Ravens urge McConnell to bring police reform bill to Senate floor for vote

Blake was shot by the Kenosha, Wis. police officer who was responding to a reported domestic dispute. The shooting has left the 29-year-old paralyzed from the waist down, his family said. Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis while in police custody.

Baltimore called on McConnell in last week’s statement and shed light on what the U.S. can do now to help combat racism.

“Arrest and charge the police officers responsible for Breonna Taylor’s killing and the shooting of Jacob Blake,” the statement read. “Demand that Senator Mitchell McConnell bring the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 to the Senate floor for vote. End qualified immunity; require body cameras; ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants; hold police accountable in court; establish a framework to prohibit racial profiling at federal, state, and local levels, and support state — and federally-mandated CALEA Accreditation and national standards of care in policing.”

The Ravens continued: “Encourage everyone to engage in the political process by registering to vote on both the local and national level, demand prison sentencing reform that is fair and equitable, encourage every citizen to act with respect and compliance when engaging with the police. If you feel there has been an abuse of power, we encourage you to contact your police department’s internal affairs unit.

“We will use our platform to drive change now — not just for our generation, but for the generations that follow, for our sons and daughters and for their children.”