Markey, Kennedy to debate tonight
Both expected to weigh in on unrest
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III will hit the debate stage tonight as riots continue to erupt across the nation protesting George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer — and as the issue of civil rights takes center stage in the Senate primary.
Markey and Kennedy could face tough questions as to why either of the two privileged, white men are the best candidate to represent black voters in Massachusetts. Both men held virtual listening sessions Sunday with several members of the black community as frustration and anger continued about ongoing police mistreatment in America.
“We must say loudly and clearly that Black lives matter and demand an end to police violence against Black Americans,” wrote Markey, a Malden Democrat, on Twitter Sunday before his 5:30 p.m. virtual conversation with Michael Curry, former president of Boston’s NAACP as well as Rahsaan Hall of the ACLU and others.
Kennedy held a similar virtual town hall with Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins and others at 3:30 p.m., as well as an evening event focused on the black community in Springfield and Western Massachusetts.
Fiery riots erupted over the last week in several cities including New York, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh as protesters slammed the sluggish prosecution of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin, who pressed his knee into the unarmed and handcuffed Floyd’s back and neck during an arrest, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder last Friday. The other police officers with Chauvin during the May 25 incident haven’t been charged.
Three different groups protesting Floyd’s death marched in Boston, and Mayor Martin Walsh promised protesters “your constitutional right to make your voice heard must be respected and protected.”
Kennedy could also face questions at the debate about a since-deleted tweet that repeatedly used the phrase “lives matter,” instead of “black lives matter.” Critics of the Black Lives Matter movement have often used the phrase, “all lives matter.”
“Hey folks, I deleted my previous tweet. I should have been explicit that I was talking about black and brown lives,” wrote Kennedy in an apologetic tweet last week. “I believe deeply in being intentional when it comes to calling out and fighting racism, and I fell short here. I appreciate the folks who pointed it out.”
Kennedy and Markey’s debate at 7 p.m. on Channel 5 will be their first face-off since the highly contagious coronavirus pandemic froze in-person campaigning and upended the Democratic Senate primary scheduled for Sept. 1. Their first debate was held on Feb. 19. At least three more debates are planned.