Speaking on the House floor, members of the Congressional Black Caucus used the “Hands up! Don’t Shoot” gesture popular with Ferguson protesters reacting to the shooting of Michael Brown.
“Hands up, don’t shoot,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. “It’s a rallying cry of people all across America who are fed up with police violence.”
“It was a John Carlos moment,” pointed out Rep. Al Green (D-TX) “Because this has become the new symbol, a new statement, a statement wherein people around the country now are calling to the attention of those who do quite understand that this is a movement that will not dissipate. It will not evaporate.”
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) criticized the “attacks” by the Ferguson police department. She says they demonstrated “an assumption that young women and men who are African-American are inherently suspicious, a false assumption with deadly consequences.”
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) praised the St. Louis Rams players who raised their hands prior to Sunday’s football game. “Let me say that I also admire the young St. Louis Rams players who raised their hands, to be able to share in the dignity of those young peaceful protesters,” she said.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Yvette Clarke, (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Al Green, (D-TX)
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)