WASHINGTON, D.C. With the country in crisis over the police killing of George Floyd, Joe Biden s remarks about the incident at a historically Black church in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, werent what protesters wanted to hear.

Instead of standing there and teaching a cop, when theres an unarmed person coming at them with a knife or something you shoot them in the leg instead of in the heart, is a very different thing, Biden said, aiming to show empathy and paint a stark contrast with President Donald Trump . Theres a lot of different things that could change.

The comment sparked anger among the most progressive activists demonstrating on the streets. As Black Lives Matter protesters and their allies call for defunding the police, ending racist law enforcement practices and holding police accountable at a federal level, the remark by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee reverberated among young progressive activists as yet another politician falling short.