{"id":102469,"date":"2020-06-16T17:59:34","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T00:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=102469"},"modified":"2020-06-16T17:59:34","modified_gmt":"2020-06-17T00:59:34","slug":"president-trump-at-signing-of-an-executive-order-on-safe-policing-for-safe-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=102469","title":{"rendered":"President Trump at Signing of an Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230; Thank you very much.  Please.  And thank you all for being here as we take historic action to deliver a future of safety and security for Americans of every race, religion, color, and creed.  We\u2019re joined today by law enforcement professionals and community leaders.  Though we may all come from different places and different backgrounds, we\u2019re united by our desire to ensure peace and dignity and equality for all Americans.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55110-PM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-102470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55110-PM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55110-PM-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55110-PM-123x70.jpg 123w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55110-PM-570x322.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55102-PM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-102471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55102-PM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55102-PM-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55102-PM-123x70.jpg 123w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55102-PM-570x320.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n4a4NJQbpoQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve just concluded a meeting with incredible families \u2014 just incredible families that have been through so much.  The families of Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean, Antwon Rose, Jemel Roberson, Atatiana Jefferson, Michael Dean, Darius Tarver, Cameron Lamb, and Everett Palmer.  These are incredible people.  Incredible people.  And it\u2019s so sad.<\/p>\n<p>Many of these families lost their loved ones in deadly interactions with police. To all of the hurting families, I want you to know that all Americans mourn by your side.  Your loved ones will not have died in vain.  We are one nation.  We grieve together, and we heal together.  I can never imagine your pain or the depth of your anguish, but I can promise to fight for justice for all of our people.  And I gave a commitment to all of those families today with Senator Tim Scott and Attorney General Bill Barr.  We are going to pursue what we said.  We will be pursuing it, and we will be pursuing it strongly, Tim.  Right?  Okay?<\/p>\n<p>I want to recognize Attorney General Bill Barr, who\u2019s spent so much time on this and others matters like this.  Bill, thank you very much for being here.  Along with \u2014 (applause) \u2014 great job you\u2019re doing.  Along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Tim Scott, and they\u2019re going to be working on a Senate bill also that can go hand in hand with this.  And also, Representatives Kelly Armstrong, Louie Gohmert, Jim Jordan, Guy Reschenthaler, and Pete Stauber.<\/p>\n<p>And thanks also to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody; the President of the Fraternal Order of Police Pat Yoes; President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Steven Casstevens; and many other law enforcement leaders who are going to be joining me at the signing.<\/p>\n<p>Today is about pursuing common sense and fighting \u2014 fighting for a cause like we seldom get the chance to fight for.  We have to find common ground.  But I strongly oppose the radical and dangerous efforts to defend [defund], dismantle, and dissolve our police departments, especially now when we\u2019ve achieved the lowest recorded crime rates in recent history.<\/p>\n<p>Americans know the truth: Without police, there is chaos; without law, there is anarchy; and without safety, there is catastrophe.  We need leaders at every level of government who have the moral clarity to state these obvious facts.<\/p>\n<p>Americans believe we must support the brave men and women in blue who police our streets and keep us safe.  Americans also believe we must improve accountability, increase transparency, and invest more resources in police training, recruiting, and community engagement.  Reducing crime and raising standards are not opposite goals, they are not mutually exclusive; they work together.  They all work together.<\/p>\n<p>That is why today I\u2019m signing an executive order encouraging police departments nationwide to adopt the highest professional standards to serve their communities.  These standards will be as high and as strong as there is on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>The vast majority of police officers are selfless and courageous public servants.  They are great men and women.  When others run away from danger, police run straight into harm\u2019s way, often putting their lives at stake to protect someone who they don\u2019t know or never even met.  Great danger.<\/p>\n<p>Police officers run straight toward this incredible harm.  Take the World Trade Center: They ran straight into the Twin Towers of 9\/11.  Many of them never returned.  Never returned.  Vast numbers of New York\u2019s Finest never returned.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, I presented the Medal of Valor to six heroic police officers who ended a murderous rampage so professionally in Dayton, Ohio.  Hundreds of people would have been killed, surely, without them.<\/p>\n<p>We ask our police to put on the uniform and risk their lives for us every day.  The least we deserve and the least we can do \u2014 because they deserve it so much \u2014 they have to get our gratitude.  And we have to give them great respect for what they do, for the job is one of the most dangerous jobs on Earth, one of the most difficult jobs on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Last year alone, 89 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty.  In recent days, two members of law enforcement were killed amid riots and looting, and hundreds of police officers were injured just recently.  One officer was shot in the head and is now laying in a hospital, almost totally paralyzed.<\/p>\n<p>Despite our very good record on crime, law and order must be further restored nationwide, and your federal government is ready, willing, and able to help, as we did in Minneapolis.  After it got out of control for four days, I sent in representatives, commonly known as the National Guard, and it was all put down very quickly.  We\u2019re willing to help.  We\u2019re willing to help in Seattle.  We\u2019re willing to help anywhere you want, and we\u2019ll be there very quickly.  It won\u2019t take long.<\/p>\n<p>There will be no more looting or arson, and the penalty will be very grave for those who get caught.  Violence and destruction will not be tolerated.  We cannot do that.  The looters have no cause that they\u2019re fighting for \u2014 just trouble.<\/p>\n<p>Every day, police officers make great sacrifices to keep our communities secure and safe.  In 2018, our police arrested nearly 12,000 people for murder, 25,000 people for rape, and nearly 1.5 million for assault.  Very dangerous criminals.<\/p>\n<p>In many cases, local law enforcement is underfunded, understaffed, and undersupported.  Forty-seven percent of all murders in Chicago and sixty-eight percent of all murders in Baltimore went without arrests last year.<\/p>\n<p>Americans want law and order.  They demand law and order.  They may not say it, they may not be talking about it, but that\u2019s what they want.  Some of them don\u2019t even know that\u2019s what they want, but that\u2019s what they want.  And they understand that when you remove the police, you hurt those who have the least, the most.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody needs a strong, trustworthy police force more than those who live in distressed areas, and nobody is more opposed to the small number of bad police officers \u2014 and you have them.  They\u2019re a very tiny \u2014 I use the word \u201ctiny.\u201d  It\u2019s a very small percentage, but you have them.  But nobody wants to get rid of them more than the overwhelming number of really good and great police officers.  Some of them are standing with me and with me in the audience today, and I appreciate you being here.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.  Great job.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s needed now is not more stoking of fear and division.  We need to bring law enforcement and communities closer together, not to drive them apart.<\/p>\n<p>Under the executive order I\u2019m signing today, we will prioritize federal grants from the Department of Justice to police departments that seek independent credentialing, certifying that they meet high standards and, in fact, in certain cases, the highest standard \u2014 that\u2019s where they do the best \u2014 on the use of force and de-escalation training.<\/p>\n<p>For example, many believe that proper training might have prevented the tragic deaths of Antwon Rose and Botham Jean.  As part of this new credentialing process, chokeholds will be banned, except if an officer\u2019s life is at risk.<\/p>\n<p>And I will say, we\u2019ve dealt with all of the various departments, and everybody said, \u201cIt\u2019s time.  We have to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, we\u2019re looking at new advanced and powerful less-lethal weapons to help prevent deadly interactions.  New devices are being developed all the time, and we\u2019re looking at the best of them.  And cost is no object.  No object.<\/p>\n<p>Under this executive order, departments will also need to share of information about credible abuses so that officers with significant issues do not simply move from one police department to the next.  That\u2019s a problem.  And the heads of our police departments said, \u201cWhatever you can do about that, please let us know.\u201d  We\u2019re letting you know.  We\u2019re doing a lot about it.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, my order will direct federal funding to support officers in dealing with homeless individuals and those who have mental illness and substance-abuse problems.  We will provide more resources for co-responders, such as social workers who can help officers manage these complex encounters.  And this is what they\u2019ve studied and worked on all their lives.  They understand how to do it.  We\u2019re going to get the best of them put in our police departments and working with our police.  We will have reform without undermining our many great and extremely talented law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n<p>President Obama and Vice President Biden never even tried to fix this during their eight-year period.  The reason they didn\u2019t try is because they had no idea how to do it.  And it is a complex situation.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the steps we\u2019re taking today, I am committed to working with Congress on additional measures.  Congress has started already, and they\u2019ll be having bills coming out of the Senate and possibly out of the House.  And hopefully they\u2019ll all get together and they\u2019ll come up with a solution that goes even beyond what we\u2019re signing today.  But this is a big, big step \u2014 a step that hasn\u2019t been taken before.<\/p>\n<p>But in order to make real progress on public safety, we have to break old patterns of failure.  Many of the same politicians now presenting themselves as the solution are the same ones who have failed for decades on schools, jobs, justice, and crime.  They\u2019re all often, unfortunately, the same politicians running the cities and states where help is most needed.  It\u2019s an attitude, and it\u2019s not working.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s action is a big part of the solution to restoring, renewing, and rebuilding our communities.  For the last three and a half years, my administration has been focused on creating opportunity, fighting for equal justice, and truly delivering results.  Nobody has ever delivered results like we\u2019ve delivered.  Nobody has come close.  (Applause.)  And we worked with some great people.  We\u2019ve worked with fantastic people to get it done.<\/p>\n<p>We enacted landmark criminal justice reform, something that nobody else could get done.  They tried and they couldn\u2019t even come close.  And we got it done, and we got it done powerfully, and people appreciated it.  But it\u2019s something that with all the work and all the talk for so many years \u2014 criminal justice reform \u2014 nobody else could get done.<\/p>\n<p>We secured permanent and record funding for HBCUs \u2014 that\u2019s historically black colleges and universities \u2014 numbers that they never thought were possible and long-term financing, because they would come back to the White House; after my third year, I said, \u201cWhy are you here again?\u201d  Great people.  About 42 people, the heads of black colleges and universities.  Great people.  They do such an incredible job.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019d see them, and after the third year I\u2019d say, \u201cWhy are you doing this?\u201d  \u201cWe need money again.\u201d  I said, \u201cDon\u2019t we set it so you have, like, a 10-year program, a 5-year program?\u201d  \u201cNo, sir, for years and years we\u2019ve had to come back every single year.\u201d  I said, \u201cWell, the only bad thing about what I\u2019m going to do is I\u2019m going to give you long-term financing and I\u2019m going to up the amount, but I won\u2019t get to see you anymore.  So that\u2019s the bad part.  But you can focus on education now instead of worrying about dealing with us in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So we did that for the historically black colleges and universities.  I\u2019m very proud of it.  They\u2019re incredible.  They\u2019re incredible people.   Got to know a lot of the heads of those colleges.  They do an unbelievable job and don\u2019t get the kind of notoriety that they should have.<\/p>\n<p>We expanded affordable options for better healthcare.  We created Opportunity Zones with Senator Tim Scott; brought it to me.  We didn\u2019t know if we could get it passed, Tim, right?  But we got it passed, and I think it\u2019s probably one of the great things that we\u2019ve done in this administration.  Tens of thousands of jobs, billions and billions of dollars being brought into areas and neighborhoods that would never, ever, ever be taken care of, monetarily.  Areas that didn\u2019t have 10 cents put them \u2014 in them for years and decades, and now people are investing, thriving, and the jobs have come back.<\/p>\n<p>We achieved the lowest black, Hispanic, and Asian unemployment rates in American history.  And we will do it again.  We\u2019ll do it again.  We\u2019re fighting for school choice, which really is the civil rights of all time in this country.  Frankly, school choice is the civil rights statement of the year, of the decade, and probably beyond \u2014 because all children have to have access to quality education.  A child\u2019s zip code in America should never determine their future, and that\u2019s what was happening.  So we\u2019re very, very strong on school choice, and I hope everybody remembers that.  And it\u2019s happening.  It\u2019s already happened, but it\u2019s happening.  We have tremendous opposition from people that know they shouldn\u2019t be opposing it.  School choice.<\/p>\n<p>All children deserve equal opportunity because we are all made equal by God.  So true.  A great jobs market and thriving economy is probably the best thing that we can do to help the black, Hispanic, Asian communities.  We saw that just recently, prior to the virus that came in from China just a few months ago.  What a horrible thing it was all over the world \u2014 188 countries now.<\/p>\n<p>And I just want to say we\u2019ve done incredibly well.  We\u2019re doing well.  Things are happening that nobody can even believe.  Our country is opening up.  And it\u2019s opening up rapidly.  We had the best unemployment and employment.  We had best unemployment and employment numbers \u2014 think of that \u2014 in the history of our country.  We\u2019re up to almost 160 million people working.  There was never anything even close.  And that\u2019s for almost every group including black, Hispanic, Asian, women, young people, old people, young people without a high school diploma.  Every group.  Everybody was thrilled.  Everybody had \u2014 just about \u2013high-paying jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Our country was never in a better position, and we were planning on massive growth \u2014 it was happening; it was already there \u2014 including big salary increases, which were already taking place for the last two and a half years.  Big, big increases.  Record increases.  Nobody has seen anything like it.  And then we got hit by the virus, along with the rest of the world.  And now I\u2019m building it up again.  Here we go again.  But I\u2019m building it up again, and it\u2019s moving fast.  And it will be even better than before, because we also learned.  It will be better than before.<\/p>\n<p>Jobs are rapidly coming back, and retail sales that were just announced two hours ago \u2014 just a little while ago \u2014 they\u2019re up a staggering 17.7 percent.  (Applause.)  The projection was anywhere from 6 to 8 percent.  We\u2019re up 17.7 percent.  And what does that mean?  The stock market went through the roof.<\/p>\n<p>These good numbers, they drove it up to a level that \u2014 we\u2019re almost at the same level.  Hard to believe.  We\u2019re getting very close to the level we were before the pandemic and before all of the things that you\u2019ve seen happen happened.  That\u2019s a great thing because, ultimately, it\u2019s about jobs, it\u2019s about \u2014 the government can never do anything like a great job for a person, where they look forward to getting up in the morning and going to work, and getting a much bigger check than they could ever get otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>Today, and over the last 60 days, we\u2019ve had one of the biggest stock market increases in the history of the stock markets.  And two weeks ago, the 50-day increase was the single biggest.<\/p>\n<p>Unless my formula is tampered with, we will soon be in a stronger position than we were before the plague came in from China.  When the numbers reached the point that I know they will, there will again be a great unity and a great spirit in our country.  People will have their job back that they might\u2019ve lost.  They\u2019ll be making even more money than they did before.<\/p>\n<p>We have some brilliant people working with me, and we put it together.  We did it once and we\u2019re very easily doing it again.  We\u2019re way ahead of schedule.  You\u2019ll see that.  You\u2019ll see the third quarter numbers will be very good.  You\u2019ll see fourth quarter will be really good.  And you\u2019ll see next year will be one of the best economic years this country has ever had.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s all happening very quickly, way ahead of schedule, and I think you see that.  People can\u2019t even believe what they\u2019re looking at.<\/p>\n<p>But on top of all of that, before the end of the year, I predict we will have a very successful vaccine, therapeutic, and cure.  We\u2019re making tremendous progress.  I deal with these incredible scientists, doctors, very, very closely.  I have great respect for their minds.  And they have come up with things, and they\u2019ve come up with many other cures and therapeutics over the years.  These are the people \u2014 the best, the smartest, the most brilliant anywhere.<\/p>\n<p>And they\u2019ve come up with the AIDS vaccine.  They\u2019ve come up with \u2014 or the AIDS.  And they \u2014 as you know, there\u2019s various things, and now various companies are involved.  But the therapeutic for AIDS \u2014 AIDS was a death sentence, and now people live a life with a pill.  It\u2019s an incredible thing.<\/p>\n<p>The Ebola vaccine and others \u2014 these are the people that have done it, or these are the people that have been around it, and they\u2019re all competing.  It\u2019s an incredible thing.  All of these brilliant firms, labs, companies are competing.  And I will tell you, we\u2019re very far advanced.  We\u2019ve already started tests and trials.<\/p>\n<p>So I think we\u2019re going to have a very, very good answer to that very, very soon.  I always say, even without it, it goes away.  But if we had the vaccine \u2014 and we will \u2014 if we had therapeutic, or cure \u2014 one thing sort of blends into the other \u2014 it will be a fantastic day.  And I think that\u2019s going to happen, and it\u2019s going to happen very soon.<\/p>\n<p>Americans can achieve anything when we work together as one national family.  To go forward, we must seek cooperation, not confrontation; we must build upon our heritage, not tear it down; and we must cherish the principles of America\u2019s founding as we strive to deliver safe, beautiful, elegant justice and liberty for all.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d like now to invite our great friends \u2014 because they are \u2014 our great friends from law enforcement, the offices representing their groups, to come up as I sign a very important executive order.  And we\u2019re asking Mitch and Tim and all of the people that are here from Congress to go back and see if they can get something done.  I see Louie and Jim \u2014 Jim Jordan who are all here.  A lot of representatives from Congress and the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>If they can go back and add to what we\u2019re signing today, it\u2019ll be \u2014 it\u2019ll be a big moment.  It\u2019ll be a big moment.  But this is a tremendous step.  This a step that could have been taken years ago but people chose not to do that.  And that was, in my opinion, a big mistake.  We could\u2019ve solved a lot of the problems that we have now.<\/p>\n<p>So if I could \u2014 law enforcement, if you could come forward.  We\u2019ve had the \u2014 please, come up.  We\u2019ve had the endorsement of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Union of Police Associations, Major County Sheriffs of America Association, National Association of Police Organizations, National District Attorneys Association, National Sheriffs Association, Sergeants Benevolent Association, and many others.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve worked on this with me and my team, and have been fantastic.  I want to thank my team.  What a team it is.  And we\u2019ve taken very much into mind what they are saying, because these are the people that keep us safe, and they\u2019ve done an incredible job.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>(The executive order is signed.)<\/p>\n<p>PARTICIPANT:  Thank you, Mr. President.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, fellas.  Take one of these for yourselves.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, DC&#8230; Thank you very much. Please. And thank you all for being here as we take historic action to deliver a future of safety and security for Americans of every race, religion, color, and creed. We\u2019re joined today by law enforcement professionals and community leaders. Though we may all come from different places and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":102470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6162020-55110-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=102469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/102470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=102469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=102469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=102469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}