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Al Sharpton said there's 'no difference' between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders

They both supported the 1994 crime bill that impacted the black community

Feliks Garcia
New York
Monday 11 April 2016 21:44 BST
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Rev Sharpton speaks at a March 2016 charity gala <em>Earl Gibson III/Getty</em>
Rev Sharpton speaks at a March 2016 charity gala Earl Gibson III/Getty

Civil rights leader and MSNBC host Rev Al Sharpton said there’s “no difference” between Democratic presidential rivals Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton when it comes to their impact on the black community in the 1990’s.

Speaking to MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki, Mr Sharpton addressed Mr Sanders’ recent call for former president Bill Clinton to apologise for his heated remarks directed at Black Lives Matter protesters last week. The activists criticised Ms Clinton for the language she used supporting the 1994 crime bill, where she referred to some black youth as “super predators.” Mr Clinton gave a heated response to the activists — for which said he “almost [wants] to apologise.”

“You are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter,” he told the protesters.

Mr Sharpton called Mr Clinton’s response to the activists “inappropriate,” but clarified that he saw no distinction between the Clintons and Mr Sanders’ when it came to the 1994 bill, which increased mandatory minimum sentencing for low level drug offenders. Many criticise the bill for significantly damaging black communities across the US.

“I think we’ve got to be fair ... both Senator Sanders and Hillary Clinton supported the crime bill,” Mr Sharpton said. “The irony is there is no division in what they did in ‘94.”

Mr Sharpton added that he opposed the bill in 1994 with his organization, the National Action Network, who said it “went too far.”

“I want to make it real clear, there is no different in ‘94 Clinton and Sanders on how they supported that bill, and the reason I take that personally is because we are trying to get members of Congress to say [the crime bill] was going too far,” he explained.

According to Mr Sanders' website, the Vermont senator voted for the 1994 crime bill to support bans on assault weapons and provisions on the Violence Against Women act.

Both candidates met with Mr Sharpton in February seeking his endorsement.

Ms Clinton met with Mr Sharpton and other civil rights leaders that month, where they discussed issues like mass incarceration of black Americans.

“Clearly there is an economic issue but there’s a race issue,” Mr Sharpton told CBS New York prior to the meeting, “and I think to talk about economics without talking about race, to talk about the criminal justice system without talking about ... the disproportionate impact based on race is something that we need to have addressed by whomever is going to be the next president.”

Mr Sanders met with Mr Sharpton for a one-on-one breakfast at the famous Harlem establishment, Sylvia’s. He made it clear that the meeting — although more intimate than with Ms Clinton — was not an endorsement for Mr Sanders.

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