Ben Carson, the secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department and the only black member of President Trump’s Cabinet, said he doesn’t plan to join Black Lives Matter protests because he’s too busy.
“I think I have other things that probably require my presence and attention,” he told the Daily Beast.
Carson said he would consider attending the protests if the movement focused on violence in cities such as Chicago, where 24 people died last weekend in shootings.
“I would like to take the opportunity to say to the Black Lives Matter group — please, concentrate on some of the horrendous things that are going on in places like Chicago,” said Carson. “Is that an important thing, or is it not? Do we just not even care about that?”
“I would be much more inclined to march with them,” continued Carson, “if they were also concerned with all those people dying in other places around the country.”
Carson acknowledged that the protests have raised issues that should be addressed by lawmakers, including making it harder for police with records of misconduct to transfer to other police departments and a possible ban on chokeholds.
“[Police unions] have to recognize they also have a responsibility to the public at large,” he added, without offering specific reforms.
