Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has blocked a resolution, which opposed calls to defund the police and demanded “justice” for George Floyd, killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on 25 May.
"The great worry so many Americans have is that so many on the other side will feel rhetoric and then try to let this go away. We demand action, and we demand it now. Real action, not rhetoric", Schumer told the Senate on Wednesday.
Referring to the non-binding document initiated by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, Schumer claimed that “the resolution by my friend will do nothing; […] it is rhetoric”.
He spoke after Cotton underscored the need “to reject radical proposals to dismantle and defund police departments as some suggested”.
The Senator argued that "[…] defunding the police would be deadly” and that “it isn't a solution but an insult to good officers and a threat to law-abiding citizens”.
Cotton added that “what we're seeing here is the Democratic leader apparently objecting on behalf of the Democratic Party in defence of the radical idea that we should defund the police”.
Trump ‘Appalled’ by US Defund Police Movement
The remarks come after White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Monday that President Donald Trump is "appalled" by demands to defund US police and that POTUS is currently reviewing other proposals for reforming the police and admits that "instances" of racism exist within US law enforcement.
Earlier that day, Trump tweeted that he wants “law and order”, accusing the Democrats of trying to “defund and abandon our police”.
This year has seen the lowest crime numbers in our Country’s recorded history, and now the Radical Left Democrats want to Defund and Abandon our Police. Sorry, I want LAW & ORDER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2020
The tweet followed a group of lawmakers led by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and representatives of the Congressional Black Caucus presenting their own vision for US police reform.
While the bill did not suggest any changes to funding for police, it imposed new limitations on their activities, including banning chokeholds and warrants allowing forced entry without knocking in drug-related cases.
The move came after the Minneapolis City Council pledged to disband the city’s police department last week, also vowing to come up with a new community-led system for public safety.
"Decades of police reform efforts have proved that the Minneapolis Police Department cannot be reformed, and will never be accountable for its action. We are here today to begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department and creating a new transformative model for cultivating safety in our city", the Council statement pointed out.
Minneapolis became the starting point for the ongoing massive protests rocking all 50 US states after African American George Floyd was killed in custody by white police officer Derek Chauvin on 25 May.
