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 It was the Vermont senator's first visit to the state since
announcing his candidacy in late April, in a challenge to Democratic
front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Sanders had canceled a planned appearance in Charleston in June in
the wake of the massacre at the city's Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church that left nine dead.
In North Charleston, the last of five stops in the state, he invoked
the names of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray and Walter
Scott, all unarmed black men who died in the hands of police
officers in a little over a year.
"We are going to end institutional racism and we are going to
transform and make changes in the criminal justice system that isn't
working," he said to loud cheering from a crowd of about 3,100.
"When a police officer breaks the law, that police officer must be
held accountable. We need new rules on the use of force."
He also mentioned the Charleston slayings, which authorities have
called racially motivated.
 "I'm not just talking about somebody who walked into a Bible study
class, prayed with the people in that group and then took out a gun
and killed nine people. I'm talking about the hundreds of hate
groups that exist in this country today whose only function is
fomenting of hatred of African Americans, gays, immigrants, Jews."
Sanders is trying to beat Clinton by building grassroots support in
the states that hold the first nominating contests ahead of the
general election in November 2016.
A recent CNN poll showed Sanders is supported by 29 percent of
Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, a gain of 10 points since
July, compared with 47 percent for Clinton.
Sanders' campaign staff met with the Charleston chapter of activist
group Black Lives Matter on Friday night, said local activist
Muhiyidin D'Baha who attended Saturday night's speech. "They've been
really good in receiving critique. We're really hoping that we have
impacted his message."
"Black Lives Matter" has become a rallying cry for demonstrators
protesting grand jury decisions not to charge white police officers
in the killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, and New
York City.
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Sanders drew crowds of more than 2,000 in Greenville, a conservative
enclave in the northwest corner of the state, and Columbia, the
state capital, where he met with black pastors, said campaign
spokesman Michael Briggs.
A mostly white crowd of supporters began lining up hours ahead of
Sanders' speech
"He's for getting the money out of politics," said Matt Thomas, 24,
a college student.
Sanders has no Super-PAC and has raised $15 million and counts
400,000 individual donors, Briggs said. Clinton, in contrast, has
raised more than $45 million.
"Other candidates just want to benefit the super wealthy and
corporations," said Greg Zills, who drove from Jacksonville,
Florida.
"He's my favorite politician, and he hasn't been to Florida."
(The story was refiled to correct the figure in the third-to-last
paragraph to $15 million, from $1.5 million)
(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
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