Clinton talks with mother of Trayvon Martin

By Ariel Cohen, Ariel Cohen

Published December 20, 2015

Hillary Clinton met with the mother of Trayvon Martin, along with the mothers of African American men and women killed by police officers, while in Chicago Monday, just four days after Black Lives Matter protestors were escorted out of African Americans for Hillary event in Atlanta.

The Democratic front-runner discussed the prevalence of gun violence and the need for common sense gun reform along with the sense of distrust that exists between law enforcement officers and the communities in which they work, according to a campaign aide. She was in the city for multiple campaign fundraisers during the day she met privately with the mothers.

Among those who participated in the talks include mother of Trayvon Martin, Sabrina Fulton; Samaria Rice, Tamir Rice's mother; Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown's mother; Dontre Hamilton's mother, Maria Hamilton; and mother of Francisco "Frankie" Valencia, Joy McCormack. The deaths of Trayvon Martin and others led to the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has generated a great deal of conversation and controversy in the 2016 primary election cycle.

Clinton listened as each of the mothers told their respective stories of police brutality and loss before declaring "we have allowed our criminal justice system to get out of balance."