Hillary Clinton In Chicago Looking For African American Support, But Some Critics Say It's Not Deserved

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hillary Clinton is in Chicago today, raising money for her presidential run.

Bernie Sanders is turning out to be tougher competition than some might have thought, so Clinton will need all the voters that put her husband in office, but can she get them?

CBS 2's Jim Williams reports Hillary Clinton is attending three fundraisers in Chicago Wednesday following a on the South Side to fire up black voters. She'll need African American support to beat Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination. But some critics argue she doesn't deserve it.

In Bronzeville, an introduction by the mother of Sandra Bland, who died at a Texas jail, set the stage for Hillary Clinton's promise to focus on issues important to African Americans, including police reforms.

"To make sure no other young woman like Sandra Bland is ever pulled out of a car for no good reason and thrown into a jail where she is found dead," Clinton said.

But black critics like Ohio State law professor Michelle Alexander argue Clinton and her husband the former president supported policies that led to the mass incarceration of African Americans.

President Clinton, Alexander writes, "capitulated entirely to the right-wing backlash against the civil-rights movement and embraced former president Ronald Reagan's agenda on race, crime, welfare, and taxes ultimately doing more harm to black communities than Reagan ever did."

Alexander quoted Hillary Clinton describing young criminals... "They are not just gangs of kids anymore…They are 'super-predators.'"

Congressman Danny Davis says Clinton and many others, white and black, have evolved in 20 years.

"I am comfortable that she has grown just like many others grown and that she's going to make a great president," Davis said.

"I will fight for you. I will work for you and together we will make progress for the future thank you all and God bless you," Clinton said.

Supporters of Hillary Clinton argue that 20 years ago, American cities were ravaged by crack cocaine and gang wars over crack and the Bill Clinton administration was responding to that. Former President Clinton now concedes he made mistakes trying to fight crime.