After Kneeling For BLM, Biden Finally Disavows ‘Burning Down Communities’

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden today denounced the arson, rioting, and looting that has unfolded as part of demonstrations over the past few months, largely at the hands of Black Lives Matter protesters.

“Burning down communities is not protest, it’s needless violence. Violence that endangers lives. Violence that guts businesses and shutters businesses that serve the community. That’s wrong,” Biden said.

He also posted a tweet where he called out the shooting of Jacob Blake by police, but said that “Needless violence won’t heal us. We need to end the violence — and peacefully come together to demand justice.”

Once again, a Black man — Jacob Blake — was shot by the police. In front of his children. It makes me sick.

Is this the country we want to be?

Needless violence won’t heal us. We need to end the violence — and peacefully come together to demand justice. pic.twitter.com/WdNqrxA3PK

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 26, 2020

From The Hill:

Trump and his campaign have been casting the president as the law-and-order candidate. They’ve accused Biden and the Democrats of ignoring the violent aspects of the protests and have alleged that the Democratic-controlled cities are allowing criminal activity in the streets.

Biden quoted Jacob Blake’s mother, who denounced the damage that has been done to the community following her son’s shooting.

“This doesn’t reflect my son or my family,” Julia Jackson said.

The race for the presidency has tightened recently, possibly due to the ongoing unrest. In Florida, President Trump has narrowed the polling gap with Biden in the poll to just 3 points versus a 6 points gap earlier this month.

Last night, Don Lemon on CNN said that he thought “Democrats are ignoring this problem or hoping that it will go away, and its not going to go away and so unless someone comes up with a solution.”

He also said Biden “may be afraid to do it, I’m not sure maybe he won’t maybe he is, he’s got to address it. He’s gotta come out and talk about it, he’s gotta do a speech like Barack Obama did about race. He’s gotta come out and tell people that he is going to deal with the issue of police reform in this country and that what’s happening now is happening under Donald Trump’s watch, on Donald Trump’s watch.”