David Clarke, sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisc., had one simple message for the Republican Party on Monday night.
“Blue lives matter!” the sheriff shouted in his first line to attendees at the GOP convention in Cleveland.
Clarke, a conservative law enforcement officer, also praised the Monday acquittal of the final Baltimore police officer who had been charged in the death of Freddie Gray. He specifically called out Maryland State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby for unjustly prosecuting police.
“Donald Trump understands that what can make our nation safe again is a recommitment to a system of justice in which no government official, not even those who have fought their way to the marble and granite halls of Washington; no private citizen, not even Hillary Clinton; and no group of people, despite the fervor with which they press forward their grievances, can claim privilege above the law,” Clarke said.
Instead, Clarke said in order to “make America safe again,” the theme of day one of the convention, Americans must ensure the safety of its law enforcement officers.
Clarke’s reassuring message for police comes days after a historic spate of police killings. Five Dallas officers were killed and nine others wounded two weeks ago during a protest by Black Lives Matter activists. On Sunday, three Baton Rouge, La., cops were fatally shot by a man frustrated over police-related deaths of African-Americans.
“What we witnessed in Ferguson, in Baltimore, and in Baton Rouge was a collapse of social order. So many of the actions of the Occupy movement and Black Lives Matter transcend peaceful protest, and violates the code of conduct we rely on,” Clarke said.
“I believe that this noble mission is not just a requirement, but a prerequisite for achieving this campaign’s goal of making America great again. We simply cannot be great if we do not feel safe in our homes, on our streets, and in our communities.”
