A townhall-style talk at Netroots Nation with Democratic presidential aspirants Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders was disrupted midstream by protesters from the #BlackLivesMatter movement demanding the candidate put forward a plan to fight structural racism.

Local Phoenix activist Tia Oso took the stage and welcomed O’Malley to Phoenix before noting that the #BlackLivesMatter movement — born out of the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York– came into being two years ago on July 13.

“Will you put forward a racial justice agenda that will dismantle, not reform, not make progress, but will begin to dismantle the  structural racism in the United States?” Oso asked the candidate.

O’Malley eventually got around to addressing the crowd, speaking about police reform but the candidate seemed caught off-guard by the protest.

Earlier the candidate awkwardly stated, “Black lives matter, white lives matter, all lives matter,” O’Malley was greeted with boos and groans from the assembled crowd.

Bernie Sanders was also disrupted, telling the protesters, “Of course black lives matter,” before adding “I’ve fought for civil rights for fifty years, but if you don’t want me to be here, that’s okay.”

He later stated that black people are dying in America because, “We have a criminal justice system that is out of control.”

Watch the video below from Five Steps Forward. Protesters begin at about the 40-minute mark:

Following the townhall talk, Netroots Nations issued a statement:

Netroots Nation stands in solidarity with all people seeking human rights.

With today’s Town Hall, our aim was to give presidential candidates a chance to respond to the issues facing the many diverse communities represented here.

Although we wish the candidates had more time to respond to the issues, what happened today is reflective of an urgent moment that America is facing today.

In 2016, we’re heading to St. Louis. We plan to work with activists there just as we did in Phoenix with local leaders, including the #BlackLivesMatter movement, to amplify issues like racial profiling and police brutality in a major way.

It is necessary and vital to continue this conversation. We look forward to doing so in the coming year.

Enjoy good journalism?

… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has cut advertising rates in half, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

Value Raw Story?

… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has cut advertising rates in half, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.