As violent takedowns of historic statues continue across the country, Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina is explaining why the current purge is bad for the country.
"I think we can have a robust debate about the renaming of some military bases, there are some things we can have a serious debate about but this desire to purge all of history because it was ugly or negative really does not serve the American people well,” Scott said. “In America, all things are possible. In America we may have flaws, we may have challenges but we get it together and we come together to overcome those challenges and that’s why I think often times preserving the history, as ugly as it may have been, can be a sign and a symbol of how good it can be. And if we want to do something, why don’t you put up a statue to Booker T. Washington. Why don’t you have a conversation about Washington Cover. These would be positive steps. Tearing down history for the sake of anarchy is not how we make progress in this country. It never has been and it never will be because we are the United States of America."
"For me, remembering our history is really important. Me celebrating all of our history would be crazy. I'm not going to celebrate all of history because all of it shouldn't be celebrated but we should remember it. It is a fantastic landmark for us to realize that progress has been made, progress needs to be made and it only happens when we work together," he continued.
Scott also urged accountability and justice for anarchists engaging in criminal behavior.
"Without any question chaos and lawlessness has to be dealt with significant force, period," he said. "They’re simply agitators and trying to find a way to create anarchy, chaos and lawlessness. That is dangerous for every single person in this nation, especially the most vulnerable communities we have."
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