPD's response to a series of large demonstrations that were held in the city following the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked protests nationwide.

The NPF will hold two virtual listening sessions at noon and 5 p.m. next Thursday to get input from members of the public, business owners and community leaders on interactions they had with officers during demonstrations held between May 27 and June 7.

According to the NPF, the input will be used to identify successes and challenges, and assist it in developing strategies for the LAPD to consider adopting for responding to demonstrations in the future, enhancing police-community relations and identifying how the LAPD and community can move forward.

The NPF bills itself as an independent, nonpartisan research foundation that conducts research into police behavior, policy and procedure.

According to its website, its mission is to advance policing through innovation and science.

The first NPF session can be joined by calling 312-626-6779, meeting ID 923-6097-7810; and the second by calling 312-626-6779, meeting ID 990-8337-3720.

More information is available by visiting policefoundation.org/lapdreview, by emailing PFinfo@policefoundation.org, or by calling 202-721-9779.

In the wake of the protests, Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles lost a bid to get a federal judge to order an immediate halt to the LAPD's use of projectiles, including rubber bullets, to disperse or otherwise control crowds, baton strikes, and the tactic of kettling, in which protesters either leave through an exit controlled by the police or are contained, prevented from leaving, and arrested.

In its response to the BLM-LA filing, plaintiffs' attorneys wrote that the city and LAPD support the constitutional right to engage in peaceful political protests and were assessing the actions police took on six historical, wrenching nights from May 29 to June 3.

After being asked to remove his 'Black Lives Matter' mask at work, a Best Buy employee is taking a stand. Gordon Tokumatzu reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on July 6, 2020.

The city's attorneys maintained that the immediate wholesale elimination of several LAPD policies, without a more searching examination, is simply not warranted at this time. They also noted that although the mass demonstrations were largely peaceful, there were also criminal acts of arson and looting which threatened public safety, and the LAPD must be able to respond to such situations.

In a federal lawsuit filed in June by the Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, BLM-LA and Los Angeles Community Action Network, the plaintiffs maintain there were more than 3,000 people arrested over the course of several days of demonstrations and many were seriously injured by police.

The complaint included graphic photos of alleged protester injuries from rubber bullets and police batons, as well as descriptions of protesters who were held in buses in cramped conditions without access to restrooms, and injuries from too-tight handcuffs.

Dozens of other lawsuits have been filed by individuals who said they were injured by police at the demonstrations, the largest of which were held in downtown Los Angeles, the Fairfax District and Hollywood.

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National Police Foundation to Review LAPD's Response Tactics to BLM Protests - NBC Southern California

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne's NBC) - An online artist exhibit, put on by Purdue Fort Wayne students, pays tribute to the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

This online-only juried exhibition features artwork by Purdue undergraduate students reflecting on the Black Lives Matter social justice movement.

The art exhibit is titled "A Call For Justice".

Some of the students put together photo collages, videos, music and more.

Fort Wayne's NBC News talked with Christian Stout on how it felt to have his work featured in the online exhibit.

Stout submitted some of his photography from the protests back in the Summer of 2020.

"This was taken on day 2 of the Fort Wayne protests. After walking 5 blocks around the outside of the city we ended up meeting a line of police officers in front of the Hoppy Gnome on Clinton and Berry Street. This next hour tested me mentally seeing the anguish and resilience from many of the protestors as when this picture was shot we had been subjected to tear gas and rubber bullets on two separate occasions beforehand. Everytime we would collect ourselves and push forward. Holding a 20ft gap between us and them. Letting them know that we're here to stay. That we had a purpose. That we were a community of people supporting a cause and each other."

Want to check out the online exhibit? Click here.

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PFW artist exhibit reflects on the Black Lives Matter movement - Fort Wayne's NBC

England cricketers will be undergoing racism education from this year onwards in wake of a series of recent revelations pertaining to racism in English Cricket. The decision to implement the anti-racism course also comes in the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement that sent shockwaves across the world last year. Quite recently, a survey was conducted which revealed that more than one-third of black, Asian and minority ethnic players have been subjected to racism at some point during their playing careers.

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England-based Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) conducted a survey where respondents claimed that they have endured racism in the sport. While 45 per cent from more than 600 respondents stated that they have faced racism from another player, around 10 per cent admitted to suffering the same from their coaches. Moreover, 30 per cent of the respondents claimed that they have experienced racism either online or from spectators.

Considering the results of the survey, the PCA decided to develop an education programme where all male and female players from Englands domestic as well as international squads will be made aware about cultural differences and unconscious bias. The PCA has already partnered up with EW Group to develop the programme, which is slated to begin from March onwards.

PCA CEO Rob Lynch said that they are delighted to deliver their player education programme as they look to take a zero-tolerance approach to racial discrimination in cricket. Lynch added that any kind of racism in the game is unacceptable and the game needs to take action against it. The PCA official revealed that they will be working alongside the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and other stakeholders to deliver further in this area.

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In September 2020, cricketer Azeem Rafiq claimed that he experienced racism while playing for Yorkshire. While speaking with ESPNCricinfo, the 29-year-old said that he was close to committing suicide during his time at the club despite living his familys dream of being a professional cricketer. Rafiq also revealed that his complaints of inappropriate dressing room behaviour were initially ignored by the club.

Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj also made allegations of experiencing racist taunts from the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) earlier in January. The cricketer notified his captain Ajinkya Rahane, who in turn alerted the match officials, thus bringing the Test match to a halt for a few minutes. Several members of the SCG crowd were then evicted from the stadium and Cricket Australia launched an investigation regarding the Mohammed Siraj racial abuse incident.

Former West Indies cricketer and commentator Michael Holding gave a hard-hitting take on racial profiling in the sport. During West Indies tour of England in July 2020, Holding led an emotional discussion alongside fellow commentator Nasser Hussain and talked about the importance of educating society on racism. Here is a look at Holdings moving take on the controversial subject.

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Black Lives Matter impact: England cricket to introduce Racism Education for all players - Republic World

She is even thinking of majoring in political sciences or sociology, because they cover a lot of activism and political issues, something she never would have considered just a year ago when taking her A levels. No chance, she laughs.

Growing up, she had not always seen the world that way. Bourne attended private school where she was introduced to and excelled at hockey, joining local club Surbiton and making her way on to national team youth pathways. As a black woman she did not see many others who looked like her. The private school thing plays a big part in the lack of representation of black athletes in hockey in England. If you dont have access to the sport, youre not going to play. I also think the lack of representation of black role models higher up does affect the number of young aspiring athletes that are going to join.

England Hockey is able to name just four Black or Asian women to have represented Great Britain at senior level. Bourne says it is not something she actively gave much thought to until last year: When I was younger, because I grew up in a predominantly white area as well, I was often the only black girl in a situation. So it was something I kind of just learnt to get through and ignore that part of me. It wasnt a conversation that I had when I was younger or really noticed playing hockey, other than the fact that, you know, everyone was whiter than me.

But George Floyds death at the hands of police sparked the global Black Lives Matter and Bourne was inspired into action. Many sports, including her own, reflected on their role in the lack of representation. In August, an open letter sent to England Hockey, signed by nine clubs, accused the governing body of having an endemic race issue and of not doing enough to attract players from more deprived areas. Since then, national team players initiated a campaign called Stick it to Racism and the governing body launched an external diversity panel. In November, their efforts suffered embarrassment though, when a member of the diversity group was suspended for derogatory behaviour.

Bourne says forcing the sport to reflect means things are moving in the right direction I think theres a lot more to be done, but you can see that theyre trying to take the right steps, Bourne says. And especially a lot of the players have been increasingly active, which is great to see because they are role models. They dont have to be black [to be] role models, if theyre actively supporting the black community that in itself is fantastic.

Hockeys lack of diversity is not only a British problem, as Bourne found when she met her Duke squad. Having followed the international game, she was not surprised to be the only black member of the team. But the initial feeling was one of discomfort. I was the standout I was different because I was English, I joined late because of the coronavirus and then I looked different to everyone. As soon as I made relationships and got playing, I forgot about it. But that feeling of being out of place and a little bit anxious that a lot of people experience, maybe even more greatly than I do, it was very real.

Alongside her ambition to one day represent England and Great Britain at senior level on the pitch, she is focused on making hockey and society more inclusive and equal.There are groups and individuals who are continuously trying to stay active, like my coach at Duke is really, really forward- thinking, holding meetings on a regular basis about how we can be actively anti-racist, because she understands that I am the only person of colour on the team.

Thats really supportive. But as a whole as a country, both America and England, the conversation has died down. I would love to see everyone continue talking about it. And it just goes back to my original question: why is there any resistance to the debate?

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Darcy Bourne on the Black Lives Matter protest photo that has given her 'chance to change the world' - The Telegraph