On April 17, six U.S. senators sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) demanding bias training for police officers attempting to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The senators, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.,) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), were responding to recent reports that Black people around the country have been targeted by police for wearing protective face masks, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends all Americans wear them in public to protect against COVID-19, Vox reports. Perhaps even more frustrating, the letter also states, “African American men are reportedly being harassed for not wearing masks and face coverings in public.”
Senators to DOJ: Police are Criminalizing Black People for Living
