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Pence: People Talk Too Much About Police Racism

People should stop talking so much about racism and policing, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate, said Thursday.

By Chris Megerian

People should stop talking so much about racism and policing, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate, said Thursday.

"Donald Trump and I believe that there's been far too much talk of institutional bias or racism within law enforcement," Pence said during an event with pastors at a Colorado church. His comments came on the heels of renewed outrage over police killings of black men in Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C.

Pence also said that police officers have to be "held to strict account" when they make mistakes but that the country's president should stand behind law enforcement.

"We ought to set aside this talk, this talk about institutional racism and institutional bias," he said.

By contrast, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has repeatedly said she wants to address what she calls "systemic racism" in the criminal justice system and other areas of the country.

"We white Americans need to do a better job of listening when African-Americans talk about the seen and unseen barriers you face every day," she told the NAACP in July.

(c)2016 Los Angeles Times

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.
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