NBA social justice coalition pushes for passage of George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

The National Basketball Association’s social justice coalition on Monday urged lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, just one day ahead of the anniversary of Floyd’s murder.

In a statement, the coalition called for the passage of the bill that would prohibit racial profiling, chokehold, carotid holds and no-knock warrants at the federal level. It would also get rid of qualified immunity for officers and create a national police misconduct registry to prevent officers with a history of misconduct from being rehired.

“Today, as this painful anniversary approaches, we have an opportunity to honor the memory of Mr. Floyd and others who have been victims of police brutality in this country by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” the statement said.

“Systemic problems demand systemic solutions,” it continued. “And, because police actions are governed by a diverse array of state laws and local policies, the Floyd Act takes unprecedented strides towards consistency—reforming at a federal level the practices that failed its namesake.

In March, the bill passed the House with a 220-212 vote. No Republicans voted for the bill at the time.

“As Board Members of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, representing the NBA, the Players Association, the Coaches Association, league staff, and teams in every region of the country, we are calling on our elected representatives of both parties to work together to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the U.S. Senate now and present it to President Biden for him to sign into law this year,” the statement said.

“As members of the NBA family, we will continue to use our influence to support common-sense policy reform in our communities across the nation so that equal justice is afforded to all,” it added.

NBA players including Carmelo Anthony, Karl-Anthony Towns, Sterling Brown, Donovan Mitchell and Avery Bradley, as well as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum make up the coalition. 

Obama Justice Department alum James Cadogan was named the executive director of the NBA’s Social Justice Coalition last month.