Subject: Re: HRC remarks on race and justice
From: Cheryl Mills <[email-masked]>
To: Dan Schwerin <[email-masked]>
Cc: Huma Abedin <[email-masked]>, Philippe Reines <[email-masked]>, Jake Sullivan <[email-masked]>, Nick Merrill <[email-masked]>, John Podesta <[email-masked]>, Robby Mook <[email-masked]>, Brynne Craig <[email-masked]>, Ethan Gelber <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2014 09:29:55 -0500

My suggested edits in text.

i would really want more personal in this but can't do it b/c in a meeting.

it goes to my point re the larger context and not just walking in other's
shoes - it's understanding that they are not "other" but ourselves.

cdm

On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 9:09 AM, Dan Schwerin <[email-masked]>
wrote:

>  HRC wants to begin her remarks today at the Massachusetts Conference for
> Women with a few comments on the Ferguson-Staten Island situation.  I've
> adapted what we worked on last week for use here.  Attached is the full
> speech and below are the new lines.
>
>
>
>   Before I begin today, I would like to say a few words about the pain
> and frustration that [so] many Americans are feeling today about our
> criminal justice system.
>
>
>
> First of all, I'm glad that the Department of Justice is investigating
> what happened in [both] Ferguson and Staten Island.  These communities - and
> our country -- deserve a full and fair accounting and substantive reforms
> that ensure equality, justice and respect for every citizen.
>
>
>
> [President Obama and Attorney General Holder are right that these events
> should force us] Each one of us must [all to] grapple with hard truths
> about race and justice in America.
>
>
>
> Despite all the progress we've made together, African Americans are still
> more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes, and
> sentenced to longer prison terms. A third of all black men face the
> prospect of prison during their lifetimes, which has devastating
> consequences for families and communities across our country.
>
>
>
> The United States has less than five percent of the world's population,
> yet we have almost 25 percent of the world's total prison population.
> That's not because Americans are more violent or criminal than others
> around the world - far from it.  It's because we have allowed our criminal
> justice system to get out of balance.
>
>
>
> I hope that out of these tragedies, we can come together as a nation to
> begin a serious and substantive [debate about how we] undertaking find
> our balance again.
>
>
>  There's encouraging progress to build on.  Since 2008, both crime and
> incarceration have actually fallen together for the first time in 40 years.
>   All over the country there are creative and effective police
> departments demonstrating that it is possible to keep us safe and reduce
> crime and violence without relying on unnecessary force or excessive
> incarceration.  There are officers out there every day inspiring trust
> and confidence rather than fear and frustration.
>
>
>
> We can learn from these examples, invest in what works, and make sure that
> federal funds to state and local law enforcement are used to bolster best
> practices rather than buy weapons of war that have no place on our streets
> or contribute to unnecessary force or arrests.  The President has
> announced a task force on policing that will make recommendations in about
> 90 days.  He's proposed funding for police body cameras and training.  These
> are important steps.
>
>
>  And as we move forward, perhaps the most important thing each of us can
> do is to try even harder to see the world through our neighbors' eyes.
> Imagine what it's like to walk in their shoes.  To feel their pain and also
> their hopes and dreams.  As Michael Brown's father said, we are strongest
> when we're united, working together for lasting positive change.
>
>
> So it's in that spirit that I'm delighted to be with you here today in
> Boston, where our American experiment began and where you are doing so much
> to showcase the best of what makes us who we are as a people...
>