Mayor Pete Buttigieg attended a protest march with Black Lives Matter protesters on Saturday in South Bend after a police officer shot and killed a black man.
But he did not get a warm reception from some in the crowd who repeatedly asked him if Black Lives mattered to him.
“Did you ask me if black lives matter?” Buttigieg asked incredulously. “Of course black lives matter!”
“Then fire your cops!” a protester yelled in response.
“Are you a racist?” another person repeatedly asked.
“Are you truly running for president, and you want black people to vote for you?” one woman said. “That’s a downfall, that’s not going to happen.”
Buttigieg repeatedly reminded protesters he did not have the power to fire a police officer, and that it would up to the board of public safety to make the decision after a careful investigation.
That only enraged some in the crowd, who demanded the police officer involved in the shooting to be fired immediately.
Buttigieg faced similar controversy on Sunday during a town hall in response to the shooting as angry community members began shouting at the mayor and the police chief.