Black Democrats call for police reforms during Pennsylvania House session
Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pa. (Office of Gov. Tom Wolf)
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Black Democrats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives have commandeered the podium at the start of Monday's voting session, disrupting the day's business to argue for action on police reform bills.
They hung a “BLACK LIVES MATTER” banner from the speaker's dais.
Rep. Malcom Kenyatta took the podium to ask for police reform.
“We're going to stay here until you act,” Kenyatta said.
Rep. Steven Kinsey said he's “frustrated, upset and feeling as though I'm carrying the weight of black folks on my shoulders.”
He said he refuses to accept the continuation of racial discrimination and social injustice.
When the session was due to start right at 1 p.m., the House-controlled camera feed suddenly pivoted away from the front of the chamber, where the speaker sits, so the cameras did not show the action.
About that time, a feed from Democratic Whip Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, showed that members had taken over the dais and were speaking passionately about the racial injustice protests and demonstrations that have occurred over the killing of George Floyd.
It's been two weeks since Floyd died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes, even after he stopped responding.
Kinsey asked everyone in the chamber to kneel for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned to the ground under the officer’s knee.
Several Republicans appeared to be kneeling, and others praying while seated.
At an unrelated news conference, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said: “I support what they're doing.”