By Jennifer Smola, The Columbus Dispatch
CINCINNATI — Hillary Clinton told hundreds at the NAACP convention in Cincinnati on Monday that the country still has a long way to go to improve race relations, saying the fatal shootings of black men by police and the killings of police officers must be addressed.
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“This madness has to stop,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said, speaking of the recent incidents in which Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were shot and killed by police, and the fatal shootings of five police officers in Dallas and three in Baton Rouge.
“Many African-Americans fear the police,” Clinton said to murmurs of agreement from the crowd. “Today, there are people all across America sick over what happened in Baton Rouge and in Dallas, but also fearful that the murders of police officers means that vital questions about police-community relations will go unanswered.”
Governor John Kasich ordered that all flags be flown at half-staff on all public buildings and grounds throughout the state until sunset Friday to honor the victims of the attack in Baton Rouge.
Clinton’s remarks came just as the Republican National Convention began on the other end of the state in Cleveland. Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP event at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
Clinton criticized Trump, calling him “coy with white supremacists,” demeaning to women and insulting to immigrants.
“This man is the nominee of the party of Lincoln, and we are watching it become the party of Trump,” she said. “And that is not just a huge loss to our democracy, it is a threat to our democracy.”