Kamlager-Dove Discusses Jacksonville Shooting, Violence Against Black Americans on MSNBC with Alex Witt

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) joined Alex Witt on MSNBC’s “Alex Witt Reports” to discuss the tragic shooting in Jacksonville, Florida that claimed the lives of three Black Americans and racially motivated violence against the Black community. Below are excerpts from the interview and a link to the video.

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To watch the full interview, click here.

ON SHOOTING IN JACKSONVILLE

“Thank you for having me on, and my heart goes out to the families, and the victims, and folks who are retraumatized by events like this across the country. You know, hate, bigotry, and gun violence are kissing cousins, and they're also sicknesses that are plaguing this country. Events like that should not be common, but they should also be unifying events instead of polarizing ones. There is no reason why we should create a martyr out of a killer who shows up at a grocery store with an AR-15, you know, hunting Black people. And what will happen is we will come back to Congress, there will be a moment of silence for the victims of this [incident], Republicans will stand up, and then they will do nothing after that.”

ON DISCHARGE PETITIONS SENT TO HOUSE REPUBLICANS

“Well, we have discharge petitions that we have placed at the desk almost every week over the course of the past few months waiting for just five Republicans to sign these petitions, so that we can debate all of these issues.”

“We need just five Republicans with a spine or a constitution to sign these petitions, so that we can debate the issues, not even vote on them. Meanwhile, we are creating martyrs out of these killers who are hunting Black people, and this happened the weekend of the March on Washington when we are supposed to be talking about democracy and wanting people to still believe in it. You know, if this is who we want to be, we will not survive as a country.”

ON REPUBLICAN DYSFUNCTION IN THE HOUSE

“…I am waiting to see the spines evolve, you know, from Republicans on this House Floor. Like I said, this is a grotesque martyrdom that happens of these killers that is accepted by Republicans. And so if you are begging folks, just five people to sign [our petitions], so that you can talk about these issues – it is not just about mental health, it is not just about hardening schools, it is about taking guns off the street because the laws that they are willing to pass continue to over-monitor and over-punish and over-incarcerate the people who are not committing these acts of violence, and we have to come to terms with that. It’s also important to say that yes, people are hunting Black folks, but at some point they will tire, and they will come for you, and we don't want that to happen. I’ve gone to Spain. I’ve gone to many countries because of my work on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and many of these countries don’t allow guns, and so yes, they have crime, but that crime is manageable. This kind of sickness is not.”

“There’s not a lot of common sense coming from the Republican party right now. We should be talking about this. We should be talking about AI. We should be talking about mental health. We should be talking about limitations on gun purchases. We should be talking about how antiquated the Second Amendment is [but] because we are not in the majority, and Republicans are too afraid, or they are being held hostage by the extreme, and they are not willing to talk about this. Remember, I sit on a Committee that in the very beginning voted to allow us to bring guns and explosives to the Committee. The Republicans said this was okay. So how do you think we're gonna have common sense on the Floor when it comes to protecting the lives of Americans who are trying to go grocery shopping, or go to church, or go to school?”

ON GOVERNOR DESANTIS STOKING CULTURE WARS

“It’s so important that we, you know, as uncomfortable as it is, to continue to talk about these issues, and pressure our community to understand that this is a sickness that is plaguing everyone, and then go back to your elected officials, both at the State and the Federal level because States do all kinds of things, but it is Federal law that can tether them all together. I just want to say, you know, there is blood on DeSantis’ hands because he is the one walking around, stoking culture wars, you know, trying to erase Black history, and essentially telling Floridians that Black people don't matter. That is untenable, unconscionable, and he too should be held to account.”

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