CNN’s Don Lemon urged Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to address the nation about the rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the third night of violence since the shooting of Jacob Blake.
He told fellow CNN anchor Chris Cuomo following the network’s coverage of the Tuesday night’s Republican National Convention that Democrats are not doing nearly enough to address the unrest.
“I think Democrats are ignoring this problem or hoping that it will go away, and it’s not going to go away” before the election, Lemon said, adding that the violence and destruction is “a blind spot for Democrats.”
“I think maybe Joe Biden may be afraid to do it. I’m not sure,” he continued. “Maybe he won’t. Maybe he is. He’s got to address it. He’s got to come out and talk about it. He’s got to do a speech like Barack Obama did about race. He’s got to come out and tell people that he is going to deal with the issue of police reform in this country and that what’s happening now is happening under Donald Trump’s watch.”
Lemon said the rioting “has to stop” because “it’s showing up in the polling” and could help Trump bounce back in the polls and carry him to a second term.
Tensions in Kenosha, a city of roughly 100,000 residents, have been rising ever since viral video emerged of Blake, a 29-year-old black man, being shot several times by police at close range during an arrest on Sunday.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice, with the help of the Justice Department, is investigating the shooting. Officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, but their identities have not been released.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Blake’s family, said on Tuesday that Blake is paralyzed and is undergoing surgery. Blake is “struggling to sustain his life,” Crump said.
