The two out leaders of the civil rights organization Black Lives Matter responded to a week’s worth of criticism coming from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland with a condemnation of GOP nominee Donald Trump Thursday night, accusing him of wanting to empower police to “terrorize our communities.”
“The terrorist on our televisions tonight was Donald Trump,” said queer cofounder Patrisse Cullors in a statement reported by the Washington Times. “He pledged to fight for Americans, while threatening the vast majority of this country with imprisonment, deportation and a culture of abject fear.”
She was joined in her statement by the other queer co-founder of BLM, Alicia Garza, who said Trump “proposed a “new, dark age where police have carte blanche authority to terrorize our communities.”
“The terrifying vision that Donald J. Trump is putting forward casts him alongside some of the worst fascists in history.”
Below is the statement in full from Black Lives Matter:
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“Tonight’s acceptance speech from Republican Presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump was possibly the most negative acceptance speech in recorded history. In his 75 minutes on stage, the nominee —whether couched in dog-whistling or outright yelling— managed to vilify and criminalize good people of all walks ranging from Latino immigrants, to Muslims, to Black people to which the co-founders of Black Lives Matter have issued the following response:
“‘The terrifying vision that Donald J. Trump is putting forward casts him alongside some of the worst fascists in history.
“’Black people and our allies have unequivocally demanded a new path forward for safety in our communities, one that involves real accountability for police.
“’While our movement envisions a bright future where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, Trump is proposing a new, dark age where police have carte blanche authority to terrorize our communities.
“’Whether it was Richard Nixon unleashing a war on drugs or George Wallace’s more overt war on Black people, we’ve heard it all before and won’t be fooled again,’” said Alicia Garza, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter.
“’The terrorist on our televisions tonight was Donald Trump. He pledged to fight for Americans, while threatening the vast majority of this country with imprisonment, deportation and a culture of abject fear.
“’His doublespeak belies his true nature: a charlatan who will embolden racists and destroy communities of color. He is a disgrace. White people of conscience must forcefully reject this hatred immediately,’ said Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter.”
