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Black lawmakers want Brown, Garner families invited to State of the Union
The Hill ^ | December 5, 2014 | Mike Lillis

Posted on 12/05/2014 7:21:03 AM PST by maggief

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are talking about inviting the families of Eric Garner and Michael Brown to President Obama's State of the Union address in Washington next month.

The lawmakers – who have universally condemned the justice system's response to the killings of the two black men at the hands of white police officers – say the presence of the two men’s relatives would send a strong signal that Washington policymakers are serious about tackling criminal justice reform head on.

“I think that would be appropriate and fitting,” Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the civil rights icon, said Thursday. “It would help educate and sensitize other members and humanize some of the issues that we're going to confront.” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), another black lawmaker who has led the CBC’s charge against the militarization of local police forces, echoed that message.

“Those families are symbols of an issue that needs to be urgently addressed in America,” Johnson said. “I think it would be an excellent idea.”

The lawmakers emphasized that no such invitations have been extended yet for the president’s speech. But they're endorsing the idea of inviting the Brown and Garner families in order to amplify the justice-system questions highlighted by their deaths.

“It would be good that we put a face to the injustices that have occurred as a result of the criminal justice system that hasn't been lifted to a point of colorblindness,” Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said Thursday.

“Appropriately,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas.), “people who have experienced tragedies like that would be the right kind of guests to have.”

The CBC members have been outraged over decisions by grand juries examining both the Garner and Brown killings to not indict either of the police officers investigated on any charges.

Garner, a 43-year-old from Staten Island, died in July after Daniel Pantaleo, a white New York Police Department officer, applied a chokehold during an arrest. The confrontation and Garner’s death were caught on a video that went viral on the Internet.

Brown, an 18-year-old from a St. Louis suburb, was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson, Mo., police officer, after a confrontation in August.

Both incidents – and the subsequent grand jury decisions – sparked protests across the country and launched a national debate about racial profiling and the actions of police.

Obama is calling for strict new policies surrounding law enforcement tactics and a close examination of the system on the whole, and it is expected the issues will come up in his annual address.

“When it comes … to our criminal justice system, too many Americans feel deep unfairness when it comes to the gap between our professed ideals and how laws are applied on a day-to-day basis,” Obama said Thursday, referring to the pair of grand jury decisions.

Given the prominence of the issue in recent months, CBC members said the president will almost certainly make criminal justice reform a theme of his SOTU speech.

“I think he must,” said Lewis. “And not just speak to the question of criminal justice, but where we are as a nation and as a people.”

Rep. Emanual Cleaver (D-Mo.), a former head of the CBC, said lawmakers are meeting with members of the Brown and Garner families to provide support in the wake of tragedy. He suggested they'd ultimately be invited to the State of the Union (SOTU).

“Particularly this soon after the grand jury reports we shouldn't suggest anything that appears to be too political,” Cleaver said. “[But] I think, ultimately, we're going to want to have them here.”

Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), who represents the district where the Browns live, said inviting the family would be “a good idea,” but he'd “have to check their schedule.”

Asked if there's a possibility, Clay said, “Could be.” Then he paused, smiled, and said, “Yep.”

House lawmakers are each offered one guest ticket to the president's annual SOTU speech.

Both Lewis and Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) suggested the invitations to the family members should come from Obama, himself.

“I think that would be a signal that this administration is laser-focused on the problem of police misconduct, and I would certainly encourage him to do it,” said Butterfield, who will head the CBC in the next Congress. “Optics always matter, and this would be a positive optic to have the families [here].”

The idea might not sit as well, however, with some Republicans who are defending the criminal justice system in the face of the recent criticisms.

In the wake of Wednesday's grand jury decision in the Garner case, for instance, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), who represents Garner's district, issued a statement expressing his “full faith that their judgment was fair and reasoned.”

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) went a long step further, praising the police and blaming Garner's obesity and medical conditions for his death.

“You had a 350-pound person who was resisting arrest. The police were trying to bring him down as quickly as possible,” King told CNN Wednesday. “If he had not had asthma and a heart condition and was so obese, almost definitely he would not have died from this.

“I don't know where the racial angle comes in,” King added.

Other Republicans, however, have suggested congressional hearings could be held, particularly on the grand jury’s decision in Staten Island, which has raised more bipartisan criticism than the Ferguson incident.

The American public “deserves more answers” about the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday.

He also said he was open to the idea of Congress holding hearings on the deaths in New York and Ferguson, Mo.

“Both of these are serious tragedies that we’ve seen in our society. I think the American people want to understand more about what the facts were,” Boehner told reporters at a news conference. “There are a lot of unanswered questions that Americans have and, frankly, I have.”


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cbc; ericgarner; michaelbrown
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1 posted on 12/05/2014 7:21:03 AM PST by maggief
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To: maggief
Then to Rome to be canonized!! :)
2 posted on 12/05/2014 7:22:58 AM PST by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: maggief

Unless there is a sickle cell gene link, there is no obvious racial element to the police execution in New York.


3 posted on 12/05/2014 7:23:06 AM PST by Ingtar (Is this the Ebola and rumors of Ebola mentioned in the Bible?)
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To: maggief

“Burn this bitch down”

4 posted on 12/05/2014 7:23:49 AM PST by maggief
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To: maggief

Awesome. The family members can get their EBT cards personally refreshed by the CBC.


5 posted on 12/05/2014 7:25:50 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: maggief
Black lawmakers want Brown, Garner families invited to State of the Union

As long as they pay their own way, I have no objection.

6 posted on 12/05/2014 7:26:31 AM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed & water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: maggief
We've gone from honoring the heroics of Lenny Skutnick to honoring the parents of petty thugs?

-PJ

7 posted on 12/05/2014 7:26:45 AM PST by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: maggief

Yet another reason to ignore the SOU speech/spectacle.


8 posted on 12/05/2014 7:27:26 AM PST by glorgau
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To: maggief

That’ll be great! With Michael Brown’s mom there, it will be the first State of the Union address where somebody dresses trashier than Michelle. Hopefully, which ever guy they’re trotting out as his “dad” will wear a lot of bling and a velvet fedora.


9 posted on 12/05/2014 7:28:27 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: Admin Moderator

Correct link:

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/226087-black-lawmakers-want-brown-garner-families-invited-to-state-of-the-union


10 posted on 12/05/2014 7:30:53 AM PST by maggief
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To: maggief

Yes, let’s showcase the families of lawbreakers. Disgusting.....


11 posted on 12/05/2014 7:31:52 AM PST by beethoven
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To: maggief

Congress could just not invite the president.

Send the speech and have the clerk read it into the record.


12 posted on 12/05/2014 7:34:22 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: maggief

People still don’t get it. The rats realize that by pushing amnesty would piss the minorities off more. This is taking more jobs from them. So, while they stuff the country with more illegals they needed something to take everyone eyes off a bad policy. This is like burning down the house to cover the theft.


13 posted on 12/05/2014 7:36:29 AM PST by luv2ndamend (Same party, different letter)
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To: maggief
“Those families are symbols of an issue that needs to be urgently addressed in America,” Johnson said. “I think it would be an excellent idea.”

The "urgent need" is for black fathers to:
1. Be husbands;
2. Be "daddies";
3. Teach their sons to deal with adult male authority;
4. Teach their sons to deal with adult male WHITE authority;
5. Be around to enforce rules;
6. Be adamant about their sons' education and skills training.
7. Go to church every Sunday and insist on all, including SONS, go with the family. As a father goes, it seems, so go the children--no matter how much mother may ... beg, plead, pray and beg.
8. Stay married; stay faithful and stick around.

What have I missed? I KNOW you FReepers have more...and would be delighted to enlighten me. :o) God bless y'all. (I'm "fixin'" to go to Texas for Christmas and have to practice my Texanese.)

14 posted on 12/05/2014 7:37:13 AM PST by cloudmountain
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To: maggief

Americans....wise up........The vast numbers of Arican-Americans are totally ignoring the Obama/Holder/Sharpton gig in throwing American policemen under the bus. They are frightened to death about the majority of the American people getting riled up (they are) over the cuddling of these criminals & thugs....defended and catered to by the Obamabot nutcase.

Case in point.......the total number of so-called demonstrators and protesters most probably does not exceed 100,000 people....across the country. Of that number about half are African-Americans....the rest are labor union thugs, communist,. Obama radicals, Property destroyers, thieves, or America hating Obamabot, left-wing socialists. So.....the truth is, out of our popiulation of 317,000,000 citizens....these malcontents represent very few people of any ethnicity or citizens that make positive, productive contributions to the USA. Rather they would prefer to tear or burn it down...as would Obama, and his CBC lunatics!!!


15 posted on 12/05/2014 7:37:24 AM PST by JLAGRAYFOX ( My only objective is to defeat and destroy Obama & his Democrat Party, politically!!!.)
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To: maggief
Why not just go to a local prison and bus in a few hundred criminals? What's the difference?
Since when are criminals considered heroes worthy of such "honor"?
Both the dead guys are dead because they were breaking the law. If I robbed a bank, would I get to sit next to Moochell too? Would I be praised as a great American by the organizer and chief?

This is a slap in the face to all law abiding citizens. I hope America is just as appalled by this crap as I am.

16 posted on 12/05/2014 7:38:24 AM PST by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: VanDeKoik
I agree. Why should Congress have to sit there for the Obama Side Show Extravaganza?

The last few times he treated the conservative Supreme Court Justices rather badly.

I say DO NOT INVITE HIM.

17 posted on 12/05/2014 7:38:29 AM PST by Slyfox (To put on the mind of George Washington read ALL of Deuteronomy 28, then read his Farewell Address)
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To: VanDeKoik
Congress could just not invite the president.
Send the speech and have the clerk read it into the record

WHAT?! Are you MAD?!
The country and planet MUST see more and more and more (Insert 10,000 more "more" here.) of our "black" president.

He's half WHITE but that isn't germane, is it?

18 posted on 12/05/2014 7:40:13 AM PST by cloudmountain
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To: maggief

As if I needed another reason not to watch.

The House should not invite the Pres__ent.


19 posted on 12/05/2014 7:43:53 AM PST by depressed in 06 (America conceived in liberty, dies in slavery.)
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To: maggief

If the Republicans had any cajones, which they don’t, they would invite police offices from all over the country to the State of the Union show in reply.


20 posted on 12/05/2014 7:44:14 AM PST by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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