Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) issued the following statement about the killing of George Floyd while he was detained by police:

“My heart is heavy after learning of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis.  Our community in Houston, where Mr. Floyd was raised, is mourning his death, as are Americans across the country.  My thoughts are with his family, and with all who feel this tragic loss.

“Like so many Americans, I am sad and I am angry.  What we saw on video is what the officers saw in real time and had the responsibility to prevent.  We saw Mr. Floyd pleading with them, telling them he could not breathe.  We saw witnesses pleading on his behalf.  And we saw the response.

“While I support the decision of that the Minneapolis Police Department to fire the officers present from the police force, that is not enough.  A full and fair investigation must follow, and I call on the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct one.  Mr. Floyd deserved justice on Monday.  And his family and community deserve justice now.

“This is yet another time that we have seen a tragic death of an African American man in the custody of police officers—or of others purporting to act in some quasi-policing capacity.  That is not just the failure of justice – it is the opposite of justice. 

“It is that injustice we saw in the brutal killing of Ahmaud Arbery.  While I am relieved to know that his killers have now been arrested and charged, I am heartbroken for his family, for his friends, and for all who live in fear of this kind of senseless violence.  While I know that the majority of people across this country agree that Mr. Arbery’s brutal killing does not represent our values as Americans, I also know that this kind of violence has a long history in our country.  It is our responsibility to make sure it does not have a future.

“We cannot permit the principles of justice to be abused by those acting within or outside of our system of justice, as we have seen in the tragic deaths of Mr. Floyd and Mr. Arbery, and of so many others before them.”