Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is addressing concerns about her criminal justice record following ongoing allegations of being bias toward minorities.
During an interview on CNNâs âOutfrontâ on Tuesday, Harris was asked about civil rights activist Tay Andersonâs disapproval of her possibly becoming Democratic presidential nominee Joe Bidenâs running mate.
Due to the series of events that have transpired over the last three weeks, the Denver school board member also criticized Harrisâ criminal justice record saying, âNominating someone whoâs put black people in jail doesnât make sense at this moment.â
https://twitter.com/TayAndersonCO/status/1270904788243398657
Host Erin Burnett asked Harris, âWhatâs your response? Is he misreading your record?â
Harris fired back and said that Anderson did, in fact, misread her criminal justice record.
âYes â I mean, absolutely,â Harris said, adding, âListen, we need right now â and this is why I am leading with Senator Booker and other members and all members of the Congressional Black Caucus what we need to do to reform the system.â
See Harrisâ remarks below:
Harris went on to defend her professional record and stressed the need to change the current systems in place.
âI know the system from the inside out,â Harris said.
She continued:
âIâm a child of parents who marched in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and I strongly believe if we are going to change these systems, there has to be the kind of brilliant activism that weâve seen from the outside, like Black Lives Matter and the leadership there, combined with what we need to do on the outside to actually upend these systems in a way that we make change to get closer to the ideal we have of equal justice under the law. And it takes everybody to be a part of that process and that movement.â
Harris also reiterated the main focal point of the overall goal: requiring âaccountabilityâ and âconsequenceâ for those who break the law.
âItâs not about conversations. Itâs literally about requiring accountability and consequence of the system and those in the system who break the rules and break the law,â Harris said.
The California senatorâs remarks come as Anderson expressed concern if Harris is chosen as Bidenâs running mate pick based solely on her appearance.
Following a protest in Denver, Anderson echoed his concerns in the tweet that reads, âI think that he needs to figure out somebody thatâs not just there because theyâre a black woman because they check a box.â
