On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Vice President Joe Biden stated that during President Obama’s meeting with law enforcement officials, Obama responded to their criticisms of some of his past statements “by pointing out, which I don’t think that they heard loudly and clearly, that, he in fact has, repeatedly, been supportive of the police organizations.”
He later stated that the meeting was, “The first time I’ve ever heard police organizations say, my guys are frightened, my guys are scared.”
Biden said that president responded to concerns from the police groups about some his statements, “by pointing out, which I don’t think that they heard loudly and clearly, that, he in fact has, repeatedly, been supportive of the police organizations. He talked about it. He gave a list. He said, I’ll be happy to send you all of these statements that I have made.”
Biden continued, “And he said, but you also have to recognize that there is still institutional discrimination. That doesn’t just exist in policing. It exists in many other areas, hiring, housing, etc. And you — and so, then they started talking, and said, well, maybe we, the law enforcement organization, should reach out and say, look, we understand why you may be concerned about how we deal with you, but here’s — let’s have a conversation, tell us what it is specifically, etc. So, it was a real, it’s an overused Washington word, there was real dialogue in there. And so, I agreed to sit with them, with a specific agenda, that they make up over the next ten days, and begin to go through it, as to how — and bring in the community as well, to begin to work through, like I did, over the years, in the past, in writing the COPS bill in the first place. Very specifically, how to reach out to the communities, and how to reach out to law enforcement as well. The first time I’ve ever heard police organizations say, my guys are frightened, my guys are scared.”
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