--- title: Black Activist Punched at Donald Trump Rally description: A black activist was punched and choked before being kicked out of a Donald Trump rally canonical: https://time.com/4123674/black-activist-punched-trump-rally/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-22T17:49:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:04.880Z article:section: Politics og:title: Black Activist Punched at Donald Trump Rally og:description: He was shouting "Black lives matter" og:url: https://time.com/4123674/black-activist-punched-trump-rally/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04a2b5bccde08758/6988725b2dce01696a9e69df/ap_374191480402.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3117 og:image:height: 1753 og:image:alt: GOP Trump 2016 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Black Activist Punched at Donald Trump Rally twitter:description: He was shouting "Black lives matter" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04a2b5bccde08758/6988725b2dce01696a9e69df/ap_374191480402.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Black Activist Punched at Donald Trump Rally > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Black Lives Matter Co-Founder: No Endorsement For 2016 [Watch (HLS stream): Black Lives Matter Co-Founder: No Endorsement For 2016](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gsYoy8U6.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2015-09-19. Alicia Garza told the Associated Press Black Lives Matter will continue protesting and advocating for social issues rather than endorse a 2016 presidential candidate._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Nov 22, 2015 5:49 PM UTC  A protester is removed by security as Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop in Birmingham, AL on Nov. 21, 2015. A protester is removed by security as Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop in Birmingham, AL on Nov. 21, 2015. Eric Schultz—AP by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Nov 22, 2015 5:49 PM UTC A black activist was reportedly punched and choked before being kicked out of a Donald Trump rally Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. [According to the Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/22/black-activist-punched-at-donald-trump-rally-in-birmingham/), activist Mercutio Southall Jr. was shouting “Black lives matter” during Trump’s speech and Trump responded by asking his security to “get him the hell out of here, will you, please?” Before Southall could be led out of the venue, the _Post_ reports that he was surrounded by men, who appeared to punch and kick him. One man reportedly choked him and as a bystander repeatedly said: “Don’t choke him!” In an interview with Fox, Trump said maybe the man should have been “roughed up.” “I had 10,000 people in the room yesterday, 10,000 people, and this guy started screaming by himself and they — I don’t know, rough up, he should have been — maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing,” Trump said. \[[_Washington Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/22/black-activist-punched-at-donald-trump-rally-in-birmingham/)\] ## Transcript The Black Lives Matter movement has a major announcement on its endorsement for the 2016 Presidential race. It won't have one. Black Lives Matter co- founder Alicia Garza told the Associated Press, instead of endorsing a candidate, the movement will focus more on protests and advocating for social issues during the election season. Garza told the AP sometimes you have to put a wrench in the gears to get people to listen. If you do not listen to her your event will be shut down right now. People are certainly listening now, especially the Candidates with varying degree of success. Besides multiple interruptions to rallies or speaking events for candidates including Bernie Sanders and Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton spoke with protestors in August. Look I don't believe you change hearts. I believe you change laws, you change allocation of resources. You change the way systems operate. And when the Democratic National Committee issued a resolution of support for the movement Garza was outspoken on social media that it did not mean Black lives matter endorsed the DNC. Garza wrote, resolutions without concrete change are just business as usual. It's not terribly surprising any group would withhold an endorsement this early in an election, but Garza's comment means a group with the potential for enormous influence won't back any candidate in the name of its cause, and arguably in the name of that continued influence. 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