On Capitol Hill, Congressmembers Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley have introduced new legislation to transform the federal U.S. criminal justice system, in what organizers are calling a modern-day Civil Rights Act. The BREATHE Act was drafted in partnership with the Movement for Black Lives. It would slash Pentagon spending, divest federal resources from prisons and police departments, end mandatory minimum prison sentencing and life sentences, abolish the Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and more. This is Black Lives Matter movement co-founder Patrisse Cullors.
Patrisse Cullors: “Right now the streets are swelling with demands for a new future and a new policy mandate. The Movement for Black Lives has responded with a vision that reflects these demands on a federal level. Our movement is strong, and we’re inviting our nation’s leaders to join us in making this vision a reality.”