Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), issued the following statement regarding today’s vote in the United States House of Representatives to advance H.R.7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020:
“We commend the House of Representatives for passing the Justice in Policing Act. In supporting this legislation, members of Congress are sending a strong and decisive message that systemic reforms — rooted in transparency and accountability — are critical to ending the violent, racist policing that has plagued this country for decades. We applaud legislators for taking this important step toward justice, and meeting many of the demands called for by protesters and civil rights activists throughout the United States.
“Now, the onus falls on the Senate to take up the Justice in Policing Act and move it one step closer to becoming law. This is not the time for partisan politics. We strongly urge the Senate to exercise its leadership and continue the momentum toward achieving comprehensive, long-overdue reforms.”
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
