For Immediate Release: March 30, 2023
Media Contact: media@colorofchange.org
Statement from Rashad Robinson, President of Color Of Change on President Biden Vetoing H.J. Res.42 to Protect D.C.’s Criminal Justice Reform Laws
“We are pleased to see President Biden renew his commitment to police accountability and stand with us against H.J. Res. 42, a right-wing and police union-led effort poised to legalize choke holds and undermine federal progress made with the President’s executive order on policing.
Not only does this resolution undermine D.C.’s self-governance it’s simply another example in a long line of recent instances of majority-white governmental bodies undermining the decisions of majority-Black and Brown communities. H.J. Res. 42 endorses the false narrative, pushed by the D.C. Police Union, that we must choose between police accountability and public safety. But we know better. While republicans try to use H.J Res. 42 to make chokeholds legal, they are blocking gun reform that would protect American school children.
We need congressional leaders to stop giving in to backward interests and instead work with us to pass proven legislation that will actually keep our communities safe. That includes police accountability measures and investments in a wide range of non-policing forms of safety, like the debt ceiling. As we move forward, Color Of Change will continue to advocate for these proven solutions and continue to expose the Fraternal Order Of Police and other entities intent on avoiding accountability for the ways they’ve harmed Black communities. ”
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