Black American police officers nationwide who have largely supported Donald Trump's reelection, amid mass demonstrations over police brutality and accusations of systemic racism, are nowadays voicing against the president's campaign endorsements, saying that their concerns over entering the 2020 political fray were largely ignored.
Trump has touted his support from the law enforcement community, which includes endorsements from national, city and state officers' unions — some of which publicly endorsed a political candidate for the first 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.
Law enforcement depts still have smaller percentage of Black, Hispanic officers
There are more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, with large departments holding sway nationally. The number of minority officers in policing has more than doubled in the last three decades, but many departments still have a smaller percentage of Black and Hispanic officers compared to the percentage of the general population those communities make up.
Many fraternal Black police organisations were formed not only to advocate for equality within police departments but also to focus on how law enforcement affects the wider Black community. There have often been tensions between minority organisations and larger unions, for example in August, when the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers issued a letter condemning the use of deadly force, police misconduct and abuse in communities of colour.
While support for Trump does not strictly fall along racial lines, many Black officers say the endorsements for the incumbent president don't fairly represent all dues-paying members.
"We are members of these unions, and they don't take into consideration our feelings about Donald J. Trump, then they don't care about us and ... they don't care about our dues," said Rochelle Bilal, the recent past president of the Guardian Civic League of Philadelphia, calling the National Fraternal Order of Police's Trump endorsement an "outrage."
However, national union leaders let go of the case claiming that the process is designed to give everyone a voice and the endorsement represents the majority of officers.
