Black Lives Matter protesters disrupt Jeb Bush campaign stop

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush abruptly ended a campaign stop Wednesday as Black Lives Matter activists clashed with the candidate's supporters, marking the fourth time in recent weeks the grassroots movement has interrupted candidates on the 2016 election trail.

The stop in North Las Vegas quickly ended after members of a group began chanting "Black Lives Matter." Responding to a question about racial disparity in the criminal justice system, Bush said, "we have serious problems and these problems have gotten worse in the last few years. Communities, people no longer trust the basic institutions in our society that they need to trust to create, to make things work."

Instead of his usual closing statements and lingering for photo ops at the town hall stop, Bush left the building as the chanting got louder. Some Bush supporters retorted with "All Lives Matter" and "White Lives Matter." At one point, two women, a protester and a Bush supporter, stood within feet of the candidate and flashed the middle finger at each other. Bush's campaign said he met with Black Live Matter leaders earlier in the day to discuss criminal justice reforms and other topics.

Both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, all Democratic presidential hopefuls, have been dogged by Black Lives activists in the recent weeks, interrupting speeches and trying to snatch away microphones. Activists are pushing for Democratic candidates to make the problems in the United States justice system a more significant campaign issue.