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Black Lives Matter Gains Substantial Concessions in DNC Platform

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - African American activist Jamira Burley is a staunch
   advocate of "defunding and abolishing" the police, a controversial
   proposal pushed by many progressives leading the Black Lives Matter
   protest movement.

   But Burley, who spoke at the opening night of the Democratic National
   Convention on Monday, said she backs the party's policy platform, even
   though the document makes no mention of defunding the police.

   "It's a platform that I would rather support versus Donald Trump, who's
   being supported by the police union in New York, who actually have no
   desire to improve the conditions of how they operate," Burley told VOA.

   That largely sums up how many progressives rallying around Democratic
   presidential candidate Joe Biden feel about the party's platform, a
   92-page document covering a broad range of issues that was adopted by
   convention delegates Tuesday night.

   On issues of criminal justice and police reform, Biden and his running
   mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, have been at odds with the
   left wing of the Democratic Party. Biden, the onetime chairman of the
   Senate Judiciary Committee, has been criticized for championing the
   1994 crime bill that fueled mass incarceration, while Harris has faced
   criticism of her own over her tough-on-crime record as a former
   California attorney general.

   With the Black Lives Matter movement amplifying calls for racial
   justice and economic equity, Biden and Harris have been forced to
   strike a balance between the progressive demands and the need to appeal
   to a broader electorate.

   The result has been that while the Democratic Party platform doesn't go
   far enough for many liberal Democrats, it reflects many of the demands
   advanced by the Black Lives Matter protest movement in the wake of the
   May 25 death of African American George Floyd while in the custody of
   Minneapolis police.

   President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term, and his
   Republican allies have long accused Biden of bowing to progressive
   pressure. In a statement, a Trump campaign spokesperson said Biden is
   "now under the control of extreme elements of his party, who support
   communism, disavow the family structure, and demand the defunding and
   dismantling of our police departments."

   The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment
   but spokespeople for the former vice president have previously
   dismissed such allegations.

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