Statement by Senator Ted Cruz on the Riots in Baltimore

HOUSTON, Texas — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, released the following statement in response to the riots in Baltimore:

"Today 85,000 Baltimore city children will not be going to school. Buildings have been set ablaze, stores have been looted, the police in the streets have been seriously injured, and strict curfews have been imposed.

"No man, woman, or child should fear for his or her safety in America—not in their schools, not in their neighborhoods, not in their cities—but today families are scared.

"Our government must perform its central functions and purposes: to preserve the peace, protect the people, and serve justice.

"The government exists to ensure our domestic security—whether it's from a city riot, or the threat of a terrorist attack on our homeland. We have to restore that trust and prove to the people we can make America safe again.

"Every case deserves justice, and the facts surrounding Freddie Gray's death should be thoroughly and impartially investigated. But rioting and mayhem are not the answer.

"While we continue to pray for a peaceful conclusion to the events in Baltimore—and pray for the families of those injured—I hope we all remember that our nation's law enforcement consists of thousands of heroic officers who deeply respect the dignity of each person they serve to protect. Targeting law enforcement for violence is wrong, and it cannot be allowed to persist.

"Likewise, the small number of those who have wreaked destruction upon Baltimore over the past few days are not emblematic of the thousands of honest, hard-working families who are proud to call the city home.

"There is, and has always been, far more to celebrate in America than to worry about. Don't lose sight of that fundamental truth.

"We will always face challenges and, together, we must rise to address them with strength and confidence in the future of our nation."