Trump’s Racist Call to Violence is Beneath America’s Moral Floor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shin Inouye, [email protected], 202.869.0398

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on Trump’s response to the protests in Minneapolis:

“People in Minnesota and around the country are rightfully angered and devastated by the police killing of George Floyd. The problem of state violence against communities of color, particularly Black people, has a long history in this country that we have not fully confronted or addressed.

“Despite his belated attempts to mitigate what he said, Trump’s racist incitement of violence is appalling and unacceptable. We applaud Twitter for flagging Trump’s words as a violation of its glorification of violence policy, yet the lack of action by Facebook and other social media platforms is shameful. This country and its leaders have a responsibility to acknowledge the ongoing history of white supremacy and systemic racism, commit to peaceful resolution of conflict in communities, and support increased police accountability. We need to live up to our founding creed – that we are all created equal.”

The Leadership Conference and leading civil rights groups on Thursday called on the Minneapolis mayor and police chief to keep communities and officers safe and to respond to the demonstrations according to best practices for peaceful resolution. Social media platforms must also recognize and act upon their responsibility to ensure peaceful resolution.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.