I am a resident of Los Angeles and a member of Indivisible CA-33. I am shocked and outraged by the incendiary remarks that President Trump just made regarding a military response to ongoing civil unrest, threatening our state sovereignty. It is up to local governments to work with community leaders, local law enforcement, and the National Guard, as needed, to restore calm and ensure citizens’ constitutionally-guaranteed rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and peaceful protest. I strongly oppose the use of military force in our cities, and deeply resent the mention of “second amendment rights,” which only serves to encourage vigilantism. As my elected representative, you must immediately and forcefully denounce Trump’s actions.
Unsurprisingly, his speech lacked any mention of the underlying cause of the unrest: the unlawful and senseless murders of Black men, women and children at the hands of law enforcement. This is what we must continue to focus on. Additionally, the increasing escalation of these conflicts is precisely the wrong approach at this time. A military presence will worsen current conditions in our cities and prolong the suffering in communities already disproportionately traumatized by systemic racism as well as by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am frankly horrified at the inability of the federal government to provide meaningful relief, unemployment, health coverage, testing, contact tracing, food, and other support for our citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, while being willing and able to threaten military force in the wake of massive police violence and brutality. As my elected official, I demand that you use every tool at your disposal to resist these undemocratic, authoritarian, and blatantly racist tactics.
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