Senator Tim Scott,
welcome to The Daily social Distancing Show.
You're welcome. Thank you for having me.
Thank you so much for being here, especially on today.
Um, we saw the president of the United States come out
and release what many people were surprised to see from him--
uh, you know, a sweeping reform, in his opinion, on police force.
Some people felt like it didn't go too far.
For President Trump, some people were shocked
that he even did anything at all.
You were in the room.
You've been part of those discussions.
What did you make of today's executive order?
I thought it was a good day.
I thought it was a strong day for the country.
I'm glad the president was willing to take up the issue
that so many of us have been talking about all of our lives.
And frankly, I started this journey five years ago
in earnest working on the Walter Scott Notification Act.
And to be here now
with the president signing an executive order
that deals with some of the more important issues
from the tactics, like the choke hold,
to the importance of the co-responders,
those folks who have mental health issues
or addiction issues-- this president has done something
that almost all the folks
on the other side said he would never do.
And he found the path forward.
And I will say thanks to the president
for listening on this important issue.
What I've been really intrigued by, especially in your journey,
is something that you've alluded to
in your tweets in that, you know there is...
This is an issue that affects all black people.
You've shared your personal experiences--
being pulled over by the police seven times in one year.
You've shared how that affects you as a human being,
and how reforms need to be made.
-Yes. -What do you think politicians on both sides
of the aisle are missing in how they address these issues
for black people in America?
You know, honestly, that's a great question, Trevor.
From my perspective, we-we are missing the...
If you're talking about the institutions of authority
and the power to kill you,
for us to not take this issue seriously,
not as politicians, but as Americans...
There's a reason why
the institutions of authority are losing credibility
in communities of color.
It's because they keep shouting
about the same things, and nothing changes.
That is dehumanizing.
It lowers all your expectations from society,
and it leads to a level of frustration and irritation
that is really hard to handle.
And so, when you see these situations unfolding
so many times, you finally get to the point,
"What in the heavens will cause a change?"
And frankly, had it not been for a video camera,
I don't think most people would have believed
that that officer had his knee on the neck
for eight and a half minutes.
Had it not been for a video camera,
they would not have believed Walter Scott was shot
in the back five times without a weapon.
Had it not been the ability to record these issues,
people would not believe us, even to this day.
And that's why-- and I apologize for getting so excited
-about this issue-- -Oh, please.
but this is something we've been working on forever,
it feels like.
I did a "Driving While Black" event
-when I was on county council 20-plus years ago. -Wow.
And to think of the number of people
who have had to have their car surrounded
because they were simply going
to see their grandparents, like I was,
and to know that there are men and women in this country
who feel like they are less than human
or that they're less valuable than someone else
just because of the color of their skin.
So whether you love President Trump or hate President Trump,
I don't care.
If you love Americans, we should be thankful
that we're having this conversation
and making some progress
in the right direction on an issue
that has plagued the African-American community
in the same fashion
that the Covid-19 is plaguing the world.
It's that serious.
One thing I didn't appreciate personally was
how people were tweeting at you.
You know, when it was announced that you were going
to be leading the Republican effort, people said,
"Oh, of course, the token black guy.
The one black guy, the token."
And it implied in many ways
that you were only getting this position, you know,
because it was saving face, as opposed to the fact
that you've been the person who's been pushing for this,
arguably, the most, in the Republican Party.
Is there a way that you've managed
to convince some of your colleagues to say,
"Hey, I know that you believe
"that you're a law-and-order person,
"but the people who are meant to be upholding law and order
are themselves breaking the law and have no order"?
How do you... how do you convey that message
to some of your colleagues?
Well-well, this-this...
I know "law and order" has so many, um, so many definitions,
but if you really believe in the law-and-order concept,
the people who believe in it most
is the African-American community.
Frankly, what we want are laws that apply equally
in this nation to every single one of us.
I want to say to the kids that are coming up now, we see you,
you're not invisible.
I want them to understand that this country stands for them,
and if I have to take the crap
from people who want to call me a token,
because I'm the guy that had the actual experience,
I'm the one that went to the leader of the Senate and said,
"Put me in charge," because I'm the guy that understands
both how to respect the communities of color
and how to cooperate
and work with the law enforcement community,
so that there's not a binary choice.
This does not work to our advantage
if there's a binary choice.
We actually don't need a binary choice.
We need one choice--
that's the Lady of Justice, blindfolded.
(chuckles): That's what we need,
that's what we want, and that's what everyone deserves.
Let's talk a little bit about some of the reforms
that you're proposing.
Because I read through them, and I'm not gonna lie,
what really intrigued me was how a lot of the things
that you've been pushing for years,
a lot of the things you've been proposing for years,
match up with what some people would call
Defund the Police today, or Abolish--
and I know it's become messy, you know?
Everyone has a different definition
of what Defund means, there's Abolish--
there are a few places that are unified, but it can be messy.
I want to talk to you about your proposals, without labels.
Just tell me your ideas, because I know you have
some sweeping reforms that you think need to be introduced
into policing in America.
What would some of those ideas be?
Well, the first of the ideas is we need all the information.
Frankly, the House bill and my bill,
we have this in agreement--
we want to have all the information
sent to the Department of Justice, perhaps the FBI,
so that we know what's actually happening in the country.
About 40% of the departments provide information
to what's happening.
We want it on serious bodily injury and on death,
because we believe that--
you look at the Walter Scott situation,
the George Floyd situation and the Breonna Taylor situation.
All those things that happened, those tragedies, atrocities,
there's not any information.
You look at... you listen... you look at the incident report
on Breonna Taylor...
-It's blank. -it is basically blank,
-Yeah. -and no injuries.
So we've actually enhanced the penalties
for false police reports in my legislation.
We actually say, not only do we want the data,
that we then want to direct officers and training,
through our grants, so as to get to the chokehold.
If you allow chokeholds in your departments,
you become ineligible for those resources,
and that's a good thing.
From my perspective, if we're gonna have
substantial systemic change that moves us in the right direction,
the one thing the federal government has
is the power of the purse.
We don't have the ability to control the local resources,
-Right. -but we can control
the federal grants that come into departments.
And in my opinion, I would rather pay for good outcomes,
and if I do that, we've done it right, in my opinion.
You are in a position that many Americans are in,
where they know somebody or they work with somebody
who they're trying to convince
to do something about the police,
which inherently offends many people.
Have you made any progress?
And if so, how have you managed to make that progress?
How do you convince somebody
who sees this issue completely differently to you,
that this needs to be done?
Well, the one thing I start with is a personal story.
No one can argue and dispute your personal experience,
so I think it's powerful, especially as a guy who--
you know, everybody says that the people that get stopped
are involved in something bad.
Well, I have taken the time, and I have a list of strong,
powerful, well-positioned African Americans,
to include the head of police departments,
who have been stopped by their own department.
So, what I tried to do is create the narrative
that his is not... has nothing to do with your criminal past.
This has nothing to do with a record.
This has to do with the color of your skin.
And so having the ability to have credibility
on my side of the aisle to have that conversation
actually engages them in a powerful way.
On the other side, what I try to say
to my friends on the other side is:
Please do not let the police unions
stop you from looking at my bill seriously.
Because, talking to my friends,
they tell me that they're not allowed
to sponsor my legislation, because the police unions
are afraid of it.
Uh...
I don't get it.
And so, on my side, I try to use personal stories.
On their side, I try to use, uh, common sense
and the long view.
I'm hoping, Trevor, that my bill gets a vote
and we get it passed.
The House bill is gonna get a vote, and it's gonna pass.
Wouldn't it be nice for us to find the 85%
within the two bills?
More... more resources for the right reasons.
Let's deescalate to save lives.
Let's have a duty to intervene, so that three guys
aren't watching one guy on someone's neck.
Let's make sure that we're having the right conversation.
Let's make sure that we're dealing
with the mental health issues, we're dealing with addiction,
we're dealing with homelessness in a ethical manner.
Let's make sure that we provide outcomes.
If we can do that, and we're 80% in agreement,
I'll take 80.
I don't need my legislation to become law.
I want something that says to my nephew, at 29 years old,
or you, at 36 years old,
that the next generation of Americans...
we see you.
If I can do that in this job that I have now,
all the name-calling and all the bickering
and all the crap I take will be well worth it,
because someone like John Lewis made it possible
for me to sit in the United States Senate Building
as a senator and not as a staffer.
God has been good.
We just need to make sure that it's better
for people who are coming behind us.
Senator Tim Scott, thank you so much for your time.
Yes, sir. Have a good day.