Mike Pence is now on record refusing to say that Black lives matter, preferring the racist “All Lives Matter” slogan while using it to promote his anti-abortion agenda.
The Trump administration could save itself much backlash if it would just declare that “Black Lives Matter” and get to work combating police brutality and fixing the racial injustice that has plagued our nation for centuries.
But Trump refuses to acknowledge it, and now so does Pence.
During an interview on CBS, host John Dickerson challenged Pence to say it. Instead, Pence dodged and praised Trump.
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“What the American people want is to fund the police with additional training and support,” Pence insisted. “And also improve the lives of people in our African-American community, which I’m proud to say, under President Trump’s leadership, we were doing over the last three years. We don’t need to chose between supporting law enforcement and supporting our African-American neighbors. We can do both. And that’s how we bring our country together.”
Actually, Americans are tired of systemic racism and the killing of unarmed Black people by police who have itchy trigger fingers unless the person on the other end of the gun is white.
Americans want police and the government to actually value Black lives and for police officers to be held accountable for their actions.
“One thing protesters would like to hear is leaders say ‘Black lives matter,’” Dickerson said. “You won’t say that. Why?”
Pence proceeded to share empty words about how much he admires Dr. Martin Luther King and claimed to “cherish” how much progress Black people have made. But he also used the occasion to claim that “unborn” lives matter while still refusing to say that Black lives matter.
“All my life, I’ve been inspired by the example of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Pence replied. “When I was in Congress, I traveled to his home church in Montgomery with Congressman John Lewis. I walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. I cherish the progress that we have made for African-Americans throughout our history. And I’ve aspired throughout my career to be a part of that ongoing work. It’s really a heart issue for me. And as a pro-life American, I also believe that all lives matter, born and the unborn.”
Speaking of anniversaries, Pence really didn’t seem to have a problem with Trump scheduling his Tulsa rally to take place on Juneteenth — the commonly-held “Black Independence Day — at the site of the 1921 Black Wall Street massacre. He also apparently has no issue with holding the Republican convention in Jacksonville on the anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday.
Pence then tried to smear the whole “Black Lives Matter” movement and claimed that Black leaders “want law and order.”
Judging by the millions of Americans who have taken to the streets across the country, what they actually want is an end to systemic racism, and that starts with declaring that Black lives matter and fixing the problems instead of doubling down on policing.
“So, you won’t say Black lives matter?” Dickerson asked.
“John, I really believe that all lives matter,” Pence replied once more before telling one final lie about how Americans feel. “That’s where the heart of the American people lies.”
Here’s the video:
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons
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