Joe Biden is condemned for ‘bashing the blue’ after blasting cops with Police Week statement

Joe Biden was condemned for issuing a Police Week statement highlighting the ‘deep sense of distrust’ black Americans feel towards cops in the wake of high-profile police custody deaths.

The President of the United States’ statement, issued Saturday, said distrust of the police had been ‘exacerbated’ by high profile police custody deaths.

Biden said: ‘This year, we also recognize that in many of our communities, especially Black and brown communities, there is a deep sense of distrust towards law enforcement; a distrust that has been exacerbated by the recent deaths of several Black and brown people at the hands of law enforcement. 

‘These deaths have resulted in a profound fear, trauma, pain, and exhaustion for many Black and brown Americans, and the resulting breakdown in trust between law enforcement and the communities they have sworn to protect and serve ultimately makes officers’ jobs harder and more dangerous as well.’

The president continued: ‘In order to rebuild that trust, our State, local, and Federal Government and law enforcement agencies must protect constitutional rights, ensure accountability for misconduct, and embrace policing that reflects community values and ensures community safety. 

‘These approaches benefit those who wear the badge and those who count on their protection.’

Texas Representative Ronny Jackson was among those who condemned Biden over his remarks. The Republican – who served as White House physician to both Barack Obama and Donald Trump before taking office – tweeted: ‘We’ve gone from ‘Back the Blue’ to ‘Bash the Blue’ in one administration. 

‘I’m still DISGUSTED that Biden would use his official Police Week statement to suggest that every Cop is a racist. Democrat hatred for our police is outright REPULSIVE.’

Biden’s remarks came after the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund revealed that there were 264 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2020 – the most since 1974. 

Most of those deaths were COVID related, according to the report; the second most was ‘firearm-related.’

‘This week we pause to pay respect to our law enforcement officers, particularly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their communities,’ Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund told Fox News. 

‘It is beyond disappointing to see the president of the United States continue to perpetuate false and hurtful myths about police, rather than uniting as he claimed he would during the campaign.’

Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast tweeted side-by-side photos of White House statements from May 10 and May 14 that showed flags were originally ordered to be flown at Half Staff to honor fallen police officers. But that changed by Friday. 

‘The American people deserve to know who lobbied the White House for this despicable change,’ Mast tweeted. ‘Whose anti-police pressure did the White House cave to? The far-left Twitter mob is truly running the country.’  

The president started his Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week remarks thanking law enforcement for the sacrifice and hard work, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. 

‘Every morning, our Nation’s law enforcement officers pin on a badge and go to work, not knowing what the day will bring, and hoping to come home safely,’ Biden said. 

But his tone shifted by the middle of his statement, which focused on changing policing and holding officers accountable for misconduct. 

All levels of government and law enforcement ‘must protect constitutional rights, ensure accountability for misconduct and embrace policing that reflects community values and ensures community safety.’ 

Police officers came under fire in May 2020 after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Department cop Derek Chauvin. 

Since then, other high profile police killings of black Americans – including the March 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor the 2019 killing of Colorado massage therapist Elijah McClain and the June 2020 shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta – have sparked discussions and protest over interactions between black Americans and cops.

Recent killings – including the shootings of 16 year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Ohio, and father of 10 Andrew Brown in North Carolina – have kept the issue at the top of the political agenda. 

Anti-police brutality campaigners say cops should be ‘defunded’, with cash slashed from their budgets reassigned to community programs like mental health services.

Pro-police advocates say doing so would make many areas less safe, with progressive left-wingers ‘Defund the police’ message blamed for narrowing Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in last November’s election.  

Since then, Black Lives Matter demonstrations erupted throughout the country. Some were peaceful protests; others were violent riots with looting and vandalism committed by Antifa and other radical left groups.  

In many major cities across the country, protests have largely fizzled, but some places like Portland continue to descend into chaos, with anarchist groups clashing with police as recently as May 1. 

 After Chauvin was found guilty, Biden told the nation that the verdict sends the message that no one is ‘above the law’, as he demanded new action to honor Floyd after a killing he called a ‘stain on the nation’s soul.’

‘No one should be above the law. And today’s verdict sends that message. But it’s not enough. It can’t stop here,’ Biden said at the time. 

Nearly a month later, the president proclaimed May 15, 2021 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 9 through May 15, 2021, as Police Week, typically a time when law enforcement is honored. 

Former presidents Barak Obama and Donald Trump didn’t allude to police controversy in their remarks, but Biden did and used this year’s police week to say the current way of policing needs to change. 

‘We must also stop tasking law enforcement with problems that are far beyond their jurisdictions. From providing emergency health care to resolving school discipline issues, our communities rely on the police to perform services that often should be the duty of other institutions,’ Biden said. 

‘We then accuse the police of failure when responsibility lies with public policy choices they did not make.’ 

Biden said supporting law enforcement is not about thanking a police officer, but investing in ‘underfunded’ public systems that provide health care, counseling, housing, education and social service. 

His remarks were viewed by law enforcement supports and conservative leaders as a slap in the face. 

‘We’ve gone from ‘Back the Blue” to ‘Bash the Blue’ in one administration,’ Republican Texas Congressman Ronny tweeted Friday. ‘I’m still DISGUSTED that Biden would use his official Police Week statement to suggest that every Cop is a racist. Democrat hatred for our police is outright REPULSIVE.’