Trump quiet on brutality
April 9, 2018
The shooting of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man in Sacramento has reignited protests against excessive use of force and police brutality against the black community.
After being cornered in his grandmother’s backyard and reaching for his cell phone, the two officers fired 20 rounds on Clark, eight of which struck and killed him an independent autopsy found on April 4. He was shot six times in the back and once in the leg, which happened as he fell to the ground. These findings are in direct contradiction with the police’s version of events.
In spite of this recent finding and numerous protests which caught national attention this past week, President Trump has yet to directly address the matter.
When asked about the lack of a response, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that it was a “local matter”, as though there is no precedence for excessive force against communities of color and as though police brutality isn’t a frequent national occurrence.
The administration’s response or lack thereof, is in line with the apathy the President seems to have toward pressing matters of the black community. Unless it is economic or geared to demonstrating how he’s “the least racist” person, Trump just doesn’t seem to care. In fact, Trump has yet to show that he cares about any community of color as he threatens DACA recipients, demonizes muslims and remains silent on yet another shooting of an unarmed black man.
For someone with such a “great relationship with the blacks” he sure doesn’t act like it.