Members speak out over endorsements

Black officers break from unions over organizations’ public support of Trump

PHILADELPHIA – Police unions nationwide have largely supported President Donald Trump’s reelection, amid mass demonstrations over police brutality and accusations of systemic racism – but a number of Black law enforcement officers are speaking out against these endorsements, saying their concerns over entering the 2020 political fray were ignored.

Trump has touted his support from the law enforcement community, which includes endorsements from national, city and state officers’ unions – some of which publicly endorsed a political candidate for the first time.

He’s running on what he calls a “law and order” platform and tapping into a strain of anger and frustration felt by law enforcement who believe they are being unfairly accused of racial discrimination.

There are more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S., with

large departments holding sway nationally.

The number of minority officers in policing has more than doubled in the last three decades, but many departments still have a smaller percentage of Black and Hispanic officers compared to the percentage of the general population those communities make up.

Many fraternal Black police organizations were formed to advocate for equality within police departments but also to focus on how law enforcement affects the wider Black community. There have often been tensions between minority organizations and larg

MICHAEL PEREZ/AP Crystal Williams-coleman, president of the Guardian Civic League in Philadelphia, leads a group critical of union endorsing President Donald Trump for reelection.