Sen. Tim Scott wants President Trump to address the unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the hurricane devastation in Louisiana in his speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday.
“These are two major issues overwhelming good people throughout this country,” the South Carolina Republican said on CBS’ “This Morning.” “But I hope that he also looks to our future and talks about bringing this nation together and making sure that we return to the pre-COVID-19 economic success and social cohesion.”
Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana late Wednesday night as a Category 4 storm, one of the strongest to ravage the area in more than a century. The storm is still ongoing, moving away from the gulf, but it is still a dangerous Category 2 hurricane.
Kenosha has erupted into heated protests after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot by a White police officer in the back seven times and is currently paralyzed from the waist down.
The protests turned violent this week, and a 17-year-old was arrested in Illinois on first-degree murder charges after attending the demonstrations and fatally shooting two people.
Mr. Scott, the sole Black Republican senator, said he was “frustrated” by what he saw in Wisconsin, but he hopes it can lead to a breakthrough on policing legislation on Capitol Hill.
“Looking at the video, I saw no justification for those cops to shoot that young man,” he said of Mr. Blake. “These have been the complaints of African Americans for generations. Now we’re having a chance to solve some of these issues.”
Overhaul on police use of force got caught in partisan gridlock back in June after Senate Democrats blocked the GOP policing bill from moving forward to a procedural debate. Senate Republicans refused to bring up the House policing bill, and party leaders were unable to work out a deal.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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