On October 30, Hillary Clinton was only minutes into her speech when activists affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement disrupted her speech in Atlanta. Clinton didn’t appear put off by the disruption at first, saying, “Yes they [Black Lives Matter] do and I'm gonna talk a lot about that in a minute” (via CNN):
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She then tried ignoring the protesters, shouting her remarks over the chants."I have some issues to discuss and proposals to make if our friends will allow me to do it. They may actually find them to their liking," Clinton said, while continuing to speak over the disruption, one of the loudest she had faced on the campaign trail.
As the protests continued, Clinton supporters began chanting "Let her talk, Let her talk." Others chanted, "Hillary! Hillary" very loudly, seemingly to drown out the protesters.
Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon who had introduced Clinton just minutes before, personally tried to break up the protests, putting his hands on the shoulders of the protesters and speaking with them.
That effectively quelled the protesters, who were escorted out shortly after the uproar.
Friday evening, #AUCShutItDown, an Atlanta-based group affiliated with Black Lives Matter, said in a statement that they protested Clinton's event so they could press her to directly address issues facing the African-American community, particularly in regard to policing.
The movement asked both the Republican and Democratic National Committees to include another debate that focuses entirely on racial justice. Both committees declined to change their debate schedules, but gave the green light for a town hall-style event to address the issues raised by Black Lives Matter. There's isn't any indication that this event is going to happen. Seeing another Clinton train wreck with this group is the only reason why I'm sort of supportive of this event. If it doesn't happen, then so be it. It's not like I'm dying for this town hall to materialize, but last summer Clinton spoke with Black Lives Matter activists in New Hampshire–and it was a total catastrophe.
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Over at Truth Revolt, Caleb Howe included these tweets, which also have some additional footage of the heckling.
#Hillary4Who #AUCShutItDown pic.twitter.com/gv7JQTnNvE
— #AUCShutItDown (@AUCShutItDown) October 30, 2015We aren't affiliated w/ the @Blklivesmatter but are an extension of the broader mvmnt. We protested in the name of safety & protection.
— #AUCShutItDown (@AUCShutItDown) October 31, 2015— #AUCShutItDown (@AUCShutItDown) October 30, 2015
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