Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise tonight to ask: What does democracy look like in America? I have here a picture of what democracy looks like--people showing up presenting their opinions with their feet and their voices and their signs saying: We want change. And the change they want is to pursue the important value that public safety in America be a value that is applied equally to all citizens; that every single person in the community is viewed as a client for the public safety team; that the distribution of protection is equal and the treatment of citizens is equal, so that when public safety officers respond, they respond equally no matter what section of the city the call comes from; that they respond the same no matter the color of a person's skin; that profiling is a thing of the past; that viewing two young Black men on the street is not viewed differently than viewing two young White men on the street. It is that goal of having everyone treated fairly that has led so many to come out and say: We need major reform in our country. We need to set behind us the time period when departments of public safety tend to look at the White community and say, ``Those are our clients,'' and look at the Black community or the dark-skinned community and say, ``Those are the threats.'' That is what people are trying to change by turning out in America in this fashion.…”