- Rep. Rashida Tlaib speaks to why the U.S. needs to tackle systemic racism by investing in social programs, and argues that “police can’t be the answer to all these ills in our country.”
- “It wasn’t an accident,” Tlaib wrote. “Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence.”
- “I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can’t be reformed.” -Rashida Tlaib
In These Times writes:
“On April 11, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by officer Kim Potter during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota — another case of a young Black man losing his life at the hands of police. And the killing came as former officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on the neck of George Floyd leading to his death, stood trial just miles away.
In the wake of Wright’s death, protesters in Minnesota and around the country took to the streets, while many organizers and politicians weighed on the need for systemic change. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D‑Mich.) received much media attention for a tweet she sent the following day.
“It wasn’t an accident,” Tlaib wrote. “Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can’t be reformed.”
Tlaib’s comments were met with cheers from many racial justice organizers, and with rebuke from others, including Detroit Police Chief James Craig who called her tweets “a disgusting knee-jerk response,” and even called forher resignation.
In response, Tlaib has explained that her comments referred to the ongoing lack of accountability for police departments that engage in abuse and the lopsided budgets for policing versus social programs, adding in an email to supporters: “I have never shied away from speaking truth to power.”
In this interview with SiriusXM Urban View host Joe Madison, Tlaib discusses her views on defunding the police, why she’s pushing a bill to provide recurring Covid relief payments and the push in Congress to expand the Supreme Court. It has been edited for length and clarity…”
See full story here.
Categories: Government, Politics
Economic Left 
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