On Monday, a group of peaceful protesters were gassed so the president could stage a photo op in front of the historic St. John’s Church — where every president, from Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama, has worshipped. He didn’t pray. He didn’t read any scripture. But he struck a pose holding the Bible in the air — a pose that will live in political infamy.

The First Amendment protects the right to peacefully assemble, as those activists were doing on Monday evening. Through his actions, the president undermined a core value of our democracy. I vehemently oppose clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op, especially a photo op that makes a mockery of a place of worship and uses the Bible as a prop.

It’s just WRONG.

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was in Washington, D.C. during the confrontation, has been silent on the president’s actions. Yesterday she released a tepid statement condemning the violence now going on in our nation.

We all condemn the violence. I condemn the use of violence and anyone who would hijack this legitimate moment — this moment where millions scream out for justice — to commit wanton and violent acts. It has no place in a democratic society that cherishes freedom of speech and the freedom to assemble.

But if we are to condemn the violence used by those who are taking advantage of peaceful protests, then we must also condemn the use of violence on peaceful protesters. If “we're all in this together,” as Senator Hyde-Smith espouses, then she should join me, and join her colleagues, like Republican Senators Sasse and Lankford, who have condemned President Trump’s shallow actions.

Hyde-Smith should take this moment to lead — to show the constituents that she understands — and to show them that she empathizes with their angst. She should take this moment to show them that the past comments she has made about public hangings, voter suppression, and support of old symbols of hate have no place in the modern struggle for equal justice.

While Trump’s photo with that Bible may live in infamy, we cannot let it define the image of these protests. As leaders, we must ensure that what people remember, what people talk about, what ends up in our history books — is the millions of peaceful protesters from not only across the nation but across the world who, in the words of Fannie Lou Hammer, are “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” and demand change.

I will be joining Black Lives Matter Mississippi in Jackson this weekend. I call on Senator Hyde-Smith to join me as we continue in the proudest tradition of those that came before us, and peacefully protest against the injustice that plagues Black Americans.

— Mike

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Mike Espy for U.S. Senate
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