Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the only black Republican senator on Capitol Hill, is often the victim of racial slurs. In the past he's spoken candidly of having been the victim of racial profiling. What better individual in the Senate, therefore, to be working on police reform legislation. The Democrats revealed their own effort to change police tactics on Monday, called the The Justice and Policing Act. But the GOP believe they have a fairer alternative, and Scott has been meeting and working with Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and James Lankford (R-OK) to get it done.
And now Sen. Scott's cruel critics are repeating their recycled claim that Scott is being "used" by his (white) Republican colleagues. As the senator reminded those making that ignorant argument, he has a mind of his own. And perhaps more than any other topic, he knows exactly what he's talking about when it comes to race.
Not surprising the last 24 hours have seen a lot of “token” “boy” or “you’re being used” in my mentions. Let me get this straight...you DON’T want the person who has faced racial profiling by police, been pulled over dozens of times, or been speaking out for YEARS drafting this?
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) June 10, 2020
And don’t throw “you’re the only black guy they know” at me either. There are only two black Democratic Senators, stop pretending there’s some huge racial diversity gap in the Senate. Ask my Dem colleagues what their staffs look like...I guarantee you won’t like the answer.
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) June 10, 2020
Most agree that some police reform is needed after the shocking death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. But what those reforms look like are still up for debate. Democrats like Joe Biden have distanced themselves from the radical movement to "defund" or "abolish" the police.