Careful about expressing their opinions. Sunday night on cspans q a. Washington journal continues. Host joining us now, clarence Chicago Tribune and serves as columnist for the ublication, thanks for joining us. Glad to be here. Thank you. Host you have written about two involving violence over the last few days. Et the stage as far as incidents and give us your take what is going on, especially in incidents. Guest what is striking, the killing that occurred at the maryland last week. It was one that has been linked the outright movement because is listed as a group of a facebook reich. In portland, we have a young man people, who were defe two peen nst on girls from the crowded light rail train and the giving their up lives trying to tell him to pipe own and leave these girls alone. Hijaad, and ing a one was a black girl. Oth episodes have been viewed as examples of rising violence far, far right from he well, since President Trumps election and since his heavily on ies xenophobic themes. Something that strikes me as an area very much like arack obama was called upon repeatedly to take a strong violence and racist policies around the country. Trump has a similar obligation, seems to me and a and took himpeople four days to respond with a the passion of a wet noodle, we need more these days. As far as direct tatement from the press, engaging conversation, larger issues, is that what you are looking for . Guest that would be nice. There was an op ed writer the day who said medal of honor would be a great gesture, the country. All kinds of things a president leadership. Wing what struck me, i said in my column, if we had a couple undocumented by immigrants or isis terrorists, President Trump would have been upfront and flochlt his response. Host we continue on our conversation. Phone lines on the screen. 2027488000 for democrats. Republicans, 2027488001. For independents, 2027488002. A trump President Trump did send out, the violent attack are sary portland unacceptable. The victims were standing up to hate and intolerance, our are with them. What is wrong with that response . Far as it s fine as goes, but there was not the rather generic, ill put it straightforwardly. I am glad he did it, it is rather begrudging, if you messages the tone of he sent out in regard to terror the u. S. Or to immigrants who were charged with one particular murder in san francisco, trump made a big issue out of at the republican onvention, he brought victims of violence committed by ndocumented immigrants out on display and along the campaign trail. Big issues out of this. Think the contract is rather striking and rather disturbing we ought to think have equal treatment across the board. Column,he line from your this is the company that President Trump also keeps, not. Er he realizes it or guest yeah. Host what are you trying to say by that . Been numerous ve articles and chatter about the reich move sxment david duke far ther folks on the racial right who endorse President Trump n. Fairness, he administration have distanced themselves verbally look he folks, but if you at it, each episode, same kind of thing. Reaction. One that is profufrnthor and he acknowledging how much benefit the campaign got from this element. See more. Ke to host you are not saying cause and effect as far as election rise is president and the of these type of incidents . Steve bannon, the political advisor to president the past, was officer hasnt made public statements about this. It would be nice if he would. Reclusive, except for cpa c nce at the appearance. Country, weve seen various leaders of the movement in ng we have a spokesman donald trump and he didnt prove o be as racist as they were oping, they expressed disappointment in him. This is all floating around the Trump Administration right now reputation as l one he could it is one thing come out against antisemitism sm or on display, it is another thing for President Trump to make a about it, statement that would have more impact. Ost first call for you, sir, from cheryl on the independent line, you are on with Clarence Page, good morning. Caller good morning. Are still our lips oving, okay, you stopped talking. Caller, re is a delay, hes on right now. Ller thank you mrchlt mr. Page, for some reason i think you are better than you portraying. I think you are probably a good that the er, i think are s you are saying i wish youitical and had done a little better homework on the portland occurrence. Granted, so very tragic. That in ks my heart is chicago over the weekend, you deaths that affected the poor people. And it is my i wish youheartf someone in that city will who are held e practically by the violence that occurs there. You would use your the ts to help overcome city. E in your host okay, caller, let him respond. Uest you are quite right, it is a tragic problem and it is one that is on page one of my just about everyday. And the episode that occurred in portland is also tragic and it deserves analysis and response that. Offer host in fact, another publication says it was last 46 people over memorial ay, shot, five in homicides, a drop from even last year same time. Guest crime goes up and down. Ive been with the Chicago Tribune since the early sechts, i was assignment editor, i covered police for years, Chicago Police and the courts. Used to have a worse homicide rate. Was editor in i the late 70s, we almost hit a row, nd two years in a considerably less than that, it with crime across the country in the mid90s. Weve had ree years, a surge in homicide as result of number of crisis and problems occurred, beginning with lack of money and state and local level. Particular remedy is the Violence Reduction operations we have in chicago on the community level. Took a hard hit financially three years ago and wrote about this, it was expected there would be a surge in violence after that and there has been. There are a number of things that need to be done on ifferent fronts, locally and nationally. President trump promised to help carnage, as he put it. Im still waiting for some action in that regard. Have to send may in the feds. The feds have been there and orking in cooperation with local authorities for years, and years. Here in recent lot of s a problem on a different fronts. It is always curious to me, when problems with President Trump, i get readers nd viewers, good people, who say, what about chicago and its violence . Time, lets do one at a please. Host from texas, democrats hello. Harlan, caller good morning. My question for the reporter is, didnt he mention the fact that he guy in portland did this hideous act, why didnt he report he wrote it for jill stein, a democrat. Thank you. Guest i feel dimension that, not a reporter, im a columnist. Years, reporter for 20 before i earned the privilege of being able to express my opinion. Is what i do now. As i think i mentioned in he column, if it was wasnt edited out, conservatives have this point of the fact fellow who committed these acts past had expressed appreciation for Bernie Sanders stein and expressed aannounceiation of Hillary Clinton and donald trump. Hes been all over the map politically. I dont think were dealing with fellow who has eggs in the box, they say, as a result, hes young man who muslims are just one of a number of prejudices he has. Host fletcher is in court from yesterday. As you look, well continue with for Clarence Page. Steve in oregon, independent go ahead. Caller hi. Wanted to comment on pecifically the death in portland and something i notice happening in the last several elected. Ince trump was i live in eugene, oregon, im wo hours away from this incident. When you see an incident on the news, it is easy to think of as isolated incident, we dont have people crossing that line seethe time, but what i can and a lot of us feel out here, anger, same same surfaced, as if these roups of people, these racist groups now feel validated as if voice to the ultimate back them up. Rump, you know, he is the catalyst for these awful seeing and at were i think it is important that we stay focused on that fact. Lot of people are going back and forth about why this is why it is is clear happening. It is happening because of the person who is in charge and hes empowering these people, making fact inboldening them, the that these types of attacks are assertively, ut aggressively and that action isnt being taken on a broader its very scare and he disturbing, especially to those of us surrounded by this. This past week, here in eugene, oregon, we started groups of people riving this sounds like im stereotyping, big pickup trucks ith the south flying the Confederate Flag and theyre oming in, just yesterday came into my business parking lot, harassed employees, we had to them off, they started harassing other people in the street. Address e had to come them. Ive never seen this before, in 17 years ive lived here. Major problem really quick if we dont address it as a nation and i really hope that it in their t earts that racism and program as americans, that is one of the do,er one things we need to stand against strongly. Thank you for your time. You, and arrested in the killing of two men as he in court. Fletcher was one of those stabbed on friday. Right. Thank you for your call. My earlier call about the homicide,y of maryland mentioned that the league has tallied over 40 campuses movement, the reich claims to ncer, who have invented the term al reich. Is a nationwide campaign on college campuses, over 40 including university of maryland, number of episodes what with nooses university, had several news episodes and George University has been host you talked about your son leaflets, right . Guest my son knows a number of people in university of maryland he first told me about the horrible episode over there, in fact. Clued in le are more to this than us older folks im not surprised eugene, oregon, college town, been there. Wonderful place, it ould be targeted for this sort of thing. Word out, tting the even if they dont get college liberal towns, after all, get people on unfortunately,ike this fellow who committed those double homicides, that double and also injured a third person, still in the hospital in portland. Democrats line, john, fairfax, virginia. Taking yeah, thanks for my call. Want to ask one of the best reporters in the country. I want to say this, i live in i had an incident i pen a couple weeks ago, ever dreamed, after following towel aw my daughter head, it is just like the revious caller, what he says, it is really my child, she is school o go back to until i sit with the principal nd i get assurance about the president to protect my two daughters. This is really getting out of like the previous caller, what he says. People,ple who are sick in this okay attacking immigrants, we dont we see sometimes things happen. Back to nible] go your country. Host caller, your signal is will stop you there. Mr. Page. Guest one point that needs to made, what does the president have to do with this . Eve found just across the civil rights front in various to des that leadership has come from the top, whether talking about the government, im ng about the military, an army veteran from the vietnam more conscious of the need to have diversity throughout the ranks. Corporate world, it has to come from the ceos office and policy. S far as the president sets a national tone, i dont think it is coincidental, david duke was public about it when barack obama was first elected. He said this will be boom to ecruitment, talking about the ku klux klan and others on the far right. A big boom k it was when obama was president , but when donald trump, his campaign off, we saw it becoming very visible with duke, spencer, other names we had never heard of before. And like these around the country. We need leadership from the top. The ad, monday i saw Washington Post story about how the Public Administration is cutting funds. That is not the kind of move we need to make now. Republican line from indiana, william, hi. Hi. Er yeah, im listening to, im a lived that senior, i long, im called a senior. Ive never heard so much stuff coming out of educated men. Glasses, stop what you are saying about the republicans, stop the hate. Both sides. Stop the race, were americans, together. Stop. Have all you gone insane . Stop the hate. News every single attack, attack. On trump, leave the man alone. Im democrat, im republican, brother. Can, peace, host guest im an independent. Before i blican became before i voted for democrats and that is because i a kid. Up in a grew republican family and it was only after Barry Goldwater voted the Civil Rights Act in 1964, in high school, im older caller. , by the way, i wont id, you know, say i felt like the republican arty turned against african americans, because you had ed brook, senator from massachusetts at that time, you a lot of progressive minded civilicans, as far as the rights front was concerned. The party is very different and democrats are not without fault, either, of but the fact is, i adnt mentioned a party affiliation, i dont think it partisan matter. There are good people in both parties, folks in both parties that i disagree with. Important, we Start Talking about fundamental rights andlike equal shouldnt be talking about party affiliation. Various ortunate at times, it didnt start with goldwater, throughout American History weve seen people use race for political racetage or move away from for political advantage, depending one way or the other. Aware of this realistically and come together, said, stop the hate, Start Talking about how we rodney get along, as king said. Host columnist, Clarence Page the Chicago Tribune, joining us for this discussion. Next. Ou are caller hi, clarence, act of it seems n the city, to be one of the talking points f more conservative callers or politicians, to bring up the violence in chicago. If you might comment on your perspective of whether this an attempt to diminish and ny National Aspirations a manual might have . Guest interesting thought about for all , i the bad news that has come out of chicago on the crime front all, there has not been a big stampede of people to run him. Nst the fact is, he ran for mayor at city was n the bankrupt, going bankrupt and the ande, as well, deep in debt he was overwhelmingly elected set of a diverse , 45 dates very quickly minutes. So they voted for him because they wanted somebody tough and i is what they got. Ometimes hes offended people, but on cutting funding to schools that were half utilized problem that occurred in washington, d. C. With mayor posing enty, you start peoples high school, they havent been there in 40 years, hey get very upset, this happened in chicago, as well. Try to ink that this to tie the problem of violence in mayors ts and the office, it is mayors thisnsibility to deal with and ive seen nominal success the homicide rate is ower than it was a year ago, but still too high and i think seen just whether iran will be able to use this as higher stone toward office. Host as far as mayor esponsibilities, portland mayor, ted wheeler, asking federal government to revoke for trump free speech rally. What does it say about the topic of free speech as you see it in America Today . Appreciate the mayors actions, i felt like he made a when he said hate speech is not protected by the first amendment. Nfortunately, hate speech is protected by the first amendment. Speech in for a bad this country traditionally has een the response with good speech, we set up debate, we dialogue, you cant restrict peoples speech. And open pen speech debate, but the same time, i nderstand why the mayor wants to prevent more violence. They have had a problem in for like berkeley, as well on the west coast. Have the socalled racist t al reich movement, but you have on the antifa, what is called antifascism, that movement, ive warned my son about, by the way, hes in agreement side, he has friends on that side. I told him, you get busted, im paying your bail, stay out of jail. We talk about polarization among program and many other political programs around washington. Polarized, we havent talked about around young radical politics are getting polarized. The al icals are in reich, in the antifa movement, is who is linked to the utbreak of violence we had at inauguration time, the limousine set on fire in downtown d. C. , suspects in that case are movement the antifa there is a lot of polarization around. Ng all the way host sherry in tyler, texas, independent line. Go ahead. You. Er yes, thank i love watching, thank you. Know you you can say what you think about this, trump, his motto was to make America Great again. Of white friends and code for now that was make America White again. He caller that says, dont say anything, just watch the news and dont attack. Need to be they informed about what is going on. This campaign not to make the bullies back down, bullies, we didnt want to be that kind of country. We wanted to stop the bully and on the on internet, but they have been and our president and he aligned himself with that kind of talk. Of talk at his rallies, how will we not to him . E any of it host go ahead. Raise very good points there that have been talked about quite a bit as far concerned. Rds are on the make America Great again, andidates on both sides have used that slogan in the past few decades. It, bill gan used lnton and al gore, harken back from golden age that we used to have, we need to bring that again. Age back it is very effective talking point in speeches. Hat is interesting to me is surveys along racial lines have years that ent americans tend to be focused on the future and how things need to be better and what would become better. What white voters have been more of erned about losses valuable aspects of the past and his has great appeal to the conservative movement of course, because the idea we had better weve lost and certainly there are a lot of conservative values that are be rtant and that need to preserved at the same time. We did n