State of the Union: Biden takes on police, gun and political violence | World News | Times Of Ahmedabad

Washington: During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in the United States Congress on Tuesday, there were three remarkably moving moments.

The first was when the president turned to the parents of Tyre Nichols — the young man who was brutally assaulted and killed by five policemen in Memphis at the end of January. The second was when the president turned to Brandon Tsay — a 26-year old who, during a recent episode of gun violence in California, tackled the shooter to avert the loss of more lives. And the third was when the president turned to Paul Pelosi, the husband of the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was attacked at his home in California in the run-up to the midterm elections by political extremists.

And in recognising the three individuals, Biden brought a focus in his most important speech of the year to the three forms of violence that have engulfed the US — violence caused by law enforcement agencies, particularly against people of colour; violence caused due to the widespread possession and use of weapons, leading to horrific shoot-outs over the year; and violence caused by political extremism.

The law enforcement violence

Tackling the issue of violence by official agencies, which came to the forefront during the Black Lives Matters movement in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020, Biden said that public safety depended on public trust, and too often, this trust was violated. “There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a child. But imagine what it’s like to lose a child at the hands of the law.”

In a statement that resonated with communities of colour across America, Biden then referred to the “talk” that he never had to have with his own children but Brown and Black people across the country do.

“I have never had to have the talk with my children – Beau, Hunter, and Ashley – that so many Black and Brown families have had with their children. If a police officer pulls you over, turn on your interior lights. Don’t reach for your licence. Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Imagine having to worry like that every day in America.”

Conveying what Nichols’s mother, who was sitting in the First Lady’s Box as a guest and listening, had told him, Biden said she had hoped something good would come out of this. “It’s up to us. It’s up to all of us. We all want the same thing. Neighbourhoods free of violence. Law enforcement who earn the community’s trust. Our children to come home safely. Equal protection under the law; that’s the covenant we have with each other in America.”

Balancing between seen as supportive of law enforcement while being critical of its excesses has been tricky for Democrats. Some progressive segments espoused the rhetoric of “defund the police”, a chant that gave Republicans political ammunition over the past few years. In his last State of the Union, Biden however distanced himself from that plank, even arguing for more funding for the police. In a display of the balancing act, Biden, this time, acknowledged the role and importance of law enforcement agencies while seeking accountability.

“We know police officers put their lives on the line every day, and we ask them to do too much…I know most cops are good, decent people. They risk their lives every time they put on that shield. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better.”

This meant, Biden suggested, giving law enforcement the training they needed; holding them to higher standards; investing in first responders to address mental health and substance abuse challenges; community intervention programmes; more resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime. “All this can help prevent violence in the first place.

And when police officers or departments violate the public’s trust, we must hold them accountable.”

Gun violence

From asking the Congress to do more on police reform, Biden turned to the other big issue that has devastated countless American lives — gun violence.

Biden recalled that in the wake of the Ulvade shooting in Texas last year, the Congress had indeed passed gun safety legislation, incorporating background checks for 18 to 21-year olds and red flag laws keeping guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to themselves and others. But this was not enough.

And that was when the president turned to Brandon Tsay, who was present at the Lunar New Year celebration at Monterey Park in California where a gunman killed 11 people, before Tsay was able to disarm him.

Biden said, “He saved lives. It’s time we do the same as well. Ban assault weapons once and for all. We did it before. I led the fight to ban them in 1994. In the 10 years the ban was law, mass shootings went down. After Republicans let it expire, mass shootings tripled. Let’s finish the job and ban assault weapons again.”

Political violence

Towards the end of his speech, Biden turned to the third form of violence that has seen an uptick in America — political violence. Linking it to the issue of democracy, Biden pointed out that democracy, in recent years, had been threatened and attacked, including in the US Congress on January 6, 2021.

This is when he turned to Paul Pelosi.

“Just a few months ago, unhinged by the Big Lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on January 6th. Here tonight in this chamber is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack, but is as tough and strong and as resilient as they get. My friend, Paul Pelosi.” The Big Lie, in American political parlance, reference to Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from him, a claim embraced by right-wing extremists and White Supremacists.

Biden said such an act should never have happened.

“We must all speak out. There is no place for political violence in America. In America, we must protect the right to vote, not suppress that fundamental right. We honour the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We must uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy. And we must give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbour.”