Press Releases

Congresswoman Wilson issued the following statement following the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act:

"Tonight, I voted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. The horrific public execution of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last May resurrected painful experiences that many African Americans have experienced for decades. This legislation is long overdue and the first of many steps necessary to address the systemic racism that exists within law enforcement and end police practices that have so needlessly and cruelly taken the lives of too many black men and women.

"This legislation will standardize police practices across the nation and ban inhumane restraints like chokeholds and headlocks and end no-knock warrants. It also holds law enforcement officers accountable for their on-duty conduct and ends qualified immunity, which has shielded law enforcement officers with racial animus from prosecution for using lethal force. Most important, it will help save lives.

"America's standing in the world as a beacon for justice demands that we live up to the principles of justice in everything we stand for. The passage of this bill pushes us further along the path toward realizing justice for all."

"The Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act, which I passed in the last session of Congress and is in the process of being set up, is another critical initiative that will help address and unravel the underlying causes of the racism and racial injustice that is so tightly woven into the fabric of American life."