LANSING, Mich., June 18, 2021 — House Democrats introduced a 16-bill Justice for All package that aims to improve safety and restore public trust through increased accountability measures and banning archaic and dangerous police procedures. State Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck), who introduced House Bill 5021, which would ban Michigan law enforcement from purchasing weapons from the military, issued the following statement:
“We need to hold police accountable to the ones they serve and ban dangerous procedures that cost people their lives. That’s why the Justice for All package focuses on instituting critical reforms that include body camera requirements as well as prohibitions on military weapons, chokeholds and no-knock warrants.”
“With over 1,000 deaths at the hands of the police every year, we should be looking into how we can reduce deadly police encounters, not arm them with militarized weapons that turn our cities into war zones. Weapons of war have no place on our streets and do not make us safer. They only increase violence against communities – particularly Black and brown communities – at the hands of an increasingly militarized police force. However, body cameras are proven to protect and save lives. Transparency and accountability are important in any job – especially for those tasked with upholding the law. Far too often, stories like Breonna Taylor and George Floyd go unnoticed and unchallenged by those who have the responsibility to protect our communities. This package takes us another step forward in our fight for real solutions for communities like Hamtramck and Detroit.”