Just amazing — this Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 4th CD, Mike Wade, is actually not just a police officer but a SHERIFF. Yet here’s what he had to say last night (audio below), in the 4th CD congressional debate with Democrat Donald McEachin, about people getting shot by police:
…But you know, we always talk about the police officer as being the one that’s wrong in these situations…Some of ’em are wrong, no doubt, but some of ’em are right…I think the greater problem in this area is the problem we have in this country of mental health and substance abuse; if you look at most of these incidents…the majority of those people in these situations that are shot are on the way to jail — 85% of the people that are in jail have substance abuse problems and 30% have mental illness problems…
Donald McEachin’s (disgusted) response:
I am absolutely stunned, I cannot believe I just heard you say that the people who have gotten shot were on their way to jail anyway. You know, the man who was shot in Minnesota with a broken taillight was NOT on his way to jail. You know, when I got pulled over for checking my [campaign] signs at midnight…I didn’t have a mental health problem and I wasn’t on my way to jail. So, Mike I really urge you to rethink that statement, because it’s just not right...it’s a scary thing when you get pulled over, and I would imagine it’s even a scarier thing when all you’re trying to do is obey a police officer’s order and you get shot.
Wade doubles down: “I agree that all of ’em aren’t that way, but the majority of ’em do involve people that are going to jail…There’s two sides to the story, and we’ll never solve the problem if we just talk about your side of the story…”
McEachin nails him: “As long as you’re going to go around thinking that everybody who’s getting shot is going to jail, that’s the beginning of the problem.”
Wow.
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