Harris refutes criticism of prosecutor’s previous in Charlamagne tha God interview | Information in regards to the 2024 US elections

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From the very starting of her candidacy, one subject has been on the forefront of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid: her file on prison justice reform in the US.

On Tuesday, Harris – the Democratic nominee for president – ​​had an opportunity to handle some criticisms in a city hall-style interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God.

It was additionally a chance for Harris, California’s former lawyer common, to shore up assist among the many black group.

Though the overwhelming majority of Black voters determine with the Democratic Celebration, latest polls present their assist for Harris shouldn’t be as robust as in 2020, when fellow Democrat Joe Biden ran for president.

Harris went on the offensive Tuesday and really rapidly steered the dialog towards correcting the information about her candidacy.

“Folks say you sound very scripted,” Charlamagne started within the first minute of their dialog. “They are saying you want to stay to your subjects of dialog…”

The vp instantly intervened. “That may be known as self-discipline,” she joked.

It was a transparent try to differentiate between herself and her Republican rival Donald Trump, whose public appearances are sometimes described as boisterous.

Harris continued to subject sharp rebuttals to criticism of her public look as buttoned-up.

“What do you say to individuals who say you persist with the speaking factors?” requested Charlemagne.

“I’d say, ‘You are welcome,’” she replied.

Charlamagne tha God, co-host of iHeartMedia’s morning present The Breakfast Membership, speaks with Kamala Harris in Detroit for a radio city corridor (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Picture)

Prosecutor’s previous within the highlight

Harris, a former prosecutor who grew to become San Francisco district lawyer after which California lawyer common, has lengthy confronted criticism for her strategy to prison justice.

Throughout the marketing campaign this election cycle, Harris’ allies have tried to make use of her background to the Democrat’s benefit, portraying the race as a battle between “the prosecutor” and “the prison.”

In any case, Trump has 34 felony convictions after being discovered responsible in Might of falsifying firm data in reference to a hush-money fee to an grownup movie actor.

Harris himself has weighed in on that framework. On July 23, shortly after launching her presidential marketing campaign, Harris drew a distinction between herself and Trump, who faces a complete of 4 prison costs.

“Earlier than I used to be elected vp, earlier than I used to be elected United States senator, I used to be elected lawyer common of the state of California, and earlier than that I used to be a prosecutor in court docket,” Harris advised a rally in Wisconsin .

“And in these roles, I took on all types of perpetrators: predators who abused girls, fraudsters who defrauded customers, cheaters who broke the foundations for their very own acquire. So hearken to me once I say: I do know Donald Trump’s sort.”

However critics have accused Harris of an analogous historical past as a prosecutor, with members of each the proper and left rejecting her insurance policies.

On the one hand, progressives have criticized her heavy-handed strategy to points like pupil truancy: Harris famously supported a state regulation that will make dad and mom eligible for a misdemeanor if their youngster was chronically absent from college with out excuse.

In 2014, Harris additionally resisted calls to introduce an impartial system to evaluate deadly use of power by police.

Critics on the time argued that native prosecutors work intently with police and due to this fact can’t be goal in deciding whether or not to file costs. Nonetheless, Harris stated, “I do not suppose it will be good public coverage to usurp the discretion of elected prosecutors.”

Her opponents on the proper, in the meantime, have accused Harris of being lax on crime and failing to adequately assist regulation enforcement.

Decriminalization of marijuana

In her interview with Charlamagne, Harris tried to quell criticism of her by labeling it because the product of right-wing disinformation.

“One of many greatest challenges I face is misinformation and disinformation,” Harris advised the radio host. “And it’s purposeful. As a result of it is meant to persuade those that they should not someway consider that the work I’ve achieved has occurred and has that means.”

Charlamagne, for his half, known as on Harris to reply a number of rumors circulating round her marketing campaign.

“One of many greatest accusations in opposition to you is that you just attacked and imprisoned hundreds of black males in San Francisco for pot. Some stated you probably did it to spice up your profession. Some stated you probably did it out of pure hatred for black males,” he stated, asking: “What are the information of that scenario?”

Harris refuted the allegations, responding, “It is simply not true.”

She then centered on her work to scale back penalties for marijuana possession, an issue that disproportionately impacts black males.

A 2020 evaluation for instance, the American Civil Liberties Union discovered that black persons are 3.64 instances extra more likely to be arrested for possession of the drug, in comparison with white individuals. Nonetheless, the report discovered no important distinction in marijuana use between the 2 populations.

That distinction in arrest charges contributes to greater incarceration charges for black males within the US. The Pew Analysis Middle discovered that Black adults confronted challenges in 2020 5 instances incarceration charges corresponding to these of their white counterparts.

Referring to this discrepancy, Harris advised Charlamagne that she would decriminalize marijuana on the federal degree if she had been elected president.

“My pledge is that as president I’ll work to decriminalize them as a result of I do know precisely how these legal guidelines have been used to disproportionately influence sure populations and Black males particularly,” she stated Tuesday.

About 24 states have already taken steps to legalize small quantities of marijuana for leisure use. However the drug stays unlawful on the federal degree, though the Biden administration has taken steps to scale back penalties.

In Might, for instance, Biden’s Justice Division initiated a brand new rule that reclassifies marijuana as a “schedule III drug,” decrease than the highest tier underneath the Managed Substances Act’s five-tier system.

That reclassification made the drug acceptable for medical use. It additionally signaled a shift within the authorities’s place to acknowledge that marijuana shouldn’t be as harmful as the opposite medicine within the earlier class, comparable to heroin.

“As vp, I’ve been a proponent of placing marijuana on the agenda,” Harris advised Charlamagne. “So as an alternative of it being on the identical rating as heroin, we’re shifting it down.”

Charlamagne tha God pressed Vice President Harris about her dedication to the black group within the US (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Picture)

Attacking Trump with ‘cease and frisk’

Harris not solely defended her work in prison justice as “progressive,” however she additionally actively attacked her Republican rival Trump for insurance policies she warned would hurt the black group.

All through his marketing campaign, Trump has championed a crackdown on crime within the U.S., proposing insurance policies that critics warn may enhance the usage of extreme power amongst regulation enforcement — and spark the violation of civil liberties .

Final month, for instance, Trump floated the concept of ​​having “one actually powerful, unhealthy day” for regulation enforcement to deal with property crime with out restraint.

He has additionally pledged to strengthen police immunity from prosecution and push for better use of “cease and frisk” insurance policies.

“It’s a must to have a cease and frisk coverage,” Trump advised the TV present Fox and Mates in August, envisioning a scenario by which a police officer acknowledges a suspect on the road. “Cease and frisk and take away their weapon.”

Though the U.S. Structure protects individuals from “unreasonable searches and seizures,” advocates say “stop-and-frisk” insurance policies enable police to go looking suspects in a non-intrusive method if they’ve “affordable suspicion” that they might be armed or harmful.

However critics warn that “cease and frisk” has been used to racially profile individuals and harass them with out justification or cause. Some ‘cease and frisk’ measures have due to this fact been declared unconstitutional.

Harris addressed Trump’s assist for “cease and frisk” in Tuesday’s interview.

“My opponent,” she stated, would “implement a formalized cease and frisk coverage, for which he has stated that if a police division doesn’t do that, it ought to be defunded.”

“There may be a lot at stake” this election, she added, noting the potential dangers to the Black group, which is disproportionately focused by such insurance policies.

Press Harris

Harris’ look on the radio city corridor with Charlamagne got here a day after the Democratic candidate made one other main overture to black voters, by means of a “Alternative agenda for black males“.

That agenda outlined plans to decriminalize marijuana, promote cryptocurrency and supply one million “forgivable” loans to Black entrepreneurs.

If elected, Harris could be the primary girl — and the primary individual of combined Black and South Asian descent — to win the White Home.

However whereas she enjoys a majority of assist amongst Black Individuals, some pollsters are involved about how her numbers examine to the 2020 election. In accordance with a survey by The New York Instances and Siena School, President Joe Biden had 90 in that race p.c of the black vote.

In distinction, solely 76 p.c of Black voters plan to vote for Harris, Biden’s vp, on this yr’s election. That is a big drop — and the ballot confirmed even decrease numbers amongst black males.

Solely 69 p.c supported Harris, in comparison with 81 p.c of black girls.

Trump has tried to make positive aspects in that demographic — even publicly questioning Harris’ identification as a black girl.

Throughout her city corridor on Tuesday, Harris was requested about her dedication to the Black group. One caller requested her about her “lack of involvement” with the Black Church.

Harris additionally refuted that declare. She responded that she was raised within the Black church.

“So to start with, after all, that accusation comes from the Trump staff, as a result of they’re stuffed with misinformation and disinformation,” she stated. “They’re making an attempt to disconnect me from the individuals I’ve labored with and the place I come from to allow them to attempt to acquire a bonus on this election.”

Harris refutes criticism of prosecutor’s previous in Charlamagne tha God interview | Information in regards to the 2024 US elections

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