A tear rolls down State Sen. Gary Winfield’s cheek as he speaks emotionally about the pain of discrimination he has experienced at a rally at the state Capitol Friday afternoon to protest the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Several hundred people attended to show solidarity in standing together against police brutality, abuse of power and racial discrimination. “I am tired of crying. I’m tired of the hurt,” he said. Cloe Poisson / CTMirror.org

Sen. Gary Winfield says the General Assembly must work swiftly in special session to craft legislation that addresses the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has mobilized thousands across the state.

State Sen. Gary Winfield

Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2020

State Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, has been at the forefront of police accountability efforts in the General Assembly for years, but he says there is now unprecedented urgency for legislative action.

He tells John Dankosky that the General Assembly — in special session — must work swiftly to craft craft legislation that addresses the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has mobilized thousands of protesters around the state and many more across the country.

“There’s always been a reluctance on the part of some people in the legislature — some of that coming from their understanding of what their community wants, some of that coming from pushback from police unions,” Winfield says. “But we are in a different day and time. If you look out your window, you might see people marching by.”

Listen to the episode using the player above.

John is CT Mirror's Director of Events. A well-known and highly-regarded radio personality and moderator, he divides his time between CT Mirror — where he heads up our events program and serves as a multi-platform consultant — and the NPR / PRI program Science Friday. Previously, John was executive editor of the New England News Collaborative and the host of NEXT, a weekly program about New England. He also appeared weekly on The Wheelhouse, WNPR’s news roundtable program. His 25 years in public media also include serving as vice president of news for Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, host of WNPR’s Where We Live, and regular fill-in host for the PRI program Science Friday in New York. He was twice recognized by PRNDI as America’s best public radio call-in show.