Four years ago, there were widespread radical left-wing protests across the nation following the contentious death of George Floyd.
A video showed Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin restraining Floyd by kneeling on his back/neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, sparking widespread outrage and disorder.
In a surprising development, NBC, which is controlled by Democrats, released a story today with the headline “George Floyd’s murder sparked a national reevaluation of policing, but progress has faltered or regressed,” essentially downplaying the impact of his death on our legal system.
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
Georgia lawmakers have recently reversed the 2018 criminal justice reforms, previously supported by Republicans, by reinstating cash bail requirements for 30 additional crimes.
This change reflects a bold and necessary step to ensure that criminals face appropriate consequences for their actions.
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.
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
