By Gilbert Cisneros Black Americans are in pain, and we need to listen. Our country is at a breaking point, and we look to our president for leadership, empathy and compassion. Yet his actions over the past week have done little to bridge the divide, and instead, escalated tensions across the country. As a Navy veteran, never could I imagine that a United States president, the democratically elected leader of the free world, would use the threat of active duty military against the citizens of our country. Growing up in the 1970s and "80s, I read about many world leaders who used military force to keep the rule of law in their countries. Augusto Pinochet in Chile, Idi Amin in Uganda, and Saddam Hussein in Iraq. These leaders and others like them were able to maintain control through the threat of their military. The president may think his threat is a show of strength, but in reality, it is a sign of weakness. His actions are those of an authoritarian dictator in a military state. Deploying our military to stop protesters undermines the values of our Constitution and democracy. That wasn't the only striking moment from his press conference last week. The image of our president speaking empty words in the Rose Garden while tear gas and rubber bullets were fired at peaceful protesters outside the White House is just unfathomable. These protesters were forced out of Lafayette Square not because they posed any threat to the public, but because the president wanted a photo-op at St. John's Church. Instead of listening to the calls of black Americans and protesters for justice and accountability, President Trump made things worse. The president has displayed a profound lack of empathy and understanding. He is right to call the death of George Floyd, a terrible tragedy, because it is. However, the protests are much more than the police killing of an unarmed black man. They're angry about the countless people who have been persecuted because of the color of their skin. Black Americans have been denied justice for far too long. They're calling out generations of abuse, racism and discrimination. The American people are sick and tired of racial profiling, police brutality and a broken criminal justice system. While I cannot fully relate to what life is like as a black American, I have experienced the pain and struggle of discrimination as a Mexican American. At 17 years old in Torrance, I was accused of being in a gang. In my 30s, I was pulled over by police officers, while driving to work one night, because they had supposedly received a report about a truck similar to mine. Even now, as a member of Congress, I have been singled out going through security while my white, "non-threatening-looking" colleagues were permitted to pass without a problem. To this day, I try not to stand too close to the valet, because I can't tell you how many times people have tried to give me their ticket. Centuries of oppression are not cured overnight. The coronavirus pandemic further shined a light on the disparities in our country. People of color are exposed to COVID-19 and dying at a higher rate. Students of color are less likely to have computers or high-speed internet to properly participate in online learning. Small businesses owned by people of color have unequal access to life-saving small business loans. Our country has always had systems in place that treat people of color, especially black Americans, as less than equal and prevent them from fully achieving the American Dream. The American people are protesting because they have had enough. They want change, they want leadership, and they want reform. Unfortunately, we won't get that with our current president. Whether it's for a photo-op or 30-second Twitter video, the president will go to any length to make himself look good at the expense of the American people and our Constitution. During this void of real leadership, it's more important than ever that Congress work across party lines to bring our country together. We need to have these tough conversations and deliver the real solutions needed. Congress must pass real police reform, including demilitarizing the police and investing in de-escalation training. The trust between our law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect is so critical in keeping everyone safe. We need to rebuild and strengthen that trust, and it starts with leaders acting with purpose and conviction. Being comfortable is no longer an option. We have to do what is right; we need to be allies. While our country is at a crossroads, this is the time to listen to the American people and rise to this occasion. We can and must work together to bend the arc toward justice.

By: Rep. Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. In 1960, my mother's life changed dramatically forever. That was the year her father was murdered through an act of gun violence. She was just 10-years-old. My grandmother became a widow with 6 children left to raise on her own. Losing her father affects my mother to this day, and she always invokes how he would have been so proud of me, too. I have often thought about what it would have been like to have him there at my college graduation, to see me in uniform, or to watch my little league home runs. February 1st through February 8th marks National Gun Violence Survivors Week, where we listen to stories like my mom's and other survivors of gun violence throughout the United States. According to Everytown, a gun safety organization, survivors include "a person who witnessed an act of gun violence, was threatened or wounded with a gun, or had someone they know or care for wounded or killed." Every year, over 36,000 Americans are killed in acts of gun violence and approximately 73,330 more are shot and injured. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 43 residents in California's 39th District have died of gun violence and 47 have been injured since 2014. This is a national crisis that needs to be addressed. Before even coming to Congress, I was a supporter of the Giffords campaign to end gun violence and advocated for common-sense gun safety legislation. To this day, while representing the 39th District, my advocacy hasn't wavered. I have fought and will continue to fight tooth and nail for bipartisan legislation to ensure we deliver solutions that keep our families and communities safe. We have lived through too many atrocities caused by gun violence, and instead of offering thoughts and prayers, we need action. I am proud to have voted for and that the House finally passed common-sense, bipartisan gun legislation, H.R. 8, to expand background checks. This measure is something over 90% of the American people want. This bill demonstrates that Democrats and Republicans are willing to work together to write and pass these life-saving measures. I've also co-introduced two other bipartisan bills aimed to curb gun violence. The first is the STOP Straw Purchases Act which increases penalties resulting from the purchase of a firearm for a prohibited person. The second is the Threat Information Protocol for Sharing (TIPS) Act, which mandates timely information sharing between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement agencies to increase the effectiveness of threat detection and crime prevention in order to prevent acts of gun violence. In last year's spending bill, I was proud to join my colleagues to provide funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to study gun violence and find ways to prevent it. It's the first time in more than 20 years that federal funding is being used to address our public health crisis, and it was long overdue. But it is not just mass shootings that we should be concerned about. Over two-thirds of all gun deaths in the United States are a result of suicide and the numbers are rising. Over 20 veterans a day die by suicide, and it's unacceptable that more of our attention isn't on this serious issue. As a Navy Veteran, I've been urging Congress to study firearm suicide and how it relates to mental health. Curbing gun violence requires a comprehensive approach. From Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, to a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a bar in Dayton, Ohio, we have a major problem in our country, and it is not just going to go away. We need to do more than just listen to my mom's story and the stories of other survivors of gun violence. They're calling for us to act, and it's about time for the Senate and the President to do exactly that. The American people deserve justice. Congressman Gil Cisneros represents California's 39th Congressional District and serves on the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.