| Last week, a black South Bend, Ind. resident was shot and killed by a white police officer. His name was Eric J. Logan. He was 54 years old. The officer involved claimed that Logan approached him with a knife and ignored repeated orders to drop it. Neither the dashcam or the officer's bodycam video had been activated. As a result, there are a lot of unknowns. The incident has inflamed existing tensions between South Bend's young and charismatic mayor, Pete Buttigieg, and the city's black community. Now Buttigieg, who had been winning over crowds across the country during his unlikely quest as presidential hopeful, is facing his first test of truly public leadership. "How's he handling it?" said Oliver Davis, the longest-serving black member of the South Bend Common Council to The Washington Post. "Well, he talked to the media before the family. He skipped the family vigil, full of black residents. And then he then gave a speech to the police. So, how do you think that went over?" Those tensions came to a head during a town hall meeting yesterday afternoon with a deeply skeptical and angry majority-black hometown crowd. It went poorly for Mayor Pete. "We don't trust you!" yelled one audience member. "Liar!" yelled another, as the meeting descended into chaos. Twitter users also followed the action closely. "Don’t treat Black folks horribly, ignore police violence against them and try to run for president thinking Black folks are just gonna fall in line & back you just because you’re a Democrat," said one user. "Black people in South Bend wasn’t having it." The mayor has been called out in the past for his economic development plan which razed low-income black and Latinx neighborhoods, and for his handling of police misconduct cases and lack of diversity on the police force. A quarter of the city’s 100,000 residents are black, 40 percent of whom live at or below the poverty line. Many of them showed up yesterday. “You might as well just withdraw your name from the presidential race," said one woman in the crowd. "His presidential campaign is over… I believe that today ended his campaign." Had Buttigieg still been the relatively unknown head of a small Midwestern city, the death of Mr. Logan and the subsequent investigation might not have made the national news. Instead, a small group of citizens, angry and ready for prime time, were able to bring their legitimate grievances to their celebrity mayor, and as a result, the rest of the world. It's the best argument thus far for having so many people run for president. Former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe Biden is facing his own problems with race, which we'll cover in greater depth as they continue to plague him. Because they will. Instead, I'll end today's dispatch on a lighter note of race and reconciliation, courtesy of the BET Awards, which aired last night. While the show is always a joy-fest—and, this year included a magnificent tribute to slain artist Nipsey Hussle—there was one moment of inclusion that deserves a special call-out. This year, the BET family welcomed Billy Ray Cyrus to the stage, as he joined rapper Lil Nas X in a performance of his country-rap hit "Old Town Road." Lil Nas X, resplendent in yellow fringed chaps, has found a country home in the heart of the R&B community, one that was denied him on the music charts. If you're old enough to remember the backlash when Houston, Tex. native Beyoncé performed with the Dixie Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards, then you understand what a moment this was. It's nice for Cyrus to have this surprising second act. But I have to believe he's earned the love not just for his country bona fides, but for his willingness to stand up for a talented young brother who was facing an unfair barrier to his advancement. It was an ally power move. Now that's a leader we can believe in. | 
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