Tag: charlotte
Trump Surprised GOP Officials With Twitter Threat To Quit Charlotte

Trump Surprised GOP Officials With Twitter Threat To Quit Charlotte

One of President Donald Trump's many targets on Memorial Day Weekend has been North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who he says is moving too slowly on the state's reopening. Railing against Cooper on Twitter, Trump threatened to pull the 2020 Republican National Conventional out of Charlotte — and CNN is reporting that Republicans involved in the planning of the convention were "completely blindsided" by Trump's threat.

Trump tweeted, "Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena. In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space."The president also asserted that Republicans planning to attend the Republican National Convention "must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied."

"If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site," Trump tweeted. "This is not something I want to do. Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North Carolina!"





According to CNN, Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, said that the RNC is moving "full steam ahead" with the convention — although she stressed that it must be an in-person event.

McDaniel asserted, "We do not think at this time we have to switch to an alternative plan, but of course, we will monitor circumstances and adjust accordingly. We will not be holding a virtual convention."

A Blue City In A Purple State: Any Second Thoughts About Hosting GOP?

A Blue City In A Purple State: Any Second Thoughts About Hosting GOP?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When the Democratic National Convention hit town in 2012, the dancing traffic cop made headlines for his smooth moves and entertaining approach to law enforcement. The officer captured the party atmosphere of that event, leading up to the renomination of no-drama President Barack Obama for a second term.

City leaders and residents now look back at that time with nostalgia as they prepare for the Republican National Convention coming to town from Aug. 24-27 next year to renominate a president who is all drama, all the time — as chants of “Send her back” at a Trump rally in Greenville, North Carolina, earlier this month have reminded everyone of exactly what’s at stake.

Anticipating the economic and related benefits for the city after it was chosen by the GOP last year, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority CEO Tom Murray said, “Charlotte has the collaboration, infrastructure, and hospitality that will make the 2020 RNC an unforgettable experience for its attendees.”

Now, some are worrying about just how unforgettable the experience will be.

On Monday, the Charlotte City Council approved a resolution condemning President Donald Trump’s “racist and xenophobic comments” and behavior that included but was not limited to his attacks on four freshman House members, all women of color and U.S. citizens, telling them to “go back” to where they came from and culminating in those rally chants in Greenville aimed at one of them, Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar.

The resolution revisited a few of the president’s greatest hits — his characterization of white supremacists marching in Charlottesville as “very fine people” and his vulgar descriptions of asylum seekers in general and immigrants from African countries, in particular. Leading with support for the resolution was Democratic Council Member Justin Harlow, one of last year’s “no” votes on the close 6-5 decision to bring the convention to Charlotte.

The 9-2 vote, not coincidentally, reflected the 9-2 Democratic majority on the council. The two Republicans, in a split reflecting nationwide partisanship, voted against it, decrying the rhetoric of both sides. Reactions from North Carolina Republicans present in Greenville, including Sen. Thom Tillis who is up for reelection next year, varied. Tillis ducked the question and blamed the crowd. Rep. Mark Walker feared the language could define the GOP. State Sen. Dan Bishop, the GOP nominee for September’s special election in the 9th District, supported the president all the way, while his opponent, Democratic Marine veteran Dan McCready, condemned Trump’s remarks.

A question of values

Monday’s Charlotte City Council resolution was an effort by leaders to separate the city’s values from any red-meat division Trump or the GOP might stoke during and leading up to their week in the majority-minority city. Last month, the city adopted a compact on immigration, declaring Charlotte “committed to advocating for common-sense and comprehensive immigration reforms that strengthen our economy and attract talent and business to our city.”

While North Carolina voted for Trump in 2016, it was by less than 4 points, and like many states across the country, the urban-rural divide here is stark.

Vi Lyles, Charlotte’s first female African American mayor, said after Greenville: “The behavior didn’t demonstrate the values of our country and added fuel to already tense political and racial relations. It also certainly … didn’t represent the people of Charlotte. As an inclusive city that welcomes all people, we open our doors to many, including those attending the 2020 RNC. However, the city of Charlotte is no place for racist or xenophobic hate speech, and we simply will not tolerate it.”

From the start, the choice to bid on the GOP convention was controversial. Not many other cities showed interest. At the end of the process, there was Las Vegas, whose bid was neither backed by the city nor the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority. And then there was … well, that was about it.

You could see why Charlotte wanted host duties though. The city that’s good-naturedly mocked by its own for its desire to be “world class” could not resist the chance to join the short list of cities that have welcomed both Democratic and Republican conventions. Imagine being included in the company of New York, Miami, and other cities that have long since dropped state abbreviations after their names.

In public hearings, business people on both sides of the aisle saw green rather than red or blue.

Lyles, who enjoys broad support in the city but has faced criticism over her support for bringing in the RNC, has said she would not make a welcoming speech. Under the city’s council-manager form of government, the council’s approval was key, and the close vote illustrated the mixed feelings about the good and bad attention, as well as protesters and counter-protesters the event would attract.

Keeping a distance

For its part, East Carolina University, site of the Greenville rally, has been distancing itself from the chants, explaining that it did not “sponsor, host, or endorse” the rally. Presidential candidates of both parties have used its coliseum for gatherings. Hillary Clinton handily carried Pitt County, home of the university, in 2016. More than a third of its residents are African American, though you wouldn’t have known it from the crowd who came to see and hear the president.

Some in Charlotte are having second thoughts about RNC 2020, including former City Council Member Billy Maddalon, who wrote in a column in The Charlotte Observer that while he initially backed Lyles’ decision to pursue the convention, he has since changed his mind.

“Charlotte is an open and welcoming city, but good God almighty, we’re about to let the devil in the door,” he wrote. “Because of the silence and outright support of an entire party, it now appears RNC stands for nothing more than the Racist National Convention.”

Malcolm Graham, a former state senator and city council member whose sister Cynthia Graham Hurd was murdered in the racist shooting at Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, told Charlotte WB affiliate WCCB, “It’s never too late to take a stand against racism, hatred and bigotry.”

If this is happening one year out, it’s a sure thing that Trump will do and say something else, his supporters and opponents will react — and, no matter what, the convention will proceed as planned in Charlotte.

While the optics may be awkward, the city attorney has determined the deal is too far along to do anything but prepare for it, and hope that a dancing policeman is the least of Charlotte’s concerns come August 2020.

 

Family Of Keith Lamont Scott Calls For Release Of Video

Family Of Keith Lamont Scott Calls For Release Of Video

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) – The family of a black man slain by police in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week called for officials to release publicly video of the incident, disputing the police contention that it shows the shooting was justified.

Keith Scott, a 43-year-old father of seven, was shot dead by a black police officer in the parking lot of an apartment complex in North Carolina’s largest city on Tuesday, sparking two nights of street violence. Thursday night’s protests were much more peaceful.

Scott’s death was the latest in a long string of controversial police killings of black people by U.S. police that have stirred an intense debate on race and justice. A United Nations working group on Friday compared the killings to the lynching of black people by white mobs in the 19th and 20th centuries.

There was little trouble during the third night of protests in the city of 810,000 people. Officials said three people were injured in rallies that authorities let stretch past a midnight curfew Mayor Jennifer Roberts imposed a day after Governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency.

Police arrested a civilian on Thursday and charged him with the murder of a protester who was shot during Wednesday night’s protest and died on Thursday, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Chief Kerr Putney told a press conference on Friday.

Scott was the 214th black person killed by U.S. police this year out of an overall total of 821, according to Mapping Police Violence, another group created out of the protest movement. There is no national-level government data on police shootings.

The UN working group recommended the U.S. create a reliable national system to track killings and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, as well as ending the practice of racial profiling.

DEBATE ABOUT VIDEO

Civil rights activists are calling for the release of videos showing Scott’s slaying. Putney said he supported the release of the video at a later date and with the consent of the lead investigators.

Scott’s family, who viewed the footage on Thursday and called for its release, said it does not show him acting in an aggressive manner towards police.

“There’s nothing in that video that shows him acting aggressively, threatening or maybe dangerous,” said Justin Bamberg, one of the lawyers representing the family, said in an interview early on Friday.

Police contend that Scott was holding a gun and ignored orders to drop it. Family members earlier asserted he had been carrying a book, and after seeing the video said in a statement that it was “impossible to discern” what, if anything, he had in his hands.

Putney has said the video supported the police account of what happened, but does not definitively show Scott pointing a gun at officers.

“I know the expectation is that video footage can be the panacea and I can tell you that is not the case,” Putney said, adding that he would eventually agree with the release of the video. “It’s a matter of when and a matter of sequence.”

McCrory, a Republican locked in a tight re-election race, signed a law last week that would require authorities to obtain a court order before releasing police video. Critics say it would prevent the sort of transparency that is needed to defuse public anger in the wake of police shootings.

POLITICAL BATTLES

The killing and its aftermath are playing out in a state that has been at the forefront of some of the nation’s most bitter political fights in recent years.

North Carolina’s Republican-dominated state legislature has tightened voting laws, slashed education spending and passed a law prohibiting transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice.

State officials who pursue these policies are partly to blame for this week’s unrest, civil rights leaders say.

“It’s somewhat hypocritical to cry out against violence when you pass violent policies,” said Reverend William Barber, head of the North Carolina NAACP.

A U.S. Congressman from North Carolina apologized after telling the BBC late on Thursday he believed the protesters were motivated by jealousy.

“They hate white people because white people are successful and they’re not,” Robert Pittenger said in a TV interview.

He later apologized on Twitter, saying, “What is taking place in my hometown breaks my heart. Today, my anguish led me to respond to a reporter’s question in a way that I regret.”

In contrast to the tension in Charlotte, the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was calm after a white police officer was charged with first-degree manslaughter on Thursday for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man that was also captured on video.

The officer involved in that shooting turned herself in early on Friday and was released on $50,000 bond.

(Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva, Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee, and Laila Kearney in New York; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Grant McCool and Alan Crosby)

Photo: Protesters walk in the streets downtown during another night of protests over the police shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 22, 2016.  REUTERS/Mike Blake

Congressman: Charlotte Protesters ‘Hate White People Because White People Are Successful’

Congressman: Charlotte Protesters ‘Hate White People Because White People Are Successful’

 

Representative Robert Pittenger (R-NC), a Congressman whose district includes parts of Charlotte, where Keith Lamont Scott was killed by police, told BBC Newsnight this week that protesters “hate white people, because white people are successful and they’re not.”

According to Pittenger, it’s this – and not the unjust killings of black Americans at the hands of police – that is driving the protests in Charlotte.

Pittenger continued his tone-deaf comments, adding, “It is a welfare state. We have spent trillions of dollars on welfare, and we’ve put people in bondage, so they can’t be all that they’re capable of being.”

North Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Kimberly Reynolds called Pittenger’s comments “inexcusable.”

“At a time when we need calm and understanding while we learn more about the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, Congressman Pittenger is fanning the flames of hate with his racist rhetoric. This sort of bigotry has become all too common under the party of Donald Trump. Our great state should not be represented by someone who would make such hateful comments.”

After receiving criticism from all sides, Pittenger posted a response to the controversy on his website and apologized through a series of tweets.

He also appeared on CNN with host Don Lemon and tried to explain away his comments by stating they “weren’t meant in the context of how many viewed them.”

“Let’s walk through what you said,” Lemon pressed Pittenger. “You said, ‘They hate us — they hate us because we’re successful, they hate white people because we’re successful.’ How is that taken out of context, with all due respect?”

 

Pittenger responded, “I’ve come on the air to apologize in every way I can.”

Photo: Protesters walk in the streets downtown during another night of protests over the police shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 22, 2016.  REUTERS/Mike Blake