Democrats unveil sweeping police reform bill on Capitol Hill
The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 will make it easier to take officers to court, bans the use of chokeholds and more; Chad Pergram has the details.
Congressional Democrats' attempts to look woke appeared to backfire on them Monday when a series of black Twitter users accused them of cultural appropriation.
Author Obianuju Ekeocha posted a video telling Democrats to stop "virtue signalling" by wearing African cloth in the Capitol.
"Excuse me, dear Democrats," she said. "In your tokenism, you didn't wait to find out that this thing that you're hanging around your neck is not just some African uniform -- it's actually the kente material. The kente belongs to the Ghanaian people, mainly the Ashanti tribe.
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"Excuse me, Democrats," she continued. "Don't treat Africans like we're children. These fabrics and these colorful things that we have within our culture and tradition, they all mean something to us. I know you look at us and you say, 'Oh, Africans are so cute in all of your colorful dresses.' Well, some of those dresses and patterns and colors and fabrics actually do mean something to us."
Ekeocha went on to ask why Democrats were using the cloth for their "own show of non-racism."
Black commentator Hotep Jesus suggested Democrats were engaging in cultural appropriation.
"How is this not cultural appropriation?" he asked, alongside a photo of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
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Frederick Joseph, a former surrogate for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., laid out a series of criticisms for Democrats. He took special aim at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who knelt in the Capitol Visitor Center while wearing the cloth.
"If anyone can’t understand why Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and them dressed up like they’re trying to sneak into Wakanda is disrespectful and appropriative you have a great deal to learn," he said, referring to the fictional land where Marvel's "Black Panther" takes place.
Others, including Fox Nation host David Webb, piled on as well.
"Wakanda mess is this?" author Angie Thomas tweeted.
The kneeling served as an effort to memorialize George Floyd, whose death on May 25 has provoked mass protests around the country.
The kneeling also referenced an ongoing protest trend harkening back to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick and his demonstrations during the national anthem. Pelosi said on Monday that members of Congress would be kneeling in a place where they typically recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Democrats unveiled sweeping new legislation Monday that, if passed, aims to increase accountability of police officers by banning certain practices and significantly curbing immunity from legal consequences for acts committed in the line of duty.
The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 would lower the bar for police officers to face criminal prosecution by allowing charges not just in cases where alleged misconduct was intentional, but also in cases of reckless misconduct. It also seeks to incentivize independent investigations at the state and local level and allow more “pattern and practice” investigations by state attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Fox News' Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.
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