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How the MSNBC community responded to the biggest stories of 2015

MSNBC covers a wide-range of topics and has a very active online community that fosters debates on the day's biggest stories.
Demonstrators continue to protest the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald as they attempt to disrupt holiday shoppers along Michigan Avenue Dec. 24, 2015 in Chicago, Ill. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty)
Demonstrators continue to protest the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald as they attempt to disrupt holiday shoppers along Michigan Avenue Dec. 24, 2015 in Chicago, Ill.

From Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to the historic climate deal, the online community at MSNBC had a lot to say about some of the biggest topics of the year. Here's a roundup of a few of the comments and conversations that happened in 2015.

On Tamir Rice

On December 28, 2015, a grand jury decided not to indict any officers involved in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. The decision came more than a year after the shooting took place and was a blow for the Rice family. This commenter shared thoughts about the non-indictment decision.  

“I served on a grand jury this year. EVERYTHING about the grand jury is geared towards making indictments as easy as possible. The whole attitude is, 'go ahead and indict, don't worry about it, let the trial jury deal with judging guilt or innocence.' So any DA who can't get an indictment on a case as lopsided and troubling as this worked DAMN hard to make sure no indictment was forthcoming. Another case of deliberate premeditated malfeasance and collusion between justice officials and police.”'

On Donald Trump

When Donald Trump announced that he was running for president, no one could have predicted his staying power in the polls. Flash-forward six months later and the business mogul remains the front-runner in the Republican presidential field. Trump’s inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants, Syrian refugees and Hillary Clinton have led many into engage in political discourse. The following commenter discusses Trump’s use of the word “schlonged” in reference to Clinton’s loss of the 2008 Democratic primary race.

“As a woman, I would hope that every woman out there would be highly offended. You wouldn't want anyone saying that about your mother, daughters, nieces, Aunts and your grandmothers. And especially the Repub women that say they support this guy. You got so many other candidates you could get behind. Even Donald Trump must have a line that he can't crossed and still get support from the base. Having said that, many of the Repub men should be rethinking their support right about now, cause I'm sure some have wives, daughters, mothers, girlfriends, so forth and so on.” '

On Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter movement dominated headlines this entire year. From disrupting various presidential campaign rallies to protesting the deaths of Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice and Sandra Bland, the activists have made their presence known in the face of opposition and backlash. The community member below responded to a commenter who said “ALL Lives Matter...just not Black ones. That's the movement's fatal flaw!”

"No. Bill, today, right now, on this post, on this video, in these times Black Lives Matter and your inappropriate interjection to derail what is happening in this country, shows your fatal flaw, the inability to understand a complex and important issue. Until you can understand what Black Lives Matter means, you shouldn't distract from the movement. Perhaps you should stop, listen, and learn before posting."'

RELATED: Civil Rights activist attacked on Twitter

On Caitlyn Jenner

When Caitlyn Jenner revealed she was a transgender woman, people everywhere lauded her courageous move. She received the Arthur Ashe Award for courage at the ESPYs. Below a community member applauds the importance of Jenner's speech.

"Every parent of a transgender child should record Caitlyn Jenner's acceptance speech and play it for their child every morning and every evening. It is true, "None of us were born the same" and if we truly believe, regardless of our religious upbringing, that a supreme power created the earth and all its inhabitants, then we are all different from each other. For me, I support what Caitlyn Jenner has done, is doing, and will do going forward. What a wonderful world we live in, if only we could remove hatred for people different from ourselves. It is truly easier to hate someone than to accept and love them as their God created them. Thanks to the Arthur Ashe Foundation, you made July 15, very special."'

On SCOTUS' same-sex marriage decision

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a key case that led to a major victory for the LGBTQ community: The legalization of marriage for same-sex couples. The move was a step forward for marriage equality, and this commenter encouraged celebrations, but also highlighted that the work is not yet done on this crucial issue.

"This particular battle has been won but the war is not over. Those who denounce today's ruling will not be silent in their fury and will work tirelessly to overturn or undermine it. As wonderful as today's ruling is, perhaps more important in guaranteeing equal justice under the law than Obergefel would be a federal ENDA. Our current Congress will never bring up, let alone pass, a federal Employment Non Discrimination Act so we need to look ahead. Learn which candidates in 2016 (for President, Senate, House, Governor, Mayor and even Register of Wills) support the issues that matter to you. Volunteer your time and money to their campaign, and register and VOTE! Don't forget our next president is likely to make 2 or 3 SCOTUS appointments."'

On Obama’s climate agenda

Recently, officials from hundreds of nations convened in Paris to create an action plan on reversing the effects of climate change. President Obama has made climate change one of the biggest priorities of his administration and has been vocal about getting the ball rolling. In an article where Obama addresses the issue of climate change in Alaska, the commenter below was having a discussion with another community member about knowledge of climate change.

"Secondly, one of the reasons sea ice is around in larger amounts than predicted is because warming is actually WORSE than previously forecast. Omg, but ice is cold! How does warming create more ice! I know, I know, unfair of me to bring up a point that requires more than ten brain cells, but there it is. Warmer water temperatures are drawing cold air down from the upper atmosphere, creating a fan-like effect on the ocean's surface. This creates a little more thin surface ice, but isn't good news since ice is only .01% of the ocean's mass, and the fact that the water is warmer is far worse..."'

You can always check out other comments made by the MSNBC community and join in to discuss the biggest stories of the day here.