GOP reaches for nuance on race, police after latest unrest
ATLANTA — Some prominent Republican are grappling with how to talk about race relations after a spate of racially tinged gun violence that saw two black men killed by police and attacks by a black sniper that killed five Dallas police officers.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who serves as chairman of the Republican National Convention that convenes Monday in Cleveland, has argued for frank conversations about race, citing some hurdles unique to African-Americans, a traditionally Democratic constituency.
“It’s important that we acknowledge … there are people in this country who believe that because of their colour of their skin, they’re not as safe as everybody else,” Ryan said recently on CNN.
One of Ryan’s predecessors, Newt Gingrich, said it was “difficult” for white Americans to “appreciate how real” it is for black Americans to live in fear of a “situation where the police don’t respect you and you could easily get killed.”