RNC 2020: Ann Dorn’s Black Stepdaughters Opposed Her RNC Appearance
The final evening for the 2020 Republican National Convention is underway and there’s controversy before the event even begins. The African American daughters of David Dorn, the late St. Louis Police Sergeant killed during the rioting following George Floyd’s death, are speaking out about their step mother’s participation in tonight’s display.
In a compeling speech, Ann Dorn, widow of Dorn, spoke through tears as she recalled the moment when she was told about her husband's death. She also spoke about how President Trump is a man of peace who wants to bring about change especially during devastation and chaos. However, her step daughters are making it clear that their late father did not support Donald Trump and don’t want his name or image being used to help the president’s political agenda.
“We know his wife is a Trump supporter, but he was not,” daughter Debra White, a quality assurance analyst, according to STL American. “He frequently said they were not able to talk about politics, because they were at the opposite ends of the spectrum. I know he would not want his legacy to be for his death to be used to further Trump’s law-and-order agenda.”
Dorn was a retired St. Louis captain and Moline Acres Police chief who was killed on June 2 at the age of 77 after he interrupted a group of people stealing from Lee’s Pawn & Jewelry in downtown St. Louis. The protests happened in the wake of protests that broke out due to George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police.
“His passion for law enforcement ran deep,” said daughter Lisa Dorn, who works in e-commerce. “He was blue through and through, but he also was a man, a Black man, and he knew some not so good things come out of police departments. He tried to make a difference as much as he could, but he was part of a system with systematic racism.”
White also said that her dad wanted to make the world a better place for everyone. “He always wanted to help people do better,” she said.
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The sisters say that their father did not believe that the President advocates for the type of policing their father represented.
“Though as a police officer, he knew Trump supported police officers,” White said. “He also knew that Trump said when you are arresting someone, you should go ahead and bump their heads when you are putting them in the squad car. Those are the things he opposed.”
White continued: “The things he said about Colin Kaepernick, the kids locked up in cages, the racist remarks – these things really bothered him.”
White says their father’s perspective as a Black man made him critical of the president.
“When my father took off his police uniform, he was a Black man,” she said. “As a Black man in America, he had experienced a lot of racism. He expressed that on many occasions.”
“Our father did not agree with many policies and actions of this president that are aimed at disenfranchising many Black and Brown people,” Lisa Dorn added. “Our father was a registered Democrat. He thought Trump is doing many things to ruin our country.”
