September 21, 2016 | No Comments
Donald Trump on Wednesday called for an “immediate end” to the unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina, that broke out after a police shooting of a black man on Tuesday, the latest in a string of such fatal shootings.
“Hopefully the violence & unrest in Charlotte will come to an immediate end. To those injured, get well soon. We need unity & leadership,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning, also writing, “The situations in Tulsa and Charlotte are tragic. We must come together to make America safe again.”
Violent protests have rocked Charlotte in the past 24 hours, as demonstrators demand answers as to why Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by police Tuesday night in a parking lot of an apartment complex. Police said Scott was holding a gun, while his family said he was sitting in his car reading a book.
That shooting follows another fatal incident in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last week in which Terence Crutcher was shot dead by a police officer on the side of a highway, after the female officer claimed he was behaving strangely and she feared he was reaching for a weapon.
Trump, who has positioned himself as the “law and order candidate,” has been criticized in the past for what some see as opportunistic reactions to tragic events. Last month, he sparked outrage when he tweeted in response to a Chicago shooting which killed Nykea Aldridge, Dwayne Wade’s cousin.
He was accused of being insensitive, and using the incident to further his political agenda, tweeting, “Dwayne Wade’s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!”
The Republican presidential nominee has, in recent weeks, been trying to appeal to black voters. Many denounced his comments Tuesday in Kenansville, North Carolina, when he said that black communities in the United States are “in the worst shape ever.” He raised similar controversy last month in another appeal to black voters when he said “what the hell do you have to lose?” by trying something new like Trump.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who on Tuesday called Crutcher’s shooting “intolerable,” also weighed in on Wednesday morning, tweeting, “Keith Lamont Scott. Terence Crutcher. Too many others. This has got to end. -H.”