In between the “everything-is-free” frenzy, racial rhetoric dominated the Democratic presidential debate in Detroit. The theme sounded like “everything and everyone is racist,” especially law enforcement.

The rhetoric served to break down hard-fought trust between communities and police officers around the country. It also minimized the gains achieved by minorities under President Trump’s policies, and his persistent efforts to put all Americans first regardless of their race.

Listening to the rhetoric of Democratic presidential hopefuls, it’s clear their false outrage and claims about language “dividing” us are meant to do the very thing they condemn — divide Americans along racial lines.

Police officers and the president work every day to keep our communities safe. They should be judged by their actions. Instead, Democrats ascribe motives and talk about “perceptions,” describing an America that is not based on reality.

Words can inspire and call a nation to action. They can recall great deeds, convey an idea or remind us of our failures, but in the end, they are just words. As a nation, we must recapture the toughness that allowed us to persevere despite harsh words.

Unfortunately, Democrats haven’t used their debates to unite America. They have used them to divide people who don’t wish to be divided. When the left can’t win on the merits of an issue, they fall back to negative attacks and false claims of racism.

We are one America, and our police forces have made major strides forward in our urban communities. Working in an urban city for the last 22 years, I have witnessed firsthand the heroic efforts of police officers who put the community first and work to improve the quality of life while placing themselves at risk.

One can look only to New York City, where failed policy and racial rhetoric has placed heroic officers in harm’s way. What is going to happen when Democratic talking points result in people dumping urine or acid on officers instead of just water? What happens when a squirt gun turns into a real gun? This is a serious issue, and it’s the reason officers traveled to Detroit to protest at the debate.

America is not a hateful place, despite what many liberals with laptops would like you to believe. This is the greatest nation in the world, and we are seeing improvements for all citizens, especially minorities.

President Trump is not a politician, and it would be a detriment for him to behave like one. While his words at times gives us all pause, his actions are putting people back to work.



When it comes to racism, crying “wolf” only hurts us. It makes us less inclined to believe someone who has faced real discrimination. Race has been weaponized, and it has minimized real discrimination and racism. We should guard against this as America works toward a more perfect union. We cannot allow venom, vitriol and violence to replace cogent argument. We should support our police and our president.

Frank Ricci was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Ricci v. DeStefano. He is an advisory board member for Fire Engineering Magazine, as well as a battalion chief and union president in New Haven, Conn. Ricci’s opinions are not related to and do not reflect those of his employer or the professional organizations in which he is involved.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.