Sen. Martin Statement on George Floyd

We honor George Floyd’s memory, not by looting and destruction of property, but through peaceful protests, a commitment to unity, and a collective will to make positive changes to our public policies.

We honor George Floyd’s memory by resolving to stand against racism and police violence in all its forms. We must never turn a blind eye to mistreatment and injustice.

At the State Capitol, I look forward to continue working with Democrats and Republicans to enact policy changes which make reforms to our state laws regarding police accountability and help to combat systemic racism.

Last year, I voted in favor of bipartisan legislation which reshapes how police handle use-of-force incidents. That bill, which is now state law, added the use of chokeholds to the list of incidents police departments report, in addition to any incident that is likely to cause serious injury. Starting this year, the reports are provided to state authorities with a summary of the race and gender of those involved and how the force was used, and any injuries suffered. Read about it here:
‪https://www.cga.ct.gov/…/…/2019SUM00090-R02SB-00380-SUM.pdf‬

We must continue that bipartisan progress here in Connecticut. I am confident that substantive changes can and will be made – as soon as possible – to strengthen our state laws.

At the State Capitol, I will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of justice for all.