SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Lingering criticism over Pete Buttigieg’s demotion of a popular black police chief when Buttigieg was mayor of South Bend has raised questions about whether the presidential candidate can attract the support of African Americans.

Buttigieg has said he was saving the chief from possible federal criminal charges. But interviews and documents paint a more complicated picture that is not as flattering to Buttigieg.

While some say they believe Buttigieg, then 30, was trying to do the right thing, others tell The Associated Press that his lack of experience led him to take actions that weren’t well thought out and that damaged his standing in the black community.