Stein: ‘Very aggressive policing’ led to shootings

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein on Thursday blamed “very aggressive policing” for the two controversial shooting deaths that took place this week.

“In all these cases, it’s a matter of very aggressive policing,” she said on Fox Business Network Thursday while discussing bloodshed in Charlotte, N.C., and Tulsa, Okla.

{mosads}”Unfortunately, we see video after video where there is aggressive and murderous policing,” Stein said.

“We’re stuck in a loop in which there is police violence. There’s been about 700 cases where there has been death at the hands of police violence this year.”

Stein said prevalent gun ownership and distrust between authorities and minority communities is a toxic combination.

“There are background elements here where there is fear across the board,” she said. “We live in a garrison state now. We live in a society divided by fear. In a society where everybody’s got guns and everybody’s quaking in fear, it’s a setup for tragedies like this.”

Stein said she would work on implementing safer law enforcement practices if she were elected president.

“I would be working with police to train them in de-escalation techniques, not aggressive intervention that precipitates this kind of a crisis. As commander in chief, you know, I think we badly need de-escalation.”

Gov. Pat McCrory (R-N.C.) on late Wednesday declared a state of emergency in Charlotte amid ongoing violence there.

Charlotte experienced two nights of protests after a black police officer shot a black man Tuesday evening.

Officer Brentley Vinson shot and killed Keith Lamont Smith, 43, during a confrontation at an apartment complex.

A separate incident last week resulted in the death of Terence Crutcher, 40, during a traffic stop.

A video of the incident shows Officer Betty Shelby firing upon an unarmed Crutcher, apparently while his hands were in the air.

Black lawmakers on Thursday urged Attorney General Loretta Lynch to launch Department of Justice probes into both deaths.

Multiple fatal encounters between authorities and minority communities this year have stirred national debate on race relations.