Summary: Justin Bamberg, the lawyer representing the family of Walter Scott, has officially endorsed Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders.
Bernie Sanders’ campaign is gaining more traction, the New York Times reports. This week, the lawyer for Walter Scott’s family announced he had switched his support from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders.
The lawyer, South Carolina State Representative Justin T. Bamberg, said he believes Clinton embodies the status quo while Sanders has a bolder point of view that can improve the lives of people in the South. The endorsement is pivotal not only because of Bamberg’s clout in the African-American community, but because his support could lead to other leaders following suit.
Bamberg is the attorney for the family of Walter Scott, 50, who was fatally shot in April 2015 by a police officer when running away. The video of the shooting went viral, and the officer, Michael T. Slager, was indicted on a murder charge in July.
Bamberg said that while Scott’s family has not endorsed a candidate yet, he is talking to other lawmakers to support Sanders.
Bamberg is not the only official to switch. Nina Turner, an Ohio Senator, was once a prominent Clinton supporter who decided to #FeelTheBern.
Bamberg said when he initially supported Clinton it was because he did not have enough information about Sanders. However, after a one-on-one meeting on Martin Luther King Day, Sanders impressed Bamberg with his discussion about the Scott shooting and his ideas for criminal justice reform.
“What I got from him was not a presidential candidate talking to a state representative, or an old white man talking to a young black guy,” Mr. Bamberg said to the New York Times. “What I got from him was a man talking to a man about things that they are passionate about, and that was the tipping point for me.”
Source: New York Times
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