‘I’ve Met With Black Lives Matter. Has He?’ Austin’s Art Acevedo Says
Austin’s police chief slammed Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday afternoon for his comments earlier in the day blaming Black Lives Matter for the shooting that left five law enforcement officers dead in Dallas on Thursday.Â
In an interview with Fox News, Patrick also called police-brutality protesters who ran from the gunfire “hypocrites” for expecting officers to protect them.Â
In a video posted by The Austin Statesman, Acevedo noted that the shooting, which occurred at the end of a peaceful rally, is believed to have been committed by one person who was acting alone and not affiliated with any group.Â
“I couldn’t disagree more with Lt. Gov. Patrick, and shame on him that he’s doing to Black Lives Matter what we in policing hate that’s being done to us,” Acevedo said. “One bad police shooting doesn’t make 800,000 cops bad. … We’ve got to stop the rhetoric of painting people with broad brushes.Â
“I’ve met with Black Lives Matter. Has he?” Acevedo added. “Maybe he needs to meet with our local Black Lives Matter. Now, are there some fringe members of Black Lives Matter? Absolutely, there’s good and bad in everything, but I’ve met a lot of young activists in Black Lives Matter here in Austin, and I can tell you the vast majority are good people that all they want is good policing. … Leadership is about bringing people together, not painting people with broad brushes.”Â
Sadly, just as Acevedo’s comments provided a glimmer of hope at the end of a devastating week, the police chief of another major city in Texas appeared intent on snuffing it out. Â
“Black Lives Matter, as far as I’m concerned, is a radical hate group, and for that purpose alone, I think the leadership of this country needs to look a little bit harder at that particular group,” El Paso’s Greg Allen said in a video posted by KVIA.com. “The consequences that we saw in Dallas is due to their efforts.”Â
Â
Â
Â
Â