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WALTER SCOTT

Were they a threat? Police shootings reignite legal debate

Wisconsin authorities are investigating those questions as they weigh charges against the officer in a case that has reignited national protests over racial injustice. Authorities have not identified the officer or officers who shot Pellerin or said where or how many times he was shot. A union attorney said in the moments leading up to the shooting, officers saw Blake holding a knife and made multiple requests for him to drop it but he was uncooperative. After police tried twice unsuccessfully to use a stun gun on Blake, officer Rusten Sheskey shot him at close range while holding onto his shirt, authorities said. Yet, the tactics used by the officer who shot Blake are highly questionable, said Seth Stoughton, another former officer.

Once reluctant, GOP's only Black senator now leads on race

Initially reluctant to speak on race, Scott is now among the Republican Partys most prominent voices teaching his colleagues what its like to be a Black man in America. Even after he became a U.S. senator, the Capitol quickly became just another place where he would be stopped by the police. Initially reluctant to focus on race, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is now a leading Republican voice, teaching his party what its like to be a Black man in America when the police lights are flashing in the rearview mirror. He found his political legs and political wings at a unique time in this country, said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist in South Carolina. I think its a blessing from God._____Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

Senate GOP to propose policing changes in 'Justice Act'

The JUSTICE Act Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere Act of 2020 is the most ambitious GOP policing proposal in years, a direct response to the massive public protests over the death of George Floyd and other black Americans. The package is set to be introduced Wednesday by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the GOP's lone black Republican, and a task force of GOP senators assembled by Republican leadership. The Republican package also includes a bipartisan Senate proposal to establish a National Criminal Justice Commission Act and extends funding streams for various federal law enforcement programs, including the COPS program important to states. Expenditures for the bill would be considered on an emergency basis, so as not to count against federal deficits. The GOP proposal comes amid a crush of activity from Washington as President Donald Trump announced executive actions Tuesday to create a database of police misconduct.

Long seen as radical, Black Lives Matter goes mainstream

Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. Its very name enraged its foes, who countered with the slogans Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter." Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. When we started Black Lives Matter, it was really to have a larger conversation around this country about its relationship to black people, said Patrisse Cullors, one of three black women who founded the Black Lives Matter Global Network, with chapters throughout the U.S. and in Britain and Canada. Last week, longtime Sacramento Kings TV broadcaster Grant Napear resigned after tweeting ALL LIVES MATTER when asked his opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Senate GOP readies policing bill after Floyd death, protests

The GOP package includes several provisions similar to the Democratic bill. The database proposal expands on a similar bill Scott introduced in 2015 after Walter Scott no relation was killed by police in South Carolina. The White House has said it was a nonstarter and is not likely to be included in the Senate bill. Both those are included in the Democrats' bill, but not likely to be included in the Senate GOP package. It calls for bold and broad-scale change, said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Quickly, carefully, GOP senators consider policing changes

Sen. Rand Paul wants to stop sending surplus U.S. military equipment to local law enforcement. And GOP Sen. Mitt Romney is trying to assemble a bipartisan package of bills in response to police violence. I think we should all be optimistic right now," Scott, the only black GOP senator, told reporters at the Capitol. Lawmakers are watching as demonstrations erupt in all corners of the country, from the biggest cities to the smallest towns, and acknowledging the arrival of a mass movement for law enforcement changes as politically impossible to ignore. Obviously this is a national awakening, GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said Tuesday on CNBC.