HuffPo: Hillary Clinton Will Sit Down With Black Lives Matter Activists
Hillary Clinton Will Sit Down With Black Lives Matter Activists
Hillary Clinton agreed to meet with DeRay Mckesson and the Campaign Zero movement on Tuesday evening. The meeting will be the latest in a series of accomplishments for the group of activists seeking racial justice and policing reforms.
Activists within the Black Lives Matter movement are raising systemic racism as a campaign issue for the Democratic presidential hopefuls. Campaign Zero representatives recently met with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the Democratic nomination, to discuss police violence and militarization, community empowerment, ending the drug war and closing the wealth gap. Last month, Sanders introduced a policy platform targeting structural anti-black racism. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) has rolled out a framework for criminal justice reform, although it's less explicit in its discussion of racism than Sanders' platform.
Clinton, however, has not yet produced a comprehensive agenda focusing on police violence or mass incarceration -- issues that disproportionately affect black Americans -- even though she is currently the most popular candidate among black voters, with a favorability rate of 68 percent. Clinton has also been criticized for her role in facilitating mass incarceration -- something critics say Clinton has done in part by supporting tough-on-crime initiatives.
First off, good on Mrs. Clinton.
Second, you have to hand it to BLM. They're having a real effect on the election, at least on the Democratic side, and it's a good thing that candidates are explicitly embracing a platform of racial justice.
By all accounts Mr. Sanders' meeting with the group went well:
Sanders meets with Black Lives Matter activists
“In the end, I think he got it,” McKesson tweeted.
McKesson, who also has met with officials from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign, lauded Sanders for his “candor” and “willingness to be pushed” on his policy and approach. He said he and others also asked Sanders to address police abuse of civil asset forfeiture and said he anticipates Sanders will address that issue in his platform.
McKesson wrote that there were moments during the meeting where they didn’t agree.
“Importantly, he was willing to be pushed and he was,” tweeted McKesson, founder and co-editor of the Ferguson Protestor Newsletter.
I have high hopes for their meeting with Mrs. Clinton and I hope they keep doing what they're doing.