Clinton: ‘We Do Need To Listen To Those Who Say Black Lives Matter’

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Hillary Clinton addressed last week’s fatal police shootings of black men in addition to the Dallas shooting that left five police officers dead in a wide-ranging speech on racial unity Tuesday.

“There is too much violence and hate in our country. Too little trust and common ground,” she said, speaking from the Old State House in Springfield, Illinois. “It can feel impossible to have the conversations we need to have to fix what’s broken.”

She listed the names of black Americans, including Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who’ve been killed by police, noting that “no one” was held accountable in several of those incidents.

“And surely we can all agree that’s deeply wrong and needs to change. And, yes, we do need to listen to those who say Black Lives matter,” Clinton said, in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Clinton reiterated her call for gun reform, saying the gunman who shot police officers in Dallas used a weapon that allowed him to massacre law enforcement.

“The wrong people keep getting their hands on guns,” she said. “And not just any guns, military weapons.”

Clinton’s speech sharply contrasted with the way her opponent, Donald Trump, has responded to the fatal police shootings. When asked Tuesday if he thought black Americans were treated differently by the police, he responded, “it’s possible.”

This post has been updated.

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