Until 2015, Sanders "had no idea" that so many blacks are held in jail for months and years

[EffieBlack]

because they can’t make bail.

A previous thread quoting Soledad O’Brien’s Twitter response to this comment devolved into arguments about whether O’Brien’s comment was accurate, which completely detracted from the bottom line - Bernie’s admitted lack of awareness of a serious and fundamental concern among African Americans and others.

So, I’m reposting excerpts from the source to focus on what Bernie said and to eliminate the opportunity for deflection and subterfuge.

IN JULY 2015, Black Lives Matter activists bravely interrupted a town hall with Sanders at a liberal political event, demanding that he center structural racism in his message. The following month, Black Lives Matter activists in Seattle again interrupted a speech from Sanders — demanding that he center the struggle for black lives in his campaign ... A few weeks later, in the wake of those two moments, Sanders met privately with another group of black activists to discuss criminal justice reforms. I spoke directly with many of the attendees that day, including DeRay Mckesson, and was told that the meeting didn’t go well – that attendees sensed very little emotional connection from Sanders and that some wondered if he truly even wanted to be there.

So, three years later, to be willing to co-host a public event in front of over 4,000 people, alongside six radical women of color, without ever asking what they would be talking about or knowing if they would plan on calling him out publicly yet again, was a pretty big deal.

Backstage, I met privately with Sanders, and was immediately struck by his vastly improved mastery of core issues around criminal justice reform. But it wasn’t just his newfound fluency on these issues that surprised me — it was his emotion.

“It’s disgusting, Shaun, that our country is basically criminalizing poverty. I’ll be honest with you. I really didn’t know this was happening. I had no idea hundreds of thousands of Americans, particularly African-Americans, were being held in jail, for months or years, even though they’ve never been convicted of a crime, simply because they can’t afford bail,” Sanders told me in a tiny dressing room backstage before the event.

“I’ve learned a lot,” he continued. “I see the racial disparities clearer than ever. I want to help – just tell me how I can best help and we’ll do it.” I was touched. He wasn’t reading from a script. He was admitting to me, as he soon would from the stage, in front of thousands of people, that he hasn’t always gotten this quite right.

https://theintercept.com/2018/06/14/bernie-sanders-criminal-justice-reform/

[msongs]

1. golly I could figure that out back in 1968. what too him so long? nt

[EffieBlack]

2. Apparently he earned his chops in 1963 that time he got arrested, so he didn't need to learn or do

anything else after that ...

[DesertRat]

9. Welcome to DU

[NurseJackie]

3. I suppose I should be surprised, but...

... well, I'll just leave it at that, for obvious reasons.

[bettyellen]

4. Is he going to learn about women's issues next? Or keep assuming it's all about vaginas?

[Wwcd]

5. K & R a million He was 30 fking yrs old when he wrote that with such pride in his deep thoughts

30.
Not a college aged kid stepping out in the world.

I stand by your posting bettyellen

[bettyellen]

7. Yeah, I noticed his theories about women, their health and sex were naive and self serving...

With a big dollop of woo on top. Not impressed w someone who talks about economic equality and doesn’t know or care that women w babies are the largest group living below the poverty line. He conveniently fails to talk about that- and I’m pretty sure it’s because he knows Joe WWC is too angry and resentful of us women and POC and this not caring has been quite deliberate.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Its hard to believe that any well informed person was not aware of this issue.

It has been well documented and discussed for many years.

[leftstreet]

10. Sounds like the author is very impressed with Sanders

Lots of compliments