‘Bigger than sports.’ Baltimore Ravens ‘demand’ action from Kentucky Sen. McConnell
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell is being pressured by the Baltimore Ravens to allow a vote on a bill that would make it easier to charge and convict cops.
The team demanded that McConnell “bring the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 to the Senate floor for vote,” according to a statement from the Ravens. The demand came after a Kenosha, Wis., police officer was seen on video shooting Jacob Blake, a Black man, repeatedly in the back. The officer has since been identified as Rusten Sheskey, according to multiple reports.
The legislation, which was cosponsored by 230 Democratic representatives, was written to end qualified immunity for police officers, lower the criminal intent standard for conviction of an officer, ban no-knock warrants from being used in drug cases, and “establish a framework to prohibit racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels.”
It passed the House of Representatives on June 25.
“This is bigger than sports,” the team said in a collective statement. “Racism is embedded in the fabric of our nation’s foundation and is a blemish on our country’s history. If we are to change course and make our world a better place, we must face this problem head-on and act now to enact positive change.”
The team also called for the arrest of the officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake and the death of Breonna Taylor. Louisville police officers killed Taylor in March. One of those officers has been fired, but none have been charged criminally. Newly leaked documents attempted to show a link between Taylor and her ex-boyfriend who’s been convicted previously of drug crimes and has current charges pending.
McConnell previously called Ravens QB ‘my guy.’
On the field, the Ravens are led by Lamar Jackson, an MVP quarterback who played college football at the University of Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy. McConnell, a U of L graduate, has previously praised Jackson for his talent on the field, calling him “my guy” in an interview with Hugh Hewitt back in 2017.
“I think Lamar Jackson of Louisville is the best athlete, and that’s why I think he won the Heisman Trophy,” McConnell said.
In addition to the statement released Thursday, the Ravens canceled their Friday practice “in order to perform a team unifying session surrounding social justice reform.”
The Ravens’ actions follow similar steps taken by other U.S. professional teams. The NBA canceled several playoff games after the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic refused to play Wednesday because of the shooting. MLB, NHL and WNBA players followed suit in recent days.
Multiple NFL teams have canceled their practices to call attention to the shooting and other racial injustices in recent months. That action has trickled down to college sports, as University of Kentucky football players sat out their practice Thursday.
Across every league, athletes have said they want to use their platforms to drive change and convince officials to take action. NBA players have called on the league to similarly use its power.
McConnell has backed GOP police bill
In response to the Ravens’ statement, a spokesman for McConnell referred to the Senate majority leader’s comments on the JUSTICE Act, a police reform bill introduced by fellow Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. McConnell said he supported Scott’s bill and said the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd made police reform an urgent issue.
“We are serious about making a law here,” McConnell said when the bill was introduced. “This is not about partisan differences; this is about coming together and getting an outcome.”
Senate Democrats blocked the bill after saying it didn’t go far enough to address racial inequality. It encouraged police departments to make choke holds a violation of conduct, but it didn’t ban them. It also didn’t seek to ban no-knock warrants, but instead sought to require more federal regulation of them.
Democrats said they wanted to have bipartisan talks before approving floor debate of a specific bill, according to multiple reports. McConnell scolded the block and said there would’ve been a chance to make amendments after opening the bill up for debate.
“The reality is that nobody thought the first offer from the Republican side was going to be the final product that traveled out of the Senate,” McConnell said in a statement. “What happens in this body is that we vote or agree to get onto a bill, and then we discuss, debate, and amend it until at least 60 Senators are satisfied — or it goes nowhere.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 12:55 PM.