As protests reached unprecedented levels on Wednesday, bolstered by professional athletes sitting out sporting events, Republicans offered a full-throated backing of police officers during Night 3 of the Republican National Convention.
Featured on Wednesday, Michael McHale of the National Association of Police Organizations, went after the Biden campaign, who he claimed is “anti-police.”
“I’m proud that the overwhelming majority of American police officers are the best of the best and put their lives on the line without hesitation. And good officers need to know their elected leaders and the department brass have their backs,” said McHale.
Meanwhile, unrest unfolded in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake was shot seven times by Rusten Sheskey, a Kenosha Police officer who has since been placed on administrative leave.
Investigators, speaking for the first time since Sunday's incident, declined to press charges on Wednesday against Sheskey despite the massive protests.
Joining in the protests were athletes from the NBA, MLB and MLS, who took the unprecedented step to boycott playing as players demanded action against the officer who shot Blake.
As the fourth night of demonstrations ensued in Kenosha, amid a summer of protests demanding changes to policing, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., decried protests.
“I'm talking about the heroes of our law enforcement and armed services. Leftists try to turn them into villains. They try to cancel them. But I'm here to tell you that these heroes can’t be canceled.,” Blackburn said.
Mike Pence, accepting the GOP nomination for a second term as vice president Wednesday, tried to thread the needle between offering support for law enforcement while understanding the pain many Black Americans are experiencing.
"We don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with African American neighbors," Pence said.
While Republicans multiple times claimed that Biden would defund policing, Biden has said he opposes defunding police departments.