During a speech Friday about cracking down on the MS-13 gang, President Donald Trump pushed it too far when it came to the topic of police brutality.
At one point during his speech at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, New York, in front of a crowd of law enforcement, Trump urged officers, "please don't be too nice."
SEE ALSO:The Boy Scouts are really, really sorry about that Trump speechHe went on to talk about removing common arrest procedures like protecting a suspect's head when putting them into a police vehicle. "I said you can take the hand away, OK," the president said, apparently forgetting about the whole concept of innocent until proven guilty.
Twitter picked up on this and quickly accused the president of encouraging police violence. And they were not OK with it.
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Amnesty International USA weighed in on Trump's comments. In a statement condemning the president's views, Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs, said, “This inflammatory and hateful speech will only escalate tensions between police and communities and put both law enforcement and civilians at risk."
He added, "encouraging violence by police is irresponsible and reprehensible.”
Trump's views on law enforcement and inciting violence are nothing new -- and continue to include a racist undercurrent directed at communities of color.
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He was called out for his fear-mongering and violent language again on Friday, especially with his words directed toward immigrants and other marginalized communities.
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At a time when police and community relations are already tense, Trump's apparent suggestion for cops to rough up suspects is clearly a tactic that is questionable at best.
TopicsDonald TrumpPolitics