Bipartisan Indianapolis prosecutors endorse Biden-Harris

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A bipartisan group of current and former Marion County prosecutors are publicly backing the Biden-Harris 2020 presidential ticket, saying they “strongly disagree” with the notion of law and order touted by President Donald Trump.

Current Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, former prosecutors Terry Curry and Jeff Modisett, all Democrats, and former Republican Prosecutor Scott Newman endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris in an op-ed posted on Friday to Medium.  The four men said their experience has taught them what factors create stability in communities, and those factors, in their opinions, are not present under the Trump administration.

“Respect for laws, consistent enforcement, fairness, fighting corruption, wise and calming direction — these are what we need now,” the prosecutors wrote. “These are what we lack.”

The Indianapolis elected officials pointed to the months-long civil unrest and nationwide protests, some of which have turned violent. Among the protests that have remained peaceful, however, Trump’s response has overstepped his bounds, they say.

“Responding to nonviolent protests and the lawful airing of grievances by illegally deploying federal military force against civilians does not create respect for law. Nor does it even produce order,” the prosecutors wrote.

“Strange as it may seem, Donald Trump has squandered his time in office with actions that place him at war with our own fellow citizens, while lavishing notorious enemies of democracy with public praise.”

The prosecutors went on to accuse the Republican president of “sowing division with rhetoric appealing to the basest of human instincts,” calling that rhetoric “a recipe for what we see today on the streets of some of our major American cities.” Indianapolis itself has been the site of protests https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/protests-turn-to-rage  following the death of George Floyd, with significant property damage seen across the downtown area.

Further creating division, the prosecutors say, is Trump’s “dual justice system” — one for the rich and one for the poor. In this justice system, they said the president has leveled “brazen attacks” on lawful prosecutions of his associates.

“We believe the choice has never been clearer. The current occupant of the White House claims to promote ‘law and order,’” the prosecutors wrote. “We all agree that we need strength in our laws and order in our streets in neighborhoods. However, we strongly disagree with the current administration’s notion of law and order.”

The prosecutors said the Biden-Harris Democratic ticket represents “calm, consistent, competent and experienced leadership.” The concept of law and order, they said, “means respect for laws, consistent enforcement, fairness, fighting corruption and wise leadership — That is Joe Biden, not Donald Trump.”

“Having served Indianapolis proudly for decades, we have come together to say: let’s end the nonsense, let’s end the hatred, let’s restore respect and civility to our civic places and conversations, our laws, and our relationships,” they concluded. “Please vote for Biden-Harris.”

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