Alicia Garza, one of the three community organizers who started the Black Lives Matter movement, said the group will not make an official presidential endorsement in the 2016 election cycle.
According to the Associated Press:
“Black Lives Matter as a network will not, does not, has not, ain’t going to endorse any candidates,” Garza said. “Now if there are activists within the movement that want to do that independently, they should feel free and if that’s what makes sense for their local conditions, that’s fantastic. But as a network, that’s not work we’re engaged in yet.
In the future, the organization may become more involved with candidates and parties, and even run candidates, she said, but added that “we’re not there yet.”
The official Black Lives Matter group, co-founded by Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, has made it clear many times that they are far outside the political mainstream, but the media continues to whitewash the group’s revolutionary views and demands, which are closely aligned with the original 1960s Black Panthers revolutionary Marxist/Maoist ideology, combined with post-Alinsky strategy.
Although the group will not endorse, there is no question it is hostile to Republicans. In an interview earlier this year, co-founder Cullors said, “Trust and believe that any opportunity we have to shut down the Republican convention, we will.”
Black Lives Matter has shut down events by Democrat presidential nomination candidates Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders in recent weeks, but has yet to shut down a Hillary Clinton event.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.