U.S. Senator Dick Durbin will chair a congressional hearing Tuesday on civil rights. The Illinois Democrat says he planned the hearing before the elections, though protests over grand jury decisions in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner are sure to be covered.
Durbin says racism, poverty, and a lack of opportunity are issues plaguing many people of color. He says he's not sure what the hearing will lead to:
"There are a handful of things I think that need to be changed in the federal law that could being more justice to our country, but it has to be a much bigger discussion as I mentioned. This goes way beyond law enforcement."
During a stop at a Head Start in Springfield, Durbin expressed disappointment that a grand jury chose not to indict in the case of Eric Garner, a black man who police choked to death.
Garner was apprehended for selling loose cigarettes on the streets of New York.