|
Time
to
come
together
over
race
by
Senator
Tim
Scott
USA
Today, July
21,
2016
Our
nation
needs
to
have
a
painful,
productive
conversation
on
race.
But,
and
I
cannot
say
this
any
more
clearly
–
killing,
injuring
or
otherwise
targeting
our
law
enforcement
officers
is
absolutely
unacceptable,
and
those
who
do
so
must
face
swift
justice.
…
In
my
hometown
of
North
Charleston,
S.C.,
I
have
walked
the
streets
with
law
enforcement
officers
early
on
Christmas
morning,
hand-delivering
presents
to
children
who
otherwise
probably
would
not
have
received
anything.
…
But
in
spite
of
the
tremendous
work
done
by
so
many
of
those
who
protect
us
every
day,
there
is
a
trust
gap
between
the
black
community
and
law
enforcement.
No
matter
what
you
are
seeing
on
TV
or
reading
on
Twitter,
this
is
an
issue
that
has
been
growing
for
years.
Many
Americans,
including
some
of
my
colleagues,
were
surprised
last
week
when
they
heard
me
share
stories
like
this
in
one
of
three
speeches
I
delivered
from
the
Senate
floor.
It
was
a
painful,
personal
and
necessary
experience.
…
Since
I
was
a
teenager,
I
have
felt
the
fear,
anger,
sadness
and
humiliation
that
only
comes
when
you
know
you
have
been
wronged
even
as
you’re
doing
things
right.
Now,
we
must
come
together,
not
just
in
government,
but
in
living
rooms,
schools
and
neighborhoods
across
America,
to
find
solutions.
It’s
time
to
unclench
the
angry
fists
and
stop
the
hand-wringing.
Let’s
join
hands
instead.
It
will
be
hard.
There
is
no
single
solution.
But
there
are
clear
starting
points.
On
the
law
enforcement
side,
police
departments
interested
in
purchasing
body
cameras
should
have
the
resources
to
do
so.
The
FBI
should
track
police-related
shootings
in
a
way
that
provides
all
of
us
the
clearest
picture
of
what
is
actually
happening.
…
Additionally,
too
many
communities
have
been
left
behind.
They
see
the
American
dream
as
only
that:
a
dream.
Their
sense
of
abandonment
only
feeds
the
despair.
We
need
to
build
opportunities
in
underserved
communities
by
focusing
on
education,
job
creation
and
community
investment.
…
My
family
went
from
cotton
to
Congress
in
one
lifetime.
We
endured
our
bumps
and
bruises,
and
know
that
while
challenges
certainly
still
remain,
we
have
come
a
long
way.
That
is
the
true
story
of
America,
and
that
is
what
we
should
be
striving
for
in
every
community
across
this
great
land.
You
can
read
Senator
Scott's
full
column HERE.
### |