The White House recently said that President Joe Biden disagrees with Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s recent proposal to “abolish the police. Tlaib tweeted that the United States should “end policing, incarceration and militarization. Many high-ranking Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), also objected to Tlaib’s statement.
“That’s not the president’s view,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in response to comments about Tlaib, “the president’s view is that there should be long-needed reforms, that there needs to be accountability, that the loss of life is too high and that these families across the country are suffering ……”
Pusaki said Biden believes that legislation, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, could be used to put “necessary reforms in place. Biden said Monday (April 12) that “there is no justification for violence,” while calling for an investigation into the shooting.
Tlaib’s tweets about “unpolicing” came after the death of Duane Wright, 20. Wright was shot and killed by a female officer named Kim Potter during a traffic stop for an arrest warrant in suburban Minneapolis. Potter and the local police chief have both resigned.
Tlaib tweeted, “This was not an accident, Wright was subjected to aggression and violence. I’ve had enough of people who condone government-sponsored murder.” She added, “There should be no more policing, incarceration and militarization. It cannot be reformed.”
Pelosi, however, said Tuesday, April 13, that she does not agree with Tlaib’s proposal to call for the elimination of policing in the United States. Pelosi simply said that police reform is needed at the federal level. Like Biden, she believes the Floyd Police Justice Act, which passed the House in March, would provide a solution to systemic racism “and would not paint all law enforcement officers with the same brush.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also commented after Tlaib’s tweet, saying, “Look, we all know we have to root out systemic bias in law enforcement. I think the best way to do that is the Police Justice Act.” He also said he would put the bill on the Senate floor for debate.
Media commentary said Tlaib’s remarks appeared to echo calls for “defund the police” from leftists and Black Lives Matter protesters following Floyd’s death in a police arrest last summer. Other far-left Democratic congressmen, including fellow Squad member Ayanna Pressley, have made similar remarks. “We can’t reform it anymore because it’s ‘inherently and deliberately racist,'” they said.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told reporters, “We definitely need reform in the area of qualified immunity …… But I, I’m not in the camp that says, you know, we should disrespect the police. We should be reforming police where we need them.”
Kane said, “I don’t need to tell anybody what to say, you ask me what I think, I was a mayor with a police force. I was a governor and had a state police force. Our police, I mean, look, I’m going to a funeral now, the funeral of a police officer who gave his life to protect us, and we need good policing.”
Recent Comments