9/18/16, "The Nation's Largest Police Union Endorses Donald Trump," npr.org, heard on Weekend Edition Sunday
"Donald Trump received the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police
on Friday. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with the group's president, Chuck
Canterbury."
"Rachel Martin, host"
"Donald Trump was endorsed by the nation's largest police union this
past week. The Fraternal Order of Police, which represents more than
300,000 people, put out a statement saying Donald Trump has made a,
quote, "real commitment" to law enforcement. Chuck Canterbury joins us
now. He's the president of the Fraternal Order of Police. Welcome to the program.
CHUCK CANTERBURY: Thanks for having us, Rachel.
MARTIN: In your statement, you said members of the Fraternal
Order of Police believe Trump will make America safe again. Do you have a
clear picture or have you heard a plan for how he would do that?
CANTERBURY: Well, for the last - past number of years, we've been
talking about the fact that law enforcement is not the answer to
violent crime in inner cities - that we can help with crime reduction
but unless you reduce systemic poverty and provide decent paying jobs
that you're not going to really affect the crime rate. And Donald Trump,
in our one-on-one interview, acknowledged that he agreed with us. And
he thought that his plan to fight poverty would aid law enforcement, and
he promised us a seat at the table.
MARTIN: And did you come away with a clear understanding of her [Hillary Clinton's] plan and why you find that to be insufficient?
CANTERBURY: Well, her plan, first of all, was much more of a
social engineering plan than Mr. Trump's. He wants to work on the
systemic causes of high crime, and Mrs. Clinton wants to work on police
reform. And reform in a profession that doesn't need to be reformed is
not the answer to fight crime. What we need to do is have people that
will partner with us in these neighborhoods, help reduce unemployment,
get people jobs. Doing a police reform package that she's been
discussing in the campaign is - in our minds, falls way short of a real
plan to attack crime.
MARTIN: Donald Trump, on Friday, made a statement that I want to
ask you about. He suggested that Hillary Clinton's Secret Service detail
should stop carrying guns and then, quote, "see what happens to her."
And it's not the first time he's used language which, to some people,
sounds like inciting violence against Hillary Clinton. How can a union
dedicated to safety, like yours, endorse a candidate who uses rhetoric
that many hear as supporting or encouraging violence?
CANTERBURY: Well, the vote was taken weeks before he made that
comment. And honestly, I believe his description - that that is more of a
stab at her anti-Second Amendment stances that she's taken rather than
the way the media has reported it. There's no doubt in my mind that Mr.
Trump is not a wordsmith.
MARTIN: Do you think that he has had a problem with using violent
rhetoric in some of his rallies and how he has been perceived as
encouraging violence in those settings?
CANTERBURY: That's something that my members don't like, but we
also don't like candidates that support people that call for pigs to be
murdered and shot on duty. So it's a double-edged sword for us on that.
MARTIN: And you're referring there not to Hillary Clinton herself but to members of the Black Lives Matter movement or people...
CANTERBURY: Well, I...
MARTIN: ...Who are supporting her?
CANTERBURY: The most important example was the DNC when the
speakers that were on her law enforcement day were all people associated
with either Black Lives Matter or other police reformers. And not one
single police survivor was invited to talk at the DNC. So to be honest
with you, all of that rhetoric is getting a little tiresome.
MARTIN: Chuck Canterbury is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police. Thank you so much for taking the time.
CANTERBURY: OK, Rachel. Thank you."
.............................................
Added: Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President also responded to Democrat National Convention portrayals:
Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President McNesby publicly criticized Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton
for her party's selection of speakers at the Democratic National
Convention, saying: "The Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton are excluding the widows and other family members of Police Officers killed in the line of duty who were victims of explicit, and not implied racism, and 'being on duty in blue.'"
9/18/16, "Philadelphia police union endorses Donald Trump for president," PhillyVoice.com, Michael Tanenbaum
"Local union mirrors national FOP in backing 'law and order' candidate"
"The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police announced Sunday night that
it is officially endorsing Republican presidential candidate Donald
Trump in the 2016 election.
In an email, FOP Lodge #5 President John McNesby confirmed to PhillyVoice that the union is bound by the national Fraternal Order of Police, which endorsed Trump last Friday and released the following statement.
"[Trump] has seriously looked at the issues facing law enforcement
today," said Chuck Canterbury, the FOP's national president. "He
understands and supports our priorities and our members believe he will
make America safe again."
The announcement from Philadelphia's police union comes nearly two months after McNesby publicly criticized Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton
for her party's selection of speakers at the Democratic National
Convention. The list included the family members of several victims of
police violence but did not represent voices from victims in the law
enforcement community.
"The Fraternal Order of Police is insulted and will not soon forget
that the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton are excluding the widows,
and other family members of Police Officers killed in the line of duty
who were victims of explicit, and not implied racism, and 'being on duty
in blue,'" McNesby wrote at the time....
At the time of the DNC, FOP Vice President Roosevelt Poplar told PhillyVoice
that the union would have been fine with the event's proceedings if it
had also included the voices of police officers who "were victimized by
criminals" and "paid the ultimate sacrifice."
The DNC came on the heels of a brutally violent and tense month in communities across the United States after the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and five Dallas police officers who were fatally shot by a gunman targeting law enforcement during a protest organized by Black Lives Matter.
Responding to the FOP's umbrage, a Clinton campaign spokeswoman in Pennsylvania told PhillyVoice
that Clinton has said "we need to support heroic police officers who
put their lives on the line" as well as listen to those who have been
victimized by police brutality.
Earlier on Sunday, Canterbury spoke to NPR
about the national FOP's endorsement of Trump, arguing that the GOP
candidate aims to reduce system poverty and unemployment as a means of
lowering crime rates. Clinton, he claims, plans to initiate police
reforms through a "social engineering" approach that will target "a
profession that doesn't need to be reformed."
"What we need to do is have people that will partner with us in these
neighborhoods, help reduce unemployment, get people jobs," Canterbury
said. "Doing a police reform package that she's been discussing in the
campaign is - in our minds, falls way short of a real plan to attack
crime.""...
==============
http://www.phillyvoice.com/philadelphia-police-union-endorses-donald-trump-president/
.....................
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