Saudi Foreign Vice Minister attends inauguration of El Salvador President    Ministry of Interior starts imposing penalties on Hajj rules violators Security officials arrest over 20,000 erring visit visa holders    Saudi Arabia and 7 OPEC+ members extend voluntary production cuts until 2025 2.2 million barrel cut to be phased out monthly until September 2025    Saudi Aramco's $12 billion share sale sells out in hours: Bloomberg    Unleashing the Full Potential of Fintech: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Way Forward    Kuwait Crown Prince takes constitutional oath as Deputy Emir    Cristiano Ronaldo vows Al Nassr will come back stronger after King's Cup heartbreak    Kuwait's emir names Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Sabah as new crown prince    Makkah Police arrest two for promoting fraudulent Hajj campaign on social media    ZATCA thwarts attempt to smuggle 6.5 million Captagon pills hidden in plus-size tires    Saudi Arabia provides $129 billion in aid to 169 countries since 1996    Saudi Chief of General Staff attends EFES 2024 multinational exercise in Turkiye    Al Hilal clinches King Cup in intense penalty shootout and dramatic final    Crown Prince awards King's Cup to Al Hilal    Yassine Bounou named Man of the Match after leading Al Hilal to King's Cup victory    Aramco acquires 40% stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan    Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale concludes with massive attendance    Man opens ice cream shop in seaside telephone box    Nepali climber sets record for fastest ascent of Mount Everest by a woman    World's rarest album to go on display in Australia    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Democrats take stage at South Carolina criminal justice reform forum
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 26 - 10 - 2019

Nine Democrats vying to be their party's presidential candidate in 2020 will take part in a criminal justice forum in South Carolina this weekend, down from 10 after US Senator Kamala Harris dropped out to protest an award given to President Donald Trump at the event on Friday.
The forum at the historically black Benedict College in Columbia is an important showcase for Democrats ahead of South Carolina's Feb. 29 primary, the party's fourth state nominating contest. Six in 10 Democratic voters in the state are black.
Sponsored by the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center, the forum is aimed at reforming the criminal justice system after Trump last year signed bipartisan legislation that instituted a number of changes, including easing harsh minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and six other Democratic contenders will present their own plans on Saturday and Sunday.
Trump hopes his support for a sweeping criminal justice reform law will help him pick up votes among African Americans next year after only winning 8% of the black vote in 2016.
"I hope you will judge my administration based on the tremendous amount we have achieved," Trump said in his keynote speech on Friday. Trump easily won South Carolina, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1, in 2016.
Harris, a former district attorney and state attorney general in California, canceled her appearance after Trump received the Bipartisan Justice Award when he made his speech.
She also expressed frustration that only 10 students from the school were given tickets to the event, with more than half of the 300 seats reserved for guests of his administration, a figure that was reported by McClatchy DC.
In a statement issued by her campaign, Harris accused Trump of "decades of celebrating mass incarceration, pushing the death penalty for innocent Black Americans, rolling back police accountability measures and racist behavior that puts people's lives at risk."
"Donald Trump is a lawless President," she said. "Not only does he circumvent the laws of our country and the principles of our Constitution, but there is nothing in his career that is about justice, for justice, or in celebration of justice."
She said she would instead host students and the local community at a separate event in Columbia.
Many policymakers say the US criminal justice system is harshly punitive, locks up too many people and is stacked against the poor and disadvantaged, as well as against African-Americans and Latinos. Some Democrats are proposing legalizing marijuana, ending the death penalty and eliminating sentencing disparities for offenses involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine, which have disproportionately affected black people.
Bolstered by the eight years he served as No. 2 to Barack Obama, the first black US president, Biden has deep connections with black politicians and clergy. The state may end up being crucial for him as a last line of defense if he continues to lose ground to rivals in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Biden leads his closest rival in South Carolina, Warren, by nearly 20 percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of recent polls. His rivals have been actively campaigning in the state and working to chip away at his apparent lead.— Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.