Demings makes case for VP spot

Lawmaker stresses police work, personal history with racism in call with DNC leaders

U.S Rep. Val Demings made her case Tuesday why her experiences as both an African American woman and Orlando police chief could be what the Democratic presidential ticket needs this year, despite questions about police brutality during her tenure.

In a conference call with Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez and state party chair Terrie Rizzo marking the five-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, Demings said a victory for Trump in November would mean “surviving four more years of divisiveness and complete chaos.”

The call came shortly after Trump announced he would sign an executive order that would create a federal database of police officers with a history of using excessive force, as well as banning the use of chokeholds except in cases where deadly force is needed.

Trump also vocally defended police in the wake of mass protests after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police using a chokehold in Minneapolis on May 25. Only a “very tiny” percentage of police officers are the problem, he said, adding Americans “demand law and order.”

Demings said it was “almost laughable to hear the president defend law enforcement now. When we all know since day one, he has done everything within his power to undermine law enforcement’s lawful investigations. This Is the president … who considers himself above the law and everyone else beneath it.”

Demings was asked several questions about her record as police chief in Orlando from 2007 to 2011, the last 17 months of which were included in a four-year period examined by an Orlando Sentinel investigation that found Orlando officers used force in 5.6% of arrests, more than double the rate of some other agencies, including Tampa’s.

OPD officers also disproportionately used force on black suspects, accounting for 55% of useof-force cases while consisting of 28% of the city’s population.

Demings said many other cities did not fully report use-of-force incidents as Orlando did. She said about 5% of officers were responsible for the majority of the force that was used, most of whom worked downtown, which she said had “about 80 bars” at the time.

Most of the use of force incidents also took place between midnight and 3 a.m., she said.

“So certainly they posed some

unique challenges for the officers assigned to that area,” Demings said. “You’ll also see that the the first choice [of force] was, in most cases, pepper spray.”

She said she made sure officers had de-escalation training, adding “it is completely impossible to totally eliminate an officer’s ability or necessity to go hands-on, but we surely tried to limit the amount of times that they had to do that.”

Demings is one of several prominent Democratic women being considered by former Vice President Joe Biden as a running mate.

Asked if selecting a former police chief for the Democratic ticket sent the wrong message to protesters and activists, Demings said she was proud of those demonstrating against police misconduct.

Demings also spoke about experiencing racism growing up in Jacksonville.

“I was called the Nword when I was 4 years old,” she said. “And I can remember, not even really understanding what it meant, because my parents did everything they could to really kind of shield us from the ugly parts of the world. … No one can tell me about racism and discrimination in this country. [But] don’t just agonize over it, organize over it.

“And I decided to dedicate my life to trying to make this nation better at understanding that racism is so ingrained in the fabric of who we are as a nation, and it’s something that we have to fight back against every day.”

In a response to the call, Emma Vaughn, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said, “While Joe Biden is hiding in his basement, President Trump is working to rebuild the greatest economy in the world, and last month’s incredible jobs report proves that the Great American Comeback is underway. … Florida Democrats have a record of defeat in the Sunshine State for a reason.”