Hillary Clinton NAACP Speech: ‘This Madness Has To Stop’

Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton attended the NAACP convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday, where she spoke about the fractured country and mass shootings, and according to the New York Times, she told the crowd that “this madness has to stop.” Clinton also said that the country had “difficult, painful, essential work” ahead to rebuild the police relationship with African-Americans.

At the NAACP, Hillary Clinton addresses recent shootings: “This madness has to stop” https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim https://t.co/4QgQn7KlAa

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 18, 2016

Clinton’s comments came the day after three police officers were killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her speech was carefully measured, urging empathy for everyone and speaking about white privilege in terms of never having to have a conversation with your children about how to behave when you interact with the police. But she also stated clearly that she would crack down on violence against the police, bringing the full weight of the law down on those who harm them, and urged people to have more respect for law enforcement.

While the Republican National Convention was kicking off in Cleveland, Ohio, Hillary Clinton took full advantage of her speaking time at the NAACP convention. The Washington Times reports that Clinton attacked Donald Trump for declining an invitation to speak to the NAACP convention attendees, and slammed him for his views on women, Muslims, and immigrants, saying,

“Donald Trump led the movement to delegitimize our first black president, trumpeting the so-called birther movement. Donald Trump plays coy with white supremacists. Donald Trump insults Mexican immigrants, even an American judge born of Mexican heritage. Donald Trump demeans women. Donald Trump wants to ban an entire religion from entering our country.”

Clinton continued to drive the point across that the country needs a nominee that will unify the citizens rather than pull them apart, and she stressed that Trump has proven repeatedly that he is only divisive. She stated that Trump would likely say otherwise if he was there, but emphasized that he had turned down his invitation, so the only thing they could rely on was his past remarks and actions.

.@HillaryClinton Decries Police Killings, Officer-Involved Shootings at @NAACP Annual Conference https://t.co/Q68EzXrkrH

— NULWashington Bureau (@NULpolicy) July 19, 2016

While many on social media criticized Hillary Clinton for her acknowledgement that there is evidence that African-Americans are more likely to be killed in police incidents as compared to other groups, the numbers speak for themselves. The next president will have a huge job ahead of them trying to fix the justice system in all areas — including the prosecution of those who harm police officers. Denying any of the problems that the next POTUS will face is not helpful, as Clinton acknowledged.

After her speech at the NAACP convention, Hillary Clinton spoke at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) convention which was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The AFT endorsed Ms. Clinton for president in 2015, with a press release that included a promise that the members of the AFT and their families would do their part to help Clinton win the 2016 election.

With the Republican National Convention now in full swing, and the controversy over accusations of plagiarism in Melania Trump’s speech on the opening night, Hillary Clinton no doubt wants to keep the positive press spin in her favor right now. Taking away from Trump’s thunder will not be easy, but she still has her pick for vice president up her sleeve. Her campaign has not officially said when her VP pick will be revealed, but if she wanted to stir things up, making her announcement during the RNC might be one way to do it.

[Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images]