Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) clarified Wednesday that he did not intend to vote for the George Floyd Policing Act that passed the U.S. House of Representatives this evening, as he had “accidentally pressed the wrong voting button and realized it too late.”
The representative made it clear that he absolutely does not support the legislation, which he castigated as the “radical left’s, Anti-Police Act,” and the record was quickly updated to reflect his actual vote.
The pro-BLM legislation bans police use of chokeholds, mandates data collection on police encounters, prohibits so-called “racial profiling,” and throws more taxpayer funds at “community-based policing programs.”
The bill passed by a margin of 220-212, with Democrats Reps. Jared Golden (ME) and Ron Kind (WI) voting against and Rep. Gooden accidentally voting to pass. The record has since been changed to reflect that Gooden voted against the George Floyd bill.
Gooden clarified on Twitter, “I accidentally pressed the wrong voting button and realized it too late. I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition to the partisan George Floyd Policing Act.”
“I have arguably the most conservative/America First voting record in Congress!” Gooden added. “Of course I wouldn’t support the radical left’s, Anti-Police Act. I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition!”
https://twitter.com/Lancegooden/status/1367307328907841538
https://twitter.com/Lancegooden/status/1367309249198624768
I have arguably the most conservative/America First voting record in Congress!
Of course I wouldn’t support the radical left’s, Anti-Police Act.
I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition! pic.twitter.com/s7uCdlxvgO
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) March 4, 2021
The legislation comes just a few days before the beginning of the George Floyd murder trial in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where local authorities anticipate a resurgence in violent Black Lives Matter riots if Officer Derek Chauvin is not convicted of first-degree murder for his alleged role in convicted felon Floyd’s death.
The courthouse has been fortified with metal fencing and razor wire:
The Minneapolis courthouse where a police officer will be charged for murder in the death of convicted felon George Floyd has been beefed up with security measures that approach the fortification levels of the Joe Biden White House and Capitol buildings.
The measure comes as local authorities anticipate violent Black lives Matter riots like those that ravaged the country in the summer of 2020.
Images taken this week show construction crews erecting metal fencing and razor-sharp barbed wire around the courthouse.
Over 3,000 National Guards troops and riot police are also expected to be deployed to the surrounding area, and nearby jails as well as Minneapolis City Hall have received similar fortification measures.
