More Americans than not say police have handled peaceful protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s death “about right” as law enforcement tactics get renewed scrutiny after the Memorial Day killing of the unarmed black man at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Half of Americans — 50% — said police have been handling demonstrations by peaceful protesters “about right,” while 44% said law enforcement has used too much force, according to a Washington Post-Schar poll released on Tuesday.
When asked about people who have been looting or vandalizing businesses, a plurality — 47% — said police have not used enough force. Thirty-four percent said police have handled episodes of looting and vandalism about right, while 16% said too much force has been used.
About two-thirds of respondents said they mostly blame “other people acting irresponsibly” for violence that has occurred, compared to 14% who said they mostly blame the police and 10% who said they mostly blame the protesters.
Americans were split at 43% apiece on whether the protests have been mostly peaceful or mostly violent.
Still, the poll also found that 74% said they support the protests and 69% said the killing of Mr. Floyd represents a broader problem within law enforcement.
On the presidential race, 50% of Americans said they prefer a president who can address the country’s racial divisions, compared to 37% who said they want a president who can restore security by enforcing the law.
President Trump has strongly played up themes of law and order and backing law enforcement as the protests have taken hold across the country.
More than six in 10 Americans said they disapprove of how Mr. Trump has responded to the protests, compared to 35% who said they approve of the president’s response.
The survey of 1,006 adults was taken from June 2-7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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