Martin O'Malley and Black Lives Matter Doing an Apology Right

During Netroot Nations 2015, Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley was the first candidate to experience the heat of the Black Lives Matter protest. While Senator Bernie Sanders got dinged, later, he perhaps had time to see how O'Malley handled it and to adjust. O'Malley did not have that time. He was sitting there ready to give his spiel . . . AND . . . BAM. A protest happened right in his face.

It is known now that he did not handle it well. In response to a chant that Black Lives Matter, O'Malley responded by saying, "Black Lives Matter. White Lives Matter. All Lives Matter." Even worse, he swallowed and said it again. Oy vey!

'Later, when being interviewed at Netroots Nation for the podcast This Week in Blackness, the former Maryland governor was challenged by host L Joy Williams. “Do you understand the difference in responding in that conversation in that context with ‘all lives matter’ or ‘white lives matter’ when we’re specifically talking about black death that is not all-inclusive?”
“I certainly do,” O’Malley responded. “I believe what I first said was that black lives matter before those other two phrases.”

“That was a mistake on my part and I meant no disrespect,” he continued. “I did not mean to be insensitive in any way or communicate that I did not understand the tremendous passion, commitment and feeling and depth of feeling that all of us should be attaching to this issue.”'

That is how one does an apology. Good job, O'Malley . . . BUT Black Lives Matter is a particular phrase, representing that while all races are being killed by police, African Americans are disproportionately murdered and injured by cops . . . by the State.

Moreover, O'Malley was the first candidate, Democrat or otherwise, to have a criminal justice platform that includes racial justice components.

Things, I like about the O'Malley plan, especially as it relates to Black Lives Matter. First, it's fairly comprehensive and focuses on injustices to all groups.

The introduction hits me where I live:

'Our country needs new leadership that will honestly assess our broken criminal justice system and put forward solutions that will:
Ensure that justice is delivered for all Americans—regardless of race, class, or place.

Build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Ensure fairness and equal treatment for all people at every step within our justice system.'

At the core of the Black Lives Matter movement, IMHO, is that the police are out of control. There is no longer any trust between Black people and the State that the police represents. It's good to see this addressed.
And, there were other things I liked that hits home with the Black Lives Matter movement: . .

O'Malley has some really good points, including strengthening civil rights protections and encouraging independent investigations, which I like because the former involves the DOJ and the latter ensures that the police are not investigating themselves.
Above and beyond these issues, Martin O'Malley has a very comprehensive and well rounded plan. He calls it Criminal Justice on his website, but in reality it is a equality or justice or civil rights plan.

It's 9 pages long. Comprehensive. Take a look. I was impressed. I was even more impressed with a fellow Kos diarist who did an excellent comparison between Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders. I'm not interested in the comparison here. I mention it because the diarist, askew, did a most excellent one-line topiic-by-topic grid so that you can look down the grid for whether O'Malley's Criminal Justice Plan included your particular "thing." The grid really allows you to see what is included and what is missing. Of course, reading the Plan yourself is the best way to obtain accurate information but this grid is pretty damn good.

So, I'm liking what I see about O'Malley so far . . . based on his plan and the sincerity of his apology. I will be looking at him even more since what I know of him so far says, "look further to see if you see things you like."

PS: For those who are interested in a comparative between Martin O'Malley's plan and Bernie Sanders, there is an EXCELLENT diary on this.

Hillary Clinton has not put up a website on her racial justice/criminal justice plans. But here's a link to a comment that rounded up many of her speeches and comments on it.

The more information we have and share, the more informed decision we make and the more demands we can make of our candidates during the primaries and the more responsive they will be.

For now, based on what I know now, O'Malley is viable.

PS: For those who are interested in a comparative between Martin O'Malley's plan and Bernie Sanders, there is an EXCELLENT diary on this.

Hillary Clinton has not put up a website on her racial justice/criminal justice plans. But here's a link to a comment that rounded up many of her speeches and comments on it.

The more information we have and share, the more informed decision we make and the more demands we can make of our candidates during the primaries and the more responsive they will be.

For now, based on what I know now, O'Malley is viable.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/18/1412844/-Martin-O-Malley-and-Black-Lives-Matter-Doing-an-Apology-Right-Reviewing-O-Malley-s-Justice-Plan