Final night of the Democratic National Convention features pro-police awkwardness

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

last updated 29 July 2016

Thursday night of the Democratic convention featured several conservative figures, such as Doug Elmets, a budget director for President Reagan, and Jennifer Lim, a Republican who works for the Chamber of Commerce.

But the most awkward moment of the night thus far came immediately afterwards, when Lupe Valdez, the sheriff of Dallas, gave a speech lamenting the recent shooting deaths of several police officers. Left-wing groups have been protesting police brutality for over two years now, an issue which has gotten respectful attention earlier in the convention. So when Valdez asked for a moment of silence for slain police officers, it was not surprising that a few people shouted "Black Lives Matter," and a sense of palpable awkwardness pervaded the hall.

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Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.