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Philly Police Union Blasts Hillary For BLM Invite List

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A Philadelphia police union slammed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton Wednesday for inviting the families of black people recently killed by cops.

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is scheduled to be held next week in Philadelphia. Clinton has invited “Mothers of the Movement” to speak at the second night of the convention. The group consists of the mothers of black men recently killed by police. The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) said the choice to invite the group was an insult to police.

“[We’re] shocked and saddened by the planned choice of speakers at the upcoming DNC in Philadelphia,” FOP President John McNesby said in a statement. “The Fraternal Order of Police is insulted and will not soon forget that the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton are excluding the widows, and other family members of Police Officers killed in the line of duty who were victims of explicit, and not implied racism.”

There have been several incidences of alleged police misconduct that garnered national attention in the last couple years. Tamir Rice, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Jonathan Ferrell, Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose and Freddie Gray, among others, have been used as examples of unjust police violence against black individuals.

“As Hillary Clinton has said, we need to support heroic police officers who put their lives on the line every day as well as listen to the voices of mothers who have lost their children,” a Clinton spokeswoman told the local affiliate of NBC News. “We look forward to highlighting the courageous efforts of law enforcement with speakers at our convention, including from Pennsylvania, and praising their work to keep our communities safe.”

Anti-police rhetoric and violence has also been on the rise from those who believe law enforcement has systematic racism. A sniper killed five Dallas police officers July 7 during a anti-police protest. Another man killed three police officers while injuring many others in Baton Rouge, La. during an ambush attack.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement started in 2013 to combat violence against minority populations. Participants have rallied against police brutality in cities and towns across the country. BLM has been denounced by some critics who sees its brash methods as only making racial tensions worse.

BLM protesters hijacked a rally on Aug. 8 for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. While Sanders helplessly stood by, protesters began making demands in the microphone. The self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist was a civil rights advocate throughout his life, including back during the 1960s at the height of the civil rights movement when he was a college student.

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