“Nobody wants to see our streets look like a war zone. Not in America. We are better than that. [But] this is what happens when the bonds of trust and respect that hold any community together fray.
We cannot ignore the inequities that persist in our justice system. Inequities that undermine our most deeply held values of fairness and equality:
*Imagine what we would feel and what we would do if white drivers were three times as likely to be searched by police during a traffic stop as black drivers instead of the other way around.
*If white offenders received prison sentences ten percent longer than black offenders for the same crimes.
*If a third of all white men – just look at this room and take one-third – went to prison during their lifetime.
Imagine that.
That is the reality in the lives of so many of our fellow Americans in so many of the communities in which they live.
Each of us has to grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in America. Because despite all the progress we’ve made together, African Americans, most particularly African-American men, are still more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes, and sentenced to longer prison terms.
And when one stops and realizes a third of all black men face the prospect of prison during their lifetimes, what devastating consequences that has for their families and their communities and all of us.
Let’s make sure that federal funds to state and local law enforcement are used to bolster best practices, rather than buy weapons of war that have no place on our streets or contribute to unnecessary force or arrests.
These tragedies did not happen in some faraway place. They didn’t happen to some other people. These are our streets, our children, our fellow Americans, and our grief.
We have allowed our criminal justice system to get out of balance, and I personally hope that these tragedies give us the opportunity to come together as a nation to find our balance again.”
–HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON on the criminal justice system in America.
PS: It isn’t just an economic issue, Mr. Bernie Sanders [even though I know you come from a state that is almost 100% white, causing you to be very pro-gun and pro-NRA]
Hillary has been working on criminal justice reform since her early days as a Methodist.
OTHER GREAT VIDEOS OF HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM: