Comment by chooseaname
5 years ago
> The phrase was used by Miami's police chief, Walter Headley, in 1967, when he addressed his department's "crackdown on ... slum hoodlums," according to a United Press International article from the time.
> Headley, who was chief of police in Miami for 20 years, said that law enforcement was going after “young hoodlums, from 15 to 21, who have taken advantage of the civil rights campaign. ... We don't mind being accused of police brutality."
This is where the quote comes from.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/where-does-phrase-...
Edit:
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-quotes-cop-sparked-rac...
> The National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence found that Headley's remarks and policing policies had been a significant factor in sparking the riots.
> Headley died four months after the riots. The Times in its obituary noted his policies had caused "growing resentment" among black Miami residents.
Our President fully understands the gravity of those words. This is what he wanted to say. This is what he meant. This is what he believes. This is WHO HE IS.
There are many ways I would describe Donald Trump, but “deeply knowledgeable about American civil rights history” is not one of them. I can almost certainly guarantee you that Trump’s statement was not intended as an homage or reference to a Miami police chief from the 1960’s.
Two paths here: - Trump is old enough to conceivably remember such quotes, he doesn't have to have a deep knowledge of American Civil Rights history, just a few memories of catchy rhymes - If Trump is not penning his tweets, then the choice of quotation is even more likely to be intended
I think it’s entirely possible that he remembered a catchy rhyme. I don’t think that supports the theory that he is deliberately referencing Walter Headley. Lots of people repeat catchy sayings without even knowing and endorsing who originally said them or even what those sayings originally meant.
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The President keeps surprising me. Like, I keep thinking I have an accurate mental model of him being generally hateful and clueless and instinctive, but then things like this happen and underscore to me that he is deeply knowledgeable and sophisticated with these kinds of historical cultural references. So, still hateful, but not a dummy. That phrase was not an accident.
Agreed, it was not an accident. He hired Miller and Gorka. Also not by accident. Gorka left after Bannon, but Stephen Miller is pretty knowledgable as well as open about his views on race and fascism, and often seems involved in messaging strategy.
Could be it was just a catchy rhyme that stuck in his head and bubbled out, rather than a deep and sophisticated understanding of history.