Minority Communities Deserve Better Leadership
(AP PHOTO/PATRICK SEMANSKY) Photo From The American Prospect
Both the Republican and Democratic Parties have failed communities of color in various ways that either alienate them or take them for granted. No one has tried to stop the Democratic Party power grab and Republicans have disappointed millions of voters by failing to provide an adequate alternative. In the wake of the death of George Floyd, we have reached a turning point. The relationship between the public and established institutions has become strained, challenged, and rebuked by the people. It is evident that the status quo is no longer viable for the citizens of this country.
The Democratic Party has only contributed to the significant disparities in major urban areas by taking communities of color for granted. Democrats have turned a blind eye and only have had a superficial impact on the lives of those in these affected communities. Poverty, crime, and poor education have riddled these neighborhoods for decades, but nothing seemed to change after years of Democratic leadership.
Democratic Party leaders have continued to expect the party will earn votes from communities of color. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden insinuated that if Black Americans don’t vote for him then they “ain’t black” during an interview with Charlamagne tha God on the radio show “The Breakfast Club.” This was even denounced by people within his own party, like Black Entertainment Television (BET) co-founder Bob Johnson who said that Biden’s comments were “the biggest turnoff [he’s] heard from a politician in a long time” and that the Democratic Party views Black Americans as “an appendage of the party.” Vice President Biden also, just recently, again insulted the Black community by claiming that the “Latino community is diverse, unlike the African American community,” which essentially painted the Black community as some sort of monolithic voting bloc. Moreover, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, when referring to Senator Tim Scott’s JUSTICE Act, called the proposal a “token, half-hearted approach.” Instead of coming to the other side of the aisle to work on meaningful police and criminal justice reform, Democrats have continued to put party politics over compromise and guaranteeing results for the people. These Democratic politicians have shown, time and time again, that they only care for their votes and support instead of delivering on the promises made. Job numbers are stagnant, violent crime has increased, children are still left with subpar schools and given less opportunities as a result of their ineffective leadership.
The recent actions by some corrupt law enforcement officers have led the left to embrace the defunding and even dismantling of the police. Calls for defunding or disbanding the police on the left are misguided and woefully irresponsible. Democrats have done nothing to stop the violence in our cities and taking money from our police departments will only worsen these problems. Our police need the resources to do their jobs effectively. While there have been many instances of abuse of power by police, drastically reducing police budgets will only leave our communities less safe. In order to ameliorate relations between the police and their communities, all police officers must be retrained to stress non-lethal force and to de-escalate situations better, which will require MORE funds not less. In addition, police officers with previous records of abuse of power or misconduct must be relieved of their duty, as too many of these officers have gotten off without being reprimanded.
Currently, there is a window of opportunity for Republicans to broaden their coalition, as well as to enact more successful public policy. There are many voters in this country who are voting for the Democratic Party because they don’t see the GOP as a viable option. A recent study at the Pew Research Center found that African Americans consider their views as more moderate rather than liberal. In 2019, 43% of Black Democrats considered themselves as moderate, 29% said they are liberal and 25% called themselves conservatives. This shows that there are voters within the Democr