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| Tim Kaine and Mike Pence stake out starkly different visions on crime | Tim Kaine and Mike Pence stake out starkly different visions on crime |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Criminal justice reform took center stage in the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday night, with Tim Kaine and Mike Pence offering dramatically different visions of policing the US. | |
| The issue has come to the forefront in 2016 in the aftermath of a series of high-profile police killings of unarmed African American men that have brought new focus on tensions between law enforcement and minority communities. Since 2015 the Guardian project The Counted has been counting the people killed by US law enforcement agencies, in the absence of any comprehensive record kept by the US government. | The issue has come to the forefront in 2016 in the aftermath of a series of high-profile police killings of unarmed African American men that have brought new focus on tensions between law enforcement and minority communities. Since 2015 the Guardian project The Counted has been counting the people killed by US law enforcement agencies, in the absence of any comprehensive record kept by the US government. |
| At the debate in Farmville, Virginia, Pence categorically denied there was racial bias in policing tactics. “What Donald Trump and I are saying is let’s not have the reflex of assuming the worst of men and women in law enforcement,” the Republican said. “We truly do believe that law enforcement is not a force for racism or division in our country.” | At the debate in Farmville, Virginia, Pence categorically denied there was racial bias in policing tactics. “What Donald Trump and I are saying is let’s not have the reflex of assuming the worst of men and women in law enforcement,” the Republican said. “We truly do believe that law enforcement is not a force for racism or division in our country.” |
| He reminisced about his uncle, a former police officer in Chicago whom he described as “his hero growing up”, and accused his opponent of playing politics on the issue. “Senator, please,” Pence said, turning to Kaine: “Enough of this seeking every opportunity to demean law enforcement broadly by making the accusation of implicit bias every time tragedy occurs.” He went on to attack Hillary Clinton over remarks that the Democratic nominee made in the first presidential debate about “implicit bias”. | He reminisced about his uncle, a former police officer in Chicago whom he described as “his hero growing up”, and accused his opponent of playing politics on the issue. “Senator, please,” Pence said, turning to Kaine: “Enough of this seeking every opportunity to demean law enforcement broadly by making the accusation of implicit bias every time tragedy occurs.” He went on to attack Hillary Clinton over remarks that the Democratic nominee made in the first presidential debate about “implicit bias”. |
| People “shouldn’t be afraid to bring up issues of bias in law enforcement”, Kaine responded, attacking in particular Trump’s recent assertion that he would implement nationwide stop-and-frisk – the controversial police tactic of stopping passersby, questioning them and checking for weapons that was deemed unconstitutional in 2013 for disproportionately targeting African Americans and Hispanics. | |
| “That would be a big mistake,” Kaine said. “It polarizes the relationship between the police and the community.” | “That would be a big mistake,” Kaine said. “It polarizes the relationship between the police and the community.” |
| Pence defended the tactic and suggested that it benefited “families that live in our inner cities that are besieged by crime” while insisting on the need for stronger leadership at the national level to support law enforcement. | Pence defended the tactic and suggested that it benefited “families that live in our inner cities that are besieged by crime” while insisting on the need for stronger leadership at the national level to support law enforcement. |
| Kaine detailed the criminal justice reform platform laid out by Clinton, which includes a focus on community policing, the passage of stricter gun laws, investment in training for law enforcement and the lowering of mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenders. | Kaine detailed the criminal justice reform platform laid out by Clinton, which includes a focus on community policing, the passage of stricter gun laws, investment in training for law enforcement and the lowering of mandatory minimums for non-violent drug offenders. |
| While Pence echoed the need for criminal justice reform, he did not specify the policies a Trump administration would pursue. Instead he hailed his work on the issue as governor of Indiana and in Congress. | While Pence echoed the need for criminal justice reform, he did not specify the policies a Trump administration would pursue. Instead he hailed his work on the issue as governor of Indiana and in Congress. |
| Ashley Bell, the director of African American outreach for the RNC, told the Guardian: “Donald Trump is the top of the ticket so [Pence] will adopt Donald Trump’s position on criminal justice reform.” Bell, a longtime advocate for criminal justice reform with the Republican party, also insisted that when Trump referred to stop-and-frisk he was referring simply to a brief “Terry stop”. “How a city applies Terry stops can or can not be constitutional,” he added. | Ashley Bell, the director of African American outreach for the RNC, told the Guardian: “Donald Trump is the top of the ticket so [Pence] will adopt Donald Trump’s position on criminal justice reform.” Bell, a longtime advocate for criminal justice reform with the Republican party, also insisted that when Trump referred to stop-and-frisk he was referring simply to a brief “Terry stop”. “How a city applies Terry stops can or can not be constitutional,” he added. |
| He went on to argue that “the application of stop-and-frisk under [former New York mayor Michael] Bloomberg was deemed unconstitutional but under [Bloomberg’s predecessor Rudy] Giuliani, it was a completely different practice.” | He went on to argue that “the application of stop-and-frisk under [former New York mayor Michael] Bloomberg was deemed unconstitutional but under [Bloomberg’s predecessor Rudy] Giuliani, it was a completely different practice.” |
| Bell said that the practice “was two different things” and that stops increased from 100,000 to 600,000 in the transition between the two administrations. “When you have a six-time increase in stop-and-frisk, that’s going to raise some significant challenges,” he said. | Bell said that the practice “was two different things” and that stops increased from 100,000 to 600,000 in the transition between the two administrations. “When you have a six-time increase in stop-and-frisk, that’s going to raise some significant challenges,” he said. |
| However, Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego of Arizona bashed Pence for his defense of stop-and-frisk. “To say stop-and-frisk will be welcomed in minority communities shows how out of touch you are.” | However, Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego of Arizona bashed Pence for his defense of stop-and-frisk. “To say stop-and-frisk will be welcomed in minority communities shows how out of touch you are.” |
| Gallego continued: “No community, minority or not, rich or not, wants to be treated as an automatic criminal and the fact that Mike Pence would be so ignorant to even think that really shows you how out of touch he is with any minority community.” | Gallego continued: “No community, minority or not, rich or not, wants to be treated as an automatic criminal and the fact that Mike Pence would be so ignorant to even think that really shows you how out of touch he is with any minority community.” |