The GOP's lone black senator just opened up about being targeted by police

Senator Tim Scott gave a moving speech about all the times he has been targeted by police.

(Image credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

published 14 July 2016

In a powerfully personal speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Republican Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) — the only black GOP senator — urged his colleagues to realize that just because they may not "feel the pain" of the black community, doesn't mean it "does not exist." Scott said he, for one, knows and understands such "anguish" because he has experienced it himself.

Even as a member of Congress, Scott confessed he has repeatedly been pulled over by law enforcement, including one incident where a police officer thought the new car he was driving may have been stolen. He recounted how he was once stopped by a Capitol Hill police officer who didn't believe he was a senator. "I have felt the anger, the frustration, the sadness, and the humiliation that comes with feeling like you're being targeted for nothing more than just being yourself," Scott said.

Scott maintained that there are plenty of police officers who are focused solely on providing protection and justice to their communities, and he underscored that this anger shouldn't lead to violence. But, Scott insisted, his colleagues should try to understand what the black community is experiencing. "To ignore their struggles, our struggles, does not make them disappear," Scott said. "It simply leaves you blind and the American family very vulnerable."