George Floyd Death: US lawmakers introduce bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol

Two senior members of Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday, June 11 proposed a bill to remove  Confederate statues from Capitol following nationwide protests against police brutality and racism discrimination in wake of George Floyd's tragic death in police custody.

Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) introduced  bill a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for removing Confederate statues from Capitol complex. 

Lee in her statement said, "Americans in all 50 states and millions of people around world are marching to protest racism and police violence directed at people of color, and yet across country, Confederate statues and monuments still pay tribute to white supremacy and slavery in public s".

California leer furr affirmed that “It is time to tell truth about what se statues are -- hateful symbols that have place in our society and certainly should t be enshrined in US Capitol.”

RE | Brazilians protest against police racism, killings

Capitol complex has 11 statues of people who served in Confederacy, eir as officials or soldiers. All statues are a part of National Statuary Hall collection. Each of 50 states will be contributing two statues to collection and can be replaced if  goverrs approve change.

legislation from Democrats seeks  removal of all of Confederate statues in collection within 120 days. statues could eir be reclaimed by states or given to Smithsonian.

RE | Hyderab: Doctors continue to protest at Gandhi Hosp. after patient's kin beat up staff

Barbara Lee h earlier introduced bill in 2017 following violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. However, her efforts did t le to removal of Capitol's Confederate statues as Republicans still controlled both chambers of Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday demanded Senate Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), chairman and vice chairwoman of Joint Committee on Library, which supervises placement of statues, to remove statues.

In her previous tenure, Pelosi h moved a statue of Robert Lee, Confederate army commander, from a prominent place in Statuary Hall and shifted it to a floor below in a room kwn as Capitol Crypt.

RE | Virginia protesters behe Confederate statue

RE | Protesters turn spot near police precinct into festive scene