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Protester Who Confronted Clinton Over 'Super-Predator' Remarks Says She Can't Be Trusted on Race

February 25, 2016

The Black Lives Matter protester who confronted Hillary Clinton about her prior remarks about "super-predators" said Thursday that Clinton has not proven herself trustworthy on racial justice.

"I fear we don't know which Hillary we're voting for," she said on CNN.

Ashley Williams held up a sign quoting Clinton's 1996 remarks about bringing criminal youths "to heel" while the latter spoke at a South Carolina fundraiser Wednesday, and she then had a tense confrontation with Clinton about her remarks and support for a tough federal crime bill, demanding an apology.

Williams was eventually escorted out after the two had a terse back-and-forth.

"I was hoping to hear Clinton be accountable for the things she said in 1996," William said. "I was hoping to hear an apology for mass incarceration, an apology to black communities and other communities of color. I was hoping to hear her reconcile the inconsistencies in her record."

Clinton told the Washington Post Thursday that she shouldn't have used those words about super-predators in retrospect, but Williams was unimpressed.

"One of the things I don't hear in that response is an apology for mass incarceration," Williams said. "I also don't hear her taking responsibility for the ways in which those words and her backing certain policies have affected black communities and communities of color."

CNN's Poppy Harlow played a clip of Clinton talking to BET about the crime bill, where she claimed she felt it was implemented in ways "that did go too far."

"Do you believe as president she will govern differently, has learned from this, if you will?" Harlow asked.

"I believe that from what she has given us, whether that be that BET interview or the things that she said in reference to what I did last night, I think that she's inconsistent, and I fear that we don't know which Hillary we're voting for," Williams said. "We don't know if we're going to get the Hillary from '94. We don't know if we're going to get Hillary Clinton from 2008, or we don't know if we're going to get this refined Hillary that allegedly shows up for racial justice.

"I'm just not convinced and I'm unsure. As a voter, this is something that I'm looking at very closely. I want to make sure that her current policies support things that she's supported in the past, and I also want her to be accountable for the things that she's said or done."

Williams added Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), who supported that bill when in the House of Representatives, also needed to be scrutinized on issues of racial justice.