Ben Crump endorses Kamala Harris for VP in Biden veepstakes
'This is a time for steely-eyed public servants who play no games and demand results,' the civil rights attorney writes in a CNN opinion piece
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has thrown his support behind Sen. Kamala Harris to become Joe Biden’s vice-presidential pick in the race for president this fall.
In a CNN Op-Ed, Crump, who is nationally known for representing the families of George Floyd and Trayvon Marin, among other high-profile clients, recalled the battle against systemic injustice and racism that has been ongoing for decades, but has been brought to the global forefront this year.
He said it’s vital to keep up the pressure that has allowed Black voices to finally be heard.
Read More: Attorney Benjamin Crump says it’s ‘open season’ on Black people’s civil rights
“This is a time for steely-eyed public servants who play no games and demand results. It’s time for Sen. Kamala Harris to join Joe Biden’s ticket and God willing, help him actualize the next phase of this movement from the White House,” Crump wrote in the Saturday opinion piece.
Crump called Harris a “change agent,” who has served in public life for the past 30 years, and a trailblazer for reform-minded prosecutors across the country. She is the sole African-American woman in the Senate and just the second in our nation’s history, behind Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois.
Read More: Kamala Harris, Meghan McCain battle over ‘defunding the police’
After witnessing Harris verbally eviscerate a series of witnesses at Senate hearings, Crump said he is looking forward to a lively debate between her and Vice President Mike Pence.
“The truth is, Harris has been unraveling broken systems and confronting injustice since long before most people knew her name,” he wrote. “And as someone who spends nearly every waking hour fighting these very systems — believe me when I say we need more fierce allies in positions to drive change from the inside.”
During her term as San Francisco’s district attorney, Harris launched a program that deferred jail sentences for young people arrested for low-level drug crimes and provided job training, counseling and a myriad of other services to help them re-enter society. Citing her long list of accomplishments as a lawmaker in California, Crump also focused on her work as attorney general of California where she opened pattern-or-practice investigations into two separate police departments following complaints of misconduct and excessive force.
“Under her leadership, California’s DOJ also became the first statewide agency in the country to mandate body cameras,” Crump wrote.
He concluded by saying he is a proud dad and come January 2021, he has hopes of teaching his daughter the proper greeting for Harris: “Madam Vice President.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
