Call On The US Congress To Reform The Police, President Joe Biden: To Restore Trust

President of the United States Joe Biden. (Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden urged the United States Congress to pass a police reform bill, in his first speech to Congress, Wednesday, April 28 local time.

Cases of violence, discrimination to shootings involving police and black citizens have repeatedly occurred in the United States in recent times.

The case of George Floyd's death due to pressure on the knee of a white policeman on the neck sparked a series of opposition and demands for police reform in Uncle Sam's country.

The latest, the shooting case of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man in Minnesota who was described as the incident of wrongly taking an electric shock weapon into a firearm, drew criticism from President Joe Biden on April 13.

In the joint session of the United States Congress, President Biden said reform was widely supported by the American people. And, Republicans are engaged in productive discussions on this subject with the Democrats.

"We need to work together to find a consensus. Let's finish it next month, on the first anniversary of George Floyd's death (May 25)", continued Biden.

Despite this, President Joe Biden praised the United States Police, saying most men and women in uniform with badges, served the public with respect.

However, he said that Congress needed to restore confidence in law enforcement, end racism in the criminal justice system, and give meaning to the words of George Floyd's daughter, who according to Biden told him, 'Dad changed the world'.

"After George Floyd's murder conviction, we can see how true he is - if we have the courage to act. Now's our chance to make real progress", stressed Biden.

Earlier, the Democratic-led House of Representatives passed the 'George Floyd Justice in Policing Act', which aims to stop aggressive law enforcement tactics, although it has not yet been considered by the Senate.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Tim Scott hopes to find support for his alternative policing reform bill. A police bill Scott introduced last summer failed in the Senate after Democrats said the bill relied too much on incentives rather than mandating changes.

Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, was convicted last week of murder and manslaughter.

There is also a former policeman Kimberly Ann Potter whose shooting incident killed Daunte Wright, is currently undergoing trial proceedings and is charged with second-degree murder.