Demonstrations continued in the nation’s capital today over police brutality and racism in the United States, with smaller rallies spreading into the District’s surrounding suburbs.
The 10th consecutive day of protests near the White House began quietly, laced with a family-friendly vibe that included people taking selfies inside the city’s newly named “Black Lives Matter Plaza,” as well as singing and praying.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) joined protesters marching in Washington, D.C., as demonstrations continue to sweep the country amid calls for police reform.
Videos and photos of the event showed Romney walking in the street while wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which health officials have warned could spike as a result of the massive demonstrations around the country.
In an interview with NBC, Romney explained that “many voices” needed to join together and stand against racism in the U.S.
“We need a voice against racism. We need many voices against racism and against brutality. And we need to stand up and say black lives matter,” he told an NBC reporter.
.@SenatorRomney marching in front of the WH: “We need a voice against racism, we need many voices against racism and against brutality. And we need to stand up and say black lives matter.” (w/ @alivitali) pic.twitter.com/rGrXvM6wty
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) June 7, 2020
The senator later announced his appearance on his own social media channels, tweeting, “Black Lives Matter.”
Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/JpXUFlxH2J
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 7, 2020
Protests have rocked cities around the country, including Washington, D.C., for days in response the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man killed in Minneapolis police custody.
Video of the incident showed a white officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes despite Floyd being handcuffed on the ground.
Romney’s dad also marched for civil rights when he was governor of Michigan in the late 1960’s.
You can read about the interesting legacy of the Romney’s in Jim Heath’s newest book Covering Mitt.
President Trump in recent days has called for state leaders to utilize the National Guard and has faced bipartisan criticism for urging governors to “dominate” demonstrators and tweeting “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Romney has made headlines in recent months for breaking with the president on a number of key issues.
In January he was the lone Republican senator to vote for the president’s removal from office, and in February he told The Atlantic that he would likely write in his wife’s name on his 2020 presidential ballot, as he did in 2016.
