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With the 2016 presidential election just around the corner, Roland Martin and NewsOne Now examined a survey that focused on the intersection of race and police community relations with the hope of gaining some insight into what is driving opposing sides away from a normalized co-existence.

One question that resonated with those surveyed and with those who watched the hour-long TV One NewsOne Now special, Black, White & Blue: Spotlight on Race in America, asked if a Hillary Clinton presidency or a Donald Trump presidency would do anything to help improve relations between African-Americans and law enforcement.

According to the Edison Research survey, 61 percent of Americans believe that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has helped to escalate racial tensions, while only 40 percent of Americans believe former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would do a better job managing race relations if elected president.

During Thursday’s special edition of NewsOne Now, which focused on the findings of the Black, White & Blue Spotlight on Race in America survey, Roland Martin and his panel of guests discussed how a Trump presidency or a Clinton presidency would impact the tensions continuing to escalate as a result of deteriorating police-community relations.

Of those surveyed, 56 percent of Blacks and 32 percent of Whites feel that Hillary Clinton would do a better job at handling race. Alternatively, 5 percent of Blacks and 31 percent of Whites believe Donald Trump would do a better job mitigating issues of race.

Also, there were a significant number of individuals who were unsure which presidential candidate would do a better job dealing with race. Thirty nine percent of African-Americans surveyed were unsure, while 37 percent of Whites held the same sentiment.

Barbara Arnwine, president & founder of Transformative Justice Coalition, said, “What fantasy land is anyone living in who thinks that Donald Trump is going to make race relations better?”

Shocked by the numbers, Arnwine explained she was still trying to figure out how 31 percent of Caucasians hold the belief that Trump would perform better than Clinton on issues of race.

“That is just telling us how far from reality these people are removed when it comes to race relations, or how much in denial they are,” said Arnwine.

Rashard Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange.org, said Trump’s slogan“Make America Great Again” harkens back to a time in America, “to the extent that some people feel like there was a time in America when they didn’t actually have to hear about race or talk about race or address race, and that was better race relations.

“There is a whole section of White America that does want to go back to that time and we have to be really honest about that and understand that that’s what this election is about in so many ways – even while recognizing that Hillary Clinton is not going to be the ambassador or the holder for all of our aspirations.”

Watch Roland Martin and the NewsOne Now panel discuss the findings of the Black, White & Blue Spotlight on Race in America survey in the video clip above. You can review all of the findings of this important survey by visiting BlackWhiteBlue.NewsOne.com.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.

SEE ALSO: 

Have Race Relations And Community Police Relations Worsened Since Pres. Obama Took Office?

Will A Trump Or Clinton Presidency Help Improve Community Police Relations?  was originally published on newsone.com