Expressing condemnation for police brutality wherever in the world it occurs.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1240 Expressing condemnation for police brutality wherever in the world it occurs. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 24, 2020 Ms. OMAR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Com- mittee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Af- fairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Expressing condemnation for police brutality wherever in the world it occurs. Whereas, in 2020, there have been significant peaceful as- semblies protesting against police brutality throughout the world, including in the United States; Whereas police brutality may include human rights violations such as the use of excessive force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture, and the use of lethal rounds and the unnecessary use of ‘‘less-lethal’’ crowd control weapons by law enforcement, in response to peaceful as- semblies; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Nov 24, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1240.IH HR1240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1240 IH Whereas police brutality may occur prior to an arrest, during crowd control operations, during an arrest, and while an individual is in custody; Whereas the Small Arms Survey identified that between 2007–2012, 19,000 people worldwide were killed by po- lice annually; Whereas a 2017 United Nations Development Program re- port found that more than 70 percent of individuals who had joined violent extremist groups across Africa self-re- ported that ‘‘government action’’, including police bru- tality, was the determining factor in their decision to join such groups; Whereas the United States is the largest arms exporter in the world, including as the top provider to 13 out of 19 coun- tries in the Middle East; Whereas the United States is the largest developer and ex- porter of ‘‘less-lethal’’ weapons, including tear gas, in the world; Whereas the United States, especially under the auspices of the wars on drugs and global terrorism, has in recent decades dramatically increased its influence on the tac- tics, equipment, and purpose of policing around the world; Whereas during that same period and under those same aus- pices, domestic police forces at the State, local, and Fed- eral level have become increasingly militarized in both equipment and tactics; Whereas several United States embassies in Africa released statements in the aftermath of the May 25, 2020, police killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, explicitly VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Nov 24, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1240.IH HR1240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1240 IH recognizing the foreign policy dimension of domestic po- lice violence; Whereas many of those statements included reminders of the importance of an impartial judicial system and account- ability for state security forces who commit human rights violations; Whereas on a global scale, police brutality occurs on every continent, in both democracies and dictatorships, and in countries that are both partners and adversaries of the United States; Whereas on a global scale, police brutality disproportionately harms already vulnerable people, including racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, women, migrants, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community; and Whereas on a global scale, impunity for both individual police officers and departments or units who commit police bru- tality is an endemic problem: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) condemns police brutality wherever in the 2 world it occurs; 3 (2) stands with peaceful protesters around the 4 world in their calls for justice and accountability for 5 police brutality; 6 (3) recognizes that police brutality dispropor- 7 tionately targets already vulnerable populations, in- 8 cluding racial, ethnic, religious minorities, women, 9 migrants, and the LGBTQIA+ community; 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Nov 24, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1240.IH HR1240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1240 IH (4) recognizes that impunity for police brutality 1 undermines the rule of law, erodes public confidence 2 in state institutions and degrades social cohesion; 3 (5) calls on the United States Government to— 4 (A) take immediate and significant steps to 5 eliminate police brutality and impunity for po- 6 lice brutality in the United States; 7 (B) prohibit the sales of arms, ammuni- 8 tion, and ‘‘less-lethal’’ policing equipment to 9 countries with demonstrated patterns of human 10 rights violations by security forces or impunity 11 for human rights violations by security forces; 12 (C) prohibit other forms of security assist- 13 ance, including police training, to countries with 14 demonstrated patterns of human rights viola- 15 tions by security forces or impunity for human 16 rights violations by security forces; 17 (D) use its voice, vote, and influence in 18 international institutions to work toward the 19 elimination of police brutality and ending impu- 20 nity for police brutality around the world; 21 (E) end the use of militarized equipment 22 and tactics in policing both at home and 23 abroad; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Nov 24, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1240.IH HR1240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 1240 IH (F) reallocate funding in both the United 1 States and abroad to peacebuilding, job train- 2 ing, counseling and mental health program- 3 ming, and violence-preventing programming; 4 and 5 (6) calls on businesses based in the United 6 States that sell lethal and less-lethal policing equip- 7 ment to adopt strict protocols prohibiting the sale of 8 such articles to countries with demonstrated pat- 9 terns of police brutality or impunity for police bru- 10 tality. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Nov 24, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1240.IH HR1240 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS