Clarence Page
Chicago Tribune
Education or indoctrination? Thatâs the big question at the core of the hullabaloo over âcritical race theory,â and you donât have to be a conservative to worry about it. You only have to be a parent.
The concept of critical race theory, or CRT, has been widely roasted by conservative politicians, commentators and activists as radical, un-American and racially divisive. Because this issue combines three topics that politicians love to ballyhoo or demagogue, about a dozen states have taken steps to bar CRT from schools or government agencies, even though few people seem to know what it really is.
During the virtual press call, Von Hollen said that too often calls that come in through 911 do not require a use of force response, and yet, too often, they result in unnecessary escalation and unjust deaths.
The bill was initially introduced in the waning days of the last session of Congress but failed to gain any traction.
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It will be reintroduced next week in the Senate and the week after that in the House, Van Hollen said.
“What this bill is designed to do,” the senator continued, “is provide federal incentives in the form of grants to cities and other local jurisdictions to develop alternatives to police response when an alternative response is more appropriate … like mental health situations or substance use disorder crises, or when people are checking in for health and safety.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in a new interview said that a California police officer drew a gun on him and accused him of stealing his own car when he was a college student.