Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and Black Lives Matter protesters haven’t had the best relationship in the lead-up to the South Carolina primaries on Saturday — a race where, for once, African-Americans hold a 55 percent majority in the Democratic voter electorate.
That antagonism came to a head when Hillary was speaking at private event for her 2016 presidential campaign on Wednesday evening in South Carolina capital Charleston. Two protesters associated with the Black Lives Matter movement confronted Clinton about her record when it came to addressing crime — a record, they argued, that left black people out in the cold, or worse, locked up in prisons.
Ashley Williams pushed her way to the front of the group of donors who had attended the Hillary for President event — each of whom, like Williams, paid $500 to be there. As the presidential hopeful spoke about issues like gun control and criminal justice, the Black Lives Matter protester held up a sign quoting a speech, caught on video, that Clinton had made in 1996 calling for at-risk youth to be “brought to heel.”
Noticing the Black Lives Matter protester at the front of the room, Hillary leaned forward to read the sign that she was holding. Mid-sentence, Ashley interjected to ask for justification for statements, including a video calling at-risk youth “super predators,” that Clinton had made during her husband’s presidency.
“We want you to apologize for mass incarceration. I’m not a super predator, Hillary Clinton. Can you apologize for mass incarceration? Please explain it to us. You owe black people an apology.”
The crowd surrounding the Black Lives Matter advocate, which the Huffington Postreported was mostly white, began to boo and hiss her. Many told her to allow 2016 presidential hopeful Hillaryto speak, but she continued until a Secret Service agent put his arm around her and escorted her out of the campaign event. Afterward, the publication spoke with Williams to ask why she felt reminding black voters of such information was so important before the South Carolina primary.
“I wanted to bring her to confront her own words. We did this because we wanted to make sure that black people are paying attention to her record, and we want to know what Hillary we are getting.”
The “super predator” comments stem from a speech that Clinton made 1994 in reference to an anti-crime bill that sought harsher punishments for young people in order to curb violent acts of robbery, vandalism, and rape. A recent editorial in the Nation condemned her support in the black community based on the video and other such negative associations.
Though more than 20 years before her 2016 presidential run, Hillary’s statements are at odds with the Black Lives Matter movement’s current campaign against mass incarceration and other policies that have disproportionately affected minority youth. In the “super predator” video, she seems to value a hard-line stance to the issue.
“These are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called super predators. No conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel.”
Below you can check out Clinton’s “super predator” video with commentary from left-leaning site The Young Turks, who argue that it should hurt her with black voters in her 2016 presidential run.
What do you think about Hillary Clinton’s “super predator” comments video affecting her 2016 run for president and her relationship with Black Lives Matter?
[Image via Win McNamee/Getty Images]