‘Mothers of the Movement’ at DNC say Hillary Clinton knows black lives matter
PHILADELPHIA — Nine black mothers who have lost children to gun violence vouched for Hillary Clinton during a criminal-justice section of Tuesday night’s DNC program.
“Hillary Clinton isn’t afraid to say that black lives matter,” said Lucy McBath, whose 17-year-old son Jordan Davis was shot at a gas station in Florida. “She isn’t afraid to sit at a table with grieving mothers and bear the full force of our anguish. She doesn’t build walls around her heart.”
“She has the courage to lead the fight for common sense gun legislation,” said Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012.
“I am here for Hillary Clinton tonight because she is a leader and a mother who will say our children’s names,” said Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old who died of suicide in a county jail after a traffic stop. The officer was later fired for making the unnecessary arrest.
Before their appearance on the stage, the convention showed a video of Clinton meeting with the women and advising them to start a movement. They’ve named themselves Mothers of the Movement.
At the Republican National Convention last week, Donald Trump was repeatedly referred to as the “law and order” candidate, and the real estate developer said he would restore order to the streets. He portrayed the country as overrun by crime, pointing to a spike in violent crime in several major cities in 2015. As sign of lawlessness, the convention cited the recent ambush killings of police officers in Dallas and other cities following outrage over officer-involved shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana.
But at the DNC, a police chief along with former Attorney General Eric Holder pointed out that violent crime overall is at near historic lows, and they stressed a need to make the criminal justice system fairer, especially for people of color.
“Despite the fiction and the fear mongering from the other party’s nominee, violent crime has gone down since President Obama took office,” Holder said. “As president, Hillary would go even further.”
“She’s talked about systemic racism the way no other candidate has,” Holder added.
Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay said both law enforcement and minority communities have legitimate fears right now about the other. He said criminal justice reforms would improve that relationship. “Ironically, our communities are arguably safer than ever before,” McLay said. “However, absent a sense of justice, less crime in your neighborhood is at best a hollow victory.”
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