#RolandMartinUnfiltered - 10.15: VA Lt Gov Fairfax speaks; Cop who killed Atatiana Jefferson posts bail; Word Network responds

Episode Date: October 24, 2019

10.15.19 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: VA Lt Gov Fairfax speaks out after filing a 400 million dollar lawsuit against CBS; Cop who killed Atatiana Jefferson posts bail; The cop who murdered Rekia Boyd wants his criminal record erased; Word Network owner Kevin Adell responds to calls for a boycott; Black and Latino people make up 86% of juveniles charged as adults over the past 10 years; Trump has yet to condemn the doctored video showing him killing journalists and his political rivals. - #RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: Life Luxe Jazz Life Luxe Jazz is the experience of a lifetime, delivering top-notch music in an upscale destination. The weekend-long event is held at the Omnia Dayclub Los Cabos, which is nestled on the Sea of Cortez in the celebrity playground of Los Cabos, Mexico. For more information visit the website at lifeluxejazz.com. Can't make it to Los Cabos for the Life Luxe Jazz Fest? Get your live stream pass at https://gfntv.com/ - #RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: 420 Real Estate, LLC To invest in 420 Real Estate’s legal Hemp-CBD Crowdfunding Campaign go to http://marijuanastock.org - #RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: Ebony Foundation | Home by the Holiday Home by the Holiday aims to reunite Black and Latino families separated by bail, while challenging racial injustice and mass incarceration. For more info visit https://www.homebytheholiday.com/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Să facem o pătrunjelă. We'll be right back. Today is Tuesday, October 15th, 2019. Coming up on Roland Martin, unfiltered murder charges for the cop who killed a black woman in Fort Worth. The former cop will give the details on that case, which has stirred up lots of interest, not only in Fort Worth, but all across the country. The Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Justin Fairfax, is joining us to talk about his battle against sex charges. He says it's time for him to be vindicated. We will go over that with him. Also, folks, on today's show, the Chicago former cop who murdered Rekia Boyd, he now wants his entire criminal record erased. We'll explain what Dante Servin is trying to do. Also, the owner of the word network, Kevin Adele,

he is responding to calls for a boycott over a text battle he had with a pastor who used to be on his network. Also, black and Latino folks make up 86% of juveniles charged as adults over the past 10 years. We'll break it down for you. And Donald Trump, well, you know, he did something stupid today. But the person who really did something stupid was Rudy Giuliani, who's ignoring a subpoena. I'm sorry, aren't you the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York?

So now subpoenas are optional? It's time to snap the cuffs into a perp walk with Giuliani. It's time to bring the funk on Roller Martin Unfiltered. Let's rolling. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all.

It's rolling Martin. Yeah. Rolling with rolling now. He's yeah, yeah, yeah. Rolling with Roland now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's rolling, Martin. Now. Martin.

Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth police officer who fatally shot 28-year-old Atiana Jefferson in her home this weekend, was jailed last night on a murder charge. His bail was set at $200,000. He was released on bond last night. You might recall it was yesterday where the police chief of Fort Worth went before the cameras and said had Dean not resigned, he would have been fired as a result of his decision making on early Saturday morning when Jefferson was in her home and where she was, of course, playing video games with her nephew. A wellness call went into the police officer because her door had been ajar since 10 o'clock. The officers actually went around the home. Apparently, she heard a noise.

According to officials, the nephew said she heard a noise and got her gun and pointed it at the window. We don't know if that took place prior to him firing the shot. What we do know, based upon that body cam video we showed you yesterday, that the officer did not identify himself. And so Dean is out on bond, but again, he has been charged with murder. I want to go to our panel right now and talk about this with them. Of course, joining us right now is Dr. Jason Nichols, Department of African American Studies, University of Maryland,

and Kelly Bethea, Communications Strategist, Malik Abdul, Republican strategist. Jason, I want to start with you. Again, the police have charged him with murder. Doesn't mean that that will actually be the grand jury will indict him on that. Also, no word when the Tarrant County DA is going to take this to the grand jury. But certainly, Fort Worth has moved a lot faster than other jurisdictions in similar cases. Yeah, this is this case is tragic. And again, this this whole Dallas-Fort Worth area is, you know, hopefully it's not endemic of the entire country because this is, you know, people being shot in their own homes.

And I'm assuming that her gun was, you know, a legal firearm, which she had every right. Well, first of all, yesterday news conference, the mayor made it perfectly clear that it was inexcusable when the police put out that a gun was recovered. She said that meant nothing to this case. She had absolute right to be able to have the weapon in her home. So it had no bearing whatsoever. And that was the mayor yesterday when she went before the cameras. Right. Yeah. So so I think, you know, hopefully that justice will be done in this case. We can't have people being shot in their own

homes and particularly when they're not even being called. It's not even a criminal kind of call. It's a it's a wellness call where police are supposed to be checking to see if everything is OK. And the first thing they do without announcing anything is firing a shot. It's just totally reckless. How he even had his gun drawn at that point, I think, is suspect in and of itself. This, of course, folks, if you go to my iPad, please, this is the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. And you see their murder warrant for ex-officer says victim was holding gun. Well, that's legal in Texas. Folks, in Texas, a homeowner has a right to defend their property. And so the fact that she was holding a gun, pointing it at the window

when the officer fired is irrelevant, Kelly, because in Texas, that again is legal. What we do know with that body cam video is that the officer he was shining the light into her home he never identified himself. Not one time did he yell police put the weapon down. He just simply yelled put the weapon down fire within six seconds. I'm really upset about it. It's hard for me to talk regarding this because it's unfortunately nothing that we haven't heard before. It's just a rinse and repeat of cops not being able to value black lives.

Like, it makes no sense to me. First of all, the fact that he didn't even knock on the front door, from my understanding. He went around the back, which is why she was even at her bedroom window in the first place. If this is a wellness check, you knock on the door. You check on the person. You don't scope out the premises, acting like somebody's in the house who's not supposed to be there. The fact that she had a gun, like you said, is irrelevant because in Texas, you are allowed to defend yourself in your house with a gun.

The fact that people don't, like police officers don't think that black people can have guns. This was just wholly unnecessary. Malik, Jim Lane, who is the defense attorney for Dean, former city councilman there in Fort Worth, said that he and his client had no comment at all. But again, the thing that is, I mean, and I will give them credit, is that the city of Fort Worth did not do what many other jurisdictions have done, did not immediately try to play a game of trying to cover it up, trying to defend the police officer, which you have not seen.

You have not, unlike what you see in New York, you have not seen the police union come out blasting folks left and right. You haven't seen any of that. They understood that this officer screwed up all across the board. And you heard the chief yesterday say, had he not resigned, I would have fired him. This is a much more clear-cut case than anything that we've seen before. And we have the body cam evidence to actually prove that. When I first saw it yesterday and I was watching him, and I don't know what the protocol is, but when I was watching him go through the back gate of the home, looking around the side of the home, you know, I didn't know if that's something that's standard

practice when you don't even announce yourself at the door. Like you go to the back of the house with, forget the front door, you just decide to go to the back of the house. But I do believe that this was a much more clear cut case and easier to grasp than probably any other case that I've seen because we're watching him. And when I saw it initially, it reminded me of the speed in which she was killed reminded me of Tamir Rice. When the officers arrived at the scene and probably by the time I finished this sentence, he was already dead. And so this is another example of that. And I think that the Fort Worth area, you know, they did do a great job. Like you said, the chief did say, you know, if he did not, if he did not turn him, you know, resign, he was going to fire him.

So that lets you know early on that they saw something here that is, well, I won't say it's unlike anything for them, but it's pretty clear that they saw something wrong if they went this far. Also, it's interesting here, according to the Associated Press, Dean issued a one-sentence resignation letter. It said, quote, you can go to my iPad, please, effective immediately, I am tendering my resignation from the Fort Worth Police Department. This is a piece, a story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. But the letter was not released by the Fort Worth Police Union. The letter was released by the State Police Union, the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas, also known as CLEAP.

And according to this Star-Telegram story, the group's executive director, Charlie Wilkinson, said an attorney will be provided for Dean with financial support from the union. Now, is that I mean, I don't know if that's standard. That may be standard. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Normally, normally when you have these cases, the local union, the locals, the local police department union, that's typically who you see responding. We've seen that in Baltimore. We've seen it in New York and other places. The fact that the Fort Worth Police Union did not respond to police, did not respond to any of this. But the state union did. I still think is quite interesting here. But, again, Aaron Dean is out on bond, of course, charged by police with murder for the death of 28-year-old Ms. Jefferson. And so we'll keep you updated on this case as we get more details.

Going to go to a break right now. When we come back, we'll chat with Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, who has been under lots of pressure over the past year after he was accused of sexual assault by two women. He is now countersued, saying he is fighting to reclaim his name. We will chat with him about that lawsuit and other issues next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. You want to check out Roland Martin Unfiltered?

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And don't forget to turn on your notifications so when we go live, you'll know it. All right, fam, it's almost that time. The holiday season, of course, is for many of us the favorite time of the year. Now, whether you celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Ramadan, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's, all of these, of course, from October to the end of the year, this is when you think about spending time with the people you love the most. This is also the time to count your blessings and support those less fortunate and look at how you can have an impact on their lives. Well, I have the perfect opportunity for you to be a holiday hero, have a major impact on other families. Here's the deal. Right now, hundreds of thousands of Americans are sitting in jail without being convicted of a crime.

Why? Because they lack the financial resources to pay their bail. Now think about it. If you are arrested for any minor offense, you will be taken directly to jail. If you don't have bail money, whether it's a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, you will stay there until a court date is scheduled. Now that could be days, weeks, or even months. America's bail system is broken and has created a two-tier system of justice, one for the rich and one for the poor. Folks, freedom should be free. That's why the Ebony Foundation is partnering with the Bail Project

and is sponsoring the Home by the Holiday campaign. With your help, our goal is to bail out 1,000 people by New Year's Day. How's that for a holiday gift? A donation from you can change someone's life tomorrow. Now, here's why it is critical. People of color represent upwards of 90% of the jail population across the country. It ranges from 50 to 90% depending upon where you are. Of course, when they stayed in jail, 90% of people with misdemeanors ended up pleading guilty. However, when bail was paid, 50% of the cases were dismissed and less than 2% received the jail sentence. Sometimes justice needs just us to join the fight.

Folks, you can be a holiday hero by donating $25, $50 or more to help the Ebony Foundation bring our brothers and sisters home for the holidays. To donate, go to homebytheholiday.com. That's H-O-M-E-B-Y-T-H-E-H-O-L-I-D-A-Y.com. And of course, the Ebony Foundation is tied to Ebony Magazine. And so we certainly appreciate the work that they're doing to assist those who are most in need. Folks, many folks last year were stunned when allegations of sexual assault were levied against the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Justin Fairfax. First by Vanessa Tyson claiming it took place, she was forced to perform oral sex at the Democratic National Convention 2004.

Then another woman who said that she was sexually assaulted by Fairfax when they attended Duke University. There were numerous interviews that were done. Fairfax denied those allegations. The women wanted to have an act, wanted to go before the Virginia Assembly. But they also said they were going to talk to investigators in Massachusetts, North Carolina. District attorneys in Massachusetts and North Carolina both said that if a complaint was filed, they would actually investigate. To this date, no complaint has been filed by either woman or their attorneys.

Well, a couple weeks ago, Justin Fairfax filed a $400 million lawsuit against CBS for advancing the narrative interviewing Vanessa Tyson he says it's time to clear his name he joins us right now on roller Martin unfiltered for obviously for the purpose of full disclosure I'm a member of Alpha Phi Alpha along with Justin and also beta new chapter of Sigma Phi Phi the relay and so that's important to state that so I'm gonna go glad to have you here thank you so you first and foremost you filed this lawsuit yes two women made these made these allegations you have you have

said point-blank this did not happen right they have been arguing that the need that there should be a full investigation through the Virginia Assembly why did you file a lawsuit against CBS? Yeah, well, we did file this lawsuit in federal district court in the Eastern District of Virginia against CBS because they put these stories on the air, broadcast what were fabricated claims to millions of people across the country without doing their homework and with a reckless disregard for the truth. We were supplying them with information and questions to reckless disregard for the truth. We were supplying

them with information and questions to ask to test the veracity of the stories. And they really did not do what they needed to do to show, which is what we know today, is that these stories are fabricated and also politically motivated. And so it was obvious to so many people in Virginia and around the country exactly what this was all about. It only occurred right around the time when it appeared that Governor Northup might step down, that I might ascend to the governorship of Virginia. It was at that precise moment that these false allegations were made because people were desperate to try to stop me from becoming governor of Virginia. And we have proof positive of that. We found text messages between the aide to the Richmond mayor, LeVar Stoney, the wife of one of his former top aides, where she says to

Dr. Tyson that weekend, you know, looks like Governor Northup's be forced to resign tomorrow. We need to get your story out today to the press. And so it was obvious that the people were doing exactly what we suspected from day one, which were engaging in a smear campaign. Because, again, there are some folks who are connected and powerful who are desperate to try to stop me from becoming governor of Virginia. And they've now been exposed for what they are. When you talk about the folks targeting again. So CBS did an interview with Vanessa Tyson. Yes. And with Meredith Watson.

Meredith Watson. Yes. And both of the attorneys said that they were going to talk to the DAs there. You have called for the district attorneys to actually launch an investigation. Absolutely. Are you surprised that no complaints have actually been filed for the D.A. in Massachusetts and Boston and the one North Carolina to actually pursue this? Because statute of limitations has not run out, not not North Carolina. We believe it has in Massachusetts. But we were calling six months before the statute of limitations ran out for an investigation. And yes, whether I was surprised that there's been no complaint filed, I'm actually not that surprised because these are fabricated claims. And the last thing someone wants to do when they're fabricating a claim, particularly

a serious claim of a supposed crime, is to talk to law enforcement, to go to talk to prosecutors and police, because the difference between going to police and going, for instance, to the General Assembly is that if you lie to the police, if you make material misstatements, and I'm a former federal prosecutor, so I know this process very well, you can then be charged with a crime. It is a crime to lie to the police, to the FBI, to local district attorneys. And so if you're fabricating a claim and that claim starts to fall apart, the police discover it, then you yourself could be charged. So from that standpoint, I'm not surprised. I know that Dr. Tyson's lawyers did say that they were going to meet with the DA in Boston back in February. Here we are in October, and that apparently

still has never happened. And so we've shown so many fabrications and falsehoods and things about these allegations that completely were revealed to be untrue. It never happened with what they're alleging. You know, any crime, any inappropriate conduct never occurred. And we know, again, because of the timing, because of the means that were used, that this was all a smear campaign. And that was the whole point of it. And they to rush it actually because we know they were holding on to some of these things and they were gonna find the precise you know great moment to try to stop me and that could have been later down the road but because Governor Northam looked like he might be stepping down they had to rush it and hurry up

and do this thing on a rush basis and and they got sloppy and now people see exactly you know what this was CBS responded quote we stand by our reporting and we will vigorously defend this lawsuit and what has been interesting again with the whole back-and-forth here you've had you've had her folks speak out they were critical of the filing of this lawsuit, but there hasn't been much since. What do you attest that to? Well, you're right. And that's interesting. We actually filed our initial complaint back in September. We filed an amended complaint on October the 3rd. And interestingly, Roland, neither CBS nor either of the attorneys for either of the accusers

responded at all to that amended complaint. It's because it's a very powerful document, and I would encourage people to go read it. It's about 57 pages. Where can they read it? They can either go to a website called PACER, which is the federal court system, and they can find the complaint that way. It's also in a number of news stories online. And it really lays out very powerfully the facts, the case as to why these allegations, again,

are completely fabricated. But then beyond that, how they were politically motivated. And we put actual screenshots of these text messages that are going back and forth. We put information about what CBS, what information they had, what information we were supplying them, questions that they didn't ask and things that would have really shown that these stories were false. And yet they recklessly put them on the air and millions of people saw them. And it does enormous damage to have these false stories. And so you noticed that none of the statements that we stand by the truth of the stories. Right. And so we stand by our reporting. But we're talking about whether these stories are true or not. And we know that they're not true. We know that they were aired

to millions of people recklessly with a reckless disregard for the truth. And they were defamatory. And that's why we filed the lawsuit that we filed. People should be held accountable. We really have to get out of this mode where people can say things without any evidence, without any proof, with obvious political motivations, try to do damage and then simply walk away. According to your complaint, you said that on Sunday, February 3, 2019, Scharf, which is Adria Scharf, sent an urgent message to Tyson alerting her that Northam may be forced to resign tomorrow. Northam's resignation would immediately have elevated, obviously, you to the governorship. And Scharf pushed Tyson, said, quote,

that Thad and I think your story should get to the local press today rather than later. Dr. Thad is Thad Williamson, works at the University of Richmond, University of Richmond professor there, was a former aide to Mayor Stoney. So first and foremost, Sharf denied that she had any involvement in any of this until these text messages came out. How did you get this text message? Yeah, well, that's something that'll come out in court in terms of how we got them, but we got them, you know, completely properly. And so, you know, we got the text messages and we added those to the complaint because they show it's really the smoking gun in that case that this was completely a conspiracy that's politically motivated to

try to stop me from becoming governor of Virginia. I mean, they say it themselves. So LaVar Stoney, who's the mayor of Richmond, have y'all been longtime political rivals? What is it what you're alleging? I mean, trying to stop you. What does he have against you? He calls it false. Right. Well, again, he, I think, considers me a rival. I've never considered him a rival. But, you know, he is announced publicly. And it's a it's a well-known fact that he wanted to run for lieutenant governor in 2017. And yet I ran and we won. He also has told people that he wants to run for governor or lieutenant governor in 2021. And so obviously, if I'm governor and if I had served out the three years of Governor

Northup's term and then run for another four years, that would have been seven years as governor. And so obviously, with his former aide's wife and them all conspiring, they wanted to stop that by any means necessary. So they were incredibly desperate to try to find some way to stop me from being elevated to the governorship back in February and this was the means that they chose and so

you're hearing now a whole bunch of denials about you know well I didn't know this I wasn't aware of that and and it's so obvious to anybody who's been paying any attention what this was and it's also obvious that again that these stories are false and fabricated and And so you had a number of people rushed to judgment, came out, called for my resignation. You had people all over, you know, the state, at least political insiders. The people have always been on our side. And including the former governor, Terry McCullough. That's right. In fact, Governor McCullough was, to my knowledge, the first one,

first major political figure in Virginia to call for my immediate resignation. Were you close to ever resigning? Never, never, because these things are false. And again, that's what we have to do. First of all, we have to speak up, have courage and tell the truth. And I knew the entire time that I was telling the truth. And and in fact, we've done everything that we can to show, again, these allegations are false and that I was telling the truth the entire time. I passed two lie detector tests. We reached out to the DAs. How many people do you know accused of a crime actually contact the DAs themselves and say, please investigate this, and I'll talk to you. I'll wave my Fifth Amendment right, and I'll come in, and I'll talk to you.

And then when they wouldn't move, and we ended up filing a lawsuit, which now there is evidence being put forward through that lawsuit to show that these allegations were completely false. For instance, with Meredith Watson, her attorney, Nancy Erica Smith, is no longer even publicly vouching for the truth of the story. Ever since July 9th, when we had our attorney, Barry Pollack, reach out to the Durham DA and give them exculpatory information, they've completely changed their tune. And now they don't want to talk about it anymore. Well, they don't want to talk about it because it's revealed to be false. And again, they're claiming in Tyson's case, she's claiming you forced her to have

oral sex. You say it was consensual. Meredith Watson, her case, she says that she was raped. You say the two of you were engaged in consensual sex. That's correct. And again, there's other exculpatory information that we've already put out in public record that's been out in the public record for some time. You know, Ms. Watson also accused a Duke basketball player of rape, you know, the year before. And again, to our knowledge, there's no evidence to corroborate that. And so as people have seen

the facts, they've seen this play out. They now see very clearly what this was all about and what it continues to be all about. There are people, again, who remain desperate to try to stop me from being governor of Virginia. But again, the people have been on our side. I've traveled all around the Commonwealth of Virginia. I can't go anywhere without people coming up to us saying we know these are false. We know why they did this. We know who's behind this. And we really want you to make sure not only that you stay in this office, but you continue to serve the Commonwealth well into the future. We got your back. We saw the Washington Post poll come out and we're plus 14 favorability

rating. And that's even after all these lies have been told for seven, eight straight months. And yet the people still believe in us and people still are on our side. When this first came out, there were individuals, there were people who immediately said, he's got to go, he's got to quit. Then I remember the, Ava Jones DeWeaver, one of the folks on our show, one of our panelists and others, they were sort of leery about this as well. There were some who said that even this was an attack on a black elected official, even though you had two black women.

Then you had people who were saying, look, you should believe the women as well. And this has been a strange story because you had the blackface scandal with the governor, Ralph Northam, then who claims that he did not know how photos got on his page, has never said that was actually him. But then you have the attorney general who's actually the next person behind you who had a blackface scandal, who also announced three years earlier that he was running for governor as well. Right, right, right. That's right. And as you mentioned, the timing made it so obvious to people what this was. This was a political attack. It's the weaponization of false allegations.

And, you know, people it's really sad and shameful and cynical because, you know, this is a real issue. I have survivors of sexual assault in my own family and I've always stood up for people who have been harmed. I was a federal prosecutor. I have a young son and a young daughter. And so this is a very serious issue. But for people to stoop to the weaponization of a false allegation just solely to achieve a political goal and then have their plans be exposed, you know, it shows you exactly what this was and how shameful it continues to be. And again, so people are desperate to try to stop us. And we've shown them at every turn that these are false and that we're going to fight to not only clear my name, but to make our politics rise above some of the worst aspects of what we've seen.

And it's not lost on anybody that this is one of the oldest, most racist tropes in this country. When all else fails, when you can't attack someone on their education or on their dedication to the community, on their public service, you accuse an African-American man of a horrific sexual crime without any evidence. But you've been accused by two black women. No, understood, but whose stories have fallen apart. And I think that's what makes this also doubly cynical. Because remember, there are other people involved in this. When they showed up with these allegations, again, one of which the Washington Post investigated for months last year and decided not to publish the story because it was uncorroborated.

How many people have been, how many elected officials have been smeared with an uncorroborated allegation of this nature? And then immediately asked to resign. People looked at two pieces of paper, two press releases, and called for your resignation. Now, meanwhile, those same people are radio silent now that the information, the evidence has come out that these were false allegations. So, again, Meredith Watson's attorney, if you call her today and ask her to publicly vouch for the truthfulness of the story, she has ceased to do that post-July. She now makes these bland statements about looking forward to everybody testifying in

court. Well, they weren't looking forward to that because they didn't want to go to court. Republicans have also seemed to have backed off of holding impeachment hearings. Yeah, and that was all a political circus from day one. And they are, again, cynically using, you know, this issue and these false allegations, hopefully in their hopes for their own political benefit. But it's failing, too. You know, they're doing terribly in the polls. And every time they talk about this and they do a head fake on wanting to hold, you know, these hearings, what they're reminding people is that they don't

really have a plan. They don't have a record of accomplishment. And I say, you know, they have a broken record and they also sound like one because they keep talking about these things, even as they are shown to be false and debunked. And so, you know, we again have not only gotten through this, as I've said, we've been attacked many times, as you know, in the past, many times by people in our own party, but the people have always stuck with us. I've been very fortunate to have the support of the people. I've never gotten less than 48% of the statewide vote in any election we've ever run.

We were elected to lieutenant governor with the most votes in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1.36 million votes. And so we continue to get this opposition, but we also continue to rise. We're elevated every single time they come after us and attack us, particularly in a case like this, where it is so obvious what this has been all about, you know, making these false, cynical, shameful allegations, not wanting to prove it. And then as the information comes out showing that they're false, wanting to then not talk about it. Now it's radio silent for seven months. It was every single day. I wanted to talk about it and accuse me of things. And

then when the evidence comes out, radio silence. Will you file a defamation suit against Meredith Watson, against Vanessa Tyson? You know, we've not taken any litigation off the table and certainly are observing everything that's going on. And we made it clear. I said from the start that I was going to clear my name, that these allegations were false, that I was not going to resign because there's no reason to resign over these false allegations, but also that we're going to hold people accountable. Again, we have to get out of this mode and this vicious cycle

where some people, not most people, again, when people make these claims, they're very serious claims, everyone should be heard when these types of claims are made. But when they're lying and not telling the truth and fabricating stories, we cannot allow people to simply hurl these out into the public, do as much damage as they can politically, personally, professionally, and walk away. People want to be arsonists in the lives of other people with false allegations. That has got to stop. And again, we know that there are many instances where these things are true. Here you have two. They're completely false and fabricated and politically motivated.

And people need to be held accountable for that. Will you obviously in Virginia personally serve one term as governor? Right. Are your plans to run for governor? You know, that's something we're seriously considering right now. And we're getting a lot of encouragement from people who want to see us run. And again, you know, not that I wanted any of these things to happen. I mean, what happened with Governor Northam was a surprise, certainly to me and to those around us. Should he still be there? Should he have quit? You know, as I said before, he has to make the

decision that's in the best interest of the Commonwealth of Virginia. And what I will say is, you know, I appreciate the fact that he's committing himself to issues around racial equity and really doing substantive things to help heal some of the wounds of our past. You know, Virginia is really where it all began in America. We're exactly 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were forced to land in Hampton Point Comfort, 400 years since our General Assembly met Jamestown. And so this country is dealing with a lot of its racial demons that it hasn't really dealt with in the past. And this is part of the process. But to in this space where we're in this historic time to then throw on top of that fabricated false allegations against an African-American, really against anybody, but against an African-American sitting elected official who was 40 years old, lived 40 years accusation free. And then, you know, literally on the evening before they think I'm going to become governor, come out with these allegations that have been shown now over the past eight months to be false and fabricated and politically motivated. I mean, to do that in that moment is particularly cynical, but I think

the people understand, you know, what this has been all about. I think they are re-energized to deal, you know, with those demons that we have racially in this nation. And that the next 400 years, really starting that off on a very different foot. I mean, they're tired of the gutter politics. They're tired of the slash and burn politics, personal destruction. And I've always, in my public service, tried to call people to a higher purpose, to bring people together, to help people get opportunity. And that's really what we've been all about. All right, then. Well, we certainly will see what happens next. Lieutenant Governor, Judge Justin Fairfax, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Roland. God bless you. Thanks for having me. Appreciate you. Thank you. All right,

folks, we're going to go to a break. We'll come back. We'll talk with my panel about this story, as well as other news of the day, right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. You want to support Roland Martin Unfiltered? Be sure to join our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar that you give to us supports our daily digital show. There's only one daily digital show out here that keeps it black and keep it real. As Roland Martin Unfiltered support the Roland Martin Unfiltered daily digital show by going to RolandMartinUnfiltered.com.

Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing 50 bucks each for the whole year. You can make this possible. RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. All right, folks, Life, Luck, Jazz Experience taking place in Cabo, November 7th through the 11th. Of course, if you want to attend, go to lifeluxjazz.com, L-I-F-E-L-U-X-E-J-A-Z-Z.com. But if you cannot be in Cabo for those four days, 14 different amazing artists,

then, of course, you could live stream it. Get your live stream pass at gfntv.com. That's gfntv.com. As I said, amazing artists, Gerald Albright, Alice Bunyan, Kirk Whalum, Donna McClurkin, Shalia, Roy Ayers. Man, it's going to be an unbelievable three-day extravaganza. And so look forward to participating. And again, get your live streaming pass to cover those three days, all 14 concerts. You'll be able to watch right here on your phone, on your iPad computer.

Does not matter. Go to GFNTV.com. That's GFNTV.com to get your live stream pass. All right, folks, in Chicago, Dante Servin, the off-duty former Chicago cop who fired his gun out of his car window, killing innocent bystander Rekia Boyd, now wants all evidence of the criminal case filed against him cleared from the public record. His lawyer says because it has been hard for him to get a job to support his family with only the approximately $57,000 a year cop pension he currently receives. Really? He got off scot-free on charges of involuntary manslaughter when a Chicago judge throughout the case saying he should have been charged with murder.

So what do you make of this panel? He wants, as it looked, I wasn't convicted, thrown out, remove everything. I'm sure a lot of people who are in prison, black, white, Hispanic or whatever, would. Well, actually not in prison. Let me take that back I'm sure a lot of people who were charged with a crime or whatever would like their sentences or convictions to be you know expunged overturned or whatever the proper words are but tough luck well he's saying that I was never tried was never convicted so therefore why should this to be out there in the

in the criminal justice system? Kelly? I mean he has a point but at the same time he did shoot somebody. That person did die and there's a whole family out there missing their loved one because of the actions that he took. Whether he was tried and convicted or not, you know, it kind of doesn't matter at this point. He has every right to try and pursue an expungement. But at the same time, just from an ethical standpoint, he's a cop. This was another unwarranted killing. And people are still seeking justice on behalf of this victim. And just because he wasn't, you know, he's not in prison right now doesn't mean that there aren't remedies for that family to pursue. Well, Jason, the big reason why Kim Foxx is a district attorney is because Anita Alvarez was the previous DA.

Her office got nailed because of this. But when you take this case and the Laquan McDonald case, that's why Anita Alvarez was bounced in the Democratic primary by Kim Foxx. Yeah, I mean, Anita Alvarez was horrible. And one of the things that we need to talk about across the nation, and, you know, it really upsets me when people say they don't vote. I think voting is so important, particularly when we're looking at the fact that DAs are elected positions and we need to cast our votes for people who are going to hold people like Dante Servin accountable. My question is, I guess, a legal one, and I'm not a lawyer, but I'm wondering, if he was never tried, can he be charged and tried for this crime? Or under the judge said it should have been murder, can he be charged and tried for this crime or you know under you know the judge said it should have been murder so he'd be tried for which which I feel Jeopardy if he was never tried right right you're trying to understand why

that what the whole deal would basically walk free well it's not to the DA to press charges again and I'll say it's not necessarily a double jeopardy issue it's a DA issue and you know I'll say this. So it's not necessarily a double jeopardy issue. It's a DA issue. And, you know, I'll say this. You know, the death of Rekia Boyd, you know, there were some really bad ones. I know, you know, Malik, you said that this with Tamir and with Jefferson were the worst. I mean, I would say there have been a lot of bad ones, including Walter Scott, where we saw a man get shot in the back.

But I would also say that this one hit me particularly hard. Actually, let me help you on that. So the problem is the judge did not, he didn't just throw it out. He acquitted Serf. Oh, well then, yeah. That's a different. That's a different. A voluntary manslaughter.

So the judge, yeah, he was, the judge acquitted him, which obviously prompted more public protest. And it was only three days. And this actually took place before there was a hearing to determine whether he should be fired. He spent 21 years at the police department. And, yeah, the judge acquitted him. So, I mean, you know, then I understand. But him, you know, this one, this case in particular hit me hard. Which I'm still confused by, because if you don't, so it's involuntary manslaughter,

but then the judge says it should have been murder, so therefore I'm going to quit. I'm not quite understanding that one, but go ahead, I'm sorry. That was just a poor judgment call. I just didn't understand that one. I think when you undercharge, you know, and based on what the evidence is, that I think is a mistake of the prosecuting attorneys there. And the DA's office is opposing this effort, citing public policy grounds. And let's also remember. And let me read the quote.

The quote is, the nature and facts of the crime are such that the public, employers, and law enforcement should have access to his record. Go ahead. I mean, Rekia Boyd, one of the things that, you know, really hit me hard about this case is that she was shot in the back of the head. The coward didn't even have the guts to look her in the eye. He shot her in the back of the head. This is a woman. From the Chicago Tribune, you can go to my iPad. Servant was off duty and in plain clothes

when he said he politely asked a group to hold the noise down as he drove by Douglas Park near his West Side home one late night in March 2012. As one man, Antonio Cross, angrily approached his car, Servant said

he believed he saw Cross pull a gun from his waistband. Servants said he yelled that he was a police officer, drew his Glock 9mm, and opened fire over his shoulder from inside his Mercedes as he continued to drive. Cross was wounded in the hand, but Boyd, who was laughing with her friends while standing about 30 feet behind Cross, was shot once in the back of the head. She died the next day. Cross told authorities he had a cell phone in his hand as he yelled and gestured at Servin to leave, thinking he was there to buy drugs.

No gun was recovered at the scene other than the one fired by servant. So you're driving by a group of people. It's a drive-by shooting. You're driving by a group of people and telling them to keep the noise down. Well, first of all, people are going to be like, well, who in the hell are you? Precisely. I would have cursed them out. What are you talking about?

Where are you coming from with this? Who are you? And then anybody, and I'm just imagining me, you know, someone saying, you know, you're walking up to a car and then someone says, I'm a police officer. I'm not just going to believe that you are police officers. Mercedes driving away. And let me read this here. This is a trip. So the judge in acquitting him said that prosecutors failed to prove the off-duty officer acted recklessly. Well, what's reckless? If any charters were brought, the judge said, they should have been for first-degree murder because Servin contended

that he intentionally shot at Cross to protect himself. For what? Because Servin claimed that he saw a gun, but no gun was ever recovered. a cell that he saw a good he saw a gun but no gun was ever recovered yeah the girl i believed that so so so the real issue is who's this judge who the hell is this judge dennis porter yeah who is this judge i mean

that's all absolutely ridiculous and i remember this case it it upset me incredibly. You had, was she 19 or was she 19 years old, I believe? 22. 22. 22 years old, young woman, gets shot in the back of the head in a drive-by shooting by an off-duty police officer. This is in his Quentin Tarantino

style because he was sitting in his Mercedes over his shoulder. I don't even understand. I'm driving and I'm firing indiscriminately. How is that not reckless? How is that not reckless? That's what's so crazy.

I got to get you real quick before your thoughts about the Justin Fairfax lawsuit. He was going, I mean, look, this thing became national story and he's fighting back. And if for any person who is accused, they should. I've said this before. I think this is not very different from the Kavanaugh case where you had someone make accusations. No one was able to corroborate the accusations, but we assumed that Christine

Blasey Ford was being truthful. We gave her the benefit of the doubt. What I don't like about his interview is that he talked about this racist trope of black men being, you know, being sexually assaulting women or something like that. Well, these are two black women, but these are two black women who made the accusation against him. But it's not necessary. And just because the racist trope exists, and again, I think that accusers should be heard, not necessarily believed. But to say that, well, because I'm a black man, well, there are a lot of black men who not just kill, not just, you know, abuse black women, they kill them. So to act as if there's no

substance to the notion that a black man can be guilty of a crime like this, I just reject it. I don't think that's what he was saying at all. At least that's not the way. Well, he said that they were making this an issue because it fed into this racist narrative, this trope about black men. Well,

two black women accused you. I don't think it has anything to do with the victim per se. Yeah, politically motivated. Oh, I'm sure. And the political motivation was fueled by the racist trope of a black man being a racist. It's low-hanging fruit, basically. So how do you guys compare this to Kavanaugh? I don't think there's any comparison.

So you think there was a valid argument that Christine Blasey Ford made without any corroborating evidence that Kavanaugh was guilty? You yourself said she deserved to be heard. Right. But she was believed. These black women aren't believed.

Hold on. She deserved to be vetted. The whole thing deserved to be vetted and investigated. Many of us believe that there wasn't a significant investigation by the FBI into the claims. That's my only thing. And if you couldn't find something from 34 years ago, and I also think that this is different when you're talking about, you know, what Justin Fairfax is saying. He was saying, look, I want to be held to this standard. I want to be investigated.

It's very different from Kavanaugh, who was like, I don't want to be investigated. I don't want this to happen. Justin, there was an existing relationship that Lieutenant Governor Fairfax actually acknowledged. Kavanaugh said he didn't know who she was. He had never met her before. The people that actually were on his friends or whatever, the people that Christine Blasey Ford said was there, said, well, we don't know what she's talking about.

So, I mean, I think it's a matter of confirmation bias maybe on both sides. But, hey, Justin Fairfax admitted to this relationship. Sure. And I think that's one of the things that makes this very different. I don't think that these are comparable because of all of these circumstances that were so very different. Kelly, what do you make of the lawsuit

by Justin Fairfax against CBS and what he says about these two women? I think he has every right to sue if the facts of the case are valid. You know, the news is supposed to be there to tell the truth as objectively and without bias, without partisan views. So if it is a situation in which that is not the case, where CBS is an international platform.

And you have this man, you know, vying for the governor's seat on an international platform being accused of something very heinous. And if that's if it is found that CBS did not do their due diligence in just, you know, searching for the truth and just, you know, letting the chips fall where they may in terms of information, he has every right to say that. But they did have a responsibility to report it. You know, when a claim like that... No, they had a responsibility to report it, but...

Did they do it responsibly? Well, first of all, in his lawsuit, he's saying that other things they could have checked would have cast doubt on the story and then running with it. Right. Like, that's what I'm saying. Like, if there's no objectivity there, like, yes, they have every right to report it, all of that. I don't disagree with that.

But if there are other things coming up in that investigation that they're not, you know, broadcasting or just burying it or, like, putting it in a crawl somewhere. So that is not, you know, whatever. Again, I'm not comparing this to Kavanaugh. All right, folks. Why do we keep coming up with Kavanaugh? Kavanaugh was there for a job interview. First of all, I'm not talking Kavanaugh. I'm discussing Justin Fairbanks.

I'm going to my next story. It's an update on the story we discussed yesterday. Then with the word network, TV and radio station owner Kevin Adele admitted to sending a racially charged meme to Bishop George Bloomer, who we had on the show yesterday. However, Adele denies creating the meme and says he sent it to Bloomer to make him aware of it. Now, Bloomer was one of the pastors depicted in the meme, which shows Adele draped in a white fur coat and a fur hat,

an image reminiscent of 1970s pimp caricatures with four black pastors from the word network and a Lamborghini behind him. Now, here are some of the text messages sent to Bloomer in response to the meme. In them, you can see that Bloomer tried to get him to get rid of the meme, but it looks like Adele thought it was pretty funny. And so you see where it says, you look like a midget. A tattoo from Fantasy Island. I didn't know they made tuxedos that small. LOL. Bloomer says, that's not funny at all.

Adele responds, LOL. Then, of course, you have where Bloomer says, that's not funny. That has a racist connotation to it. That pimp thing, get rid of that as quickly as you possibly can. It's not funny. It's the equivalent to a black face being put on a white man. I'm telling you, it's not funny. Uh, and then he responds, tattoo, what did Benny say?

Now, uh, I put in a call. So, and then of course you see right there. Okay. Got it. Tattoo. And so he continued, he continued to make fun of Bloomer. I put in a call. So and then, of course, you see right there. OK, got it tattooed. So he continued. He continued to make fun of Bloomer, who says not funny. Bloomer also is me. He's a short man, but he's probably around five, seven, five, eight, some of those lines. And then, of course, you see, I told you I don't like that tattoo business.

I told you that it was highly offensive. I told you I would't like that tattoo business. I told you that it was highly offensive. I told you I would see that as being racist. I told you I do not play games with my name or my character. And what you think is funny is not. I'm going to ask you for the last time. Stop playing with me like that. I do not like it. Great on the prayer shawls. See, see, she's earned her picture on the Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame is at the word network. He goes, OK, got it. And then got it so sensitive.

W.T.F. That's what Kevin Adele. That was the text messages that Bloomer sent us. Conversation back and forth with Kevin Adele. We have put in numerous phone calls to Kevin Adele. We've texted cell phone, called his number. He has not returned our phone calls. Going to our panel here.

It's a little hard for Kevin Adele to say I was simply making him aware this exists when in these text messages coming from his phone to Bloomer's phone. He is making fun of it. He's joking. He is playing this thing up. So even though Kevin Adele and what Kevin Adele is doing is he's standing on this whole deal of I didn't create the meme. Well, it doesn't matter if you didn't create it. You're still playing with it and furthering this whole thing. Right. Yeah, it was it was a bad move on Kevin Adele. And you saw that the other gentleman definitely had a lot of patience because, you know, I probably would have been like, look, I'm going to F you up.

Like, if you don't stop this. We are talking about pastors here. No, no, no. A lot of patience to write to text all that. George, Bloomer's a pastor. Adele is not a pastor. No, that's what I'm saying is the response. Yeah, Bloomer. I'm saying Bloomer's a pastor. Adele isn't.

Right. Right, yeah. So I'm saying Bloomer had a lot of patience to sit there and write all that. You know, look, you know, I think this is racist. Like, I probably would have been a lot shorter. So the question, Kelly, is very simple. The Word Network is a black targeted network.

What would you say if those pastors stay with the Word Network? And the way it works is the word network doesn't pay them they pay the word network you're in essence buying time on the network to air your sermons or your church services uh do you believe these black pastors should stay in the bloomer and pull their shows uh from the Network? That's tricky because the Word Network is an international platform for a lot of cable packages. That is the only Christian

television station. For a lot of cable, like basic cable packages? No, no, no. You're going to have TBN on more basis. First of all, TBN is the largest. You've got TBN, you've got Daystar all, TBN is the largest. You've got TBN, you've got Daystar, and you've got

The Word. And you've got several others. Those really are the top three. Now, The Word, in terms of that targets African Americans. That's what I'm saying. You have that. You have another black-owned Christian television network called

Impact TV, which is also based in Detroit. I think they're in 40 or 45 million homes. The Word is in 80 million plus, 80 to 90 million homes. Even with those stats, the Word Network still has a far larger outreach than Impact. So it's tricky because if your goal is to evangelize and this is the best platform in which you can do that, or at least the pastor feels as such, I mean, I don't know. Would I still do it? No. But Malik, you're giving your money to a guy who thought it was funny, a meme depicting him as the pimp and black pastors as his hoes. Well, I didn't. First of all, to me, this is a crazy, silly story. When I first saw it yesterday, I didn't see pimp and hoes. What did you see? Well, I saw a pimp with these white pastors behind

him. No, no. I mean, sorry, with these black pastors in these white suits behind him. So who do they represent? As part of the gang. I didn't actually see them as hoes. Pull an image up. You mean you... No, I didn't see them as hoes. Pull the image up. So you just saw them as partners? Well, I saw them as part

of this. If someone had tweeted that or shared it on any facebook or whatever um and it was a black person that actually sent that we probably would have thought it was stop stop first of all we don't wait wait wait wait wait wait hold on we don't know if a black person said it we don't know we don't know who made it right but you're but i didn't see racism when i saw that i didn't see racism okay but fine but. I didn't see racism. Okay, fine. But Jason, if this black pastor says to him. How is that hoes?

Okay, because you have the white pimp who's larger than everyone else. Right. And they're behind him. Right. Jason, you have this pastor who says to this to Dale, hey. This is how this can be seen or perceived. Don't send us around. Yeah.

His response is not, hey, George, I appreciate that. Thanks a bunch. Right. No, he starts making fun of him. He doubles down. Calling him tattoo. Right. I know they made suits that small.

I mean, he's joking. The guy clearly says, this is. Calling him tattoo. Right. I know they made suits that small. I mean, he's joking. The guy clearly says, this is not funny to me. Right. Adele pretty much like, I don't give a damn. It's funny to me. Right, exactly. There was no regard and honestly, I'm one of those people that I, at least

I think I agree with you, and that is that I'm not going to give you my money. You know, I'll stream. I will do something else. We'll figure something else out. But I'm not going to give my money to a business where the business owner does not respect me. And so, you know, you had a situation. I remember there was a rapper who was discriminated against, I believe, in Barney's. So he went and bought out the store. And I'm like, that's a terrible response. You take your money and you take it somewhere else, but you don't sit there and spend money with, and I'm sure that the word is going to have 10 other preachers that are willing to come in and

fill that spot, but still they don't need to have your money. They don't need to have your congregation's money in order to publicize what you're doing. And on the question of the boycott, no, I don't think that other pastors do. I mean, and that's obviously it's up to their discretion. I don't think that there should be a wide boycott of the word network because of this ignorance. I don't see why there shouldn't be one. What I'm saying is because I'm looking at the comments now on YouTube, and it's like, you know, they're accusing me of, like, supporting racism by saying, you know, don't. Well, they do that all the time. They do.

But I want to clarify. Did you see yesterday's comments? No. But I just want to clarify. I don't think that they should give their money. I'm saying that it's a tricky situation on behalf of the pastor in making that decision. Because it is a large network. It's kind of like when people were saying boycott Walmart.

But here's the deal though. So then what? All right, that's cool for Kevin Liddell to sit here and joke with a guy. So here's the piece though. So then what's the repercussion? Just, hey, dude, sorry. Adele, here's the other piece.

Adele has not offered an apology. No. He's offered an explanation. I mean, we're watching the text messages. His response is. Dude, what the F? Yo. But, you know, hey, why y'all tripping?

But I think this is an opportunity. If now what I would like to see happen, so those pastors, then those black pastors should put the fire under Adele to make him actually address it. I kind of agree with what Killer Mike said. Well, that's what the petition is for, the Change.org petition is for. Well, I think that's, it seems, I think what Roland was asking, they were boycotting the show. But I actually take what, you know, I consider what Killer Mike said down at the Revolt Summit down in Atlanta when we're talking about boycotting. Like, and I think he mentioned that, you know, everybody was saying when the incident happened at the Waffle House,

everyone was saying, well, let's boycott the entire, you know, Waffle House organization or what have you. And so I agree that there are steps that you can take. And even what he said at that point, boycott that one. Boycott that one. But I do think that the fastest... No, but hold up. See, this is where I'm... See, this is where Killer Mike is wrong on that one. He's not wrong. You just disagree with him. No, he was wrong.

Well, you just disagree with him. No, no. Let me say it again. He was wrong. There were multiple waffle houses with problems. Yeah, yeah. That wasn't one. It wasn't... No, no, no. say it again. He was wrong. There were multiple Waffle Houses. Yeah, yeah. That wasn't one. It wasn't. No, no, no. It wasn't like that was this one Waffle House. There were multiple incidents that happened at Waffle Houses that spoke to a culture. And again, but here's the other piece. Here's the other piece. Why? When we when we say boycott okay uh first of all boycott um is something that is totally different than simply i'm not going to be spending my money right okay that's first and foremost okay i mean this is an actual organized plan i mean whatever you want to call this whole

deal the the issue for me here, the issue for me here, is that first, the man tells you, man, this is not funny. It's a racial issue. Here you are, white guy. It's not funny. But you keep joking with me. You don't care. You keep playing with me. Okay, you keep doing

that. Then, what you then do, is you come out and you say, hey, I was just trying to make him aware of this, which is nonsense. You have also, now you have,

so he doesn't apologize. That's one. Doesn't apologize. Now, so the Detroit chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and they sit on a tweet, which they have now deleted. I was about to pull it up. They condemned what he did and also called for a boycott of the media outlet. He now claimed that he is he may very well sue the Detroit NABJ chapter, saying they are defaming me with their letter and statement. He then says 95% of his employees are black.

Well, this is what he says. Quote, to say that I need diversity training, to say that I need to apologize, apologize for something I didn't do, why would I apologize for something I didn't do? Let me make this perfectly clear to you, Kevin Adele. You cannot try to have this both ways. Game recognizes game.

We're not interested in you dancing around this issue. Here is the reality, Kevin Adele. Are the text messages true or not? Exactly. See, you keep saying, quote, I didn't do this. I didn't create it. I didn't create it. It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter if you didn't create it. The fact that you sent it, man tells you, man, man look this is not funny he tells you it has a racial connotation you still ignore him pull the text messages back up you blow that off you did insult the man by calling him a midget you insult the man by calling him a midget. You insult the man by calling him tattoo from Fantasy Island. You insult him a third

time by saying, I don't go back to the other one. Go back. Go back. I don't know. I didn't know they made tuxedos that small LOL smiley face and the man tells you that's not funny at all and your

response is LOL. He then gives you another long response. Not a one line response. And you call him tattoo again. That is being insensitive to this black man.

Insensitive to his feelings. That is what you should be apologizing for. He should. But to sit here and act as if you're the victim is wrong. Leaders lead. And let me say this, Kevin Adele, and you and I have talked. Several months ago, you approached me

about putting this show on the Word Network and offering a radio slot and also your local television station. See, that's irrelevant to me right now. If you say in this story that 95% of your employees, you say you have 160 employees and 95% are black, why are you doubling down? Right.

How hard is it to say, Bishop Bloomer, I apologize for making fun of you even after you told me to stop. That's all you got to do. There you go. That's all you have to do. There would not be a letter campaign. There would not be a change that org petition.

There would not have been an NABj statement detroit nabj statement none of these things would happen if all you said is bishop bloomer you know what you write i apologize for making fun of you as a result of this meme but just saying I didn't do anything. I didn't create it. Why should I apologize? That, Kevin Adele, that's arrogance. That is arrogance. And it's arrogance whether you're white or if you're black or Latino or Asian or Native American or male or female or gay or straight. It doesn't matter.

It's arrogance. And if you're running a Christian network, you're running a, let me repeat this, Kevin Adele. You are running a Christian network. And what is one of the most important tenets of Christianity? Forgiveness. Brotherly love. Why don't you practice it? Because what it looks like right now is,

I'm not saying a damn thing. Y'all just keep paying me. And I dare say, Kevin Ade adele if you don't apologize to george bloomer i got no problem these pastors pull their shows from your network and stop sending in checks because what that would say is that an arrogant ceo of a christ Christian network doesn't care about the feelings of this pastor, somebody who was a prominent figure on his network. That's what you should do. That's what leaders do. Got to go to a quick break.

We'll come back. We'll talk the issue of juvenile justice and what we can do to end what's happening with juveniles in this country back in Roland Martin unfiltered You want to check out Roland Martin unfiltered? youtube.com forward slash Roland S Martin subscribe to our YouTube channel There's only one daily digital show out here that keeps it black and keep it real as Roland Martin unfiltered See that name right there Roland Martin unfiltered like share subscribe to our YouTube channel as youtube.com forward slash Roland S Martin and don't forget to turn on your notifications, so when we go live, you'll know it. In a crackdown driven by fear, California sent thousands of teenagers to adult courts and prisons for crimes they committed as juveniles.

Laws have since softened, but the fallout remains. Black and Latino people represent 70% of prison inmates in California, but they make up 86% of juveniles charged as adults over the past 10 years. Michael Mendoza, who was sent to state prison when he was 17 for a gang murder, spent nearly two decades behind bars before being granted parole in 2014. He earned a bachelor's degree and is national director for Hashtag Cut 50, a group working to reduce the prison population. He joins us right now. Michael, obviously we saw a Supreme Court decision when it came to decisions involving juveniles

that sort of changed what's happening across this country. But are states moving fast enough, or are they still operating and treating juveniles as adults? Hi, Roland. Thank you so much for having me on the show. Unfortunately, no. States are not moving fast enough. However, in California, I think we are on the right path where many laws have changed to provide a lot of youth the opportunities they need, not for rehabilitation, but for hope. Many of the youth, especially in California, who have been tried as adults and sentenced to extremely long sentences,

basically receive a message from society saying that we have no hope in you, right? And so in California, we have made quite some headway. However, in the rest of the country, we'd still like to see more progress in how the criminal justice system treats our youth. It is also important to have, frankly, district attorneys who understand this, who are compassionate,

as opposed to the law and order folks who just like lock them up, throw the kid away? It's very, very critical when we look at who we vote for and who we put into these seats for prosecutors because they're the ones who are really creating this narrative that we saw in the mid-90s, right? Where we have kids being called super predators, mostly black and brown youth. Now we see that that's actually wasn't the case, and research shows that.

And I really feel that DAs and prosecutors play a huge role in how we treat our kids. And so definitely a really important point. So what state is the most egregious when it comes to how they treat juveniles? Wow. Well, I would say used to be California, but I would also say Florida and some of our other states in the deep south where we still see kids receive life without parole or extreme life sentences as adults. Even when they come home, they are on lifetime parole. So it's really a sentence that follows them throughout the rest of their entire lives. And most of our southern states in the country still have these really inhumane laws that treat our youth in a really terrible way.

Well, certainly this is a huge issue and it's one that we believe needs to be addressed. If folks want more information to assist Cut50, how do they get in contact with you guys? Cut50.org. You can just look to Cut50.org, follow us, see all the work that we're doing, and get involved. All right. Michael Mendoza, we appreciate it. Keep fighting the good fight. Thank you. All right, folks.

Empowered to serve is a platform inspired by the American Heart Association volunteers around the country. The Empowered to Serve Business Accelerator works with social entrepreneurs and organizations making a health impact. These areas of focus include access to care, education, transportation, food access, and any of the other factors leading to health equity for all. This Thursday we're gonna actually be broadcasting our show from the Smithsonian Museum

African American History and Culture. Robbie will be emceeing the event as part of the Business Accelerator for AHA, but joining us right now is Krista Chambers-Price, CEO of Entree Slam, an organization that trains accelerator participants. First and foremost, Krista, how are you doing? I'm great. How are you doing, Roland? I'm doing good.

And so how important are programs like this? Because, look, when you look at entrepreneurs out there, folks say, look, I want help. I need help. How does this business accelerator help? Well, it helps because it's really tied to helping entrepreneurs understand how do they not just take these great ideas that they have in the back of their head that's already active and showing how the power that they have in the back of their head that's already active, or active rather, and showing how the power of what they're doing works.

And so this particular accelerator, Roland, what we do is it's not just about putting ideas on stage and having it judged and winning some grant money. There really is a partnership within the communities in which they're having an impact so that they can show specifically how are they going to make a big difference and so with the american heart association and what they are doing in these communities is different rolling and it's pretty um it's pretty remarkable what they're pulling out of these entrepreneurs and putting in front of

opportunity and grant dollars to make it happen uh And so, obviously, what is the training program like? So somebody goes through this, what does it entail? Eight weeks of taking them through what their idea is and really pulling it apart in layers that covers everything from having them look at the customer themselves and go through the customer psychology and behavioral studies of what motivates the audience themselves. A lot of entrepreneurs, they know what they do. They may know who it applies to, but understanding what makes people say yes to it, that's what we really pull apart with each of these ideas. Then they go through a process of really tearing apart the design of their brand

and the product and testing it from ending. I think you froze there. All right, hopefully we'll get Krista back. Let me know if she unfreezes. Again, she was freezing there. That's Krista Chambers, Price CEO of Entree Slam. Krista, you back? All right, there we go. Let me know if she unfreezes. Again, she was freezing there. That's Krista Chambers, Price CEO of Entree Slam. Krista, you back?

All right, there we go. We got you. So you were talking about tearing apart their program and then testing it. Yeah, testing it and rebuilding it. So it speaks directly to what the customers want and what they're expecting to see in terms of impact. Then we help them understand why they're in it and why they're the ones to lead it. Because it's not just about having a great idea and having a great product. You really do have to have the grit to see it through to the end. And so we take them through that process and really all of this pulls together into a beautiful narrative and a story that goes beyond the pitch.

This is not a pitch competition. It's the business storytelling experience where pitching focuses on what you do and business storytelling focuses on who you are. And at the end of the day, investors are not just betting on the horse, they're betting on that driver too. And that's also something else that we're going to cover and work on in these eight weeks together. Last question for you. What type of person who needs to understand that they need to go through this kind of program? Because a lot of people just say, look, I don't need any of this training training i'm good i can run my own business well that may be absolutely true there are those who are those individuals who feel like you know when i have this on rap but you know this is a very competitive market or many competitive markets that are out here right now and you got to be on youring, that aching or shifting. All right, then.

Well, Crystal Chambers Price, we appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All right, folks, last story here. Today, Ruth Giuliani has said, the hell with Congress. I'm not, of course, complying with your subpoena. This is fake. It's no good.

And so I don't care. I dare say, Malik, tell the U.S. Marshals, go pick his ass up and put him in handcuffs. Well, sure. When did the subpoena become optional? Sure. I mean, if they want to exercise that right, then let them do that. No, but I'm saying, should Rudy Giuliani, an attorney, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, should he just say, I'm not going to comply with a subpoena?

I think anyone who has been subpoenaed should actually respond to the subpoena. But we know how it is in politics. So the fact that he's not going to appear just does not surprise me. And I don't think that this is a this is this is where we are in Our politics. I mean the whole thing of course where people are arguing is that this is a political move anyway So it doesn't surprise me that Rudy Giuliani saying no, I'm not gonna appear Kelly I don't think this is where we are in our politics I think this is where we are in the extreme arrogance of the Trump and the Trump administration

I think this is where we are in the extreme arrogance of the Trump administration. I think this is where we are with Giuliani. And if you really just take a look at the history of his behavior, even before Trump, he's always been arrogant. He's always been very pompous and, you know, quite frankly, rude. Like Malik said, this does not surprise me. Although him saying that it's fake or that he doesn't have to comply with the subpoena is just idiotic at best. You know, it's just, who says that? You know, but somebody who is arrogant.

Jason, Democrats, I fundamentally believe you have to make an example out of somebody. I believe that in the case, if Rudy Giuliani is going to say the hell with the house, I am going to ignore a subpoena. I think you do exactly what you do when someone ignores a subpoena. And that is you haul their asses into court or you bring them to front. You send the marshals. If I got subpoenaed by a district attorney, or if I got subpoenaed by a U.S. attorney, and I not just ignored it, but publicly said,

y'all can go to hell, I guarantee you, my black ass ain't walking around free. No, I'm pretty sure of that, too. And I would advise you as your colleague and friend that if you get subpoenaed, you and your black ass better go. But I guess when you're white, they have that role. Right. You just ignore subpoenas.

Well, I think a lot of them feel like they're insulated by the president. This is why they're not complying with subpoenas, and they're not giving over documents. And they just are saying, to hell with it. We want to try this whole thing in the court of public opinion. And we're not going to supply Congress with anything. And, you know, this is really troubling. And I think this is where we are in our politics, unfortunately. I don't know.

I can't imagine any president of the United States and their associates, particularly Rudy Giuliani. And Rudy Giuliani, before he became mayor, you know, when he was going after the mafia, was a good attorney. Yeah. Like, he did some good things. Now, when he became mayor, it was different. That's when he went downhill. But I love it how some people have to be reminded of their feelings on some other issues. This is from the Hill.

This is Lindsey Graham, Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina. A big question by journalists on this very issue. Tell us about what your view is at this point of Democrats' impeachment probe. Twenty years ago, you said that not complying with the subpoena was an impeachment offense. Nothing's changed. Oh no, hell no, run that shit back. Run that back. No, no, no.

Run that back. 20 years ago, you said that not complying with the subpoena was an impeachable offense. Nothing's changed. Okay, I want you to run that back, pull the audio, keep the camera on me. This is Lindsey Graham.

Audio. No. Shit. audio no 20 years ago you said that um shit i got somewhere to go uh yeah nothing changed i gotta go well the fact that he said nothing's changed is telling first of all he wasn't talking about that trust me he was that was a straight up at oh why y'all gotta bring up something I said 20 years ago? Of course it was. Why y'all? Trying to get out of the conversation altogether, but the fact that he said nothing's changed,

I mean, that's on record. That is something that's been taken. What's it with your boy with, matter of fact, maybe you didn't see that. Run that again. What can you tell us about what your view is at this point of Democrats' impeachment probe? 20 years ago, you said that not complying with the subpoena was an impeachable offense.

Nothing's changed. Okay, let me explain something, y'all. When you start, let me just give y'all what I know about body language. When you are talking to somebody and you're looking them in the eye and then they ask you something and you start lying, you go,

uh, uh, yeah, uh, uh, yo, first case he was lying. He was lying. He was, Malik, your boy was sitting there like, why y'all gotta bring up what I said 20 years ago? Y'all really gotta case, he was lying. He was lying. He was, Malik, your boy was sitting there like, why y'all got to bring up what I said 20 years ago? Y'all really got to bring that stuff up?

None of us should be surprised at his response. We just saw from a couple of weeks ago where the media, and they were incessant about it, that they were playing clips of Democrats do the impeachment hearing and the things that they were saying. This is something that happens all the time, where you have Democrats on record saying something from years ago. I'm sorry. What are you referring to? They were playing the mini. Well, maybe maybe only Fox News played it then. But the many clips

of Democrats talking about I think it was doing the Clint doing the the fairness of the Clinton trial of the Clinton impeachment, where you had Democrats on record talking about the process talking about the things in it so this is just another example of that I don't expect I don't expect any politician and I don't know who that politician would be the one to say well I just think differently now I mean they're just not gonna say it they're not gonna give you that win well first of all I also remember Lindsey Graham who also said Republican Party was going to hell if Donald Trump won. And it's totally amazing how he has sold his soul to Donald Trump.

But that's how Lindsey Graham is. And so speaking of that, Jamie Harrison was running against him, raised $2.4 million in the last quarter. And so we'll see how that race goes. All right, folks, we've got to go. Certainly appreciate it. Tomorrow I'll be broadcasting from the Spirit of Democracy Awards by Melanie Campbell. So we'll be on location for that. We'll also

be streaming that event as well. So look forward to that. I want to thank all of our guests today and our panel as well. Thanks a bunch. If you want to support Roland Martin Unfiltered, please go to RolandMartinUnfiltered.com Join our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar you give goes to support this show. And what we do, you can give via Square square paypal or even cash app as well uh and if you want to

send a check hey send me an email we'll send you the address this is about having an independent black owned operation we can speak to our issues and concerns and we ain't got to ask nobody else for permission. That's why we do what we do. So please support us at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. All right, folks, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Tomorrow morning we'll be live streaming the National Minority Supply Development Council. I am moderating that tomorrow morning from Atlanta.

I'll be on the plane in three hours, and so I'll see you guys there tomorrow. But I will be flying back for our show, of course, with the Spirit of Democracy Awards. I got to go. Holla!