Tim Walz on Crime : Aug 6, 2024
George Floyd protests: balance racial justice & public order

Walz publicly backed "swift justice" for the officers involved in Floyd's murder, drawing the ire of the state's police groups. He lamented that the protests and property damage taking over the streets were "symbolic of decades and generations of pain, of anguish unheard," and a response to a loss of trust in institutions like the police that he as a "white man" couldn't fully understand. He announced a state civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Dept. and carried out symbolic actions like issuing a proclamation for 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence.

At the same time, Walz activated the National Guard to deal with protests over Floyd's murder, which he dubiously claimed were 80% out-of-state troublemakers.

Tim Walz on Crime : Aug 6, 2024
Police reforms: ban chokeholds; investigate misconduct

Walz signed a limited police reform bill into law at the height of the protests, banning chokeholds & "warrior" training techniques and mandating training for police and a duty to report on fellow officers using excessive force. It also created a statewide investigatory unit for, and a database for public records on, police misconduct.

Despite vowing to "burn political capital" to make it happen, further reform efforts died in the gridlocked legislature, and the cycle of police violence and protest has continued long after Floyd's death. Deaths at the hands of law enforcement in the state are still at elevated levels.

Kamala Harris on Crime : Jul 23, 2024
Police reforms via George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

Our thoughts are also with the communities across our nation whose calls for help are often met with suspicion, distrust, and even violence. The disturbing footage confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so many--we have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.

I call on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill that I coauthored in the Senate. In this moment, in honor of Sonya's memory and the memory of so many more whose names we may never know, we must come together to achieve meaningful reforms that advance the safety of all communities.

Ron DeSantis on Crime : Jan 10, 2024
Citing George Floyd killing is "virtue signaling"

Gov. Nikki HALEY: When we bring law and order back to our cities, then that's when they'll be safe.

DESANTIS: Nikki Haley and I have a disagreement on the BLM stuff, because she tweeted during this period of time that the death of George Floyd should be "personal and painful for each and every American". She was virtue signaling to the left, she was accepting the narrative, and she was trying to impress people who were never going to like us. I never bought in to going after the police, we backed the Blue to the state of Florida, and we're about lower crime as a result of that.

HALEY: When I said that about George Floyd, when we turned around and had the worst shooting in a religious place that we had seen in this country, not only did I pass the first Body Camera Bill in the country and keep our state together, we came together as a state in prayer and we had no division, no riots, no anything.

Tim Walz on Crime : Oct 19, 2021
OpEd:riot response criticized as too weak AND too aggressive

[Gubernatorial opponent] former Senate Republican leader Paul Gazelka called Walz weak and hesitant when dealing with lawlessness and rising crime. [Gubernatorial opponent] former Sen. Scott Jensen, too, faulted the incumbent. "I think that he was slow to act at times, trying to check out what the political winds were telling us," Jensen said. "I think that was particularly crucial during the riots and the violence in late May and early June of 2020."

At the same time, Walz has faced criticism from the political left for what some saw as overly aggressive tactics used by the National Guard and other law enforcement agencies to respond to rioting.

JD Vance on Corporations : Oct 3, 2021
Stop favoring multinationals; tax exporting jobs

My fellow Republicans love to talk about tax cuts. By all means, let's cut the taxes of the companies that invest in our country. But we're going to raise taxes on companies that ship jobs overseas and use their money to fund anti-American radical movements. If these companies are going to wage war on America, it's time America wages war on them.

Larry Elder on Crime : Jul 22, 2021
Police are pulling back, afraid of being called racist

Larry Elder on Principles & Values : Jul 22, 2021
The question is which party can get government off our back

JD Vance on Civil Rights : Jun 4, 2021
Black Lives Matter movement destroyed many towns and cities

JD Vance on Corporations : Jun 4, 2021
Woke capital directly connected to plundering of society

Larry Elder on Crime : Apr 8, 2021
No evidence of anti-Black "systemic racism" by police

How many routine police encounters with Blacks escalate into something far more serious because young Blacks believe the "systemic racism" lie pushed by Black Lives Matter and their sympathizers?

Tim Walz on Civil Rights : Mar 28, 2021
For too many getting back to normal isn't good enough

Joe Biden on Crime : Mar 1, 2021
Rebuild trust between police & people they serve

Joe Biden on Principles & Values : Jan 20, 2021
Catholic doctrine taught me faith without works is dead

Donald Trump on Civil Rights : Oct 22, 2020
I am not a racist but BLM calling police pigs is wrong

BIDEN: Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history, he pours fuel on every single racist fire. Started off his campaign coming down the escalator saying he's getting rid of those Mexican rapists, he's banned Muslims because they're Muslims. About the Proud Boys, he said, "I tell them to stand down and stand ready." Come on, this guy has a dog whistle about as big as a foghorn.

Mike Pence on Crime : Oct 7, 2020
Yes to justice for George Floyd; no to riots

Kamala Harris on Crime : Oct 7, 2020
Ban chokeholds by police; registry of police crimes

Joe Biden on Crime : Sep 29, 2020
Reimagine policing: I totally oppose defunding police

BIDEN: We have to have community policing like we had before where the officers get to know the people in the communities. That's when crime went down.

TRUMP: That's not what it is about. He's talking about defunding the police.

BIDEN: I'm totally opposed to defunding the police offices. [Trump's] budget calls for a $400 million cut in local law enforcement assistance. They need more assistance; when they show up for a 9-11 call to have someone with them as a psychologist to keep them from having to use force.

TRUMP: He doesn't have any law support. He has no law enforcement.

BIDEN: That's not true.

TRUMP: He has almost nothing.

Joe Biden on Crime : Sep 29, 2020
Violence is never appropriate response to police violence

TRUMP: What is peaceful protest? When they run through town and burn down your stores and kill people all over the place--

BIDEN: That is not peaceful protest.

TRUMP: No, it's not, but you say it is.

Joe Biden on Civil Rights : Sep 17, 2020
Military should not deal with domestic unrest

BIDEN: I've condemned every form of violence, no matter what the source is. It is simply wrong to engage the military, in dealing with domestic unrest as a consequence of people protesting. We can take care of this. It can be taken care of-- we took care of in our administration. There's no need to escalate this.

Donald Trump on Crime : Jul 19, 2020
FactCheck: falsely claims Biden wants to defund the police

TRUMP: Of course I do. Many whites are killed also. You have to say that.

WALLACE: I understand that.

TRUMP: I mean, many, many whites are killed. This is going on for decades. This is going on for a long time, long before I got here.

WALLACE: Why is it so bad right now?

TRUMP: Biden wants to defund the police.

Q: No, sir, he does not.

TRUMP: Look. He signed a charter with Bernie Sanders.

WALLACE: He says defund the police?

TRUMP: He says defund the police. They talk about abolishing the police.

(WALLACE VOICE OVER: The White House never sent us evidence the Bernie-Biden platform calls for defunding or abolishing police--because there is none. It calls for increased funding for police departments--that meet certain standards. Biden has called for redirecting some police funding for related programs--like mental health counseling.

Kanye West on Crime : Jul 8, 2020
One of my to-do lists is to end police brutality

Dean Phillips on Crime : Jun 25, 2020
George Floyd Act: change the culture of law enforcement

1. Make Policing Safer: Ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants, two practices that have been directly responsible for the tragic deaths of American citizens. In addition, the legislation would require that police officers use deadly force only as a last resort.
2. Change the Culture of Law Enforcement: Prohibit racial and religious profiling, fund new training programs, and create a national accreditation system for police departments.
3. Improve Transparency: Create a nationwide police misconduct registry to prevent problematic officers from quietly moving from one jurisdiction to another.
4. Improve Accountability: Hold police officers accountable for misconduct by ending "qualified immunity" for law enforcement.
5. Encourages Innovation: Grants for communities who wish to develop innovative approaches to public safety.

Kamala Harris on Crime : Jan 21, 2019
Progressive prosecutor: fix broken criminal justice system

Harris addressed her law enforcement background in her book. She argued it was a "false choice" to decide between supporting the police and advocating for greater scrutiny of law enforcement. She wrote, "When activists came marching & banging on the doors, I wanted to be on the other side to let them in."

Harris supported legislation that passed the Senate last year that overhauled the criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to sentencing rules.

Bernie Sanders on Crime : Nov 15, 2016
Black Lives Matter points out police brutality

Many American, and not just African-Americans and Latinos, are becoming increasingly outraged by police brutality. They are rightfully tired of turning on the television and seeing videos of unarmed blacks being shot & killed by police officers. They want criminal justice reform. They want police department reform. And I agree.

The vast majority of police officers are honest and hardworking. But when a police officer breaks the law, that officer must be held accountable. Further, police officers must be trained to understand that lethal force is the last response, not, as is too often the case, the first response. I promised that I would make sure that all killings that took place when people were in police custody or being arrested would prompt a Department of Justice investigation.

Bernie Sanders on Crime : Nov 15, 2016
How justice system treats blacks is a national disgrace

During the campaign, I met frequently with members of the Black Lives Matter movement. This loosely knit organization was successfully educating the nation that in many black communities the police were not there protecting the people, but intimidating them. And time and time again, tragically, cell phone video cameras were recording horrific examples of extreme police brutality, the taking of innocent lives by overly aggressive police action.

There was no question that, as a nation, we had made great advances in civil rights. But there was also no doubt in my mind that much, much more needed to be done.

Jill Stein on Crime : Aug 17, 2016
Black Lives Matter movement is a vital & logical response

She called for a raft of measures to combat police violence, including civilian review boards and independent investigators. She also called for a "truth and reconciliation commission" of the kind created in post-Apartheid South Africa, where the country attempted to grapple with its racist history. She said she wanted the US to reckon with its historic and systemic racism with the goal of eliminating disparities in income and health by race.

Mike Pence on Crime : Jul 17, 2016
OpEd: even-minded on ending racist police brutality

What he has said publicly paints him as fairly even-minded when it comes to the controversial movement aimed at ending racist police brutality. While he called the shootings of police officers in Dallas last week a "horrific ambush," he didn't blame Black Lives Matter for the shooting, which in 2016, makes him the Republican equivalent of the Dalai Lama. Pence went on to say that his heart goes out to the two men who lost their lives at the hands of police before the Dallas shootings as well, though he didn't mention their names. Pence hasn't proven himself to be racist (or at least anti-BLM).

Donald Trump on Drugs : May 15, 2016
Agrees with Hillary on cautious approach to legalizing pot

• Jill Stein (Green) focuses on "Black Lives Matter" as systematic racism in the criminal justice system.
• Hillary Clinton (Democrat) learned to say the same phrases when pushed by Bernie Sanders but somehow still maintains her pro-death stance.
• Gary Johnson (Libertarian) is well to the left of Hillary on crime issues, with a libertarian distrust of police authority.
• Trump supports both the death penalty and "Blue Lives Matter."

Jill Stein on Crime : May 9, 2016
Cops violate rights of blacks in cities & Latinos at border

STEIN: Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: We are facing the triple monsters of racism, militarism and extreme materialism--a.k.a. capitalism. We need to build coalitions to link racial justice to climate justice to immigrant justice and to peace and democracy. We are calling for police review boards so that communities are controlling their police and not the other way around. We demand full-time investigators readily available for communities to examine all cases of death & serious injury in police custody. It shouldn't require an act of God to get the Department of Justice to investigate a murder at the hands of the police. We've been there in the border towns where people have not only been fighting for immigrant rights, but just for plain old civil liberties. Along the border, the cops can just violate your civil liberties at will. Civil rights don't really exist.

Chris Christie on Civil Rights : Oct 25, 2015
Black Lives Matter encourages cop killing

CHRISTIE: There's lawlessness in this country. The president encourages this lawlessness.

Q: Encourages it how?

CHRISTIE: By his own rhetoric. He does not support the police. He justifies Black Lives Matter.

Q: But Black Lives Matter shouldn't be justified at all?

CHRISTIE: Listen, I don't believe that that movement should be justified when they're calling for the murder of police officers.

Q: But they're not calling for the murder of police officers.

CHRISTIE: Sure, they are. They have been chanting in the streets for the murder of police officers.

Q: Well, individuals have, but the Black Lives Matter.

CHRISTIE: Well, listen, that's what the movement is creating. And the president of the United States is justifying that. But not only that, he hasn't backed up police officers from the minute he's gotten into office. When there are bad cops, they need to be prosecuted, like there are bad lawyers and bad doctors and bad engineers

Bernie Sanders on Civil Rights : Jul 26, 2015
Black Lives Matter: deal with institutional racism

SANDERS: No, I didn't have a confrontation. I was there to speak about immigration reform. And some people thought of disrupting the meeting. And the issue that they raised was, in fact, a very important issue, about Black Lives Matter, in this case of Sandra Bland, about black people getting yanked out of an automobile, thrown to the ground, and ended up dead three days later because of a minor traffic violation.

Q: Well, I guess there were some people who felt that you were being too dismissive of the protesters.

SANDERS: Well, I'm not dismissive. I've been involved in the Civil Rights movement all of my life. And I believe that we have to deal with this issue of institutional racism. But we have to deal with the reality that 50% of young black kids are unemployed. That we have massive poverty in the America, in our country, and we an unsustainable level of income and wealth inequality.

Jill Stein on Civil Rights : Jun 25, 2015
Must follow up direct action with electoral politics

A: When you look at US history--the abolition of slavery, the women's movement, the labor movement--[those started with] direct action & very difficult struggles in the street, but those struggles then became political. In the words of Frederick Douglass, "power concedes nothing without a demand," and that demand needs to happen in the street, in our communities, in our schools and in the voting booth. Because failing that, all the progress that we make in the street and in our communities will be rolled back if we simply wave the white flag of surrender inside the voting booth. History says these movements didn't move forward inside the established parties at the time. They needed independent parties. These things [direct action and electoral politics] go together

Jill Stein on Civil Rights : Mar 27, 2015
Black Lives Matter: fix the system of racism

STEIN: This has also been the direction of the Green Party. The Green Party has expanded over the last 8 years. Cynthia McKinney and that race, that was a wakeup call, for a lot of Greens to understand the broader agenda. We sort of historically associated with the green movement, and there's been sort of a progressive understanding that we will never fix the environment unless hand-in-hand we are fixing the economy and the system of racism and the civil liberties and police state and all those issues that--they cannot be separated. We have become much closer as a community. I began working with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and that whole network as of four years ago. And we have worked together over the past four years.

Jill Stein on Crime : Feb 6, 2015
Black Lives Matter: end racism & police militarization

The fight is building against predatory mass incarceration, that holds one in three African American men hostage to our vast prison state.

Cornel West on Gun Control : Dec 26, 2012
Good to discuss gun control, but why only with white victims