Impact2020: June 4, 2020
In your Impact2020 briefing for Thursday, June 4, black leaders are calling out President Trump’s lack of leadership in dealing with protests nationwide, how the Republican National Convention could make history, and Virginia prepares for a monumental moment.
On the Ground
Parallels to the past
President Donald Trump has failed to effectively address nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody last month, black leaders told McClatchy. And as Francesca Chambers reports, the crises of the coronavirus pandemic, record joblessness and persistent police violence toward black Americans have created a “perfect storm” that has those leaders “comparing the current turmoil to the turbulence of the 1960s.”
“We have witnessed, perhaps, the worst 70 days in U.S. history outside of the Civil War. That all of the things that have bubbled to the surface over the last 70 days, is a direct result of the lack of leadership coming from the White House,” Derrick Johnson, head of the NAACP, said.
Recently, Trump has called for the use of “overwhelming” law enforcement presence. His threat to send troops to deal with protesters prompted military leadership, including Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Defense Secretary James Mattis, to speak out to defend protester rights, reports McClatchy’s Tara Copp.
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis with President Trump. Credit: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro, Department of Defense (2017)
Trump has attributed unlawful behavior during protests to radical leftists and the anti-fascist group Antifa. Chambers reports that Bob Woodson, a former civil rights activist who supports Trump, “said that black protesters are ‘rejecting white Antifa organizers’ who are turning peaceful demonstrations into violent encounters that have hurt black business owners.”
Woodson added that the president “should be a voice” for those black business owners, “to listen to and be a voice for what they are saying. He also says Trump should consult community leaders and law enforcement officials with deep ties to the black community.
But really — bye, Charlotte?
The Republican National Convention could be held in two cities for the first time in 160 years — and one of them could still be Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Charlotte Observer’s Jim Morrill and Austin Weinstein report that Charlotte’s attorney, Patrick Baker, said the city is still “moving forward as if the convention will be in Charlotte” but added that “what the convention actually looks like could change.” Baker is set to speak with RNC officials today.
RNC Communications Director Michael Ahrens said Wednesday evening that the party’s executive committee “voted unanimously to allow the official business of the national convention to continue in Charlotte” but that other cities “are eager to host the president’s acceptance of the nomination.”
And where could that be? An RNC official said Orlando, Jacksonville, Dallas, Nashville, New Orleans and Phoenix are under consideration to hold that portion of the convention, David Smiley and Francesca Chambers report for the Miami Herald.
Georgia Republicans don’t want to miss out on a chance to host either. The Atlanta Journal- Constitution’s Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report that the state GOP leaders have “intensified their efforts to land the party’s presidential nominating convention” with the entire Republican delegation writing a letter to the president “extolling the virtues of the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta’s busy airport, and the city’s experience hosting other high-profile events.”
A monumental moment
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is poised to announce plans to remove the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the state capital of Richmond, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Mark Robinson.
Protesters there have called for city leaders to tear down all the statues in the area honoring the Confederacy. And Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said he wants four other famous statues removed, after a city panel previously called for contextualizing most of the statues in place.
Stoney said: “But times have changed, and removing these statues will allow the healing process to begin for so many Black Richmonders and Virginians. Richmond is no longer the Capital of the Confederacy — it is filled with diversity and love for all — and we need to demonstrate that.”
Trail Mix
Election disruption
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Patrick Marley reports that a legal battle has already started over the next round of redistricting in Wisconsin “before a single map is drawn.”
“Ohio lawmakers dramatically overhauled an elections bill … stripping controversial language that would have rolled back early voting for the November election,” Cleveland.com’s Andrew J. Tobias reports.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered new in-person voting rules, giving counties permission to limit their in-person voting operations for the November election but only if they also offer three days of early voting. The Los Angeles Times’ John Mayers has more.
Battle for Congress
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has chosen to support Jamaal Bowman over Rep. Eliot Engel in the Democratic primary in New York’s 16th district, reports Mark Lungariello for the Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Battleground state watch
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said police officers should be required to intervene when they see a fellow officer using excessive force, but Frank Guido, general counsel for the Police Officers Association of Michigan, said officers are already required to intervene if they witness criminal activity. Get the full story from the Detroit Free Press’ Paul Egan.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers asked state lawmakers to quickly pass legislation requiring law enforcement agencies to adopt new policies stating deadly force only be used as a last resort, WisPolitics.com reports.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown plans to introduce a resolution that would declare racism a public health emergency, Liz Skalka reports for the Toledo Blade.
Number of the Day
9
Joe Biden leads Trump by 9 points in Wisconsin, according to a new Fox News poll. Other Fox polls also showed Biden ahead of Trump by 4 points in Arizona and 2 points in Ohio.
Coming Up
The latest episode of the Beyond the Bubble podcast will be available later today. McClatchy’s Alex Roarty is speaking with Joe Bustos of The State and Carl Juste of the Miami Herald about their experiences covering the George Floyd protests. Download it on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts.
For planning purposes
June 6
Virgin Islands holds its Democratic caucus
Biden addresses the Texas Democratic Party convention
June 9
Georgia and West Virginia hold primaries
June 23
Kentucky and New York hold primaries
Coming to roost
Credit: Samantha J. Gross, The Miami Herald
Ducks showed up at protests in Miami and Washington, D.C. And not to be outdone, a bat. I mean, a Batman.
Did someone forward this email to you? Please sign up here for our daily roundup of 2020 election news from McClatchy’s 30 newsrooms and other local journalists.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 12:08 PM.