Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” that her “more confrontational” comments were meant as non-violent protest like the tactics used in the Civil Rights Movement.
On police reform legislation, Waters said, “It’s not going to be that easy passed out of this bill in the United States Senate. That is why I say to the young people, you have to keep your activism up. It’s not going to go away because elected officials sit and think, ‘Well, let me see, this is wrong, I’ve got to take care of this.’ Oftentimes, we’re too safe in what we do, and we don’t want to make any waves. That’s why it’s so important to have activism. That’s what the Civil Rights Movement was all about. It was about activism. It was about confrontation.”
She continued, “As a matter of fact, I went back and did some research on Martin Luther King. He had a project called Project C, and you know what that was for? Project Confrontation. A lot of people see that as bad. They tried to turn my words into something about violence. It’s not about violence. Martin Luther King was nonviolent. I am nonviolent. When they take words like confrontation, which certainly confrontation was used in the sit-ins for the civil rights legislation, the marches, the prayers, all of that is confrontation.”
She added, “So we have got to make sure that we continue to define who we are, what we do, what we care about, and not be so intimidated. We’re afraid to move. The young people want to see their elders stand up. They want to feel loved and protected, and they’re out there now, and they have joined in with Black Lives Matter and other organizations. They’re telling us we’re here to help get justice for all of us. We have no future unless you are on this case unless you are dealing with the injustices that have taken place that we are confronted with. I’m so pleased about this verdict today. No matter the criticism that I get, no matter the judge who even went off, you know, about Maxine Waters, that’s all right by me. I will continue to do what I think is in the best interest of our people. I will continue to speak truth to power, and I will continue to be an activist legislator.”
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