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The Democratic presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg, now regrets saying "All Lives Matter" in a 2015 speech addressing two local police controversies in South Bend, Indiana.
"What I did not understand at the time, is that this sentence right between the beginning and the middle of the year, especially as 2015 was starting to be perceived as some kind of slogan opposing Black Lives Matter, "Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, told the press. the convention of the National Action Network in New York, an annual gathering of black voters organized by Al Sharpton.
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A dozen presidential candidates from 2020 were present to address the NAN and reach out to black voters – a crucial block for Democrats that recorded a record drop in voter turnout in 2016.
"And so this seemingly insignificant statement that no one could oppose was ultimately used to devalue what the Black Lives Matter movement was telling us, which we needed to hear because unfortunately it was not obvious to everyone. world that black lives have the same value, "he said.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 04: Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Democratic presidential candidate, addresses the media at the National Action Network's annual convention on April 4, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
A CNBC report released on Wednesday highlighted for the first time that Buttigieg had used "All Lives Matter" in a 2015 state of the city speech to his constituents in South Bend, citing two racial controversies over police officers in the city. city.
"There is no contradiction between respect for the risks that police officers face every day in protecting this community and the need to overcome the prejudices implicit in a justice system that treats people of different backgrounds differently, even when they are different. accused of discrimination. same offenses, "said Buttigieg in his speech four years ago. "We must take both of these things seriously, for the simple and profound reason that all lives matter."
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Some critics of "Black Lives Matter" used "All Lives Matter" as a counter-slogan of the movement.
"That's the reason why, since I learned how this phrase was used to repel this activism, I stopped using it in this context," Buttigieg said. response to a question from Fox News about thinking that it Lives Matter "was a mistake.
The use of this term by Buttigieg could be seen as a potential vulnerability for a white man trying to win minority voters while standing out among the most diverse crowd of Democratic presidential candidates ever assembled.
The 37-year-old veteran and the openly gay mayor said Thursday at the conference that he intends to help the black community by improving homeownership, entrepreneurship, education and health care, and reforming the criminal justice system.
"This should strengthen, not diminish, the value of a good police service, when we assert what should go without saying, but it must be said clearly, again and again and again: that the lives of blacks matters , "Buttigieg said in applause, Sharpton sat next to him.
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