Activist calls for 'actual legislation for the changing of policing' in wake of George Floyd's death

Calvin Demetrius is a member of the Spring Valley NAACP Young Adult Committee, but he's sharing his own views, not the organization's, on what changes, if any, have occurred since Floyd's murder.

News 12 Staff

May 25, 2021, 9:33 PM

Updated 1,290 days ago

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On the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, a local activist says more work must be done for equality and justice.
Calvin Demetrius is a member of the Spring Valley NAACP Young Adult Committee, but he's sharing his own views, not the organization's, on what changes, if any, have occurred since Floyd's murder.
"For us, I can't honestly say that there has been any major change," he says.
Companies like Aunt Jemima have changed logos to avoid racial stereotypes, and NASCAR no longer allows Confederate flags at races. Demetrius says it's a good start, but not enough.
"They're great gestures, but at the end of the day that's all they are," he says.
He'd like to see is a permanent change as a result of the death of George Floyd.
"If we had actual legislation for the changing of policing, that would change things forever," he says.
President Joe Biden had hoped to bring about that systematic change on the first anniversary of Floyd's death with the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
It's an optimistic deadline that's not going to happen. The legislation passed the House last year, but it's still being negotiated in the Senate.
As Congress stalls, the young Rockland activist, and millions across the country wait for a permanent solution to what they see as deep-rooted injustice.
One of the key sticking points in the proposed George Floyd Justice in Policing legislation is reportedly whether to end qualified immunity, which shields officers from lawsuits and civil liability.