We confronted Bill Clinton about race: “In that moment he revealed himself and his true thoughts on

[marmar]

from Salon:


We confronted Bill Clinton about race: “In that moment he revealed himself and his true thoughts on black people”
EXCLUSIVE: #Blacklivesmatter activists who took Bill on tell us what it was like, and how Hillary backers responded

Chauncey DeVega


During a Hillary Clinton rally in Philadelphia last week, Bill Clinton engaged in an 11-minute exchange with two protesters, Rufus Farmer and Erica Mines, who are critical of his controversial 1994 crime bill, the War on Drugs, and the impact of those policies on the black community.

In the midst of making repeated references to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, Bill Clinton made the following statement: “You are defending the people who killed the lives you say matter. … Tell the truth. You are defending the people who caused young people to go out and take guns.”

I recently spoke with Farmer and Mines about their experience with the former president, their thoughts on his controversial comments about “Black Lives Matter,” “black crime,” Hillary Clinton, and the future-present of black activism. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

.....(snip).....

I have written extensively about Donald Trump and the violence at his rallies. In the media, we have had many conversations about the thuggish behavior of his supporters. What was the environment like at Hillary Clinton’s rally in Philadelphia? How were you treated? What were some of the exchanges you had with Hillary’s supporters at the rally?

Erica: The narrative about protesters and activists is that we are the violent ones, that we are the thugs. But no one wants to capture the moment when someone is snatching a sign out of your hands, or when somebody walks over to you and literally puts their hands on you. Bill Clinton was not the only person wagging their finger in the building that day. The actual confrontation started when a white lady came up to me and told me that I needed to be ashamed of myself for disrupting the event. You also have black liberals and gatekeepers who are taunting you and going along with the chastisement.

When we were protesting, there were actually black men standing in front of me as a black woman, as if my concerns about police brutality and violence did not impact them as well. For me, as a black woman, I am very vocal when I get into my politics and messaging. But they always send another black woman over to me to tell me why I am wrong. That is how it started. A black woman told me that my sign was causing conflict with the people in the building. I told her that I will not put down my sign until the other people holding their signs did the same thing.

Rufus: I had someone, a black person actually, call me a demon when the rally was over. Our intention was to go in, just the two of us, not a mob, to stand their quietly in the rally and not say a word. Unfortunately, lots of people provoked us to start speaking. ..............(more)

http://www.salon.com/2016/04/13/we_confronted_bill_clinton_about_race_in_that_moment_he_revealed_himself_and_his_true_thoughts_on_black_people/

[malokvale77]

1. Good article.

It's about time for all of us to shed ourselves of the Clinton blinders.

[Punkingal]

2. Great article.

Heartbreaking, really. I feel so bad for the young POC that their elders won't listen to them. It's just sad.

[ViseGrip]

3. Bill's bubble has been broken. He'll leave the world with more incite on his legacy.