From the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, to the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the Rodney King beating, American presidents have frequently addressed pivotal events in the civil rights movement with calming if not entirely conciliatory words.
President Donald Trump has once again put his unique, authoritarian stamp on the office, threatening this week to call in the U.S. armed forces to "dominate" protesters, which even some Republicans and military leaders believe could violate the Constitution. Political analyst Otis Sanford says Trump's response, compared to his predecessors is like "night and day."
Locally, Sanford believes Memphis leaders are right to sit down with protest leaders and discuss how to move forward.
