GOP convention speakers decry ‘mayhem,’ slam Democrats as anti-police

Several speakers during the fourth night of the Republican National Convention on Thursday decried violence in American cities and attacked Democrats as anti-police.

Ann Dorn, the widow of a retired St. Louis police captain, spoke of her husband David’s police career and his friendship with a local man who eventually opened a pawn shop. She went on to describe the night earlier this year when, during unrest after the death of George Floyd, David was killed responding to looting at the shop.

“They shot and killed Dave in cold blood and livestreamed the execution and his last moments on this earth,” she said. “Dave’s grandson was watching the video on Facebook in real time, not realizing he was watching his own grandfather dying on the sidewalk.”

“Violence and destruction are not legitimate forms of protest. They do not safeguard Black lives. They destroy them. President Trump understands this and has offered federal help to restore order in our communities. In a time when police departments are short on resources and manpower, we need that help,” Dorn said.

Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Pat Lynch, meanwhile, said the “stakes have never been higher” for the president’s reelection. Lynch decried urban crime rates and accused Democrats of “walk[ing] away from us” by cutting police budgets.

“Democratic politicians have surrendered our streets and institutions,” Lynch said. “The loudest voices have taken control, and our so-called ‘leaders’ are scrambling to catch up to them.”

The PBA endorsed the president for reelection earlier this month, with Lynch attending an event at the president’s Bedminster, N.J., golf club.

“I cannot remember when we’ve ever endorsed for the office of president of the United States, until now. That’s how important this is,” Lynch said earlier this month.

Remarks from the speakers come amid social unrest in the U.S. spurred by the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back seven times by police in Kenosha, Wis., while he was trying to enter his vehicle. Blake is currently paralyzed from the waist down. 

Following the incident, protests broke out in the state, and some demonstrations have lead to violent clashes with law enforcement. 

Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, also offered an extreme warning about what he claimed would be the decline of public safety under a Biden administration.

He echoed the message put forth by Trump and his allies that Biden and Democrats would allow violence in American metropolitan areas, citing the current protests in “progressive cities.”

Giuliani, who served as New York City mayor from 1994 to 2001, specifically decried violence and looting in New York City that accompanied peaceful protests against racial injustice following the killing of Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody in May.

“It is clear that a vote for Biden and the Democrats creates the risk that you will bring this lawlessness to your city, to your town, to your suburb. There is no question that this awesome job of restoring safety to our people cannot be done from your basement, Joe,” Giuliani said, taking a swipe at Biden. 

Trump, he said, would “fight with all his strength to preserve the American system of government and our way of life” if he is reelected.

Biden issued a statement about the unrest Thursday, saying “The violence we’re witnessing is happening under Donald Trump. Not me. It’s getting worse, and we know why.”

Giuliani and Lynch did not mention Blake in their speeches Thursday, although Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson mentioned the incident later. 

Trump is poised to accept the GOP nomination on the south lawn of the White House later Thursday night.