Former President George W. Bush released a statement on Tuesday addressing the race riots across the country, laying the blame on alleged “systemic racism” in America and essentially giving the rioters a pass for their behavior, according to Breitbart.
In a tweet posted by the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s official account, the lengthy statement calls it “a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country.” It goes on to say that “This tragedy…raises a long overdue question: How do we end systemic racism in our society?”
The statement encourages the riots and says that the riots should not be stopped, declaring that “The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving,” and that “those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America, or how it becomes a better place.”
The former president’s statement comes amidst continued violent unrest in America, which is based primarily on the false notion that African-American men are systematically targeted by law enforcement, even though crime statistics do not back this up.
President Trump has vowed to quell the riots, mobilizing the military to protect Washington D.C. and using the National Guard to successfully maintain peace in Minneapolis over the last few nights. Violence is still raging in some cities such as St. Louis and New York City, with local leaders in the latter such as Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-N.Y.) refusing federal help.