Group calls NC lawmaker’s post ‘inflammatory,’ says it ‘threatens the lives’ of protesters
The Seattle chapter of Black Lives Matter Friday asked North Carolina Rep. Larry Pittman to remove what it called his “inflammatory” Facebook post, saying it “threatens the lives of thousands of peaceful protesters.”
Black Lives Matter Seattle-Kings County was responding to Pittman’s post on Monday in which he lashed out at “the gutless wonders in public office who are bowing down to Black Lives Matter.” He specifically called out the mayor of Seattle.
The Cabarrus County Republican called protesters “ignorant thugs,” “criminals,” “domestic terrorists” and “vermin.” If they resist and attack police, he said officers should “shoot them.”
“Your attempt to associate (Black Lives Matter) with illegal activity is not only incorrect, it also severely threatens the lives of thousands of peaceful protesters in Seattle who also condemn the violence,” an attorney for the group wrote Pittman.
“By suggesting that police ‘shoot’ any protester ‘[i]f they resist [arrest] and attack you,’ you are effectively calling for the outright murder of American citizens. . . Contrary to your understanding of what is happening here, no one in Seattle has died from these demonstrations, yet your proposed solution would result in systematic death at an unconscionable scale.”
Pittman, a pastor, could not be reached for comment Friday. On Tuesday, he responded to a request for comment with an email: “Sorry, I don’t do interviews,” it said.
However he did email a statement to The Hill on Tuesday.
“Peaceful protesters are not criminals,” he said in the statement. “These people have forcibly seized personal and public property. That is a criminal act. I never said shoot protesters. In specific reference to Seattle, I have seen news coverage of these people walking around with weapons. What I said was that if they attack the police they should be shot. No one should be shot for peaceful protest.”
After days of street protests that saw some looting at the outset, Seattle police sought to deescalate tensions and essentially turned over a six-block area to protesters. It’s now known as CHOP, for the Capitol Hill Organized Protest.
In his letter to Pittman, attorney Bruce Johnson, representing the Seattle group, called his post “arguably a more explicit version of the president’s tweets calling for officers to shoot and kill protesters when they’re accused of looting.” President Donald Trump blasted Washington’s governor and Seattle’s mayor in a tweet.
“Take back your city NOW,” Trump tweeted. “If you don’t do it, I will. This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped [sic] IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST!”
”We have already seen the effects of this dangerous rhetoric,” Johnson wrote. “Because of this rhetoric, one Black protester in Seattle was shot by a white man who attempted to drive through a crowd. . . . white residents targeted and terrorized a multiracial family in Forks, Washington...
“While much of the country has largely mobilized in support of the Black Lives Matter movement,” Johnson wrote to Pittman, “you, on the other hand, have expressed a bloodlust towards people of color that should disgust every American.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Group calls NC lawmaker’s post ‘inflammatory,’ says it ‘threatens the lives’ of protesters."
