US: Democratic politicians demand police reform after reports of brutality

Democratic US politicians have demanded urgent police reforms in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in police custody which sparked widespread outrage across the world. Repeated use of excessive force by police during the protests around the country has raised concerns about the safety of US citizens.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that protesters have the right to protest peacefully and should not be harassed, shot at by rubber bullets or tear gas. Calling for the creation of a new statewide standard for use of force in protests, Newsom said that acts of violence against peaceful protesters will not be tolerated.

Senator Kamala Harris echoed Newsom’s call and thanked other state leaders for their persistent leadership throughout the years in championing reforms on police accountability. New York Governor also called for a change in policing after a video of a riot police officer in Buffalo shoving a 75-year-old old man emerged. Cuomo said that the incident offends our sense of decency and humanity.

Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser has been one of the most vocal politicians who have voiced anger against US President Donald Trump’s aggressive approach to quell the ongoing protests. Bowser wrote to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy urging to remove National Guard from Washington DC immediately, saying they were deployed in the city without her knowledge and request.

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Fight over military deployment

Bowser has also written to US President Donald Trump to withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence from the city. On the other hand, Trump has been advocating for the deployment of active-duty military troops to suppress the protests which have largely remain peaceful.

Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have sued US President Donald Trump, Attorney General William Barr, and other federal officials for alleged violation of constitutional rights of protesters. Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a statement that law enforcement armed with military weaponry are responding with violence to people who are protesting police brutality.

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