JUSTICE FOR ALL REQUIRES MEANINGFUL POLICE REFORM AND COMPENSATION FOR THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED

Jump to today’s actions:

Call the Senate
Call the House

Background

George Floyd’s murder forced Americans to confront thestructural racism permeating the criminal justice system--from interactions with the police to incarceration and beyond.

Responding to this and other recent police murders of people of color, the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to check police violence against marginalized communities by restricting qualified police immunity, liimiting racial profiling, and banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

While a good first step, it fails to address the most prevalent police contact--the almost 50,000 daily traffic stops, in which people of color are overly represented due to racial profiling. Such stops are the most common way police humiliate, traumatize, brutalize and kill them--as the stops of Lt. Caron Nazario, pepper-sprayed in Virginia, and the murder of Duante Wright in Minnesota illuminate.

Thus, eliminating pretext traffic stops must be added in the Senate.

In Oregon, we must eliminate another form of abuse--refusal to compensate those wrongfully convicted. Today, SB 499, which provides monetary compensation for the years lost behind bars anb access to services like housing assistance and mental health counseling, is being considered in the Senate.

Both bills are important steps in criminal justice reform and must be enacted.

1. Call the Senate.

Script Oregon Senators

SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753

My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a good first step in addressing the structural racism that permeates interactions between the police and people of color and needs to be enacted immediately, through elimination of the filibuster, if necessary. While I am asking the Senator to work to keep all of its provisions, it must be amended to include the banning of pretext traffic stops, through which police commonly humiliate, traumatize, brutalize and kill people or color.

SEN. WYDEN: Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a good first step in addressing the structural racism that permeates interactions between the police and people of color and needs to be enacted immediately, through elimination of the filibuster, if necessary. While I am asking the Senator to work to keep all of its provisions, it must be amended to include the banning of pretext traffic stops, through which police commonly humiliate, traumatize, brutalize and kill people or color.

Script for Republican Senators

D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a good first step in addressing the structural racism that permeates interactions between the police and people of color and needs to be enacted immediately. To protect your constituents, it must be amended to include the banning of pretext traffic stops, through which police commonly humiliate, traumatize, and kill people or color.

2. Call the House.

Look up your rep.

Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)

Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Thank you for supporting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Because it fails to ban pretext traffic stops, through which police commonly humiliate, traumatize, brutalize, and kill people or color, when it returns to the House, please ensure that pretext traffic stops are added to the list of banned police conduct.

Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)

Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Your refusal to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act ignores the needs of your constituents. When it returns to the House, you can redeem yourself by voting to add pretext traffic stops to the list of banned police conduct.

Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)

Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Thank you for supporting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Because it fails to ban pretext traffic stops, through which police commonly humiliate, traumatize, brutalize, and kill people or color, when it returns to the House, please ensure that pretext traffic stops are added to the list of banned police conduct.

Script for Peter DeFazio (OR-04)

Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Thank you for supporting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Because it fails to ban pretext traffic stops, through which police commonly humiliate, traumatize, brutalize, and kill people or color, when it returns to the House, please ensure that pretext traffic stops are added to the list of banned police conduct.

Script for Kurt Schrader (OR-05)

Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Thank you for supporting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Because it fails to ban pretext traffic stops, through which police commonly humiliate, traumatize, brutalize, and kill people or color, when it returns to the House, please ensure that pretext traffic stops are added to the list of banned police conduct.

3. Call Oregon Elected Officials

Look up your Oregon Senator and Representative

Script for Oregon Elected Officials

Salem switch board: 503-986-1848

My name is [-] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

I understand that the Senate is today voting on SB 499, which helps wrongly convicted Oregonians to rebuild their lives. That Oregon is not among the 35 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government who compensate the wrongfully convicted must be corrected. Please vote “yes” on SB 499.