CBC leader Bass hopes 'protests continue peacefully' through pandemic until police reform is passed

Rep. Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Thursday that she hopes protests continue around the country until police reform is signed into law.

"I think we're at a moment in our country, an inflection point, and it's my responsibility and the responsibilities of other members of Congress to take advantage of this point. I do hope the protests continue peacefully until we get the job done," Bass, a potential running mate for Joe Biden, said during a "Newsmakers" discussion hosted by the National Press Club.

Large Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place in cities across the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic since the May 25 death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. Some demonstrations have resulted in destructive protests marked by looting, vandalism and removal of statues from public grounds. 

This week, the mayor of Philadelphia announced the cancellation of all large scale events through 2020 but said protests would be exempt from the ban. In April, Los Angeles was considering banning all large scale events for the rest of the year, but a formal decision has yet to be made.

The House recently passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The bill has not been voted on in the Senate. Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, proposed police reform legislation that was blocked by Senate Democrats.

Just the News reached out to Bass' office to ask whether she views large-scale protests as a public health threat during the pandemic but did not receive a response before publication. 

During the Newsmaker discussion, Bass, a California Democrat, criticized the Trump administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"How on earth do you expect the economy to get back if you can't contain the virus?" Bass asked. "I hope we get a vaccine, but what if we don't? You can't just deny this and say we know we're going to lose some people and we'll just have to deal with that but we need the economy to come back. It's utter madness, and frankly the world is looking at us. And there are some places we can't even go to as Americans because of the way this has been so mishandled."

Bass declined to share details about the Biden campaign's vice presidential nominee vetting process.

"I believe, because of COVID, this election is a matter of life and death if we don't have the leadership to bring this under control," she said.

When asked whether she would accept Biden's offer to be his running mate, Bass replied, "I am so concerned about him being elected and him having a successful presidency, he could ask me to go volunteer at a local office and lick stamps, if you still do that anymore, walk precincts – whatever is needed I am ready."