Four years ago, radical left-wing protests exploded nationwide after the controversial death of George Floyd.
A Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, was seen in a video restraining Floyd by kneeling on his back/neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, leading to widespread outrage and lawlessness.
In a shocking turn of events, Democrat-controlled NBC published a story today with the headline,” George Floyd’s murder led to a national reckoning on policing, but efforts have stalled or reversed, “essentially calling the influence his death had over our legal system as fainting.
In the aftermath, Chauvin was convicted of murder and calls for a nationwide reckoning on issues related to racism and police violence reverberated in city after city. But in the years since then, some of those efforts at change, like the federal George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, have stalled.
In several states, calls to pass criminal justice reforms to address decadeslong racial disparities have stalled or been met with tough-on-crime rhetoric and policies.
For Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, the initial calls for change after his brother’s death were touching.
“The fact that he was stolen from us. We still can’t get over that,” he said in an interview. “So many people, they felt the same pain all across the world.”
But as he talked about the lack of change and his inability to lobby Congress to pass the federal bill named after his brother, Philonise Floyd broke down in tears.
“It’s different. It is really like you don’t have the understanding of how you can sit there and witness that somebody murdered your brother and four years later, it still hasn’t been any change,” he said while weeping. “You’re still trying to pass the same law for your brother. And the city and the world stood with you, and we still haven’t gotten, like, any kind of change. What is it going to take?”
In recent years, many conservative states — and some progressive parts of the country — have passed tough-on-crime policies.
Going on right now… hundreds of lawmakers, lobbyists, and community leaders are at Atlanta’s Wild Hog Supper a day before the Georgia Legislature starts its 2023 session.
Lawmakers say some of the priorities for the year include affordable housing & reducing crime. @11AliveNews pic.twitter.com/cerGoyV9kx— Dawn White (@DawnWhiteNews) January 8, 2023
In Georgia, lawmakers have taken a bold stance by rolling back the soft-on-crime 2018 criminal justice reforms, a move previously championed by Republicans. This year, they’ve taken a necessary step forward by reinstating cash bail requirements for 30 additional crimes, ensuring that criminals face appropriate consequences.
While other states see the consequences of eliminating cash bail, in Georgia we’re keeping criminals accountable. Today we passed SB 63 that’ll require bail for violent offenses, stop unaccountable bail funds & keep violent illegal immigrants behind bars. https://t.co/KQkszhMLCK
— Houston Gaines (@houstongaines) February 7, 2024
Critics of tough-on-crime approaches point to Florida as ground zero for the new measures. There, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed and signed several bills into law related to police. Those measures include an “anti-rioting” law that may curtail protests, which is currently embroiled in a legal challenge at the Florida Supreme Court.
“We saw really unprecedented disorder and rioting throughout the summer of 2020, and we said that’s not going to happen here in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said before signing the bill into law in 2021.
In addition, there are two other laws on the horizon. One of them reins in the authority of police civilian review boards, ensuring they don’t overreach. The other mandates that individuals observing or filming first responders maintain a distance of 25 feet when requested.
Since his election in 2020, Republican state Rep. Tom Fabricio has been a staunch supporter of these measures, representing the interests of his constituents.
“We want to have Florida be a law-and-order state,” he said. “We don’t want abusive law and order. But we want more law and order, and I believe that’s what we’ve been able to provide to the Florida residents.”
While criminals ran through the streets of Chicago & NYC, Florida upheld the rule of law. I’m grateful for the members of #Hialeah law enforcement who keep our families safe. Yesterday, @GovRonDesantis proposed anti-crime legislation to cement #Florida as the Law & Order state. pic.twitter.com/V22XM908w5
— Rep. Tom Fabricio (@RepTomFabricio) January 27, 2023
Common sense is winning.
