Hillary Clinton criticized for 'dismissive' reaction to Black Lives Matter protester

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton was clearly caught off-guard during an event for campaign donors on Wednesday night when a Black Lives Matter protester demanded she answer for the justice policies of her husband's presidency.

"Do you want to hear the facts or do you just want to talk?" Clinton responded during the exchange, in a tone that has been criticized by some as dismissive.

The encounter was caught on camera:

It took Clinton a moment to realize what was going on, but she stopped and read the sign saying, "I think we've got somebody saying something here." 

The protester's sign was specifically making reference to a comment Clinton made in 1996 during a speech in Keene, New Hampshire. She said in order "to take back our streets from crime, gangs and drugs," police officials had to focus on what she called "super-predators." 

"We have to bring them to heel," Clinton said at the time. 

"I'm not a super-predator, Hillary Clinton," Williams said during the event on Wednesday. "Can you apologize to black people for mass incarceration?"

"We'll talk about it," said Clinton, attempting to speak over Williams, who demanded she weigh in on issue. "Can I talk and then maybe you can listen to what I say."

Eventually, it appeared Clinton had reached a tipping point. 

"Do you want to hear the facts or do you just want to talk?" Clinton asked. "If you will give me a chance to talk... You know what, nobody has ever asked me before, and you are the first person to ask me. OK, back to the issues."

It was Clinton's final comment -- "back to the issues" -- that was the main cause for criticism on Thursday morning. 

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Recently, Clinton has spent much of her campaign pitching herself as the candidate who will take systemic racism seriously in a final push for black votes ahead of the South Carolina Democratic primary.

She has galvanized a group of black mothers who lost their children in high-profile acts of violence. The "mothers of the movement," as they call themselves, campaigned on Clinton’s behalf in South Carolina and stood by her side during other events in the state.

But some have criticized Clinton's interaction with Williams on Wednesday night, citing it as a lost opportunity to discuss the very real issue of mass incarceration of minorities in America. 

Marc Lamont Hill, a professor at Morehouse College and CNN commentator, said Clinton came off as dismissive of Williams' concerns.

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Bernie Sanders has also leaned heavily on his history of participation in civil rights demonstrations in the '60s as a show of his commitment to black voters.

But he, too, has faced criticism for a sense of dismissiveness toward constructive dialogue with Black Lives Matter protesters at his campaign events.

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Yet the focus on which candidate has a stronger record of fighting for minority voters will be sure to follow both Sanders and Clinton throughout the campaign.

The issue could be especially important in the lead-up to Saturday's primary vote in South Carolina, a state with a 28 percent black population. 

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