Wisconsin Sheriff David Clarke received a standing ovation at the Republican National Convention tonight after speaking barely more than five words to the delegates. Taking to the stage, Clarke told the thousands gathered in the Quicken Loans Arena: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make something very clear, blue lives matter in America.'
That statement had delegates immediately on their feet with a long peal of applause punctuated with shouts of 'we love you sheriff' and 'police lives matter'. Clarke then went on to celebrate the acquittal of Lt. Brian Rice who was the latest officer to be charged over the death of Freddie Grey, who died in police custody in Baltimore.
He then accused attorney Marilyn Mosby, who prosecuted the case, an 'activist state’s attorney' and described her actions as malicious. Clarke then went on to speak about the convention's theme, make America safe again, saying it is a 'prerequisite' to making America great again, which has been Donald Trump's cornerstone pledge.
He said: 'We simply cannot be great if we do not feel safe in our homes, on our streets, in our schools. 'I see this every day at street level where many Americans increasingly have an uneasiness about the ability of their families to live safely in these troubling times.
'This transcends race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age and lifestyle.' He also spoke of security being a 'shared endeavor' which required 'trust' in both citizens and police officers who are tasked with enforcing the peace. Addressing the recent unrest and demonstrations against law enforcement across America, he described the situation as 'anarchy'.
He said: 'What we witnessed in Baltimore and Ferguson and Baton Rouge was a collapse of the social order. 'So many of the actions of the Occupy movement and Black Lives Matter transcend peaceful protest and violates the code of conduct we rely on. I call it anarchy.' Clarke also spoke about the need for police to be transparent and steadfast in their investigations, before turning to Trump saying 'these are the truths he understands and supports'.
Clarke concluded: 'Donald Trump understands the only way that we can make our nation safe again is to recommit to a system of justice in which no government official, not even those who have fought their way to the marble and granite halls of Washington; no private citizen, no elected official, even Hillary Clinton; no group of people, despite the fervor with which they put forward their argument; can claim privilege above the law.
'It cannot happen in the United States of America.' Clarke, the Sheriff for Milwaukee County in Wisconsin, has become a conservative icon for his passionate defense of police amidst allegations of abuse of minorities across America.
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