This country is an incredibly harmful state of mind. President Trump wants to do something about it. Finally, despite everything, he faces a challenge, using his language, which only he can solve. I pray he will.
Last Tuesday night, we learned that Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, had crossed paths with others in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to protest the police shooting at Jacob Blake in the back. Rittenhouse took an attack rifle and killed two others. people, injuring a third party. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rittenhouse “believed itself to be a component of a life and property defense force.”
While we were trying to digest this series of events, we learned of another fatal shooting, this one in Portland, Oregon. Trump supporters in favor of the police felt it was a smart concept to organize a caravan in Portland, where they clashed with protesters originally gathered through the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As Oregon reported, “quarrels between pro-Trump and counter-protesters continued. Some members of the caravan reportedly attacked the protesters with paintballs and pepper spray. “At one point,” the Oregonian reported, “a guy known as right-wing activist Alan Swinney, pointed a gun at the crowd but didn’t fire.
It’s unclear what happened in Portland on Saturday night; What’s transparent is that a guy shot him and killed him. Donald Trump then used Twitter to attack Portland’s Democratic mayor and congratulate the members of the “BIG PATRIOTS” caravan.
This follows a Republican convention, in which Trump proclaimed, “This election will determine whether we will defend the American way of life or whether we will allow a radical motion to dismantle and destroy it altogether.”After the speech, he told his followers: “They are not protesters.They’re anarchists. They are agitators, troublemakers, looters….they are only looking for problems …and we have to prevent them.”
Obviously, there are other people under Trump’s influence who are content to grab their attack rifles, get into his vans, confront so-called anarchists and seek to “stop him.” So we’re witnessing a terrifying dynamic that can be a style: Trump supporters come to towns to take on Black Lives Matter protesters and others potentially dead.
Trump has the power, simply by speaking sense to his base, to deescalate this madness. So please, Mr. President, do your job! Tell your fans, your base, not to go into strange towns looking for trouble. Tell them to leave their beloved weapons at home and to be considerate of people with different views. If you insist on going to Kenosha this week, you should point out to your people that peaceful protest is a constitutional right and is about as American as it gets. And you should encourage them to listen respectfully to what the protesters are saying instead of calling them traitors and attacking them with paintballs or other weapons.
More: America needs law and order but not Trump’s intimidation. Biden must make both points.
I understand, Mr President, that you have never given such a speech in your life. Perhaps you, and your speechwriters, have no idea how such a thing is done. I am pleased to tell you that there is a style that you, and other intelligent people around you, can seamlessly tailor to your needs.
In July 1963, North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford convened a state summit of mayors and city directors. That summer, Lexington, North Carolina fought battles to eliminate segregation, sparking rumors that white people were attacking blacks. Conflicts became an insurrection in which shots were fired. One man died and another was wounded. It was also a difficult time for the rest of the United States. This same summer he saw racial violence in Cincinnati, New York, Baltimore, Savannah and elsewhere. A year earlier, James Meredith, a black man, tried to enroll in the University of Mississippi, formerly all white, affectionately known as “Ole Miss.” Federal troops escorted Meredith to school. The insurgents tried to keep him from coming in. When the smoke dissipated, two innocent people had died.
Sanford spoke brilliantly about the challenge facing his state and his country. He affirmed the “injustices and indigenous countries long suffered through the black race” and suggested that they be provided to “show wisdom and courage and … perceive that each and every child of God on earth wants a possibility of human life and dignity.” . He also criticized violence, adding violence through the political right. “I don’t intend to dance to the air of extremists on any aspect of the subject,” Sanford said. This positioning, in particular, appeals to you, Mr Preaspectnt, given your commitment to highlight the qualities of other people “in both respects”.
Please, Mr President, absorb some of our protest history before moving on to Kenosha. Please look to realize that other people who are demonstrating for justice are not necessarily going out to destroy America, but possibly would actually.
As for you, Joseph Biden. Or we know that Trump is very likely to forget all of the previous sensible recommendations, as his favorite taste is to pour gasoline on racial fire. So fly without delay to Portland, then head to Kenosha. Show us what an aspiring president looks like when he leads a polarized country through an internal crisis. Make it clear that you are not an apologist for violence, but you also believe in equivalent treatment. Tell us why you reject the nonsense that our collective security is to allow police officers to kill members of all races with impunity. Let Americans perceive that our well-being is based on an expectation of justice. Show us that your vision is broad enough to motivate decent cops, worried minorities and a fearful electorate. Show us what compassion and competition look like. God knows, we have to see it.
Ellis Cose, a member of USA TODAY’s Taxpayers Council, is a member of “Democracy, If We Can Keep It: The 100-Year Struggle for ACLU Rights in the United States,” published in July, and “The Short Life and Curious Death of Freedom of Expression in America,” Sept. Lately it’s running in a history of America. Follow him on Twitter: @EllisCose