Andrew Pollack is the father of Meadow Pollack, a teenager who was shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018.
He is a strong supporter of President Trump’s and spoke out about his frustrations with the media and the gun control movement in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting. He will address the Republican National Convention on Monday night.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Pollack is an “unabashed conservative” who voted for Trump in 2016 and was “enraged” by the media simplifying the issue to gun control after his daughter’s death. He instead wanted to know where the school’s resource officer was, how the gunman gained access to the school, and why he wasn’t on anyone’s radar.
PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM’S FATHER: ‘HONORED’ TO SPEAK AT RNC, TRUMP’S POLICIES HAVE ‘MEANT WORLD TO ME’
In an appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday, Pollack said he was “honored” to speak at the mostly virtual RNC, claiming “teachers and students will be a lot safer with President Trump for another four years.”
He blamed the Obama-Biden administration for introducing “restorative justice programs” into public schools, pioneered in Broward County, which allowed students “three or four misdemeanors per school year without ever getting introduced to law enforcement.”
According to Pollack, those policies meant “students could assault a teacher, another student, rob an iPhone, steal drugs, and they would put them in a so-called ‘healing circle’ and they thought that would benefit students, which it really does the opposite. It sets them up for failure, and it lets them slip through the cracks, and that’s what happened in Parkland.”
“President Trump rescinded them in his school safety commission. And that meant the world to me, rescinding those policies. If Biden gets elected, in his unity platform, he’s promising to force them into the public schools again,” Pollack said.
Asked about his stance on gun control, Pollack said: “The Second Amendment means more to me than it ever has.
“My daughter was in that school – hundreds of calls to 911 and no one came in to save my daughter that day. She was shot nine times. So for me, it’s more important than anything to be able to defend my family and my friends if something ever happened.
“Democrats want to remove police officers from public schools, which is ludicrous to me. Under President Trump, that won’t happen, and I’m always here to support law enforcement when they need us most and that’s right now.”
Pollack founded The School Safety Grant, which works with law enforcement and schools to revamp technology and connect school security systems with first responders. The funding is aimed at providing tactical assistance to law enforcement to accelerate entry time and neutralize the suspect sooner, ultimately saving lives.
The average school shooting lasts just 10 minutes, according to the grant’s website. Technology may allow dispatchers to guide officers in their pursuit, relaying real-time information through live-feeds, 3D imaging and digital floor plans. When appropriate, authorities may also issue schoolwide alerts or speak to the shooter directly over the PA system.
Held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic, the convention based in Charlotte, N.C., will make the motion to renominate Trump. Florida’s GOP chair, Joe Gruters, will second the nomination. Six members of the Florida delegation stand ready at the Jacksonville convention to award the state’s total 122 delegates to Trump, who is also a Floridian.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Meanwhile, a group of survivors from the 2018 Parkland Valentine’s Day massacre will hit the road Monday to help register young voters across the country before the November election, seeking to bring about their vision for gun reform. March For Our Lives will visit nine states, including Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Texas and Georgia, creating on-the-ground art exhibitions that will parallel digital rallies. Their first stop is in Miami.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source link
