What a difference two years makes. Advocates who fought for criminal justice and police reforms in Virginia after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis are worried that their progress could be rolled back by the new Republican majority in the state’s House of Delegates
After Floyd's killing sparked months of protests around the country, Virginia's legislature — then controlled by Democrats — passed a sweeping package of reforms, including legislation banning the use of chokeholds and no-knock search warrants; a law that calls for mental health specialists to have a prominent role in responding to people in crisis; and a measure aimed at demilitarizing police departments by prohibiting the acquisition of certain weapons and equipment.
