Presidential nominee condemns federal occupation of American cities
GREENVILLE, S.C.; July 23, 2020— Dr. Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian candidate for president, today charged Democratic and Republican lawmakers with doing too many wrong things, and not enough of the right things, when it comes to criminal justice.
“Politicians meddle in many areas of our lives where they don’t belong while refusing to do their most fundamental job: protecting our lives, liberty, and property,” said Jorgensen.
“This is being played out in the cities where peaceful demonstrations are being infiltrated by violent rioters, unchecked by police.
“After months of protests, not to mention decades of injustice, politicians still refuse to repeal or reform the bad policies that led to the protests in the first place, namely: no-knock raids, civil asset forfeiture, qualified immunity, militarized police, and above all, the failed and dangerous war on drugs. Protesters are rightfully outraged by the injustice these policies have caused.
“At the same time, certain governors and mayors have instructed their police to stand down while rioters commit assault and ravage public and personal properties.
“The solution is not to give the government even more power by sending federal agents into cities, uninvited, to try to fix a problem created by government.
“We must obey the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of our constitution, which denies the federal government authority to interfere in matters left to the states and the people. Breaching this limit on government power is a slippery slope we must not go down.
“Instead, cities and states should do their jobs and instruct their police to go after real criminals.
“And politicians, at all levels, need to correct bad policies.
“Governors, state legislatures, and local officials can deal with this emergency now by enacting common-sense changes in the law. They should also make it a top priority to train police to avoid unnecessary use of force.”
Jorgensen praised local lawmakers in Orlando, Fla. and Louisville, Ky., where they have banned no-knock warrants, which allow police to bust into the homes of suspects, unannounced, putting both innocent bystanders and the police, themselves, at risk.
“Above all, state lawmakers and officials should end the destructive and immoral drug prohibition in their states and release all nonviolent drug offenders from state prisons, just as I will do at the federal level as president.
“High crime rates as seen in Chicago can also be substantially reduced by ending the war on drugs. Once again, we need less government—not more. And cops should be allowed to do their jobs.
“Lastly, it should be obvious—in times of protest and in times of relative peace—that police cannot be everywhere. We must never infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment-protected right to self-defense. Especially in Chicago, where, for many, self-protection is their only real means to stay safe. Gun laws in that city make you a criminal for merely protecting your family.”
Jorgensen concluded, “What we need is much smaller government at all levels, focused on its most basic responsibility: keeping citizens safe from others who would do them harm, and never infringing on their right to protect their families.”
