Mandela Barnes shrugged off reports of police officers being followed home

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. and Democratic Senate nominee Mandela Barnes in 2020 shrugged off reports that police officers were being followed home during the George Floyd unrest.

Barnes showed little sympathy for the police, saying they had not yet "confronted the reason why people are angry and people are protesting." Jessica Chasmar is a digital writer on the politics team for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Jessica.Chasmar@fox.com.

"Are police officers have a hard time? Yes," Barnes acknowledged. "But they haven’t confronted the issue that's so pervasive, they haven’t confronted the issue by and large, have not confronted the reason why people are angry and people are protesting."

"You've got to humble yourself and admit fault," he continued. "These are public servants we're talking about. Police officers are public servants. So addressing that a problem exists and this problem continues is a first step to help build trust with communities. Because you see so much, like, avoidance of there being a problem, so much avoidance of taking responsibility. And of course, communities are going to continue to distrust you and look at you in a negative light if what is so apparent hasn’t even been acknowledged."