- On Friday, ABC 6 reporter Brian Taff asked Vice President
Mike Pence if he'd be be willing to say the phrase "Black Lives Matter " during their interview. - Pence responded by saying that the death of George Floyd "was a tragedy," and that the nation should "cherish the ideal" that Americans are created equal, especially on Juneteenth.
- The Vice President also said that police departments should not be defunded, and that efforts will be made by the Trump administration to provide law enforcement with more resources.
- He did not, however, say "Black Lives Matter," and instead said he believes that "
all lives matter ."
Vice President Mike Pence expressed his stance that "all lives matter" while speaking with ABC 6 reporter Brian Taff on Friday.
During their interview, Pence was asked if he'd be willing to join the "handful of elected Republican leaders in Washington" who have recently said "Black Lives Matter" in support of the racial-justice movement that's making waves across the nation. While Pence replied by saying that "what happened to George was a tragedy," he declined to repeat the phrase.
"In this nation, especially on Juneteenth, we celebrate the fact that from the founding of this nation, we've cherished the ideal that all, all of us, are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights.
"And so all lives matter in a very real sense," Pence said.
—ActionNews on 6abc (@6abc) June 20, 2020
Rather than saying 'Black Lives Matter,' Mike Pence discussed US police funding
"We're supporting law enforcement," Pence continued. "We're not gonna defund the police, but rather we're gonna fund new resources to law enforcement to raise the standards for the use of force for de-escalation to make it possible to deploy personnel people, social workers who could deal with challenging situations, people that are trained in homelessness, to prevent the kind of incident that we saw take place."
Still, Taff continued to press Pence on saying, "Black Lives Matter," asking the Vice President why he would "not say those words."
Pence replied: "Well I don't accept the fact, Brian, that there's a segment of American society that disagrees in the preciousness and importance of every human life, and it's one of the reasons why as we advance important reforms in law enforcement, as we look for ways to strengthen and improve public safety in our cities, we're not gonna stop there."
This is not the first time a politician has been asked to share their thoughts on the 'Black Lives Matter' movement
Late last week during a House Judiciary meeting, California representative Eric Swalwell asked his Republican colleagues if they could "unequivocally say" that 'Black Lives Matter.' Florida representative Matt Gaetz replied at the time that he believes "all lives matter."
According to the "Black Lives Matter" website, the movement was founded in 2013 "in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer." Now, the group's mission is to "eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes."
"By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives," the website says.
- Read more:
- Billie Eilish blasted the 'All Lives Matter' movement: 'If all lives matter why are black people killed for just being black'
- The deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks have soured the already strained relationship between Black people and the police
- American policing is broken. Here's what's wrong and 7 ways experts say we can fix it.
- An Ohio couple fired their wedding photographer because she supported Black Lives Matter. But she got the last laugh.