To hold legislators accountable to Black lives and the lives that have been snuffed out by law enforcement—Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Natasha McKenna, George Floyd, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Elijah McClain, Pearlie Golden, Kayla Moore, Freddie Gray, Atatiana Jefferson, Oscar Grant, and many more—the Electoral Justice Project for the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) introduced the BREATHE Act Tuesday (July 7), M4BL announced via Twitter.
Today, we unveil the BREATHE Act, a visionary Civil Rights legislation. Join us live at 11AM ET with @RepPressley and @RepRashida and a special performance by @JohnLegendhttps://t.co/OQ8aQxVdAB #BREATHEAct pic.twitter.com/K9G0iZzTFB
rn— Movement 4 Black Lives (@Mvmnt4BlkLives) July 7, 2020
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The bill’s unveiling, which took place at 11 a.m. EST, with a special appearance by John Legend, introduced concrete ways that lawmakers can create a new vision for the country that is safe for everyone, including defunding the police and divesting from incarceration; investing in new approaches to community safety; providing resources to build healthy, sustainable and equitable communities for everyone; and enhancing the self-determination of all Black communities. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) will bring the BREATHE Act to the Congressional floor.
“This visionary bill divests our taxpayer dollars from brutal and discriminatory policing and invests in a new vision of public safety—a vision that answers the call to defund the police and allows all communities to finally BREATHE free,” reads the website. “The current moment requires a solution that fundamentally shifts how we envision community-care and invest in our society. History is clear that we cannot achieve genuine safety and liberation until we abandon police, prisons, and all punishment paradigms.”
To watch the unveiling of the BREATHE Act, check out the video below, courtesy of M4BL. Click here to learn more about the bill.