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#BlackLivesMatter Protesters Shut Down Bernie Sanders Campaign Speech

HeadlineAug 10, 2015

In Seattle, Black Lives Matter protesters interrupted Bernie Sanders during a campaign speech Saturday to call for a commemoration of Michael Brown’s death and to demand Sanders do more for racial justice. Seattle activist Marissa Janae Johnson took the microphone and said that if Sanders is really part of a grassroots movement, then he will be more vocal in his support for Black Lives Matter.

Marissa Janae Johnson: “Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the ruthless murder of Michael Brown. It is time that we honor that here and now. Bernie says that he’s about the people, about grassroots movement. The biggest grassroots movement in this country right now is the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Following the interruption, Sanders published a statement saying he was “disappointed” by the interruption. The following day, he published a racial justice platform on his campaign website. It includes demilitarizing the police, addressing voter disenfranchisement, banning private prisons and ending the war on drugs.

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