Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson declared, “I’m in no way denying that there aren’t some structural problems” with regards to race, but they can’t be solved without listening to people and developing relationships in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper released on Monday.
Carson said, [relevant exchange begins around 6:00] that there was “no question,” the US has made “a lot of progress.” He then talked about his recent visit to Ferguson, MO, and how it highlighted that people knowing and having relationships “before an explosive episode occurs” is important.
He added that people should be sensitized so they have respect for each other, citing how upset people were over Michael Brown’s body laying in the street for several hours, which Carson said was “disrespecting him.”
Carson also stated that “there is no question that the GOP needs to reach out to minority communities, and needs to talk about the philosophy of the GOP, which is extending ladders to help people climb out of a level of dependency, and become part of the fabric of America, and the things that we will do in order to facilitate that climb.”
Carson was then asked if structural race problems need to also be addressed. He responded, “I’m in no way denying that there aren’t some structural problems that need to be dealt with.” He continued that these problems can’t be solved if the American people aren’t listened to.
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