Controversial activist Shaun King often makes headlines for his harsh criticism of public figures. On Wednesday, his support, for a change, of the newly named Democratic vice presidential nominee has him in hot water with social media pundits.
King, founder of the Real Justice PAC, hopped on Twitter on Tuesday to throw his support behind presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s pick of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.
“I am incredibly proud to see a brilliant Black woman, and HBCU grad, chosen as a Vice Presidential nominee,” King, a Morehouse College graduate, said on Twitter. “I’ve done political work my whole life. It’s rarely things dreams are made of.”
King had previously lambasted Biden and Harris for their past political careers that he said helped “build and advance mass incarceration.”
While a district attorney in California in the 1990s, Harris built a reputation as a prosecutor who was tough on crime, which greatly affected Black people. The incarceration rate for Black people remains at more than five times their share of California’s population, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Now Harris is a valiant supporter of reducing mass incarceration.
Harris has referred to herself as a “progressive prosecutor,” and one of her former colleagues told USA Today: “As San Francisco DA, Harris refused to seek the death penalty—even on a case where a very respected police officer was tragically killed.”
Responses have been mixed about Harris’ past as a prosecutor, but some have said her most recent policies as a freshman senator have brought some redemption to some of her choices in her earlier political career.
King had been a supporter of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders before the 2020 presidential race, and some of his comments during that time have brought his recent support of Harris into question for some.
After fielding criticism for his support of Harris, King explained why he now is in favor of the 55-year-old politician.
“I can only speak for myself, but when I harshly critique leaders, it’s with the hope that they will grow and evolve.” “She has improved drastically on all justice & policing-related issues since she was last District Attorney in 2011,” he tweeted.
King has been under scrutiny over the years for identifying as Black when many critics say that is not the case. He has also been ridiculed about where his fundraising dollars go and his comments on tearing down statues that depict Jesus as “European.”
Some on Twitter questioned why any of King’s comments are still newsworthy, considering the controversy around him.
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