Lawmakers see promise in police reform negotiations as Biden plans meeting with George Floyd's family

President Joe Biden will mark the solemn anniversary of George Floyd's death this week by hosting Floyd's family at the White House, giving the President a fresh chance to pressure lawmakers on Capitol Hill to reach an agreement on police reform legislation.

The need for greater accountability in policing has only grown more pronounced in the year since Floyd was killed by a White police officer, who was convicted of murder in April. Egregious cases of police brutality, as well as examples of the disproportionate use of force by police toward Black and Brown people, have surfaced constantly in the news since Floyd's death, creating a new level of awareness about racial injustice in police encounters at a time when a majority of Americans believe that major changes are needed in policing. The nation was confronted this past week with gut-wrenching new bodycam videos showing the fatal encounter of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist, with Louisiana State Police, who tased, kicked and dragged him in 2019 before he died in custody after a traffic pursuit. Greene's family and their attorney say police initially said Greene died as a result of a traffic accident, but bodycam video of the incident portrayed a very different reality. On Saturday night, Lee Merritt, the Greene family's attorney, said the emergence of videos in both the Greene and Floyd cases had reshaped public perceptions of each case and he hoped the incident involving Greene would also serve as a catalyst for change.