ATLANTA, Oct. 31 (UPI) — Hillary Clinton‘s trip to Clark Atlanta, a historically black college, was marked by applause and protest.
During her speech on Friday, a small group of protesters briefly drowned out Clinton with chants of: “Black lives matter! Black lives matter!”
Clinton, who had arrived to detail her campaign’s latest criminal justice reform proposals, briefly acknowledged the protesters, saying: “Yes, they do. Yes, black lives do matter!”
But the chants continued as she attempted to proceed with her speech. As Clinton became momentarily inaudible, the enthusiastic crowd came to her defense, chanting her name and “Let her talk!”
Eventually, Clinton was allowed to pick up where she left off.
“Race still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in America and who gets left behind,” Clinton told the packed auditorium. “Racial profiling is wrong, demanding, doesn’t keep us safe or help solve crimes. It’s time to put that practice behind us.”
In her speech, Clinton promised to end the prosecution and sentencing disparity between cocaine and crack. She also said she would prohibit government agencies and contractors from soliciting criminal history information on job applications, arguing that barriers to gainful employment only encourage repeat offenders.
Atlanta was Clinton’s first stop on a swing through the South, where she is expected to continue to court African American support.
Polling suggests Clinton already commands a sizable lead among African Americans, especially in the South, over her closest rival, Bernie Sanders. Sanders has also faced Black Lives Matter protesters.
For their part, the BLM protesters who interrupted Clinton on Friday say they aren’t yet satisfied. They want concrete proposals, not just speeches.
“Unfortunately, rhetoric DOES NOT save us, nor does it give confidence to black voters that we can trust Hillary to prioritize the necessity of ensuring our safety,” the group said in a released statement. “We’ve been waiting for weeks to see the platform that addresses these issues from Hillary Clinton’s campaign. We will wait no more.”
