September 22, 2016 | No Comments
Hillary Clinton offered her assistance to Charlotte officials Thursday following two days of protests and violence in the city, urging the community to “come together to stop the violence.”
According to a pool report readout of phone conversations between Clinton, Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams, the Democratic nominee emphasized the importance of restoring “the bonds of trust between police officers and the communities they serve.”
During the call, Clinton stressed that “too many Black Americans have lost their lives and too many feel that their lives are disposable.” The former secretary of state made similar comments two days prior when she lamented the “horrible” shooting death of an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last Friday, adding that it is “just unbearable and needs to be intolerable.”
The Democratic nominee also called for unity in a time of turbulence. “They discussed the steps we must take to ensure that everyone is respected by the law, and everyone has respect for the law,” according to the readout.
“There are good, honorable police officers serving their communities across our country, and we must all work together to mend the wounds that exist and build the America we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in,” the readout adds.
Charlotte has seen two days of protests and violence following the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American man who was pulled over by police officer Brentley Vinson Tuesday.
Twelve officers were injured on the first night of protests Tuesday, while another disputed shooting Wednesday night left a protester in critical condition. That protester died Thursday. Forty four arrests have been made.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrocry called for a state of emergency in Charlotte late Wednesday as clashes between police officers and protesters escalated.
“These police officers are showing a tremendous amount of courage and there’s obviously a few hundred people who have come to our town center in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is a great city in and their major goal seems to be destruction and harm and that’s wrong and it’s unacceptable,” McCrory said on CNN shortly after making the announcement.
“We cannot tolerate violence or tolerate the destruction of property and will not tolerate the attacks towards our police officers occurring right now and I feel very strongly about that right now,” he added. “That is not the American way.”