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Steve Neavling
Detroit Police Chief James Craig.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig was back on Fox News on Thursday morning, regurgitating right-wing conspiracy theories that would make President Donald Trump proud.
Craig said on Fox & Friends that protests are “financed” by Marxist outsiders who are trying to “undermine our government.”
His evidence? A U-Haul containing protest signs in Louisville during Wednesday’s rally over the death of Breonna Taylor. Right-wing media seized on the U-Haul, making baseless claims that it was packed with riot weapons.
“It’s coordinated. It’s planned, and not to mention it’s financed,” Craig said. “They are carrying out a mission, and it certainly is not about Breonna Taylor; it wasn’t about George Floyd.”
Asked what the agenda was, Craig responded, “I believe it’s a Marxist ideology.”
On Fox & Friends, the Detroit police chief claims video of one U-Haul truck in Louisville is proof that nationwide violence "is coordinated, it's planned ... it's financed" by a "Marxist ideology" trying "to undermine our government as we know it." pic.twitter.com/lIobpm2VKg
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) September 24, 2020
Craig has become a regular on Fox News, a network that spews right-wing rhetoric and propaganda to Trump supporters. Craig has even caught the attention of Trump, who praised the police chief in an interview with Fox 2 on Tuesday, calling him “terrific.”
“I watch him. I really like him a lot,” Trump said.
Mayor Mike Duggan, a Democrat who appoints the city’s police chief and has supported Joe Biden’s campaign, had been silent on Craig’s many Fox News appearances. But on Thursday, Duggan tried to distance himself from Craig's remarks.
"Clearly, Chief Craig is frustrated by the police resources he has had to use to deal with largely out of town protesters and sometimes express himself in a way the mayor would not," Duggan spokesman John Roach tells Metro Times. "The mayor thinks Chief Craig is doing a great job running the Detroit Police Department."
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib slammed the chief for his remarks.
"When folks are mourning Breonna Taylor. When folks are in tears over the injustice over a Black woman shot 6 times in her own home. THIS is what DPD chief had to say," Tlaib tweeted Thursday morning. "What does local elected leaders that hire him think? Do they agree? Their silence is speaking volumes."
When folks are mourning Breonna Taylor. When folks are in tears over the injustice over a Black woman shot 6 times in her own home. THIS is what DPD chief had to say.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) September 24, 2020
What does local elected leaders that hire him think? Do they agree? Their silence is speaking volumes. https://t.co/9K1OWOFEXZ
Protesters filed a lawsuit against Craig and the city last month, saying police have repeatedly used excessive force to break up peaceful protests.
In Louisville, Detroit, and other cities, protesters marched on Wednesday following the news that a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police for Taylor's death. Authorities said two officers were shot and wounded in Louisville Wednesday night.
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