PoliticsDonald Trump2016 electionRacism

Mike Pence Says We Shouldn't Talk About Racial Bias In The Wake Of Police Shootings

The GOP vice presidential candidate called for people to move away "from the rhetoric of division and embrace the rhetoric of unity."
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Senior Politics Reporter, HuffPost

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Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence on Thursday said Americans should refrain from speaking about racial bias within law enforcement immediately after police shootings to help bring unity to communities like Charlotte, North Carolina, where violent protests raged this week over the police shooting of a black man.

“It’s a challenging time to be in law enforcement. But I would tell you that, Donald Trump and I know and believe that the men and women in law enforcement you know, you know are white officers, African-American officers, Hispanic, Latino, or Asian officers, they’re the best of us,” the Indiana governor said in a town hall in Colorado Springs, CO.

“And that we ought to set aside this talk about institutional racism and institutional bias and when tragedies happen, which I consider any loss of life to be a tragedy. When tragedies happen, we assure the public a thorough investigation and a transparent application of the law. But again, to move away from the rhetoric of division and embrace the rhetoric of unity, I think, is the order of the day,” he added.

Studies widely show African-Americans are more likely to be stopped by police. Young black men are also more likely to be killed by law enforcement than other Americans, according to The Guardian.

Addressing racial tensions in wake of police shootings in Dallas earlier this year, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said that Americans needed to acknowledge “that implicit bias still exists across society and even in the best police departments.”

In an interview with MSNBC’s Brian Williams on Wednesday, Pence said he found it “offensive” that Clinton refers “to implicit bias or institutional bias within the ranks of our law enforcement community broadly.” 

“Obviously when mistakes are made and tragedy occurs, they should be fully investigated. But enough already of this reference to law enforcement and institutional or implicit bias,” he said.

But while Pence defended police, his running mate, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said he was “very troubled” by the police shooting of an unarmed African-American man in Tulsa this week.

“This young officer, I don’t know what she was thinking, but I’m very, very troubled by that. I’m very, very troubled by that,” he said.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularlyincitespolitical violence and is a

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Before You Go

6 Reasons Mike Pence Is Terrible For LGBTQ People
He has supported LGBT discrimination under the banner of "religious freedom."(01 of06)
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In March 2015, Pence signed Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (or RFRA) into law, effectively legalizing discrimination against LGBT people across the state. The bill, which Vox called "one of the biggest political crises" of Pence's career, allowed business owners to cite their religious beliefs as justification for turning away LGBT customers.

The bill's passage sparked national controversy, and in the end, was reported to have set the state back $250 million. In April 2015, Pence signed a revised version of the bill into law that included language that explicitly barred businesses from denying services to customers on the basis of categories that include sexual orientation and gender identity. Many LGBT rights advocates remained critical of the revisions, saying that Indiana should have repealed the measure altogether. (credit:CHRIS KEANE / Reuters)
He REALLY opposes same-sex marriage.(02 of06)
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Pence has long been an outspoken opponent of marriage equality, and in floor speeches during his time in Congress, described marriage as being “ordained by God.”

Of the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling that granted same-sex couples the right to tie the knot nationwide, he reportedly said that he said he was disappointed that SCOTUS had “failed to recognize the historic role of the states in setting marriage policy,” but nonetheless noted that he believed “in the rule of law.” (credit:Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
He's opposed hate crime protections for LGBT people.(03 of06)
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In 2009, Pence was an outspoken opponent of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which officially expanded federal hate crime legislation to include violence directed at members of the LGBT community.

At the time, Pence blasted President Barack Obama for using the measure to “advance a radical social agenda,” according to USA Today, and argued that the law could be used to curb free speech rights. (credit:David Becker / Reuters)
He didn't want "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed.(04 of06)
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Pence was no fan of President Obama's decision to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," which banned gay and lesbian people from serving in the armed forces.

In 2010 he told CNN he did not want to see the military become “a backdrop for social experimentation," and said, "We ought to put their interests and the interests of our national security first." (credit:John Sommers II / Reuters)
He opposed Obama's 2016 transgender bathroom directive.(05 of06)
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In May, Pence spoke out against the Obama administration's directive advising public schools to allow trans students to use the bathroom that best corresponds with their gender identity or risk losing federal funding.

“The federal government has not business getting involved in issues of this nature,” Pence said. (credit:Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
His stance on HIV/AIDS prevention is questionable at best.(06 of06)
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In 2000, Pence suggested that money from a program to help those with HIV/AIDS should be repurposed toward organizations that “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior,” BuzzFeed reports.

He's also suggested that needle exchange programs, which can be used to help prevent the spread of HIV, encouraged drug use.

Last year, Pence reluctantly allowed for a short-term needle exchange program to be put into place in Indiana following a spike in HIV infections across the state.

"I do not enter into this lightly," he told The Indianapolis Star. "In response to a public health emergency, I'm prepared to make an exception to my long-standing opposition to needle exchange programs." (credit:Andrew Kelly / Reuters)
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