George Floyd's brother urges Congress to 'stop the pain' of police brutality (We demand justice)

George Floyd's brother, civil rights leaders and law enforcement officials testified Wednesday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on issues of racial profiling, police brutality and lost trust between police departments and the communities they serve. Several witnesses highlighted the importance of reforming police departments, and expressed support for the Justice in Policing Act, a bill introduced by House Democrats this week.


Philonise Floyd told the House Judiciary Committee he wanted justice for his late brother, and asked Democrats and Republicans on "to make your names mean something".



The House of Representatives is considering a package of reforms that would limit legal protections for police, create a national database of excessive-force incidents, and ban police choke holds, among other changes.


Floyd told a silenced hearing room that he was there to ask Congress to “stop the pain” and make sure his brother is “more than another face on a T-shirt” and a name on a growing list of black men killed by police.


"I love my brother. He's still here in spirit right now. And we need justice and we demand justice," Floyd said.


   The hearing comes one day after George Floyd was laid to rest in Houston, and just over two weeks since his death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked protests across the country and around the world.


In an emotional opening statement, Philonise Floyd, George's younger brother, discussed the pain he feels over his brother's death and how he felt watching the video of his brother begging for his life.


Later in the hearing, Floyd wept as he described watching the video which showed his brother's final moments.

"That's all people talk about. Kids have to watch the video. His kids have to watch the video. It's a lot of hurt. It's a lot of pain," Floyd said.

"Justice has to be served. Those officers, they have to be convicted," Floyd continued. "His life mattered. All our lives matter. Black lives matter. I just wish I could get him back."

Floyd later said that he believed his brother had been "lynched."

"They lynched my brother. That was a murder. They lynched him," Floyd said. When asked what he wanted to see accomplished, Floyd said he believed departments should stop hiring "corrupt police officers."

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler told reporters ahead of the hearing that hearing from Floyd will "help inform what we do." In his opening statement, Nadler addressed Floyd, saying that his brother "is not just a name chanted in the street."

Ranking Member Jim Jordan told Floyd that his brother's death was "as wrong as wrong could be." However, he also condemned rioters, and said that the "vast majority" of law enforcement officers are good people and first responders.

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