Black Lives Matter gets a beat down from Val Demings & Congress

Hometown Congresswoman Val Demings was the lone Democrat sponsor of the law-and-order Blue Lives Matter Bill.

This bill, also known as the Protect and Serve Act, is widely considered a response to the Black Lives Matter movement.  The Blue Lives Matter Bill calls for federal prison sentences of up to 10 years for someone who “knowingly assaults a law enforcement officer causing serious bodily injury.” Someone who attempts to kidnap or kill an officer could get life in federal prison.

Civil liberties groups, such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, say the Blue Lives Matter Bill is excessive and unnecessary since every state already has strong laws on the books to protect police officers.

In their rebuttal to this bill, People for the American Way, wrote it part: “This bill is being contemplated at a time when our country is in the throes of a national policing crisis, with a never-ending stream of police shootings of unarmed African Americans captured on video. Creating a new, yet superfluous, crime for offenses committed against law enforcement is a particularly disconnected and non-responsive policy choice. Unfortunately, the Protect and Serve Act is similar to other ‘Blue Lives Matter’ type bills that create new criminal offenses and penalty enhancements for crimes against police.

“Collectively, these policy efforts, which have sprung up amid the national call for police accountability, appear to be a political response to the powerful activism of grassroots movements that demand fair and constitutional policing. Rather than focusing on policies that address issues of police excessive force, biased policing, and other police practices that have failed these communities, the Protect and Serve Act’s aim is to further criminalize. This bill will be received as yet another attack on these communities and threatens to exacerbate what is already a discriminatory system of mass incarceration in this country. Continuing to undermine police-community relations in this manner sows seeds of division, which ultimately threatens public safety and undermines the work of law enforcement.”

This Blue Lives Matter bill was sponsored in Congress by Rep. John Rutherford, a former Duval County Sheriff and Jacksonville Republican who labeled Black Lives Matter as a “hate group.”

Mrs. Demings, a former Orlando police chief who is married to Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, was the only Democrat to cosponsor the bill.

In response to our questions on this bill Mrs. Demings wrote: “As a former social worker and a law enforcement officer, I’ve worked my entire adult life for justice. I tried to never leave anyone behind. A good friend of mine once said, ‘everybody counts, but everybody's accountable.’ As a new member of the House Judiciary Committee, and the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, I am actively working to level the playing field. I am excited about my work to overhaul the criminal justice system, which includes law enforcement, prison and sentencing reform. After 27 years in law enforcement, I believe that officers must hold themselves to the highest standards, be accountable to their communities, and perform their duties with honor and integrity. I am working for safer communities and working hard in my new assignment to find real solutions. Please join me.”

This bill was put before the entire U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. It was overwhelmingly approved with strong Democratic support – 382-35. Democratic members of Congress who voted no include Maxine Waters from California and Alcee Hastings and Lois Frankel, from south Florida. Eleven Republicans voted no.

Before it becomes law, the bill must be approved by the senate and signed by the president.

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