Donald Trump pleaded for the end of the violence Thursday in Charlotte after the fatal shooting of an African-American man by authorities and vowed to revive the nation's inner cities by working "with our police, not against our police."
"The rioting in our streets is a threat to all peaceful citizens," the Republican presidential candidate said at a rally at the Sun Center Studios in Chester Township, Pa., near Philadelphia. "It must be ended and ended now.
"At the center of our society is going to be a simple promise to every American — and it's called safety. We need safety.
"We're going to make America safe again."
He later added: "But to do this, we're going to have to work with our police and not against our police."
"They are great people, and they do a great job," Trump said.
"Those peddling the narrative of cops as a racist force in society share directly in the responsibility of the unrest that is afflicting our country."
The nominee added "this is a narrative that is supported, with a nod, by my opponent," referring to Democrat Hillary Clinton. "You see what she's saying, and it's not good."
Protesters took to the streets of North Carolina's largest city for a third night Thursday after the fatal shooting of Keith Lamar Scott, 43, by Charlotte police in an apartment complex.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Scott was carrying a gun, though he admitted video of the attack did not show definitively he was carrying a weapon or pointed it at police.
Others say Scott was carrying a book. He was shot by Brentley Vinson, 26, who also is black. He has been on the force since 2014.
Putney said he was not releasing the footage because "I have to do what I can to protect the integrity of the investigation," though Scott's family viewed the video earlier Thursday.
While Thursday's protests were mostly peaceful, protesters clashed with police the previous two nights — hurling rocks and other debris, while riot-geared officers responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.
A man shot by a civilian in Wednesday's protest died Thursday.
The violence — resulting in 44 arrests, five officers being hurt and nine civilians getting injured — led Republican Gov. Pat McCrory to declare a state of emergency. The move brought in hundreds of National Guard and State Highway Patrol troops.
The officers were on the streets of Charlotte's uptown area Thursday.
Trump used the North Carolina unrest to continue his pitch to African Americans and Hispanics, saying they were affected the most by the actions.
"The main victims of these violent demonstrations are law-abiding African Americans who live in these communities who only want to raise their children in safety and in peace and with a good education," Trump said.
"That's what they want — and we're going to give it to them."
"African Americans and Latinos in these communities are the ones who are suffering in terms of lost jobs, lost property values and, really, lost lives," he told the Pennsylvania crowd.
"You see what's going on terms of safety in inner cities. It's unbelievably dangerous — and we can't let it continue.
"We can't let it continue."
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