On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death
Biden enacts new reform for US federal police
05/26/2022, 10:49 am
Two years after the death of George Floyd, a reform is intended to make police officers more accountable. Although the regulation only applies to federal agencies, for Joe Biden it stands as proof that he can heal “the soul of the nation”. Meanwhile, the US President continues to fight for the enforcement of stricter gun laws.
Two years after the death of African American George Floyd in a brutal police operation, US President Joe Biden has signed a decree with more restrictions and accountability for police officers. The decree is proof of “what we can do together to heal the soul of this nation,” Biden said Wednesday. However, the ceremony was overshadowed by the school massacre in Texas the day before.
Floyd’s death in the city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020 had sparked nationwide protests against racism and police violence. The seven-year-old daughter of George Floyd attended the commemoration event in the White House alongside parliamentarians, African-American representatives and the families of other victims of police violence.
In his speech, Biden emphasized that the United States is a “great nation” made up of a large majority of “good people”. At the same time, he confirmed that he would travel to Uvalde, Texas, in the coming days, where an 18-year-old killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school.
Few supporters of stricter gun laws
Biden’s police reform affects only the work of federal agencies. It provides for the establishment of a database for police misconduct and the obligation to use body cameras. The use of chokeholds, which killed Floyd, for example, is prohibited.
Biden was unable to find enough support in parliament for a more far-reaching reform that would also regulate the work of police departments at the state and district levels. Biden also faces fierce opposition in Congress to restricting the lax gun laws that blame Biden for the Uvalde school massacre.