Homeland Security
Memphis Rep. Steve Cohen has signed on to a letter issued Thursday demanding a hearing on the use of force by local law enforcement officials during the protests in Ferguson, Mo.
Cohen, and Reps. John Conyers and Robert Scott issued the letter to Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, after Ferguson police broke up a protest Wednesday night with "brutal force: confronting demonstrators in riot gear and armored vehicles, arresting journalists, and firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd."
Since protests erupted over the death of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old African American man shot to death by a Caucasian police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, police clad in riot gear have unleashed tear gas and smoke bombs to try to control demonstrators.
The law enforcement response to the protest has been labeled overly combative, even militaristic – and lawmakers are now concerned that the situation is emblematic of a more pervasive problem.
Since protests erupted over the death of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old African American man shot to death by a Caucasian police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, police clad in riot gear have unleashed tear gas and smoke bombs to try to control demonstrators.
The law enforcement response to the protest has been labeled overly combative, even militaristic – and lawmakers are now concerned that the situation is emblematic of a more pervasive problem.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and two other Congress members called Thursday for a congressional hearing into reports of police misuse of force in Ferguson, Mo.
Cohen and the other lawmakers sent a letter to Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asking for the panel to hold hearings into the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in the St. Louis suburb and the response to the protests in the aftermath of the killing.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and two other Congress members called Thursday for a congressional hearing into reports of police misuse of force in Ferguson, Mo.
Cohen and the other lawmakers sent a letter to Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asking for the panel to hold hearings into the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in the St. Louis suburb and the response to the protests in the aftermath of the killing.
[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the City of Memphis was awarded $998,618 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding through the FY 2014 Port Security Grant Program. Under this same announcement, the Shelby County Government was awarded $5,000 in funding and Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions, Inc. Memphis was also awarded $24,999.
“This funding will help keep our city safe and grow the Memphis economy,” said Congressman Cohen.
Dear Friend,
My thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with the victims of yesterday’s Malaysia Airlines tragedy as well as with their families, friends, and loved ones. We must now investigate and determine the facts of this tragic event and hold accountable those responsible.
[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $2,247,757.18 in funding to the State of Tennessee to help Shelby Country recover from March’s severe winter storms and repair electrical distribution systems. This funding follows President Obama’s April 11 Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Tennessee.
[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) made the following statement following the resignation of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki:
“The brave men and women who have risked life and limb for our nation’s security deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and we owe it to them to ensure they receive the finest medical care possible. We know for many veterans, our commitment to them has not been fulfilled. Veterans and their families have suffered.”