#RolandMartinUnfiltered - 10.25: Obama eulogizes Cummings; Trump at Benedict College; Day of Outrage for Atatiana Jefferson

Episode Date: October 28, 2019

10.25.19 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Former President Barack Obama eulogizes Rep. Elijah Cummings; Donald Trump visits HBCU Benedict College; Republicans say the impeachment inquiry is illegal ... It's time to fact check them; Day of Outrage for Atatiana Jefferson; Cities across the country are preparing for a National Day of Outrage in honor of Atatiana Jefferson; Oregon police attack on a woman who was riding her bike. - #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: 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. Hey, folks, today is Friday, October 25th, 2019. Roland Martin broadcasting live from Los Angeles, where the National Association of Black Journalists is having its board meeting. But also today was his day of advocacy, speaking to various media organizations. Today on Roland Martin Unfiltered, the funeral, the homegoing of Congressman Elijah Cummings took place in Baltimore among the folks who spoke. His wife, Maya Rockamore Sanders, President Barack, excuse me, Maya Rockamore Cummings,

President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, his wife, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and so many others will share you some of what they had to say about the gentle giant who passed away at the age of 68. Also on today's show, folks, a criminal justice reform took place at Benedict College in South Carolina. Ten Democratic candidates were there. So was Donald Trump. What was said? Who lied? And what did they lie about?

We'll break it down for you. Also on the show, cities across the country are preparing for a national day of outrage in honor of Atiana Jefferson. We'll talk with activist Tanika Mallory as well as Lee Merrick, the family attorney for the Jefferson family. Also on today's show, folks, in Oregon, another police attack

on a woman who was simply riding her bike. Plus, Connecticut cops are finally being charged for shooting at a black couple, Neil Yale University. It's time to bring the funk on Roller Martin Unfiltered. Let's go. He's got it.

Whatever the biz, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best believe he's going. 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 funky, he's fresh, yeah, yeah. Rolling with Roland now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's rolling, Martin.

Now. Martin. Thousands of people were in attendance today at the homegrown service for congressman elijah cummings in baltimore many folks spoke there including two former presidents a former secretary of state as well as so many others about the man who of course died at the age of 68 he was over the house oversight committee uh someone who was committed to his cause, to his people, as well as to his family. Here is a look at some of what took place today in Baltimore. One thing you do not know about Congressman Cummings, he was a man of soul and spirit.

He felt very deeply. He was very empathetic, it was one of his greatest gifts. And it was one of the sources of his ability to be a public servant and a man of the people. And so with that, to have the week's activities basically be laid out in such a glorious way, to be a tribute to the great man that he was, to the great legacy that he left, to be the first African American to ever congressman, to ever lie in state in to service at the US Capitol. But I felt like very strongly that they were trying to tear him down.

And we needed to make sure that he went out with the respect and the dignity that he deserved. This was a man of the utmost integrity. Do you hear me? He had integrity and he cared about our democracy. He cared about our planet. He cared about our community. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future.

He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future.

He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He wanted to make sure that we had a better future. He cared about our planet. He cared about our community. He wanted to make sure that we left a society worthy of our children. So I just want to tell you that it also wasn't easy in the last months of his life because he absolutely was in pain.

But get this. He was a walking miracle. Do you know that he was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness more than 25 years ago? He was given six months to live more than 25 years ago. And he kept going. He kept fighting. He kept standing. he kept working. And it was my distinct honor and privilege to be his spouse. Just two days before he died, he was in a lot of pain.

He could no longer walk. And he kept saying, I'm tired. I'm ready to go and so the wonderful world-class staff at the Johns Hopkins Hospital at the Johns Hopkins University they came in and they said that we wanted to give him sunshine therapy and so they rolled his entire medical bed out of the room into the the 14th floor, the rooftop of Johns Hopkins Hospital, where they land the helicopters for life-threatening situations. And we rolled out and it was a glorious and it was a beautiful day with light everywhere.

The sun was shining and it was just absolutely glorious. It was God's day. And he looked out over the inner harbor, harbor east. He looked toward South Baltimore, his beloved South Baltimore where he grew up in his early years. He looked toward the downtown and he looked toward the west side and he said, Boy, have I come a long way. And he absolutely came a long way. And so with that I just want to say thank you for pouring into him. Thank you for supporting him.

Thank you for allowing him to serve you because it was his greatest and honor and privilege to work on behalf of all of you. The family has been heartened. Our pain has been lessened by all the love we have received from everyone here in this city, the state, the region, and the world. But Elijah Cummings was honorable before he was elected office. There's a difference. There's a difference if you were honorable and treated others honorably. Outside the limelight, on the side of a road,

in a quiet moment, counseling somebody you work with, Letting your daughters know you love them. You know, as president, I knew I could always count on Elijah being honorable and doing the right thing. And people have talked about his voice. There is something about his voice that just made you feel better. You know, there are some people, they have that deep baritone, a prophetic voice. And when it was good times and we achieved victories together,

that voice and that laugh was a gift. But you needed it more during the tough times, when the path ahead looked crooked, when obstacles abounded. When I entertained doubts or I saw those who were in the fight start to waver, that's when Elijah's voice mattered most. And more than once during my presidency, when the economy still looked like it might plunge into depression, when the health care bill was pronounced dead in Congress, I would watch Elijah rally his colleagues. The cost of doing nothing isn't nothing, he would say. And folks would remember why they entered into public service. Our children are the living messengers we send to a future we will never see, he would say.

And he would remind all of us that our time is too short not to fight for what's good and what is true and what is best in America. 200 years to 300 years from now, he would say, people will look back at this moment and they will ask the question, what did you do? And hearing him, we would be reminded that it falls upon each of us to give voice to the voiceless and comfort to the sick, an opportunity to those not born to and nurture our democracy. Elijah Cummings was a man of noble and good heart. His parents and his faith planted the seeds of hope and love and compassion and righteousness in that good soil of his. He has harvested all the crop that he could. For the Lord has now called Elijah home to give his humble, faithful servant

rest. And it now falls on us to continue his work so that other young boys and girls in Baltimore, across Maryland, across the United States, and around the world, might too have a chance to grow and to flourish. That's how we will honor him. That's how we will remember him. That's what he would hope for. May God bless the memory of the very honorable Elijah Cummings. And may God bless this city and this state and this nation that he loved. God bless you.

Thank you. All right, folks, stirring tributes to Congressman Elijah Cummings today. Joining us right now, Dr. Niame Bay Carter, Howard University Department of Political Science, Deontay Johnson, president, Black Conservative Federation, C.J. Jordan, CEO, Jordan Management Group, and also Michael Brown, former vice chair, DNC Finance Committee. Michael, I want to start with you. Certainly a powerful home going there. And you heard those words from his wife, Dr. Maya Rockenmore Cummings, a woman of renown in her own right, speaking about the pain that he had been dealing with in his last months.

And she said, and many people didn't realize until today, when she talked about this life-threatening illness that he had had for the last 25 years of his life. Right, and I was not aware of that either. And obviously, hopefully my thoughts and prayers to him and to his family and to my, you know,

it was tough. I was at the Capitol yesterday for the festivities, and clearly all of us know them, but, you know, he was like an uncle to all of us. It wasn't a, you know, you call him a friend, he was just, you know, he was uncle. And it was so, it was such a great tribute

to see the lines at the Capitol. And it's more than a notion just to say, oh, I'm going to go to the Capitol and pay my respects to somebody who's lying in state. Folks had to go through barriers and security and stand in line. And it was just such a wonderful, wonderful wonderful tribute I'm just talking about regular people I'm not talking about the dignitaries that were there and what a great man great leader

and he's gonna be sorely missed and was I was it was my honor to be there dr. Carter your thoughts well as, Howard, it mourns the loss, particularly the Department of Political Science where Representative Cummings received his bachelor's degree. But I think for many, as Michael rightly pointed out, he had been a mentor. I mean, I had a student who was currently serving in his office. I've known people that he's written personal letters for, that he's called and tried to help them find employment. I mean, I think he did things that were above and beyond. And when I saw him, I had the benefit of going to an event last fall and he was unwell then, but still had every bit of

commitment and fight in him. And I think it was a testament to his greatness, but also to this spirit of service and serving his constituents, but also serving this country that he worked up until his last days. And I think that is a testament to the kind of man he was. And he absolutely deserved the honor to lie in state, which is something that is conferred very rarely on folks. And so it was a tribute that was befitting a man of his stature and the many things he did while he was in office. Folks often talk about, obviously, how they feel about someone when they pass away, CJ.

The reality is that there were Republicans who were friends of his, folks like Congressman Mark Meadows. But Cummings made it perfectly clear that there were issues that he cared about that he wanted to see done, regardless of political party. I mean, that's correct. You know, again, my condolences to the family. I think what made him so great was the fact as if you work on Capitol Hill, you know that there are some members that are great members. And he was one of those great members in the sense of a boss, that he took the time to mentor his staff, to give them the opportunity to flourish. I mean, not everybody is a pleasant person to work for on Capitol Hill.

But he was a great person to work for. And another thing that most people don't know about him, when you look at the CBC, a lot of them typically don't advocate their service academy. Some of them don't do nominations. But he was very respectful of having a committee that nominated African-Americans to our service academies, those that 1 percent who wanted to serve. So that's another side of him that I appreciate because, you know, I'm a friend of West Point and I appreciate that. But again, you know. Well, keep in mind, well, keep in mind one of those service academies

actually was in his home state. So that is no shock there. Deontay, your thoughts about today's home gun services for Congressman Elijah Cummings. You know, yesterday I did have the opportunity to go on the Hill and to pay my respects. I was very pleased on how they had the doors open and how everything was set up. I got the chance to talk to some staffers in Congressman Mark Meldo's office, and they mentioned just how close those two were. But then today, the president mentioned

about Congressman Cummings and how he wanted to advocate for lower prescription prices and how the president said that he was going to make sure that that was done. And so that was very good to see that as well. Well, of course, that was one of the first things that they did when they met shortly after Donald Trump got into the White House. And Cummings actually was frustrated that that took place shortly after he got into the White House and that not much had been done on that. And so that was certainly one of the things that he wanted to work on extensively on behalf of the country. And so we certainly extend our condolences to

his widow, Dr. Maya Rockamore Cummings, as well as his children as well. He will be sorely missed, and he certainly was a supporter of me and this show. We always appreciated that he would take our phone calls, whether it was coming on this show, coming on TV1 News 1 Now, coming on the Tom Jona Morning Show. And so certainly rest in peace. A great public servant, Congressman Elijah Cummings. Folks, when we come back, we're going to talk about a day of outrage, which will take place across the country,

as folks recognize the death of Atiana Jefferson, a black woman shot and killed by a former cop in Fort Worth, Texas. That's next on 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. It's Roland Martin Unfiltered. See that name right there? Roland Martin Unfiltered. Like, share, subscribe to our YouTube channel. That's 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. All right, folks. Of course, the holiday season is near, and that's the favorite time of the year for many of us. And, folks, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving, Ramadan, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or New Year's, this is when you think about spending time with the people you love 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. We'll have the perfect opportunity for you to be a holiday hero and

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. 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. 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 another for the poor. Freedom should be free. That's why the Ebony Foundation has partnered 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. Now, how's that for a holiday gift? A donation from you today can change someone's life tomorrow. Here's why it is critical. People of color represent 50 to 90 percent of the jail population across the country. Now, folks, when they stayed in jail, 90 percent of the people with misdemeanors ended up pleading guilty. However, when bail was paid, 50 percent of the cases were dismissed and less than two percent received an actual jail sentence. Sometimes justice

just needs us. To join this fight, you can become a holiday hero by donating 25, 50 bucks or even more to help the Ebony Foundation bring our brothers and sisters home by the holidays. To donate, go to homebytheholiday.com. That's homebytheholiday.com. All right, folks, an Oregon State student biking on the wrong side of the road was arrested after refusing to give another officer her ID. The body camera video depicts the arrest of Genesis Hanson, a 21-year-old student who was initially stopped in Corvallis for failing to ride her bicycle within the lanes of the road, according to police.

In the 38-minute video, Hanson repeatedly questions why she was stopped and whether she is required to provide identification to the officer. And then this happened. Okay, you're under arrest. I don't answer questions stop stop stop stop stop okay you're under arrest 831 send us more stop hey stop she's back now she's a young woman she's not complaining roll onto your stomach hey i will comply i need both of you to get off of me that's not going to happen roll on your need both of you to get off of me. That's not going to happen. Roll onto your stomach. I need both of you to get off of me.

I need you to get off of me. Roll onto your stomach. Stop. I need you. I'm not moving. Roll onto your stomach. I'm not moving. I'm not moving. I'm not moving.

I'm not moving. I'm not moving. They say I'm resisting. I'm not moving. Just stay still. You're fine. Stay still. Stay still.

All right. You're under arrest for interfering with a peace officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, Canada will be using against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to an attorney, to have him or her in present with you during questioning. No. If you cannot afford to hire an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you before any questions are asked.

If you do choose to make a statement, you can stop talking at any time. Do you understand your rights? I don't answer questions. Okay. That's fine. I've got a female officer coming. Okay, good.

I think we'll just wait for that then. Keep her here. I just have a question. Okay, not right now, okay? That's a negative. We'll get someone to answer your questions in a minute, all right? 24-24. Oh, this radio.

24-24. 24-24. 24 24 one in custody for interfering with the peace officer. I'm okay with that. I'm okay with it. We're gonna help you. I don't need your help. I can set myself. I asked to set up by myself. You let me sit up by myself. I would rather lay down. I'm okay with it. Here, we're going to help you so you don't fall. I don't need your help. I can set it myself. Stop, stop. I asked to set it up by myself. Stop or you're not sitting up.

Please let me sit up by myself. I would rather lay down. I would rather lay down. Hey, you're on. I would rather lay down. And we'll certainly keep you updated on the progress of this case. Now, folks, that brings us to the tragic case of Atiana Jefferson. Of course, the black woman who was shot and killed by a former Fort Worth police officer

as she played video games with her nephew. In cities around the country, they're planning a day of outrage next week to protest her killing inside of her own home. Joining me right now to talk about this is Tamika Mallory. Of course, she is longtime co-president of the Women's March and civil rights attorney, Lee Merritt. First off, Lee Merritt.

First off, Tamika, why is this day important? Why this day of outrage on behalf of Altiana Jefferson? Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me on. And I apologize for the noise in the background. I'm getting ready to run to a panel at the Revolt Summit. I think the day of outrage is important because people expect us to sort of go on to business as usual. You know, the killing who murdered Tatiana. What happens with an arrest and him being charged is that people feel like there's some form of justice

and they don't necessarily need to pay attention. But that couldn't be further from the truth. We know, Roland, from being in this, obviously you longer than me, but me for 25 years, that the idea of justice is something that is a long struggle. It's something that we have to keep our eyes on the prize and be consistent and committed to for the long haul, because the system constantly rejects the idea of justice when it comes to black people, but particularly black women. And that is the larger point here. Even when fighting the case there in Fort Worth, which we are going to say and be a part of, but when we think about

when black women are killed by police officers or killed in any type of violence situation, we do not, this country does not treat it in the same way with the same type of outrage as we have with our fallen brothers like Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin and even young Tamir Rice, and the list goes on and on. We don't have the same amount of uprising. With Sandra Bland, we did, even though that situation was, you know, really one that really hurt our people and hurt folks in general. And we believe that the Justice and Sandra Bland situation still has never really been realized. But we did not see a major uprising in the way that it should be. So for Atatiana Jefferson, we're not going to let that happen

for her and for all the other women who've been killed, particularly at the hands of police brutality and police abuse. We will stand up and stand firm for Tatiana on Monday. And we're asking everyone go to Until Freedom, Until Freedom, that's U-N-T-I-L, Freedom, on Instagram, on Facebook, wherever you, all social media platforms, and get the information that you need about where to connect with someone in your city. And it's not too late. If there's not a city you can connect with, you can organize your own rally. 530 Eastern Standard Time all across the country. These over 25 cities have

signed up. All right, Tamika Merrill, I know you have to go to your panel. We surely appreciate you joining us. Thank you so very much. Thank you for having me, Roland. I want to go to Lee Merritt now. Lee, first of all, we know there was some drama there in Fort Worth when it came to the burial of Artiella Jefferson. Did everything go smoothly with her funeral? It did. It was a beautiful service, and the family was able to come together. And I think it highlights the importance of this day of outrage. It's really to refocus the community on the common enemy, which is the system that is rampant with brutality and lack of accountability.

And a lot of people were deeply engaged in this case until the family drama began to play out in the public and a lot of people began to drift away. It is important that we take this moment and do what we can to change the culture of policing. This day of outrage, how does the family feel about the focus on the death of alternate Jefferson with these events? Well, the family is, and I can say both sides because we know that they're that this is a family that has expressed sort of different views on some personal things but both sides of the family are deeply committed to accountability not only for this police officer but accountability for the city of Fort Worth the Fort Worth PD and they realize that it exists

in a greater conversation throughout the nation, that they are now, as is often said, a part of a fraternity or an association with folks all around the country, a group that no one has ever asked to be a part of, but who have lost loved ones to police brutality, that 1,100 people a year who suffer from the loss of a loved one as a result of brutality making our country one of the deadliest for police brutality in the modern world. So Tatiana's family are focused and they're hoping that the world will be focused on a just outcome in this case and a change in policing in general. All right. Well, Lee Merritt, we really appreciate you joining us. Thank you so very much.

Thank you. We've got a panel here. I want to start you with you, CJ. And we talk about this day of outrage. This case speaks to horrible training. It speaks to bad policing. And I think such days are important because we have to question exactly what is happening with these cops. There's no reason this woman should have been shot and killed in her own home with cops and essentially sneaking around her home, not even identifying themselves? Well, I think it is a tragic situation that took place. I think there needs to be more police

accountability around training, but it's also in a tough spot as well. You know, I do have members of my family that served. And it's that unknown factor when you go into a situation, you don't have the details, you don't have the information, and you're running on adrenaline hoping that, okay, it's them, not me. So I'm hoping that Congress, as well as the governor of the state of Texas, really come in and have a serious conversation, ask for some data. The police chief down there, she's a wonderful woman. And I think if everybody comes together, not just the community, but law enforcement and our elected officials,

I think they can get some proper answers. This is, Dr. Carter, something that's critically important, that any time these happen, police departments across the country should be assessing their strategy in terms of what is going on with training in these departments. Absolutely. And I think in this particular case, I think the thing that causes most people dismay is not whether these officers should have been concerned because the neighbor called a non-emergency number and called in a wellness check. And I have family who are police officers, past and present. Several members of my family are police officers. And the thing is, when you have a non-emergent situation and you have them approach the home the way they did, as we could

see from the police cam, right, from their own body cam footage, they didn't announce themselves. They didn't knock on the door. They were going around her house in the dark at that time of morning. The neighbor called in the non-emergency number, I think precisely because he did not want them to come to the house with guns blazing. If he thought it was an emergent issue,

he probably would have dialed 911. And he's even expressed as much. And so I think this idea that police get a pass because they took a dangerous job, they volunteered for a dangerous job, and therefore get a pass to shoot anyone who looks suspicious or may be dangerous is a problem, especially in a place like Texas

where most people have guns in their homes, or lots of people have guns in their homes. I can't say most. And it's expected. And she was in her home. I probably would have thought that there was an intruder or someone skulking around my house at that time of morning when I can just see lights. And nobody's announced themselves. No one has come to my front door. No one has even tried to say from the curb, excuse me, can you come out of the house? Or Is everyone okay? Nothing. And so I think in this particular case, trying to hide behind, oh, we might be afraid,

or our training tells us that if we feel afraid, shoot first and ask questions later, is a problem. Now, I do agree that this is a time, actually, for law enforcement communities to not be defensive and start really taking stock of what they teach. And one of the things I don't think they do an effective enough job of is teaching de-escalation. That gun should not be your first resort.

Michael Brown, that is, I think, again, what should be happening, a constant assessment where police chiefs are reminding folks how they should behave. But unfortunately, we see this. Again, this woman is dead. Her nephew is traumatized. And every time police say, you know what? Well, you know, this was this was a mistake. Yeah. This cop, no matter what happens to him, he's still living.

And we had this a lot of these discussions when I was when I was in office and with the police. And it's a very challenging discussion because as elected officials, no matter what jurisdiction you're in, you never want to show that you're not being supportive of the police. And so that's one challenge. Second challenge is until the standard is changed in the law, it's going to be very difficult to stop these kind of things from happening. I'm not suggesting police officers are thinking about,

oh, I can shoot anybody and it won't matter, because all I have to do is claim that I was in danger. But there has to be some different level of consciousness when they're in that situation where they maybe, as Dr. Carter mentioned, won't use their gun as their first line of defense. And that's going to continue to happen until the standard changes. Deontay, and that is what I think is important.

And unfortunately, you have police unions who are blocking a lot of this. And look, you have a Department of Justice that also does not want to hold police accountable, that wants to pull back from consent decrees, that is not being aggressive at prosecuting police officers. You know, Roland, I don't think it's necessarily that the Department of Justice doesn't want to hold the police accountable. But I think we have to remember that the Department of Justice still has a duty to make sure that our law enforcement system in America is still taken seriously. And so but but wait a minute, but they're not. Hold up. Hold up. I got to stop you there. Jeff Sessions, one of the first things that he did when he came as attorney general was try to withdraw from the consent decree in Baltimore. They try to they try to withdraw from the consent decree in Chicago.

He actually gave a speech where he said we will pull back from these consent decrees because it was hurting the morale of in Chicago. He actually gave a speech where he said, we will pull back from these consent decrees because it was hurting the morale of police officers. Barr followed him up by also reiterating the exact same thing. So the Department of Justice has actually done exactly that. They have been unwilling to hold police accountable because they want to be cozy with cops. Those are facts.

I mean, it's not to be cozy with cops. Those are facts. I mean, I'm not, it's not necessarily being cozy with cops. It's necessarily making sure that they remain leaders in our community and making sure that people realize that the cops still have a job to do. Now, yes, there does need to be a reform. But DOJ isn't. There does need to be reform when it comes to our police officers, making sure there's proper training, making sure that scenes like earlier does not happen. But we still have, like I said, make sure that we know that the police are the leaders in the community. Yes, there are bad apples, but we still have to make sure that they keep that same presence in the community. No, I will say this here.

The police are not the leaders in the community. The leaders in the community are the elected officials and the police commissioner or the police chief who's over them. But again, until you have accountability, these cops will continue doing what they're doing. And unfortunately, there are too many excuses coming out of Washington and not having proper oversight of these police departments. Got to go to break. We come back. We'll talk the criminal justice reform summit that took place in South Carolina. Top 10 Democrat candidates were there. Donald Trump was there. We'll show you what they had to say next.

Roland Martin unfiltered. You want to check out Roland Martin unfiltered? YouTube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin. And subscribe to our YouTube channel. There's only one daily digital show out here that keeps it black and keep it real. It's Roland Martin Unfiltered. See that name right there? Roland Martin Unfiltered.

Like, share, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. That's 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. Alright, 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. So I look forward to you 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. It does not matter. Go to gfntv.com. That's gfntv.com to get your live stream pass. All right, folks.

Today in South Carolina was the 2019 Second Step Presidential Justice Forum where the top 10 Democratic candidates were there, as well as Donald Trump, who delivered the keynote address. It took place at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. This has been going on for quite some time. And so here is an excerpt of what was said today. And I'm very proud of being involved with criminal justice reform and getting it done, getting it passed. And we had a lot of votes that normally wouldn't have gone that way. And they really they were pushing me some of them at the

end. And we have some of the folks here, Tim Scott, Lindsay, they're here, but I'm going to introduce them in a little while. But we had tremendous help. This was a bipartisan bill. We had a lot of support on both sides. And people that you would have least suspected really helped us a lot. So they've been trying to get this passed for many, many years. But to everyone at the 2020 Bipartisan Justice Center, it's my great privilege to speak with you today and my true honor to receive the Bipartisan Justice Award. I am very, very grateful for that. And it will be at a very high level in the Oval Office, a place called the Oval Office. Have you heard about that? It'll be right in the Oval Office with a place called the Oval Office. Have you heard about that? It'll be right in the Oval Office with me. I'm very proud of it. Thank you.

Yeah, I think we've heard of the Oval Office. Dr. Carter, I want to start with you. Donald Trump wants to ride this whole issue of criminal justice reform. But the reality is this was a very much stripped down bill than the one that was actually sought by Democrats. That was first. Folks like Jeff Sessions, folks like Senator Tom Cotton and others fought it in a significant way. And so what do you make of Trump holding himself up as this major leader when it comes to criminal justice reform? Well, I actually don't think it's just him doing it I think he's gotten a lot of credit from a lot of corners for the first step that first step that and even though it's a like he said a stripped-down bill it doesn't address any of the sort of more significant reforms that people have been talking about in terms of

sentencing but also even thinking about police contact right that lead many people to have these contacts with the criminal justice system. I mean, it is something. And I know that might feel, you know, unsatisfying for many people, but it is something, right? It is getting in the right direction. And anytime you can get Congress to agree on something, I think that is a positive thing. Now, what this is going to mean for him in terms of the next election, I don't know it'll mean much, but he's going to say what he needed to say. And particularly to that audience, I think the fact that he was at a bipartisan center made it more likely that he kept his comments probably more tame than we've seen

from him in recent weeks. I mean, it was a good way to sort of say, you know, hey, I did something and take our mind off what is currently happening with these impeachment inquiries and, you know, the Republican hijinks of earlier this week. So, I mean, I think it's one of those moments, right, that he can claim. And I think most people are willing to let him have it. Michael, the reality is when you talk about it was called the First Step Act, which means will there be a second step? Will there be a third step? Or will this be as far as Trump and the Republicans go when it comes to true criminal justice reform? I know Dr. Carter just mentioned it. and Roland, you know where I am on this

because we've had this discussion. And I guess we can appreciate the First Step Act, even if it was stripped down, and you've got to start somewhere. But until you tackle the issue related to sentencing reform and giving these judges, these, remember, life-appointed judges,

at least on the federal side, actual power to make a decision when they see a file in front of them. If somebody, for example, has a small bag of weed or a small bag of something, and they get sentenced to 10 years, the judge should be able, in a sentencing guidelines, a judge should be able to say,

you know what, it doesn't make any sense on this one, but if I see you back in the courtroom, then you're going to have some problems. Give the judges some discretion. They're there for lifetime appointments. They clearly have credentials to understand what the law is and then to look at a situation. Now they get the file,

and they have to adjust relative to what the guidelines say. And until that is fixed, yes, first step is important, but we have a long, long way to go. And the sentencing reform, that's where the battles will happen. Because obviously for the hawks, obviously related to the hawks for criminal justice who like sending people to prison, they're not going to be able to fight it. And clearly other communities are not. Deontay, criminal justice reform is a very broad category. And so Trump talks about getting the credit for the First Step Act. But this is also the exact same administration

that said, we're going to go back to using private federal prisons. This is the exact same administration where Jeff Sessions, followed by Barr, said they were rescinding the order of Attorney General Eric Holder, where he said that these attorneys did not have to prosecute people to the highest level to have far more discretion, that they would actually could advance in their careers without having to say, I got the most years in prison. They also, again, rescinded that. And so when you begin to look at this whole issue of criminal justice reform, you have the first step at which was positive. But there are some things that Trump administration has done that have been negative, that have actually done nothing. Because if on one hand you're talking about how do we address folks who are being sent to prison?

But on the other hand, you say it's okay to prosecute folks at the highest level versus using proper judgment, you're actually doing both things, and you can't act as if it's not happening. Roland, let me start off by correcting you. The president has not taken full responsibility of criminal justice reform. If you played a part of the speech

where he goes through a long list of people thanking them for their part that they have played in criminal justice reform, if you play the part of the speech where he goes through a long list of people thanking them for their part that they have played in criminal justice reform, but he also talks about Jared Kushner and how Jared Kushner came to his office and pretty much begged for this to be done and how Jared Kushner and Jerron Smith played a major part in this. That's the part that we have to understand. But the next thing is, it's bipartisan. Deontay, hold up, hold up. Deontay, that was this speech. Hold up, next thing is, it's bipartisan. Deontay, hold up. That was this speech. Hold up, Deontay.

Deontay, one second. That was this speech. Donald Trump has before said numerous times, I got it done when nobody else could get it done. So he has taken credit. So yes, he mentioned all the other different people. Yes, I'm fully aware of the role

Jared Kushner played. I met with Jared Kushner at the White House while this thing was going, when it was in the House before it even got to the Senate. But Donald Trump has taken credit for it. The point I'm making here, though, is that the First Step Act is a piece of criminal justice reform. There have been actions taken by Trump's Department of Justice that actually are going to advance mass incarceration. So you said appease, hence first step. When you have three steps in something,

the first step is the first step. So it means there actually are more to come. Are there three steps? There's more to come. We're at the second step now. When? We'll be seeing a third step. Where is it?

This is the second step. Where is it? The hiring process. We have the second step hiring has been something that something that was the name of the event today, was the second step bipartisan form. And so there are more steps. That's why we named it the first step. No, no, no.

That's the form. Where's the bill? Okay, the second step. Whose bill is that? The bill will be going to Congress, but obviously it has to be prepared. No, no, no. Whose bill is it? No, no, no. You said there were three steps. There's a second step that is being prepared

in the White House. Where's the second one? There's a second step that is being prepared in the White House. It's being prepared? Yes. And when is it going to be presented? It just got passed. No, it didn't just get passed.

I mean, you could. So what are we waiting on? You know how government works. You know how government works. You can't pass three steps in one year. But if you want to hold yourself up as being the one who got it done, I'm saying where's the second step? What was the first step? You said there were three. What was the first step in Obama's administration?

I was wondering where that would come from. What was the first step in Obama's administration? The first step in the Obama administration was to actually do a review of the people who are actually in prison. One second, I'm not done. I'm not done. And create

a real process to actually release folks from prison, shorten those sentences. That's actually what was happening. That's one. Two, Obama became the first president to literally visit a federal prison. Three, Eric Holder changing the guidelines, telling his attorneys you do not have to prosecute people at the highest level. Four, stopping the funding, the use of federal prisons. Do you want me to go on? Roland, you can continue to take away from the four people. Let me also remind you. Deontay, let me ask you a question.

Why did criminal justice reform under Obama, who blocked it? The Republicans blocked it. Oh, so don't ask the question, what did Obama do if you don't own up to your party blocking criminal justice reform? So who's blocking the second step now? There's no presentation of it. Let me also remind you. Let me also remind you. The bill that was passed, the bill that was passed in the House was a weak version.

When it went to the Senate, it was folks like Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Cory Booker and Senator Kamala Harris who made it clear that bill is dead on the arrival unless it was actually enforced. And luckily, you had Senator Chuck Grassley, who also told Donald Trump, hey, this bill is weak, so it was strengthened. So don't question what did Obama do on it when Republicans were blocking it. What I'm simply saying is... Roland, you can continue to take away... You can continue to take away from the four blacks

that were speaking today to thank the president on the help that they've received with the first step that you can today to thank the president on the help that they've received with the first step that you can continue to take away from it. But at the end of the day, it happened. There's more to happen. And stay tuned for more. I'm not taking away from that.

Because right now you're taking your- What are you talking about? Right now- I'm not taking away from that. You're taking away from it. I am speaking author- No, you're taking away from it. You're saying where's the rest?

I'm speaking, excuse me, I'm speaking authoritatively about what is also happening by the Trump Department of Justice that is playing a role in contributing to mass incarceration. But I guess you deny that. Your purpose of making light of, your purpose is to make light of the first step, that correct? No, no, no, no, no. You're wrong. That's your purpose. My purpose is, no, of the first step that correct no no no that's your purpose is no no no any time you go negative your purpose is to know the light of the first day that the other thing the other day came together If we're going to discuss criminal justice reform, criminal justice reform, I'm not talking about one thing. I'm talking about multiple areas. And what I'm saying is if the Trump administration wants to do criminal justice reform, reverse the reverse the use of private federal prisons,

reverse Jeff Sessions' decision when it came to telling the U.S. attorneys, prosecute at the highest level. Reverse the decision when it comes to what they're doing, pulling back from dissent decrees. Reverse those decisions, but don't say over here, hey, look what I've done that's great, but over here

I'm contributing to mass incarceration. Rolling Rome wasn't built in a day. Oh, here we go. Okay. CJ, what's your thoughts? Well, first, I mean, if I was the president and I passed it, hell yeah, I'd brag all day long, all the way to Mississippi and back

and to California and to Canada. So he deserves credit for it. No other president did it. Let it be. And have patience. I mean, there are a lot of people who at the table, whether it's Noble, FOP, the Urban League, NAACP, everybody's going to have various different degrees on what criminal justice should be.

And it's about the sausage is going to be grind. And we're now at second chance hiring. Is there a bill around second chance? No. But what the president did do, harnessed the bully pulpit of the White House, the Oval Office, to bring corporate America together to talk about second chance hiring. Now, is there some stuff that's going to happen in a couple of days down

the road? Sure. We just, you know, it's like, show me. He's about to show you what his next step is going to be, and when he comes, we'll come back and we'll discuss it. Also, don't forget, Deontay, when you questioned what Obama did, didn't he sign the Fair Sentencing Act to actually reduce the whole issue of crack and powder cocaine? Did he pass the legislation?

Did he pass anything on criminal justice reform legislated? Absolutely not, but we'll let Roland continue to have those things. He couldn't pass it because your party was blocking it. See, here's the deal here that y'all, for some reason, don't want to own up to. Democrats had no issue working with Republicans on criminal justice reform under Obama. Oh, just like Clinton did in 1994, Democrats did that too. Under Trump. The problem under Obama was that Republicans wouldn't work with Democrats

on criminal justice reform because they didn't want to give Obama a win. At some point, y'all got to at least He didn't understand about partisanship. Your party, in eight years, in eight years, your party blocked criminal justice reform.

Well, no, we didn't. And all the black folks and Hispanics got locked up. Dr. Carter, I'm sorry. Are we living in an alternate universe? Niamey? I mean, I just... I think this is a conversation that'll go nowhere, right? You all will never agree, but I will say this look black and brown communities have been over police for a very long time and that's regardless of who has been in the Oval Office and

To the extent that any of these things can happen I mean the the what the federal government can do is is some part of this I really think if we were talking about real criminal justice reform We should look at local levels because some of these things that we are talking about real criminal justice reform, we should look at local levels. State levels. Because some of these things that we are talking about, about hiring, for example, ban-the-box legislation has been appearing in cities around the country. I mean, this thing indemnifying employers

so they will hire nonviolent, formerly incarcerated persons has been going around for years. So none of these things are novel or new. And I think anybody who's been hanging around the criminal justice space for a very long time has been none of these things are novel or new. And I think anybody who's been hanging around the criminal justice space for a very long time has been talking about these things for a really long time. So none of this is rocket science, none of this is new,

and none of these are things, in fact, that this president or any other president should get full credit for because you really had pioneers at state and local levels, formerly incarcerated persons, non-governmental organizations, all kinds of folks who've been talking about this stuff for a long time and giving people real common sense things that could be bipartisan, right?

They just get papered over because we like the politics of it all, right? And not thinking about the fact that these are real people's real lives. And so anything that we can do to lessen the burden on some of our most vulnerable citizens are always things that should not be political well again if people want to be serious about this let's do it but michael made the most important point there and that is and and let's be clear in the first step act republicans fought

sentencing reform that was one of the biggest. And so let's see what actually takes place in that. Got to go to a break. We come back and update another story that we've been covering back in Roland Martin. I'll talk to you in a moment. We're out here today to file charges against UC because UC is outsourcing our jobs. We've had orthotechs that have gotten letters for 36 months saying they're not going to get a lateral transfer.

Their jobs are going to be gone. And if they want a job, they have to go through a third-party company. And that is not okay. We need to be respected on our jobs so that way we can give the patient care we need to give for our patients. We need to have safe jobs. We need to not come to work and fear that our jobs are gonna be gone tomorrow

because of outsourcing. And however long it takes, whether it takes another day, another week, another month, we need to stay on the fight. Whether one day longer, one day stronger, we need to be out here fighting. All right, folks, we certainly want to thank Aspie for being a supporter of this show. I am here in Los Angeles for the National Association of Black Journalists board meeting. We also have been meeting with various media companies talking about diversity and inclusion. And one of the things that we have made perfectly clear is that we are going to hold these media companies accountable.

We are 24 years away from America becoming a nation that is majority people of color. Unfortunately, this industry, mainstream media, is white as all can get out when you look at the executive ranks. The fact of the matter is, in the history of this industry, you have never had an African-American who has been head of a major media organization. What I mean by that is, you've never had an African-American who's been the president of ABC News, of NBC News, of CBS News, of CNN, of Fox News, of MSNBC, and we can go on and on and on. The reason that is important is because we are facing a serious issue when it comes to senior level executives. That, folks, is a problem.

And so what our goal, very simple, is to continue to press this issue, to hold these entities accountable when it comes to positions. Everybody wants to talk about internships, when it comes to positions. Everybody wants to talk about internships, talk about entry-level positions, but the fundamental problem that African Americans are seeing across this country is what happened when you're in the middle of your career or senior-level positions. Our job with NABJ is to challenge these companies. Y'all saw what we did with CNN. All of a sudden, they promoted four African Americans who were already in their company

to senior level positions. Without our pressure, Jeff Zucker and CNN would have never done that. That's why NABJ matters. That's why we must continue to use pressure to put on these companies. Those who want to work with us, we'll work with them. We must continue to use pressure to put on these companies. Those who want to work with us, we'll work with them.

Those who don't, we'll call out. And eventually, they will work with us. We understand our power. And I can guarantee you, we sure as hell are going to use it. I want to thank our panel there. Dr. Neombe Carter, Michael Brown, C.J. Pearson, Deontay, thank you so very much as well. Thank everybody else been on the show. Lee, Tamika, thank you so very much as well. Folks, I've got to go. A board meeting is taking place right now. And so looking forward to sharing more information with you as possible. And I'll see you guys in studio on Monday. I got to go. Y'all

take care. Holla! This is an iHeart Podcast.