Mothers who lost children to violence endorse Clinton
‘Only qualified candidate on the ballot,’ one says.
RIVIERA BEACH — Mothers of the Movement — black women whos e c h i l d re n died at the hands of police or through gun violence — touted Hillar y Clinton on Monday ahead of her much-anticipated presidential debate against Donald Trump.
The mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Sandra Bland held a closed-tothe-press event with communit y members in Riviera Beach, then made their pitch for action to end gun violence and police misconduct.
With race becoming an increasingly important factor in the presidential campaign, the women said Clinton would move the country closer to their goals. Trump would not, they argued.
“I think that she is the most qualified candidate on the ballot, the only qualified candidate on the ballot,” said Gwen Carr, whose son, Eric Garner, was killed by New York police when he was placed in a chokehold as they tried to arrest him for illegally selling cig- arettes on the street. “Why not Hillary Clinton? Donald Trump — I’ll just say money don’t buy class.”
The deaths of black men in Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte at the hands of law enforcement are only the latest that have led to civil disturbances and increased calls for policing reforms and more respect for police.
In an interview with The Palm Beach Post arranged by the Clinton campaign, the women said the issue is not strictly one of black and white.
“It’s a matter of right and wrong,” said Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Orlando in a case that created nationwide debate over perceptions of black youth and Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law. A Florida jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder in 2013.
Trump has tried to appeal to black voters by saying his administration would be better for blacks. “What have you got to lose?” he asks.
He also has called himself the “law-and-order candidate,” a tact that could position him to draw support from white voters unnerved by televised images of black protesters demonstrating against what they see as police disregard for their safety. The law-and-order pitch also strikes some as a reference to the brutal crackdowns black protesters faced during the civil rights protests of the 1950s and 1960s.
Clinton, meanwhile, has moved closer to black protesters, saying too many black Americans feel their lives and safety are not adequately respected. Black voters are critical to any success Clinton hopes to have in November.
That might explain why the Mothers of the Movement were given a platform Monday to note their support for Clinton.
Carr said Clinton earned the support of black mothers by listening to them and offering support.
For Geneva Reed-Veal, whose daughter, Sandra Bland, was found hanging in a Texas jail in 2015 after she was arrested for a minor traffic violation, the stakes of the election are sky-high for a movement started to end gun violence and police misconduct.
“We ’ r e t a l k i n g a b o u t d e a t h s h e r e , ” s h e s a i d . “We’re t alking about an empty seat at the table.”