September 1994

President Clinton signed the $30 billion crime bill authored by Sen. Joe Biden, mandating life sentences for three-time federal felons, funding 100,000 new police officers, and expanding the federal death penalty to 60 crimes. The Congressional Black Caucus split its vote; members including Kweisi Mfume supported it while others opposed mandatory minimums. Critics blamed the bill for mass incarceration's acceleration.

Nicholas Heyward Jr., 13, was shot and killed by NYPD Housing Officer Brian George in the stairwell of the Gowanus Houses in Brooklyn while playing with a toy rifle. George claimed he mistook the orange-tipped toy for a real weapon. A grand jury declined to indict. His father, Nicholas Heyward Sr., became a prominent police accountability advocate in New York City.

Sweeping legislation that accelerated incarceration and policing in Black communities.