Portland, Kenosha killings put America in dangerous place. For once, Trump must be president

This country is an extremely dangerous frame of mind. President Trump needs to do something about it. Finally, he finally faces a problem — to use his language — that he alone can solve. I pray that he will.

Last Tuesday night, we learned that 17-year Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois had dropped in on people in Kenosha, Wisconsin protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake in the back. Rittenhouse took an assault rifle with him and killed two people, wounding a third. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rittenhouse “fancied himself a member of a militia aiming to protect life and property.”

As we attempted to digest that series of events, we learned of yet another fatal shooting, this one in Portland, Oregon. Pro-police Trump supporters deemed it a good idea to organize a caravan to Portland, where they confronted protestors originally brought together by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As the Oregonian reported, “scuffles between pro-Trump demonstrators and counter-protesters” soon ensued. Some caravan members reportedly attacked protestors with paint balls and pepper spray. “At one point,” reported the Oregonian, “a man identified as right-wing activist Alan Swinney, pointed a gun at the crowd but did not fire.”

What precisely happened in Portland Saturday night is unclear; what is clear is that a man was shot and killed. In the aftermath, Donald Trump took to Twitter to lash out at Portland’s Democratic mayor and to praise members of the caravan as “GREAT PATRIOTS.”

This follows a Republican convention, during which Trump proclaimed, “This election will decide whether we will defend the American way of life or whether we will allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy it.” After the speech, he told supporters, “Those aren't protesters. Those are anarchists. They're agitators, they're rioters, they're looters…. They're just looking for trouble… and we've got to stop it."

Obviously, there are people under Trump’s influence who are happy to grab their assault rifles, jump into their trucks, confront these so-called anarchists and try to “stop it.” So we are witnessing a frightening dynamic that could easily become a pattern — of Trump supporters surging into cities to confront Black Lives Matter protestors, and people potentially ending up dead.

Trump has the power, simply by speaking sense to his base, to deescalate this madness. So please, Mr. President, do your job! Tell your fans, your base, not to go into strange towns looking for trouble. Tell them to leave their beloved weapons at home and to be considerate of people with different views. If you insist on going to Kenosha this week, you should point out to your people that peaceful protest is a constitutional right and is about as American as it gets. And you should encourage them to listen respectfully to what the protesters are saying instead of calling them traitors and attacking them with paintballs or other weapons.

More: America needs law and order but not Trump's intimidation. Biden must make both points.

I understand, Mr. President, that you have never in your life made such a speech. Perhaps you — and your speechwriters — have no idea how such a thing is done. I am happy to tell you that there is a model, which you, and some smart people around you, can easily adapt to your needs.

In July 1963, North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford convened a statewide summit of mayors and city managers. That summer Lexington, North Carolina, was undergoing desegregation battles, which led to rumors of whites assaulting blacks. The conflicts escalated into a riot where shots were fired. One man was killed and another wounded. It was also a difficult time for the rest of America. That same summer saw racial violence in Cincinnati, New York, Baltimore, Savannah, and elsewhere. A year earlier, James Meredith, a Black man, attempted to integrate the previously all white University of Mississippi, affectionately referred to as “Ole Miss.” Federal troops escorted Meredith to school. Rioters tried to keep him out. When the smoke cleared two innocent people were dead.

Sanford spoke brilliantly about the challenge facing his state and the nation. He acknowledged the “injustices and indignations long suffered by the Negro race” and urged those in attendance to “display wisdom and courage and … understand that every child of God on earth desires a chance for life and human dignity.” He also lashed out at violence, including the violence of the political right. “I don’t intend to dance to the tune of extremists on either side of any questions,” declared Sanford. That positioning, in particular, should appeal to you Mr. President, given your fondness for pointing to qualities of people on “both sides.”

Please, Mr. President, absorb some of our protest history before you show up in Kenosha. Please try to understand that people who demonstrate for justice are not necessarily out to destroy America but may actually be attempting to improve it.

As for you, Joseph Biden. We both know that Trump is likely to ignore all the sensible advice above, since his preferred style is to pour gasoline on racial fire. So get your butt on a plane to Portland immediately, and after that head to Kenosha. Show us what a presidential aspirant looks like when leading a polarized nation through a domestic crisis. Make it clear that you are no apologist for violence but that you also believe in equal treatment. Tell us why you reject this nonsense that our collective safety lies in allowing police officers to kill members of any race with impunity. Help Americans understand that our well-being rests on an expectation of fairness. Show us that your vision is big enough to inspire decent cops, anxious minorities, and a fearful, and confused electorate. Show us what compassion and competence look like. God knows, we need to see it.

Ellis Cose, a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors, is the author of "Democracy, If We Can Keep It: The ACLU’s 100-Year Fight for Rights in America," published in July, and "The Short Life and Curious Death of Free Speech in America," coming Sept. 15. He is currently working on a history of America. Follow him on Twitter: @EllisCose

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After Portland, Kenosha shootings, President Trump must lead America