Protesting racism and police brutality is righteous; Trump’s manipulations aren’t

People have every right to be outraged about police brutality and deep-seated racism in our criminal justice system. Since 2015, police have killed more than 1,300 Black people nationwide, and African Americans have, for years, died at the hands of law enforcement in dramatically disproportionate numbers. Black Americans account for less than 13% of the country’s population, yet are killed by police at nearly 2.5 times the rate of white Americans.

This reality is unconscionable. And taking to the streets to protest correctable injustice is 100% justified. In fact, I’m proud to have been one of millions of Americans who have participated in protests since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd on May 25 and sparked a nationwide uprising that’s still going strong in many cities.

But as righteous as these demonstrations have been and are, we also must come to grips with the fact that we face another grave threat: President Trump and his insidious attempt to exploit protests that sometimes turn violent in order to jump-start his flagging campaign.

For the full op-ed, click here.