What he called them · 2016 campaign · № 50
Said at the first 2016 debate that Black and Hispanic inner-city residents are 'living in hell'
“We have a situation where we have our inner cities, African-Americans, Hispanics are living in hell because it's so dangerous. You walk down the street, you get shot.”
- Said
- , First presidential debate, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York
- Subject
- Black and Hispanic residents of inner cities
- Target
- American cities
- Place
- U.S. inner cities (nationwide)
- Topic
- Justice & the courts
- Era
- 2016 campaign
What happened
The remark came in answer to a question about healing communities after police shootings, and he praised stop-and-frisk in the same answer. Clinton replied that crime had fallen and described positive aspects of life in those neighborhoods. NBC News wrote that his framing dismissed millions of Black residents of cities whose lives are not defined by crime or poverty. He repeated it on Oct. 25, 2016 in Sanford, Florida ('African-Americans are living in hell... in the inner cities') and at a Feb. 16, 2017 press conference.