CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Hillary Clinton said Sunday that the spate of gun violence in the United States should call the nation to do more to protect “all of God’s children.”
Clinton addressed congregants at Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, fewer than two weeks after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott touched off two nights of violent protests in the city’s downtown.
“Protecting all of God’s children is America’s calling,” the Democratic presidential nominee said. Clinton said too many black families have been forced to deal with the same tragedy as Scott’s family.
“Our entire country should take a moment to really look at what’s going on here and across America, to imagine what we see on the news and what we hear about, imagine it through our children’s eyes,” she said.
Clinton had planned to visit the city last week but delayed the trip after city officials said their resources were stretched thin. North Carolina is among the nation’s top battleground states and Clinton’s campaign has invested heavily in the state won by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 election.
Clinton did not mention Republican Donald Trump by name but referenced her opponent’s calls for “law-and-order” during the campaign.
“There are some out there who see this as a moment to fan the flames of resentment and division. Who want to exploit people’s fears even though it means tearing our nation even further apart,” Clinton said. “They say that all of our problems would be solved simply by more law and order. As if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn’t exist.”