Topics in the News: Black Lives Matter
Larry Elder on Black Lives Matter:
(Principles & Values Jul 22, 2021)
The question is which party can get government off our back
America's "truth detector" is now Larry Elder. Known as "the Sage from South Central" Larry is unafraid to take on liberals and the Black Lives Matter movement with common sense. "What a great time to be on the radio, helping listeners make sense of
one of the craziest election cycles we have ever seen," added Larry. He says, "The question is not which party has my back, but which party can get government off our back--so that we might all realize our God given capabilities."
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Source: The Larry Elder Show "Sage of South Carolina"
Larry Elder on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Apr 8, 2021)
No evidence of anti-Black "systemic racism" by police
Suppose Obama encouraged Blacks to comply with the police and that if one feels mistreated, to get a name or badge number and sort it out later. Obama knows the statistics and studies. He knows there is no evidence of anti-Black "systemic racism"
on the part of the 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?
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Source: The Larry Elder Show "Race Card"
Donald Trump on Black Lives Matter:
(Civil Rights Oct 22, 2020)
I am not a racist but BLM calling police pigs is wrong
TRUMP: The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, they were chanting, "Pigs in a blanket," talking about police, pigs, pigs, talking about our police. "Pigs in a blanket; fry them like bacon." I said, "That's a horrible thing." And they were
marching down the street. And that was my first glimpse of Black Lives Matter. As far as my relationships with all people, I think I have great relationships with all people. I am the least racist person in this room. Nobody has done more for the Black
community than Donald Trump with the exception of Abraham Lincoln. 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.
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Source: Third 2020 Presidential Debate, moderated by Kristen Welker
Joe Biden on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Sep 29, 2020)
Reimagine policing: I totally oppose defunding police
Q: You talked about "re-imagining policing." What does that mean, and do you support the Black Lives Matter call for community control of policing?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.
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Source: First 2020 Presidential Debate, moderated by Chris Wallace
Mike Pence on Black Lives Matter:
(Civil Rights Sep 22, 2020)
Refused to say "Black lives matter"
On a historic Juneteenth, as protests continue to rage across America, Vice President Mike Pence was asked if he would say those words, 'Black lives matter,' and three times declined - instead saying 'all lives matter in a very real sense.'
The Vice President, when pressed as to why he would not say the phrase, said, 'Well, I don't accept the fact, Brian, that there's a segment of American society that disagrees in the preciousness and importance of every human life.'" [6 ABC, 6/20/20]
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Source: Trump Research Book on Mike Pence
Joe Biden on Black Lives Matter:
(Civil Rights Sep 17, 2020)
Military should not deal with domestic unrest
Q: What about calling in the National Guard to deal with Black Lives Matters protests? Regarding the violent protests in several cities?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.
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Source: CNN Town Hall 2020 drive-in with Anderson Cooper
Deval Patrick on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Feb 6, 2020)
Black Lives Matter doesn't mean you hate police
I don't do guilt by association. Some people do. But I think there are all these false choices, that we get peddled in politics. I'm a proud Democrat,
I don't think you have to hate Republicans to be a good Democrat. I don't think you have to hate business to be a social justice warrior.
I don't think you have to hate police to believe black lives matter.We get sold these competing slogans.
And you know, you've got to choose one slogan or another to prove your bonafides, rather than getting down to the business of solving problems.
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Source: CNN N. H. Town Hall on eve of 2020 N. H. primary
Howard Schultz on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Jan 28, 2019)
Ignoring shootings of black men makes us part of the problem
17-year-old Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by a white neighborhood watch volunteer who was later acquitted. Trayvon's death, sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, bringing issues of violence toward black people and systematic
racism to the forefront of the nation's attention. [I said at a Starbucks forum], "If we just keep going about our business and ringing the Starbucks register every day and ignoring this moment in our country, then we are part of the problem."
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Source: From the Ground Up, by Howard Schultz, p.192-3
Kamala Harris on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Jan 21, 2019)
Progressive prosecutor: fix broken criminal justice system
Before her 2016 victory in the Senate race, Harris made her career in law enforcement. Harris is likely to face questions about her law enforcement record, particularly after the Black Lives Matter movement and activists across the country pushed for a
criminal justice overhaul. Harris's prosecutorial record has recently come under new scrutiny after a blistering opinion piece in The New York Times criticized her repeated claim that she was a "progressive prosecutor," focused on changing a broken
criminal justice system from within.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.
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Source: Juana Summers in Time Magazine on 2020 Presidential Hopefuls
Bernie Sanders on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Nov 15, 2016)
How justice system treats blacks is a national disgrace
The African-American situation with regard to criminal justice was a national disgrace. Jails from coast to coast were filled with African-Americans, many of whom lacked decent education or job skills appropriate for the twenty-first century.
Unbelievably, if present trends continued, one out of four black males born today would end up in jail.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.
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Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p. 82-3
Bernie Sanders on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Nov 15, 2016)
Black Lives Matter points out police brutality
[It's time to] end the absurdity of the US having more people in jail than any other country on earth. As the Black Lives Matter movement was pointing out, there were too many victims.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.
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Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p.143
Mike Pence on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Jul 17, 2016)
OpEd: even-minded on ending racist police brutality
Many are curious to know what is Pence's stance on Black Lives Matter? Depending on your viewpoint, it's either unfortunate or positive that Gov. Pence hasn't said much about the Black Lives Matter movement. Unfortunate in that there's no way to know
his true feelings on BLM, but positive in that he hasn't publicly spoken out in bigotry or jumped to conclusions.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).
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Source: Bustle.com, "Pence On Black Lives Matter": 2016 Veepstakes
Donald Trump on Black Lives Matter:
(Drugs May 15, 2016)
Agrees with Hillary on cautious approach to legalizing pot
Crime and drugs issues clearly illustrate the four differing political viewpoints from the four candidates:- 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."
On drug issues, Gov. Johnson agrees with Jill Stein with hard-core anti-drug-war and pro-marijuana-legalization stances. Hillary and Trump actually agree on these issues,
sharing a cautious take-it-slow approach to legalizing marijuana and winding down the War on Drugs. For hard-core drug warriors, none of these four will do; those voters will have to turn to the Constitution Party this election cycle.
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Source: Trump/Clinton/Stein/Johnson On The Issues, by Jesse Gordon
John Kasich on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Apr 21, 2016)
Black Lives Matter means the system doesn't work for them
Kasich is the governor of Ohio, the site of one of the most horrific incidents that animate Black Lives Matter. Tamir Rice was a 12-year-old playing with a toy gun in a Cleveland park when he was shot & killed by police in November 2014. It was also in
Cleveland where two unarmed people were fatally killed when police fired on their car 137 times in 2012.So when Kasich met with The Post's editorial board, I had one question: When you hear the phrase "Black lives matter," what do you hear? "Well,
what I hear is that there are people that are in this country who think the system not only doesn't work for them," he said, "but it works against them."
Kasich then unleashed a torrent of information on everything he had done for the African American
community. There was the commission to heal the fractured trust between police and people of color. He talked about efforts to reform the schools and welfare. And he boasted about signing a law to "ban the box" and reducing prison recidivism.
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Source: Washington Post on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race
John Kasich on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Apr 21, 2016)
Police must understand challenges of black community
I asked Gov. Kasich what he would say to fellow Republicans who might be upset with [Kasich's support of "Black Lives matter"] and who don't think there is a problem. "What would I say? Tough," Kasich said.What struck me as a breath of fresh air was
really Kasich being consistent. What he told us was in keeping with what he has been saying for months now, [like this excerpt from a] CNN interview last August]: "Black lives matter, especially now, because there's a fear in these communities that, you
know, justice isn't working for them. But it's about balance. The community has to understand the challenges of police, and the police have to understand the challenges of the community."
There's something about that "especially now" that reveals a
person who heard his constituents and understands their fears and concerns. This is exactly where the Republican Party ought to be in 2016. Working on tough issues and expanding the reach of the GOP while adhering to its conservative principles.
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Source: Washington Post on 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race
Hillary Clinton on Black Lives Matter:
(Principles & Values Jan 30, 2016)
Disagrees with Bernie on crime, drugs & foreign intervention
Where do Hillary and Bernie disagree on the issues? This list comprises legitimate differences on issues, not just differences of fervency or recency:- Faith: Hillary would work with faith-based organizations on many fronts;
Bernie focuses on church-state separation.
- Crime: Hillary supports the death penalty; Bernie focuses on "Black Lives Matter."
- Drugs: Hillary supports medical marijuana legalization;
Bernie supports more than that, and considers the War on Drugs to be a major source of systemic racism. Hillary started using the term "systemic racism" in response to Bernie's use of the term.
- Foreign intervention: Hillary is interventionist while
Bernie would stay out of many hotspots. This is the strongest difference between the two candidates: Hillary is much more hawkish than Bernie (but still dovish compared to Republicans).
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Source: Bernie vs. Hillary On The Issues, by Jesse Gordon
Bernie Sanders on Black Lives Matter:
(Civil Rights Oct 13, 2015)
Combat institutional racism and reform justice system
Q: Do black lives matter, or do all lives matter? A: Black lives matter. The African American community knows that on any given day some innocent person like Sandra Bland can get into a car, and three days later she's dead in jail.
We need to combat institutional racism from top to bottom, and we need major reforms in a broken criminal justice system. I intend to make sure people have education and jobs rather than jail cells.
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Source: 2015 CNN Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas
Donald Trump on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Aug 2, 2015)
Black lives matter, but we need strong police presence
Q: Do you see a crisis in the US of white police officers shooting unarmed blacks?TRUMP: It's a massive crisis. It's a double crisis. I look at these things, I see them on television. And some horrible mistakes are made. But at the same time, we have
to give power back to the police because crime is rampant. I believe very strongly that we need police.
Cities need strong police protection. But officers' jobs are being taken away from them. And there's no question about it, there is turmoil in our
country on both sides.
Q: Do you understand why African Americans don't trust the police right now?
TRUMP: Well, I can certainly see it when I see what's going on. But at the same time, we have to give power back to the police because we have to have
law and order. And you're always going to have mistakes made. And you're always going to have bad apples. But you can't let that stop the fact that police have to regain control of this tremendous crime wave that's hitting the US.
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Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Bernie Sanders on Black Lives Matter:
(Civil Rights Jul 26, 2015)
Black Lives Matter: deal with institutional racism
Q: At Netroots Nation, you had a confrontation with a Black Lives Matter--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.
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Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Hillary Clinton on Black Lives Matter:
(Crime Apr 28, 2015)
Black lives matter: inequality is not inevitable
[What can we say] about the cruel reality that African-American men are still far more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes, and sentenced to longer prison terms? Or that 1/3 of all black men face the prospect of prison
during their lifetimes, with devastating consequences for their families & communities?We have allowed our criminal justice system to get out of balance, and I hope that the tragedies of the last year give us the opportunity to come together as a
nation to find our balance again. We can stand up together and say: Yes, black lives matter. Yes, the government should serve and protect all of our people. Yes, our country is strongest when everyone has a fair shot at the American Dream. Inequality is
not inevitable. Some of the social disparities we see today may stem from the legacy of segregation & discrimination. But we do not have to perpetuate them, and we do not have to give into them. The choices we make matter. Policies matter. Values matter.
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Source: Brennan Center for Justice essays, p. 26
Page last updated: Feb 28, 2022
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