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The Rev. Eugene Rivers III of Boston, director of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies, criticized the “absurd and ridiculous” call by Representative Cori Bush, member of “Squad”, to fund the police, all the more that records show she spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security.
“The fundraising police call is not wrong, it is absurd and ridiculous,” said Rivers, a community activist who served as an advisor to the Bush and Clinton administrations to work on faith-based initiatives, on Fox. & Friends “Friday. . “It is absolutely an intellectual and ideological crime against blacks to talk about funding the police.”
“Mrs. Bush should be arrested for political and ideological malpractice,” he added. “It’s absurd.”
CORI BUSH DEFENDS A CALL TO FUND THE POLICE WHILE HAVING PRIVATE SECURITY: “YOU PREFER TO DIE?”
Bush, D-Mo., Has spent nearly $ 70,000 on private security in the past three months while advocating for police funding, campaign documents show.
The Bush campaign sent $ 54,120.92 in payments between April 15 and June 28 for “security services” to RS&T Security Consulting, a New York-based company with a mysterious online presence, according to records from the Federal Election Commission released Thursday. The Democrat’s campaign also paid Nathaniel Davis $ 15,000 for “security services” during the same period.
As the Bush campaign distributed tens of thousands of people to private security, the Missouri Democrat was both a leading law enforcement critic and one of the most vocal advocates of police funding. Bush said police funding is not a “radical“, and she congratulated Saint-Louis in April for its” historic “vote for police funding.
“Today’s decision to fund the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is historic,” Bush said in a statement at the time. “This marks a new future for our city. For decades, our city has pumped more and more money into our police service under the guise of public safety, while massively underinvesting in the resources that will truly keep our communities safe.
Rivers sent Bush this message on Friday as crime skyrocketed in cities across the country: “Ms. Bush is coming to Boston to see the model that exists.
He argued that the model, which relies on “faith-based law enforcement partnerships”, is “the best model in the country.”
“This is the answer to Black Lives Matter,” he argued.
Rivers noted that in “Boston, which has, through good policing that has been supported by the black community, we actually have a decrease in violence.” He attributed this decline to the support of the police and the development “of the best partnerships that exist in the country and function as a prototype”.
According to data from the Boston Police Department, there were 122 gunshot victims this year through August 1, up from 160 in the same period the year before, a decrease of 38 victims.
“If we can have a national campaign where religious communities work hand in hand with law enforcement, we can objectively reduce violence as has been the case in the city of Boston, which is a national model. “said Rivers.
The Bush campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the payments or Rivers’ statement on Friday.
Speaking on CBS News on Wednesday, Bush doubled down on his stance on funding police and addressed spending on private security.
“I’m going to make sure I have security because I know I’ve been a victim of bombings and have too much work to do,” Bush said. “There are too many people who need help right now for me to allow it.”
“So if I end up spending $ 200,000, if I spend $ 10 more, you know what? I have to be here to do the job, so suck it up,” she continued, before adding. that “police funding must take place.”
“We have to fund the police and put that money in social safety nets because we are trying to save lives,” Bush said.
Rivers criticized Bush’s argument on Friday, stressing that “in our poorest black neighborhoods we don’t need to fund the police, we have to support and improve the police and we do this by developing strategic partnerships.”
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“It’s not about fighting harder. It’s about organizing smarter,” said Rivers.
Joe Schoffstall of Fox News contributed to this report.
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