#RolandMartinUnfiltered - 11.1 RMU: Black judge under attack; Petition for PGPD chief to step down; #WalkAway Campaign founder

Episode Date: November 7, 2019

11.1.19 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Black judge under attack for calling out racism; Petition calls for PG County Police Chief to step down; #WalkAway Campaign founder debates Roland Martin; The new Harriet Tubman movie hits theaters this weekend + We're live at CultureShift, a Black venture capitalist summit in NYC. - #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. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position.

Pre-game to greater them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org, brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Hey folks, Roland Martin here. Today we're broadcasting from the second day from the Culture Shift Labs Venture Capitalist Summit that focuses on Black and Latinx VCs. Of course, we're broadcasting right now on this Friday, November 1st. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, breaking news.

Beto O'Rourke drops out of the Democratic presidential race. No shock there. Can't wait to see what our panel has to say about that. Also on today's show, an online petition is calling for the Prince George's County, Maryland, police chief to resign. Also, a black judge is under attack for calling out racism in her county's court system. And remember the Donald Trump supporter who verbally attacked April Ryan at Pluticon last week?

Well, he's here talking about the walk-away campaign, but there are some black Republicans who are not happy with him. Let's see what he has to say about that. Folks, lots to discuss on the show. It's time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin Unf with him. Let's see what he has to say about that. Folks, lots to do, lots to discuss on the show. It's time to bring the funk on Rolling Right Unfiltered. Let's go. is rolling best believe he's knowing putting it down from sports to news to politics with entertainment just for kicks he's rolling

he's broke he's fresh he's real the best you know he's rolling Yeah, yeah Rollin' with Rollin' now Yeah, yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Rollin' Martin Now Martin All right, folks, our top story, Beto O'Rourke, of course, a former congressman who came very close to defeating Senator Ted Cruz for the Texas Senate race in 2018, has dropped out of the Democratic presidential race.

Here is someone who generated lots of attention when he announced he said he was made for this. Vic Vanity Fair article, of course, touting his run, but he never gained any traction whatsoever. Not only is he dropping out of the Democratic presidential race, he also says he is not going to be running for the United States Senate in Texas. Let's go right to my panel here. Joining us is Julian Boykin, founder and chair, Young Republicans of Southern Maryland, Dr. Cleo Manago, political analyst, and Johanna LeBlanc, national security and foreign affairs legal analyst. Cleo, I'm going to, and Johanna LeBlanc, national security and foreign affairs legal analyst. Cleo, I want to start with you.

The reality is Beto O'Rourke should have never run for president. He should have run for the United States Senate. He had built up a strong following in Texas. It made a hell of a lot more sense for him to run there. But ego run amok, and here he is in October, now dropping out of this campaign. Your thoughts? Well, this is pretty simple. I mean, he wasn't popular, he wasn't doing well,

and you've been breaking it down in terms of implying that he would likely drop out anyway this whole time, and again, you were correct in terms of deducing the logic about his lack of success in his campaign. So it's really simple. I mean, there's not much to explain. The man wasn't doing well. He never really was success in his campaign. So it's really simple. I mean, there's not much to explain. The man wasn't doing well. He never really was up in the polls.

He never really touched the audience and had any fire or anything behind him to make people really take him seriously as a presidential candidate. So there it is. He dropped out. Now he gets to save some money because it's expensive doing this whole thing.

It is expensive. And, Johanna, the reality is this here. Not only has he screwed himself by dropping out, now he's damaged goods, can't run for the U.S. Senate. Trust me, the Republicans in Texas were very leery of Beto O'Rourke building on what he did in 2018 had he run for the United States Senate against Senator John Cornyn in 2020. Now that has gone out of the window. Yeah, it's quite unfortunate because we know the presidential campaign and any political campaign in the United States

or anywhere around the world is essentially a popularity contest. And if you cannot get the folks to rally behind you and to being supportive of your of your policy Proposals or to get them to understand where you stand and to get people to rally behind you It's just not going to work, but I do think that he would have made a fine senator Um, it's quite unfortunate that he would not be running. Maybe he's just saying it just to say it Maybe he may change his his opinion. It may just be a more of a strategic Thing to say, I'm not running for the Senate,

but I think he will make a fine senator, and I look forward to hearing what he's going to do on behalf of the American people in the future. Julia, the reason that's not going to happen, he was very adamant during the campaign that he was not going to run for the United States Senate. In his announcement today, he said he is not going to be running for the United States Senate. He literally wasted 10 months.

Beto O'Rourke, had he used the last 10 months to build up his following in Texas, he had significant energy. A number of Republicans in Texas are retiring because they've been getting killed in the suburbs of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. Here was somebody and Senator John Cornyn's numbers are down. But again, ego trip. You run for president and he never got higher than four or five percent. And so even if he had, let's say, jumped in and and pulled out after a couple of months and still have a shot. Now you're damaged goods. I think, you know, he went off

of ego, you know, no telling who was in his corner, giving him the advice that, hey, hey, maybe I have a shot at running for president. I think the gun issue, the gun issue really, really messed him up. When he talked about taking away guns from citizens, that kind of put the dagger in it for him as far as him being done. Now, as far as him trying to run for the Senate, I don't know if that's something he should look at. If this presidential race has tainted the idea of him running for Senate, I'm pretty sure he'll make that decision. It probably won't be the last we've heard of Beto, but I know for sure when he started talking about taking guns out of citizens' hands, that pretty much done it for a lot of people

that was rooting for him. Well, I think that... Well, no, actually, that did it for... Well, that did it for Republicans who never were going to support him anyway, but the reality is it did gain significant traction and it did get him lots of attention, Cleo, but it didn't go anywhere.

Well, you mentioned that as ego, and that's likely in there, but I believe that Trump lowered the bar. And what I mean by that is that because... Oh, absolutely. Oh, no, you're absolutely right. Because somebody like Trump, of all people, given who he exposed himself as before he became president and since he's become president,

the dog catchers think they can run, and, you know, anybody feel like they can run, and why shouldn't they, being that this dude is the president? So I think that's probably why Beto hung in there, because he felt like, wait a minute now, wait a minute, look who's over there. I'm going to stand here until the wheels fall off,

and I guess the wheels fell off. But there's also this other element that we're not talking about. Oftentimes, folks run for various positions, in particular the presidency, for name recognition. So perhaps he did this because he has better plans in the future, but he knew he was not going to win the nomination. But for name recognition, people do it all the time. There are several people who are in the campaign right now.

They're not going to go far, but they're in it for name recognition as well. I understand your point, the reason that does not fly in this case. When he ran for the United States Senate in 2018, he raised the most money ever for a U.S. Senate race. He had people across the country who were contributing to his campaign. He had national attention running against Senator Ted Cruz. He lost by 2.5 percentage points. He had significant name recognition. He thought he could parlay that to running for president.

The mistake was that he built up a massive organization in Texas, and he could have been able to take on Senator John Cornyn. Instead, he thought they loved me so much nationally, hey, I might as well run for president. It didn't work. No denying that. That's the case. didn't work. No denying that. That's the case. Didn't work.

And it's just sometimes, sometimes some people need to realize, guess what? You ain't meant to run for president. You're meant to be. And here's the piece. He's young cat. He could have easily ran for the US Senate. Let's say he won and beat Cornyn.

There's gonna be significant opposition to Donald Trump in 2020. Julian, your party is extremely afraid of what's happening in the suburbs of Texas. Beto O'Rourke could have built on what he did in 2018 and said, boom, I'm running against Cornyn. He could have basically cleared the board of other folks running for the Democratic primary and could have been focused on John Cornyn for almost two years. He didn't. And that was a strategic and fatal mistake.

Yeah. It's obvious that there was a fatality. I mean, he's gone. He was listening to somebody. There we go. Well, guess what? He should have called folks like me because we just said hashtag, we tried to tell you. He was listening to somebody. There we go. He was listening to somebody. Well, guess what? You should have called folks like me because we would have said hashtag we tried to tell you.

All right, y'all. Let's talk about this story here. The first black woman elected to serve as a judge in Louisiana's 16th Judicial District has come under fire for speaking out against racial injustice. Last month, the 16th Judicial District Attorney's Office in New Iberia, Louisiana, began requesting that Lori Landry be recused from pending criminal cases on the grounds that she is biased or prejudiced against this office, such that she cannot be fair or impartial. Since then, the situation has escalated. As of Wednesday, Landry was facing more than 300 virtually identical motions asking that she be reportedly removed from upcoming cases. Some examples being used against Landry are comments she reportedly made from the bench, such as, black men do not survive traffic stops with the police.

Fact. Wow. She also said that officers use the habitual offender statute selectively, which disproportionately puts black people in more harm or risk than anyone else. Landry, herself a former prosecutor, was first elected to the bench in 2002 after spending nearly nine years at the same DA's office that is now accusing her of unfair treatment. Landry cannot hear or decide on cases while the motion to remove her is being considered. I want to start with you, Johanna.

Here's what is happening across this country. And the Trump Justice Department, they are leaders in this. Progressive voices in criminal justice are being targeted. Let me say it again. Progressive voices are being targeted. You have Marilyn Mosby in Baltimore, targeted by cops, targeted by Republicans. Aramis Ayala, the first black state's attorney in Florida. She said, I am not going to prosecute death penalty cases. Then Florida Governor Rick Scott removed cases from her. In fact, what's happening, go back to Maryland,

right now, Governor Larry Hogan has ordered the Attorney General in Baltimore, a Democrat, to take more of the cases from Marilyn Mosby under the guise that she supposedly isn't prosecuting them. The Pennsylvania Attorney General is targeting Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. I can go on and on and on. And in fact, it was William Barr who went before a police organization a few weeks ago and actually said that these progressive district DAs and judges are causing harm. They want to keep locking people up and they don't want progressive voices like Judge Landry on the bench. Johanna. Here's my position on this.

When Judge Landry won the election, me and my friends, we were extremely excited because, as you know, Louisiana has one of the most oppressive legal systems in America when it comes to people of color. So we thought that perhaps we're going to get someone on the bench who will do some good and protect the rights

Well not protect the rights because the judge your job is to interpret the law right not to be an advocate So here's my here's my problem here, right? There is a fine line between Advocacy and being a judge again as a judge your job is to interpret the law. And because she has been so vocal about injustices in the system, and for example, that quote you just shared with us about men when they're stopped by the police officer, and usually they don't get a, it's never fair, right? So as a judge, you have to be very careful because you have to always appear to be impartial.

You have to appear to be neutral. So when you speak those things out loud, people now know where you stand. And motions such as these could be filed to get you recused from certain cases. Now, had it been a white judge or someone who was racist making racist comments, the same motions would have been filed.

So again, I think it's good that you have a progressive judge on the bench, but however, comma, we must be mindful because there is a fine line between advocacy and being a judge, and you have to be impartial. Nah, but here's the deal, Cleo. You can make comments as a judge, but it's not a situation unless you are ruling

on a particular case. You can be a judge and speak about exactly what's happening in the criminal justice system. That's not what they're saying. They're not saying that she has incorrectly ruled in cases. They're saying we don't like your comments. Well, the motion was filed because she is perceived to not be neutral or not be impartial. No, no, that's not what I said. No, that's not.

No, no. The motion was filed specifically related to comments. No, no, that's not what I said. No, that's not. No, no. The motion was filed specifically related to comments. The motion was not filed as related to rulings from the bench in specific cases. But those comments could lead to her not being impartial. No, no, no. No, hold up. You can't say comments could lead to something unless it leads to something. So unless, again,

if they said, Cleo, oh, that she incorrectly ruled in this case, she applied the law incorrectly, they then can appeal that decision. They then can actually take her up for judicial misconduct.

That's not what they're doing here. That's the difference, Johanna. That's the difference. And just because you acknowledge a statistical fact where people that look like you are getting mistreated does not mean you're going to be inappropriate when it comes to making legal decisions. And the assumption is that if you have a perspective

that's even true around issues relevant to race, you become suspect. perspective that's even true around issues relevant to race, you become suspect. And that's racist. And what she's dealing with here is racism. I just hope that there's enough support around her, whether it's community people or other judiciaries, that will help support this woman. Because once you get on the wrong side of bureaucracies

that are white, you can lose. No turning back. So I hope that she has support, but I want to reiterate the fact that just because you have a perspective that's based on fact does not mean you don't have the clarity and the lack of... What's the word that you have to have?

You have to have no bias. Doesn't mean that you don't have bias or that you do have bias, I should say, when you're making legal decisions. This is racist. I think... Julian, there's a black federal judge who gave a speech talking about Donald Trump

and some of these decisions. He's a federal judge. He was speaking about these issues. Just because a person is a judge does not mean they cannot make comments about what is happening in the criminal justice system. But you are, as a judge, you are judged based upon the

application of the law I think the judge is right for what she's saying I think she just went about it the wrong way as a judge you got to kind of stay impartial and making comments on certain things granted she has a she has a first seat a front-row seat as far as the cases that are being tried versus Caucasian men, with cases that are being tried versus African American men. If you take the same charge and see, okay, a Caucasian male is receiving a lesser sentence, but an African American male is receiving

a more harsher sentence, yes, she can make that assumption, but at the same time, a person in her seat, I think she could have figured out a better way and played chess with it and see, see okay how can I advocate this without putting myself in the spotlight in a negative way so now you run the risk of they're filing a motion to have you removed and they're bringing up about 300 plus cases against you if you have that you've already decided over so yes she's entitled to it no no no no no They're not bringing up 300 cases she decided over.

They're bringing up these 300 motions that are nearly identical. What they're trying to do is they're trying to game the system to keep her off of the bitch. That's what they're trying to do. And this is not the first time we've seen this. And we saw this with the ambassador, with AU ambassador to the United States. When you are in certain positions, you cannot be an advocate. You are to...

No, Johanna, Johanna, there's a difference. Johanna, no, this is... No, hold on, wait one second. One second. One second. We're going to deal with facts here. The person who is the ambassador,

that is an appointed position. Appointed. This is an elected position. She was chosen by the people. That distinction must be made. I think it's important that we look at the fact that some of us and some people in the system want black people to walk around on eggshells

and be self-conscious and not express even factual information Some of us and some people in this system want black people to walk around on eggshells and be self-conscious and not express even factual information that shows that they know how race incidents occurs in this country and that we have to keep on looking at both sides of the room and second-guess ourselves. And I don't think that makes any sense or is fair. But the fact of the matter is, we need more and more progressive judges on the bench.

There is no denying that. But I think as professionals, we have to understand there is a fine line between advocacy and upholding the law. But that ain't advocacy. To say that Trayvon Martin got shot by Zimmerman is not advocacy. But is she wrong for what she said, though? Is she wrong for what she said? So it's not what she said, it's how she said it. She said it in English.

But she could have done it a different way to the point where she doesn't make herself a target. She could have done it a different way where she does not make herself a target. You have to be strategic and accurate. She could have done it a different way where she's not making herself a target. Do you agree?

Here's the deal, though. You can say it once. No, because here's why. Because of what's the deal, though. You can say it once. No, because here's why. Because of what's actually happening right now, progressive DAs and judges who have said things in the right way, who have said them very softly, who said them respectfully, other forms are still being targeted and attacked. So the issue is not that, oh, how she said it or where she said it. It's the fact that she is calling out the DA's office. And that's what they don't like.

And let's keep in mind, this is a woman who served in that office. What is clear here is there are people who she worked with in that office. And what she is doing is calling them out for how they are targeting people. I'll give you an example. In New York, they passed a law to impact their bail system. They found there's an audio recording of a prosecutor explaining to people how to skirt the rules in order to keep people in jail longer. That's what's happening, and so that's what you're dealing with.

We've got to be honest. If there are people in DA's office who want to be judges, who want to be for higher office, who use the prosecution of largely black people to advance their careers and they don't want somebody calling out that because that

they believe impacts their rise. And that to me, I think of what's going on here. Final comment before I go to a break. Mosby is in trouble because Mosby had corrupt police officers arrested. And she broke the line by being in her position and arresting police, and she's under very similar scrutiny.

Nailed it. Last comment. Simple as that. Last comment. Let's that. Let's comment. Let's be more strategic in our approach moving forward. Let's go buy

some eggshells. Perhaps. And travel around with a bunch of eggshells. I think there's a certain way you have to do things. Obviously, I mean... For white folks.

She just has to be more strategic in her approach. For white folks. And utilize her power in a more decisive way to where she can perhaps offset the citizens to make it fair and reasonable for everybody so it's not just African-American males.

But she is fair and reasonable. Calling it out is one thing, but you got to have a solution. How are you going to fix that? Even though I acknowledge racism, I'm fair and decent to everybody. If you call it out, what's the solution? If you call it what it is and it's wrong, what is the solution? That's all I'm saying. Thank you. Well, one of the solutions. She's calling it's wrong, what is the solution? That's all I'm saying. Thank you.

She's calling it out, but what's the solution? If you're calling it out, what is the solution? One of the solutions. I understand that. One of the solutions. I've repressed the facts of life. I'm not debating. I can answer your question.

Excuse me. One of the solutions is by calling it out, by putting them on notice, by saying, if you sit here and keep playing games with the criminal justice system, I'm gonna keep calling y'all and exposing you. That is a solution. Gotta go to break when we come back.

Right winger, used to be a liberal. He attacks April Ryan at Politicon, and then he says that he was the one who was a victim. Hmm. So why is he calling April Ryan all sorts of names at an event where black people were discussing their thoughts and perspective on Trump, and he's not black?

Well, I'll talk with him next on Roland Martin Unfiltered back in a moment. 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, 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, family, it's almost time. The holiday season is my favorite time of the year.

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Please support them down. Last week at Politicon, a group of African Americans were speaking on a panel about being black and covering Donald Trump. Then all of a sudden, this disruption happened at the panel. I believe in the policy of African Americans. That's true of the Republican Party as well. Trump has policies that he only believes help his own voters. That's a lie.

He talks to his own. That's a lie. Ask your question. That's a lie. Just ask your question. I wanna talk to April Ryan. There is nothing. The biggest liar in this room.

Hold on, hold on, hold on. Yeah, I have a question for you. You don't have any questions. You know, I keep. Well, then let me ask my question. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Yeah, I have a question for you tonight. I'd like to help you, but I'm sorry. You don't have to be asking. You know, I keep- Well then let me ask my question. Speaking of lies, let me tell you something, my middle name is Truth, A Brian and I'm

out. Come on, come on, come on. You don't get this. Come on, I'm out. Hold on, you're the one knocking away, sweetheart. You're the one knocking away. Come back and answer my question. Come back and answer my question. All right, folks, don't

need to see the rest of that. You probably see the video on social media. And so Brandon Straka, he was the one at the microphone, joins us right now. So, Brandon, welcome to Roller Martin Unfiltered. What was the purpose of you going to that panel? What was the purpose of that? Well, initially, I wasn't even supposed to be going to that panel. It was not my intention to do so.

I actually had a booth at Politicon for the walkaway campaign. Our booth was situated right next to where that panel was taking place. I had a number of people coming to my booth and saying, we're so upset. We're so upset. You should hear the things that are being said on this panel. I was like, what is the panel? What's going on? And people like, no, you have to go hear it for yourself. So I stepped over which is literally 510 steps away and began listening and within minutes it was very clear what the panel was about it was a it was a anti Trump supporter. I was just Trump bashing so they say it was what they say.

From the moment I got there what I heard was that the maga hat was synonymous with the white hood of the KKK, but they said the MAGA hat was actually worse because at least with the KKK, the hood indicated that the people understood that they needed to hide their faces in shame, whereas the MAGA hat actually emboldened racists and bigots. The people on the panel are saying that they have to live in fear every day of Trump supporters, that they have to live in terror. That, I mean, the name of the panel was being black.

Hold on one second, you said Trump. Hold on one second. So you said the people on the panel were saying that they have to live in fear. Did any of the people on that panel actually state examples of how they have been targeted,

how they have been harassed, how they've had to hire security, any of them? They did not. Okay. But the fact of the matter is there are people on the panel who have had to do that. You remember the guy who was arrested, you remember the guy who was arrested, who's in jail,

who was sending pipe bombs to CNN and other places targeting Van Jones, and then when the FBI arrested him, they discovered his computer, and he had a whole list of people he was researching, who he was targeting, who he deemed to be progressives and critics of Donald Trump. You remember that? Do you remember when Maxine Waters said that Trump supporters? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I asked you a question. No, no, I asked you a question. No, no, I asked you a question. Do you remember that? Yes or no? No, no, no. Do you remember that? Yes or no? Yes, I remember that incident from years ago. I do. Okay. Now, now, now, no, no, no, actually, no, actually, it wasn't years ago. And so when you make the suggestion,

when you imply that somehow these things are not true, that is a lie. I don't know if you've ever had the FBI call you and to tell you that your name was found on a computer of an individual who was making pipe bombs and was sending them out i can guarantee you brandon that you would not just go hmm that's no big deal roland if we're going to have a conversation make it worthwhile okay if you're telling me i'm sorry first of all i asked you a question now i asked you a question you were commenting on what they were saying. I'm giving you an example as somebody who has that as an issue. I'm a guest on your show. May I please answer the question rather than having you railroad me and then act like you won this debate?

No, no, no. First of all, let's be real clear. Let's just be real clear. That little cute little trick works with your followers. Here's the piece. Did I invite you on the show? Of course I did. Then let me speak.

I didn't have to. I'm not. Hold on. Brandon, Brandon, Brandon. And that's the other key trick y'all do. Brandon. That's not how it works. So just let me speak.

Brandon, Brandon, Brandon. Brandon, Brandon, I'm going to let you speak. What I'm telling you is there's no such thing as, oh, you're talking because you're winning. I asked you a question. So go right ahead. I was, and you interrupted me. Please let me speak. I'm a guest on your show, okay?

I told you go right ahead, and you're still whining. So go right ahead. Thank you very much. I'm just trying to set the table so that you'll respect me as a guest on your show. I've already told you to. I've already said go right ahead, and three times now told you to. I've already said go right ahead. And three times now, you're whining when I already said go right ahead. So you're wasting time, and you think, and I know how y'all try to use it later.

So I've said, go right ahead. So make your comment versus trying to keep whining about I can't talk when I just said go right ahead. Okay, we get it. What I was trying to say is if you're trying to suggest that black Americans in this country have to live in fear of being listed on the FBI because a pipe bomb might show up at their house, then I think that you're really, really

reaching even further than I expected you to reach. The purpose of that panel was for people to get up and say... Okay, Roland, I'm speaking. That panel was seven black Americans... I'm Americans have to live in fear constantly. That panel was seven black Americans saying that black Americans have to live in fear constantly of Trump supporters, Donald Trump, and people with MAGA hats. Now, you're talking about pipe bombs, and that has nothing to do with the conversation.

So what I'm trying to say is let's bring it back. Actually, it does. Actually, it does. Actually, it does because the individual who was arrested, the individual who was arrested was a Donald Trump supporter. Let me ask you this question. Have we seen in the last three years an increase in the United States of white domestic terrorism and hate groups? White domestic terrorism. Can you define the term? Yes. The FBI has actually defined that. That is homegrown terrorists, white domestic terrorism. Can you define the term? Yes. The FBI has actually defined that. That is homegrown terrorists,

white domestic terrorists. Have we actually seen that? Do you believe that actually happened? You just restated what you said. You didn't provide a definition. First of all, if you need me to explain to you, white

domestic terrorists, okay, the individuals who have gone to prison after what took place in Charlottesville, those are white domestic terrorists. So do you believe we've seen that? Because the FBI sure does. No, the FBI does not believe that or the FBI does not suggest that. What? Absolutely. Really? I'm sorry. Hold on. Hold on. Can you repeat that. Hold on. Can you repeat that again? Okay. Can you repeat that again? I want to make sure that you're quoted correctly.

I want to make sure, Brandon, you're quoted correctly. You just said that the FBI does not believe we have seen an increase in white domestic terrorism? No. Your question to me was, do I believe there is a rise in white domestic terrorism? And what I said is that you're about to tell me that. Go ahead. I'm asking you yes or no. Do you believe there's a rise in white domestic terrorism in the United States in the last three years? I do not. I do not. So you don't believe it, but the FBI does. The FBI does not.

There's no. What evidence are you using to suggest that the FBI believes that? Are you talking about a rise in reported hate crimes? No, no. The FBI director, Ray, has testified about how significant white domestic terrorism is. He has testified on several occasions in front of Congress. And so for you to act as if black folks should not be concerned when there has been a rise in white domestic terrorism. We just dealt with the first anniversary of the shooting of the synagogue in Pittsburgh.

That was white domestic terrorism. Roland, if we were having a serious conversation here, what we would be talking about is the rise in Pittsburgh. That was white domestic terrorism. We have seen numerous examples of that. Roland, if we were having a serious conversation here, what we would be talking about is the rise in crime. There are so many more crimes perpetrated against who wear the red hat than by anybody who actually wears the red hat itself. Listen, if there's a rise in white domestic terrorism, however you define that term, then that's something that needs to be addressed. What does that have to do with Trump supporters? No, what it has to do with the fact is in the last three years since Trump was placed in the White House,

we've seen that rise. And what we're dealing with now is that is a concern of a significant number of people. Now, I've got to ask you this question here. You are one of the folks involved in the walkaway campaign. I'm the founder of the walkaway campaign. I'm sorry, say it campaign. I'm the founder of the walk away campaign. I'm sorry, say it again. I'm the founder of the walk away campaign. Say it again.

So when it comes to that, what is the black involvement in your campaign? And let me ask you this question. What is it in terms of black involvement? Because I've had black conservatives who've reached out to me who say they want nothing to do with you or your campaign. And in fact, the guy who's running against Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been highly, I think Antonio Hunter, I believe. I'll pull up in a second. Has been highly critical of you as relates to African-Americans and Latinos. What do you say about that?

What I would say about that is that I would happily provide screenshots for you of that same gentleman calling me a faggot and making homophobic slurs against me and threats against my event. I have this all screenshotted. If that is actually the person that you want to get behind, I think that you're backing the wrong horse. No, no, no. No, no. Actually, I'm not getting behind anybody. I'm asking you a question. Well, also, when it comes to your move. If that's your character witness. No, I'm asking you a question. Well, if that's your character witness.

No, I'm asking you a question because that was only one question. I'm asking you that particular question. Wrong guy, Roland. Because there have been numerous black conservatives who have said that your movement, excuse me, excuse me, I'm going to ask the question. There have been black conservatives who have said that your movement is not about empowering African-Americans. It's about getting attention for you. So I'll ask the question, what exactly does your movement have to do with black America? And what are you have you done to even do anything to address the issues that black Americans care about? Sure. Other than so you say walk away.

Right. So first and foremost, I don't believe you when you say that numerous black conservatives have come to you other than the homophobic gangbanger that you're apparently doing business with. But you also don't believe in the rise in white domestic terrorism. So that's neither here nor there.

But go ahead and answer my question. And you're also buddying up with homophobic gangbangers. No, actually, I'm not. Actually, I don't even know who he is because the reality is I'm saying the information was – no, I don't even know who he is. I brought it up because there are other individuals who have said that he was one individual. They've also talked – one second they also they've also raised the question they've also they've also raised the question they've also raised the question again about what is the black leadership involvement in your movement and the question is what, what specifically have you done or are doing when it comes to the issues involving African-Americans other than Yale walk away?

What are you doing? OK, so first and foremost, the walk away campaign started off as a social media testimonial campaign, creating people, creating videos and written testimonials. So one of the first things that we did was when we started to get an enormous vault of testimonials from black Americans walking away from the Democratic Party, we created a documentary, a 35-minute documentary. People can watch it right now for free on YouTube. It's called The Great Awakening, Breaking the Chains of the Democratic Party. 20 black Americans telling their stories of why they're walking away. After we created this documentary, we began raising funds to do screenings around the country. And we do these screenings under the name

the Walkaway Black Americans Town Hall. So what I've done is taken amazing black voices across the spectrum. I'm trying to answer your question, but go ahead. Who do the funds go to? Who do the funds go to? The funds go to the Walkway Foundation and then they're used to do our events. I've never drawn a salary from the Walkway campaign, not a single dollar. I've

never paid myself a single dollar from the Walkway Foundation. That's never happened. Okay. So you're doing screenings in black communities regarding the Walkway campaign. Is that what you're saying? Not only are we doing screenings, we're also flying in speakers from around the country, amazing people like David Harris Jr., YG Nightstorm, Angela King, Shameka Moore, Terrence Williams, Chandler Crump.

I could go on and on and on. You said Angela King. You said Angela King and David Harris. Angela King, I believe that's Alveda King's daughter. So question for you. So what exactly so what exactly are they doing? What exactly are they doing? Are they are you providing funds for them to mobilize and organize in black communities? Or is the fund simply going to pay for your film and the town hall? So, no, we don't pay. We pay for the events that walk away does. We don't provide funding for other organizations. And the funding goes to do our events. The events are very costly. We have to rent a venue. We have to pay for flights and hotels for speakers. We have to pay for a lot of security, unfortunately, because liberals and

Democrats are violent. We have to pay for marketing. There's a lot of things that we have to pay for. In addition to the fact that we also have to pay for graphic designers, and I have an organization. I have a staff that I have to pay for. I have an organization. And do you have a diverse staff, and are you also using diverse vendors? Well, I mean, we have several LGBT people on my staff. No, no. Do you have...

How many black folks on your staff? Well, there's four people on my staff, period, and they're all white. How many black people on your staff? Well, when we're doing walkway town halls, 100% of my staff is black. No, no, no, no. How many black people on your staff? How many black vendors are you using?

Because here's the deal. Here's the deal, Brandon. No, no, no, no. Actually, it's not, Brandon, because if you are going to articulate that you have this movement and that you are speaking to and speaking about and you're featuring black people i would think black people will be in leadership i would think you would have black staffers i would think that if you're you talking about okay empowering african-americans you might be employing black graphic designers or black videographers and i'm just simply asking a question i mean you're raising this money and you're talking about your black walkaway campaign. So if you have a black walkaway campaign, are you empowering African-Americans?

Yes or no? Yes, sir. A videographer is a contracted job. And many of my videographers aren't aware of that. I have a company. Listen to me. When I'm researching the roles for my organization, which is to say executive director, director of events, et cetera, I don't base decisions based off race. I base it off of talent. I don't care. I didn't say you base it on race. I care about the color of the. No, I always think I always think it's very interesting when someone is talking about how they are doing something and they're talking about holding walkaway black town halls and things along those lines. And if you're not employing black people, it gives the impression that really you're a front organization and you're really actually using black people for your own particular purposes.

But let me ask you this question here. The whole video we showed the beginning, you were critical of April Ryan. You were you were critical. You were critical of april ryan calling her a liar why were you targeting april ryan so viciously why what do you have against last question first which is that i would say that it's much more empowering for a black person to have a voice on a panel which will then become a viral video than to you know janitorial services for me or run a sound system. No, actually it's not. Actually it's not. Actually, when you talk about African Americans, as somebody who's African Americans, I dare say even when Michael Steele was chairman of the Republican National Committee,

what he also talked about is that black folks simply don't want to be on a panel. Black folks also want to be the ones who is actually funding the actual group or being a participant. See, what's very interesting, Brandon, is that what black people are used to, we're very used to these situations where people use black people for their purposes.

And so when I begin to ask these questions, and you don't necessarily have answers for, I think that's quite telling, but that's why I'm asking the question to get a sense of it because if you're out there promoting your question and showing african-americans in a documentary no i'm not no i'm not actually what i'm doing is i'm actually i'm actually i'm actually doing what black conservatives also we often talked about with them all the time see what you don't realize is i have black more black conservatives on my show than frankly any show on show on cable news. So I talk about these things with black conservatives. And what black

conservatives talk about is what happens when you have individuals who are not black in the conservative movement who use black people as props, as opposed to black people leading movements where they're also communicating and talking with their people. But I'm going to ask you the question again. How many people do you have on your staff? Why do you have such a visceral – How many LGBT people do you have on your staff? How many LGBT people do you have on your staff? Oh, wait a minute. Guess what?

Hold up. See, that's why I can really help you out. I got LGBT people. I got white people. I got Asian people. Oh, that's what I got. But see, and guess what? I actually employ them.

What role does that play? I don't simply – I don't just – one second, I don't just invite them to a panel. See, you thought you were going to get cute and it didn't work. But I'm going to ask you again, why do you have such hatred for April Ryan when you viciously attacked her at that panel? Why? I don't have hatred for April Ryan, but what needed to be done was for April Ryan to be called out. Now, she, much like yourself, is a person who hides behind her race, and she also has the added benefit of hiding behind her gender. And so, yes, you do.

I don't hide behind my race. I'm real front and center. No, you're not. And what you try to do, oh, I can make the case you try to hide behind LGBT, but I'm not going to say that because you – oh, no, I'm not. Here's the whole deal. This is very simple. That's what you just did. You said you're not.

Calling her a liar, blasting her. Again, what is she lying about? What is she lying about? Do you have facts? Do you have receipts? What is she lying about? Well, first and foremost, being on that panel and telling everybody in that audience that as a person of color in America, they need to be afraid of Trump supporters is a lie. Number one, telling her audience that Donald Trump called Nazis in Charlottesville good people is a lie.

Saying that Donald Trump mocked the reporter's disability. What he actually said is there were good people on both sides. That's what he said. He said there were good people on both sides. That's what he said. He said there were good people on both sides. I mean, I know it's hard for you to have to own up to a fact, but he did. And even people in his administration like Gary Cohn disagreed with him. Even Senator Tim Scott disagreed with his comments. Okay, if we're going to actually, if we're going to talk about facts, Roland, then let's talk about facts what else did he say that day did he also say that he openly denounces white supremacists did he say that roland because we're actually talking about actually he was actually he was

forced to do that then he was then forced to then then he tried to walk back his comments a day after that's what you're dealing with so you can sit here and play games but we know what the truth is but it's okay it's okay you wouldn't know what the truth was if it came in at you because what happened was black conservatives black republicans donald trump was saying that in charlottesville what happened was that there were people in addition to white supremacists nazis whatever the bad guys that were there on that that there were people in addition to white supremacists nazis whatever the bad guys that were there on that side there were also people there who were there to protest the statues you said the bad guys on our side what side was that no no no i was saying i was

actually trying to agree with you for a moment that there were people at charlotte i'm gonna say what's our side white supremacists and neo-nazis but there were also people there who were trying to protest the statues being taken down just as there were people on the other side who were there to protest white supremacists but there was also antifa so there were good people on both sides and there were really bad people on both sides but don't sorry who were the good people who were the good people on the side with the white supremacists who were those people i'm saying that there were people there who were there to protest statues being taken down who were not neo-nazis or white supremacists themselves. And those people- Were these the same people who went, were these the same people, their tiki torches,

who were making their anti-Semitic comments the night before the University of Virginia? Probably not, because I'm pretty sure those were the white supremacists. Brandon, Brandon, this is real simple here. But facts matter, Roland. That is this here. Facts matter, Roland. It's real simple, that's very simple here. No, no, no. Facts do matter. And what we have that matters is that you have individuals who are very supportive of this president who have some fundamental issues with the demographic changes happening in this country.

And what I would dare say is that if you're trying to make an argument, if you're trying to make an argument as to why folks should walk away, make a logical argument. But what also makes, what doesn't make sense, and again, as somebody who has these conversations with black conservatives, I would dare say maybe you should have discussions with them. Maybe you should have real conversations about your approach when it comes to calling out folks like april and others because somehow that's not actually going to get black folks coming to your side it's not what's going to actually what might appeal to black folks if you're making a reasonable argument that's what might make sense okay but i hate to break it to you roland but the problem is black people are

coming to my side and black people are walking away and i don't have to make up statistics because the testimonials are these the same donald trump is polling at one percent among black people how many are coming to your side well do you remember the polls when they said that donald trump had a three percent chance of winning how did the polls work out that time roland but here's what i would suggest I would suggest you go to walkaway. One percent of black people supported black Americans. OK, again, the Democrat Party. Donald Trump. When Donald Trump is polling at Brandon, Brandon, when Donald Trump or Brandon, Brandon, going to watch the walkway black Americans town hall where you can see black Americans coming to support our events.

It's happening, Roland. Brandon it's happening Roland brand is real simple brand is real simple brand again, though I know I know got folks like you and Candace owns a yellow is happening. But here's what we do know. Black people speak because you're afraid of what I'm going to say and you know that I'm right now you know actually Brandon actually Brandon you did speak but again that's your part of the game. But it's all good. It's all good. Here's the whole deal, Brandon. Because you know that the stranglehold on black Americans is over. Black Americans are

not buying your crap anymore. And they're not buying April Ryan's crap. They know they're being used. They know they're being manipulated. They know that they have a choice and they know that you're a liar and diaper Ryan is alive I would dare say I would dare say the black people being used are the ones who are following you as you Raise money off of black pain and black anger and then you're also not funding or helping black people Brandon have a great one. Look forward to seeing you out there on the ground out there. And I'll try to find more than 1% of black folks supporting Donald Trump. So Brandon, I appreciate it.

Thanks a lot. Folks, gotta go to a commercial break. We gotta go to commercial break. We come back, more Roller Bart Unfiltered. Roller Bart Unfiltered. Be sure to join our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar that you give to us supports our daily digital show. unfiltered. 20,000 of our fans contributing 50 bucks each for the whole year. You can make this possible. RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. I'm from three generations of Alonzo Thorntons

who joined the army. My grandfather was in World War II. I joined the army in 1984 as a combat medic. And in the military, we had people who watched our back. It was a system where I would watch your back, you would watch mine. My union grants that security because I know my medical benefits are taken care of,

my pension is taken care of. I can concentrate on caring for people. And public service especially, I love it because a lot of times many individuals don't have anywhere else to go. You know, public hospitals may not take them, but public service, we take them and we care for them and we give them the best lives possible. I love it.

I don't see myself going into anything else. Every time I see someone prosper because of something that I did or I've done, or I see another person get into healthcare because of my encouragement, it just makes me know that this was worthwhile. And any trials that I'm going through, it's worth it. Alonzo Thornton knows how important it is that we have each other's backs. That's what he's always done in the Army, as a public service worker, and as a member of AFSCME. Alonzo is the embodiment of duty, honor, and integrity. The people of Nevada are lucky to have him looking out for the state's most vulnerable residents.

If you know someone like Alonzo, who sees their job not just as a career, but a calling, go to this website and nominate him or her for a Never Quit Award. All right, before I go to my next story, I got to have Julian respond. Julian, and I'm going to be very honest with you. There's nothing that offends me more, Julian, than when you have individuals who want to use black people and black conservatives to advance their own agenda. And that's what this guy, Brandon, is doing. Raising money. It is not going to black people.

And guess what? They're not funding. They're not funding. Let me be real clear to my audience out there and the people out there who don't even agree with black conservatives I know black conservatives I put black conservatives on this show and was not happening if people are sending money to people like Brandon and sending the money to people like Charlie Kirk and they're not funding black conservative initiatives but Julie you can go ahead

and make your comment. I have never heard of the walk-away movement. I'm more concerned with doing work in southern Maryland, Charles County, St. Mary's County, and Calvert County, getting people involved in politics. You know, I'm a young Republican. I'm a millennial. You know, I'm not going to sit back and wait for the old guard to die or retire. I'm going to take charge now. I'm taking charge for the next 25 to 50 years.

You know, the old guard has done well, but the current model we have now does not fix the problems that we have. So it needs to be modified completely. You know, first time ever meeting Brandon, seeing him on TV. I have a lot of questions, you know. When you ask simple questions like, hey, how many African Americans do you have on your staff? And he can't answer.

I thought you was gonna ask him, how many Negroes do you have, you know? Is it a certain wording that he's used to hearing that can identify, you know, his answer? But I don't... I'm not what it is, but it ain't... I don't... I'm not with the walk-away movement. Let that be first and foremost. My movement is different.

My movement is trying to find young millennials like myself who want to see change, who aren't afraid of change, and who don't want to sit back and let other people dictate the next 25 to 50 years. So whatever he's doing, that's on him. But I don't agree and I don't support issues where you have people who are getting donations, but at the same time, you're not seeing nobody of color. And when you ask them a simple question, how many people of color do you have on your staff?

And that person can't answer that question. I question that person's whole purpose. What is your end game? You know, where are your funds going? And Cleo, don't tell me about you got a documentary that features 20 black people who used to be a Democratic Party, but you can't tell me if black people are getting some of that money. What that means is you're using black people for your purposes. Well, clearly.

I wish he was in the studio. I would have loved to have had a go with him live. And it got on my nerves with trying to pull the LGBT card. See, a lot of these racist LGBT people think they can hide behind LGBT and not be seen as racist. But you can't get no more racist in the LGBT white-led community. I mean, it's extremely racist. And you ask him straight up,

did he have any black folks on his staff? And he said no, and then he tried to call in the janitor or somebody. I mean, this guy, I never heard of the take away, or the, excuse me, walk away, what is it? I've never heard of him before, but I hope that black people are not so naive that they're running behind him

because his whole demeanor, his whole style just sounded very racist to me, and he's using the gay thing, as I said, as a shield so he won't be seen as racist. And for him to deny that black people are being attacked in this country and claim that it's not an issue is very interesting. However, which may sound like I'm siding with him,

which I'm not, I'm siding with reality, I believe, and this is another topic, kind of, that we have seen a rise in these crimes because of cell phone use, and it's become more blatant and broad to the surface, because we've always had a high level of racism and racist crimes in this country that went under the radar.

But I don't see how nobody black can call this dude. Right. And Johanna's real simple, okay? It's like, oh, you bringing this one guy up. Guess what? It was a black conservative who sent it to me. See, what he don't even understand is black conservatives, who I know, have reached out to me and said,

this dude is a joke. That's what, see that's what's so funny. See, he actually, now if I, see, he didn't want me to do a roll call. See, he didn't want me to do a roll call. And then try to say, well, this guy called me, this called me, I don't even know who that dude is. I mean, I don't even know who this dude Antonio,

Anton, I don't know who he is. But the fact of the matter is, these are the games these guys play. And he don't even, Johanna, he don't even want me to go there. Michael Steele changed the rules of the Republican Party and was ensuring that diverse vendors were getting contracts when he was chairman of Republican National Committee.

And that was one of the reasons why they ran him out. See, Brandon, you don't want to go there with a black guy like me because I got way too many receipts. Johanna, go ahead and make your comment before I bring up my next guest from Prince George's County. I think Brandon's movement is a bit problematic, and I think the panelists talk about some of the things that I'll say, but I think the fact that your leadership does not represent the people that you say you want to serve, that's an issue for me. So when you're at the table, you're strategizing. When you're strategizing on the issues impacting people of color, how are you going to tackle those issues? But yet you don't have people in your leadership to have those discussions. I have a problem with that. But I'm going to deviate from this

conversation for one slight question, for one slight second rather, because we have to acknowledge this. Because I do think that one of the things that make us able to maintain and sustain democracy in America is our freedom to choose our political affiliation, our freedom of speech, freedom of affiliation. But I have seen lately that we as a group of people tend to alienate those who identify with a certain political party, and it has to stop. We don't have to agree with someone's political affiliation. We must not only tolerate them, but also embrace them, because it is only through productive dialogue that we can actually move forward as a country so we must stop that we must accept people embrace them regardless of their political affiliation I will say this if there are individuals who are aligning with other individuals who are against the interests of black folks we have responsibility to speak up

again there are black conservatives who I know who I will question on this show when it comes to voter suppression, who I will question on this show when it comes to civil rights, who I will question on this show when it comes to when they support a Donald Trump who appoints a Department of Justice leader and attorney general who tells police departments we're going to pull back on consent decrees and because we want you guys to do whatever you want that's what i'm going to say and so here's the piece and if anybody who watches this show they can try to call me a black liberal they try to call me a black democrat and guess what i'm gonna kick the democrats ass when it comes to making sure what contracts we get

are they employing black folks are black vendors being, when you black, you ain't got a party. You got interest. And guess what? If there is an issue where Republicans are right on the issue, hey, I'm going to say I agree on that issue. But what I'm never going to do is stand with any party who's trying to suppress the vote of people who look like me. Let's go to Prince George's County, y'all, where, of course, they're having some issues there,

and they want the police chief there to resign. The police chief is Hank Stawinski. The petition comes after a 24-year-old man was severely injured during a traffic stop when officials attempted to arrest him. According to police officials, Demonte Ward Blake attempted to flee from custody while handcuffed when officers brought him down, injured his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. In a news conference, Stawinski defended the officer's actions, stating that they did not mean to hurt Ward-Blake and call the incident a horrible accident. The petition has caused divisiveness in the community, with some faith-based leaders

supporting Chief Hank Stawinski and others protesting him. Senior pastor of Reed Temple in Glendale, Maryland, Reverend Mark Whitlock, will be holding a town hall at his church on Monday to discuss police and community relations. He joins us now. Reverend, glad

to have you here. First, I'm going to start with Reverend Whitlock first. Man is paralyzed. And then the answer is, hey, it's a horrible accident. Freddie Gray was killed as a result of his treatment in Baltimore. I'm sorry, black folks not gonna accept, hey, my bad. First off, thank you for blistering Brandon. You did a wonderful job of taking that man to task.

I felt like you were taking him out to the shed and giving him an old whipping that we would normally do in church. So hats off. Keep up that work. I'm going to bring you in to talk to the young people in our church because we need more people like you. 1965, Jimmy Lee Jackson. I'll be happy to be there. Thank you. Thank you. 1965, Jimmy Lee Jackson. I'll be happy to be there. Thank you. Thank you.

1965, Jimmy Lee Jackson murdered by state police in Alabama, one of the first casualties of the civil rights movement. We can keep going on. And then the NAACP, of course, certainly lifted the thought that a black man was lynched every day in our country. If we think about Michael Brown, if we think about Freddie Gray, if we think about Eric Garner, if you think about Trayvon Martin, we can even talk about Rodney King, who was beaten severely. The real challenge

that we have is what King said. I won't remember the chatter of a Brandon, but I'll remember the silence of my friends and the silence of the church and so we at re temple we're holding a symposium we're holding a town hall and we've invited public policymakers we've invited the police we've invited the change of color and other nonprofits on, November the 4th at 7 p.m. at Reed Temple, 11400 Glendale Boulevard, Glendale, Maryland, to come and see. I'm the new pastor. I came out of Los Angeles, California. You and I met back there when I was at First Amy Church, and we dealt with the Rodney King issue.

All right. And we dealt with all the other issues. We're dealing with the issues here in Prince George's County. I brought with me Reverend Joseph Deck. Reverend Joseph Deck is responsible for the men of our church. We have about 14,000 members.

We're the largest AME church in the world. We're excited about the fact what Reverend Deck is doing. Reverend Deck should talk about some of the complaints, some of the issues that our young men are facing, not only in Prince George's County, but throughout the DMV. Yeah. Thank you, Pastor.

Reverend, your comment, please. Sure. I'm the minister of men for almost 3,000 men at Reed Temple AME Church. And one of the things that come up a lot at our church is when they see those blaring lights, they break out into cold sweats. They remember the talks that we give. We do role playing. Everybody here knows that. Put your hands on the wheel, all of that stuff. But in the heat

of the moment, when the nerves are real high, they are not quite thinking in an orderly fashion. And we have a history, I don't have to run the history down here in Prince George's County, where when there's a confrontation, when there's a stop, a traffic stop with police officers, more often than not, and I think there was a Maryland study that came out of the governor's office, little olds in 2017, often that thing comes out at like 30% that there is a charge

or an incarceration or an altercation. And when you look at other racial groups, that drops down significantly, therefore it identifies a problem. So, Roland, you know the work that we have to do. We have to make sure that we have public policy, but not only public policy, but we also must make sure that our young millennials, like my brother to my left, are engaged in the political process, that are engaged in civic engagement. It's not enough for us just to protest,

but it's enough for us to go out and vote. It's enough for us to agitate, irritate, to make sure that, one, we have cameras on every police officer, the body cameras, so that we can see what's going on. Right now in Prince George's County, we don't have cameras on police officers. Number two, the number of African Americans in leadership in Prince George's County, we don't have cameras on police officers. Number two, the number of African-Americans

in leadership in Prince George's County as far as the policing agencies go. And then number three, is there a police review board? Is there someone that is really challenging what these cases are? And we've had some cases go to court. We've had some cases convicted. But we have to have the feeling that everybody

has a voice at the table. And that's what's gonna happen on Monday at Reed Temple at 1100, 400, 11400 Glendale Boulevard, Glendale, Maryland. All right, gentlemen, well look, good luck with that and certainly keep us abreast of what happens there at Prince George's County. Can I offer one more thing? Your friend and my friend, John Bryant.

Yeah, go ahead. Your friend and my friend, John Bryant, well, he's going to be here on the 8th. If you have time, I know you're busy. You may be in New York, but John Bryant and I are putting on a business symposium. November 8th or December 8th? No, no, November 8th, if you're going to be in Prince George's County. Ah, yeah. No?

Yeah, I'll be broadcasting our show from Cabo, from the Life Lux Jazz Festival. That's really like hard work, you know what I mean? Somebody got to do it. Somebody got to do it. I don't know. Have you been in? Somebody got to do it.

Have you been getting money from the walk-away movement? I just wanted to know. Oh, no, trust me. No, no. When it comes to me,, the walk away movement is the runaway movement because they run away from Negroes like me. Yeah, thank you very much. Gentlemen, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. All right, folks, normally we end our show in a different way, but one of our panelists, Amisha Cross, had some business for us. I was traveling and could not interview the cast of the movie coming out this weekend, Harriet. So Amisha sat down with director Casey Lemons, Cynthia Erivo, and Leslie Odom Jr.,

who starred in the movie. The movie, of course, came out today. They had lots to discuss. And so here's that conversation. And, of course, I got to go. We're here at the Hearst building, so there's an event we're about to publish, we're about to go to.

And so we certainly want you to check it out. Folks, the discussion in Prince Rogers County, the interview with Brandon and his attacks on April Ryan, and, of course, the other issues, this is why we do what we do. We've been doing some great interviews here with African-American venture capitalists who are trying to get more money flowing to African-Americans. And so we want you to support what we do by going to RolandMartinUpFiltered.com, joining our Bring the Funk fan club. And so you can pay via Cash, Shapsquare, or, of course, PayPal, Square,

or all different platforms there. We have to fund our own initiatives, folks. That's what's most important. And remember, we employ black people. Brandon, we employ white people. Brandon. We employ white people, Brandon. We ain't scared. We ain't scared to employ diverse folks, Brandon. You might want to learn that.

I got to go, y'all. Holla. Check out the Harriet. You want to support Roller Marks 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. You can make this possible. It's really great to meet you. So I recently saw Harriet and was extremely excited. One, because of the strength of the film in and of itself, but also because it's a history that needs to be told, one that sadly a lot of people across this country don't necessarily know. So the film unlocked a lot of things, not only for me, but I think has the potential to do that once it opens for a variety of people of all ages and demographics

across this country. What are some of the main things that made you want to be interested in being a part of it? Well, it's funny because I took a meeting that I thought was a general meeting and the producer kind of sprung it on me and instantly my heart started to race because it was very intimidating, but it was also incredibly exciting. And I thought, well, this is a story I've heard of people trying to do this story for a long time. And if I can be part of telling it, you know, and bringing her, really her to the audience, that's what I was striving for, to really kind of get you next to who Harriet really was. Then, you know, that was something worth doing.

And how do you think you were able to dig into that? We know that there are several, several different biographies that we've read over time or seeing get highlighted through the course of history. But I think that there was a lot touched on within the film that made it feel like there was a oneness with her character and who she was. So how do you feel like you were able to harness that? How do you feel that the film was able to really bring that out? I mean, extensive research. I did extensive research. So I read everything. And very quickly, I began to kind of commune with her. It started, I would just call her name before I went to bed first thing in the morning. But then

as I'm immersing myself in the research, she came to be very, very vivid to me. And I tried to bring that vividness into the movie. And Cynthia as well. Cynthia and I talked about it. And we studied her face. And we talked about her voice and how her voice sounded and where it would be placed and what her singing voice might sound like.

And we really tried to invoke her, you know. We tried to commune with her and to bring her through Cynthia into the movie for the audience. And what do you hope that people will gain post seeing the film? What are some of the thoughts that you have about what people will walk away from theaters with? Well, I want them to have a greater understanding

of who she was and a pride. She's ours. She's our hero. And to be inspired by her courageousness and her force of will, because I think that we have to believe in our own power to change things and to do right in the world. I think it's easy to become overwhelmed and just to feel like, okay, I'm just going to give up. I'm going to back away. I'm just going to, you know, brainlessly surf, you know, the internet and try and stay entertained. Like, it's a survival instinct. But what I want you to understand is that one person can really make tremendous change if you're courageous enough. Harriet is very different from a lot of films in the American version of the

slave film genre. One, you have a heroine who remains a heroine from beginning to the end of the film, but also there is no white savior in this movie. Throughout thinking about what it was going to look like, we've seen several movies where there is a white savior in this movie. Throughout thinking about what it was going to look like, we've seen several movies where there is a white savior cast. And we've heard from the Black community, and very, I think, righteously so, a lot of upset around the fact that that happens to be a key theme in a lot of movies surrounding slave life. Why was that? Or why do you feel that that was something that was not included here, something that really focuses on the heroism and the strength that Harriet had more so than focusing on other characters.

Well, this is a woman that had tremendous agency and against all odds, you know, in a hostile environment. So, I mean, I certainly wouldn't want to take away any of Harriet's agency. And she didn't need a white savior. There were many wonderful people that she worked with and came across, and that were helpful to her, that worked in the Underground Railroad. But another thing I wanted to make clear about the Underground Railroad was that that wasn't a bunch of white saviors either. It was whites and blacks working together for a cause, which is what's so beautiful about it. It really was a civil rights movement. It was a movement of people working together, a network of people that included, you know, abolitionists

of all colors. I think that even, I was born in Chicago but raised in the South, with the teaching going through public schools there, a lot of the information you hear about the Underground Railroad does include a lot of faces that don't look like me. So the idea is that you have all of these people who were do-gooders, who were out to help in slavery, but they weren't necessarily former slaves or freed Black people themselves who were building the strategy and doing the work in that sense and going back and forth and making sure that they were able to

cast the veil of freedom for their people. So, I think that this movie in and of itself recast a lot of what we have been taught in history classes growing up in this country. Right. Yeah. Well, that was part of what was exciting about it. You know, certainly the Quakers were almost saintly in there. I mean, the Quakers, it was beautiful what the Quakers were able to do for the abolitionist movement and how they were so fearless. But there were many, many Blacks working with the Underground Railroad. It was a huge network of people. And, you know, I really love, for instance, bringing Reverend Green into the story. Such a wonderful character and was a very important person in Harriet's life and just a really interesting person, you know.

But the Underground Railroad was so kind of secretive and intricate that Harriet didn't know that her own father was working for the Underground Railroad. In regards to casting, obviously, this film has a very strong cast and a cast that was able to encapsulate so much of the history, but also a strong understanding of the characters that they portray. How do you feel that the casting really helped to drive home not only Harriet's story, but also those who helped to make her story possible? Yeah, it was super important to me. I mean, I think that one of the things that we were really trying to portray was that all the differences and intricacies of African American life and the lives of those people, black and white, that you have that black southerners and white southerners and African American enslaved people and free people were different and yet, you know, very, very connected and living together almost in communities that were side by side. That was super interesting to me. And so,

you know, differentiating them from the abolitionists, only 100 miles away, but the abolitionists who are kind of, when you read their writings and you see photographs of them and how they were dressed, they were almost more Victorian than Victorian. They were so pulled up and eloquent. And it really, it was kind of a stunning difference between Harriet, who was illiterate, you know, and very simple in many ways. And so to contrast her with, you know, with the character of Marie played by Janelle Monáe. How do you do? How do you do? Good. You're confident, composed, wise enough to know not to look a strange white man in the eyes. You don't want no trouble."

You know, that was super exciting to me. In an era in our history where you see so much of a racial divide, what do you think this film has the possibility of bringing to audiences? Well, at least let's try and understand it. And let's try and understand that the resistance of African Americans, the history of resistance in our country, I think that there's still some mythology around, you know, around slavery as if it were benevolent or somehow people weren't really always trying to escape. But this is a story of somebody who was willing to die to be free. And that is a very, it's a very human concept. And it's a very American concept. And I think that that's something we need to remember that we know none of us were content in slavery. That is a myth. We, it was, there was a

great resistance, a huge resistance. And, and the mythology of contented slaves, you know, one of the things that I love about the movie is the communication with song. That was very much a part of Harriet's story. But that, you know, the slave owners saw slaves singing in the field and thought they're happy. But actually, it was intricate, very sophisticated form of resistance communication. And not to give any part of the movie away for those who have not watched it yet, but because this is a historical note that is already available, my next question is in regards to how this film actually reshapes or, you know, rediscovers the idea of being a woman who was a leader. And I say that because during all of Harriet's travels back and

forth and these very risky journeys from the North to the South, she was able to do this. And the assumption was that she was male. They created an entire character around who they were going to find and who they were searching for because a woman would never be able to do all of this. And especially not a woman who's illiterate, a woman who had a physical disability, they just did not see this as something that she'd be capable of doing. So how do you, when you're thinking about framing of this, what this means for women in general, and I would probably argue she's one of the earliest members of the women's movement before we actually had a women's movement. Right. I mean, I think that that's super important. And to realize that she

was one of the earliest, you the earliest members of that movement, and she was African American. You know what I mean? That feminism also belongs to us as Black women, and it always has. That she was a leader of men as a Black woman. I think it's super powerful. I mean, something for something for us to hold, you know, we have to put these histories out there so that we can embrace it and that we can be fueled by that as well. But, you know, the fact is, the Southerners didn't think African Americans were smart enough to organize rebellions, to, you know, to plan how to go to rescue slaves. It's not just that she was a woman, that she was Black

at all. They thought it was a white abolitionist in Blackface, you know, because clearly, you know, no escaped slave would be capable of planning, you know, rescues. At Role and Marne Unfiltered, we tell the stories that you're not necessarily going to always hear in regular media. We want to make sure that Black stories are told and they are told with the fervor that they need to be to reach the audiences that matter. And we thank you for the hard work that you've done in creating an amazing film and really showcasing our history. Thank you so much. I have with me the two stars of period. And I want to make sure that during this time with Roland Martin Unfiltered, we got to understand a little bit more about you both, as well as the characters that you're representing and what this means for the current

state of affairs in America. So I'm going to start with you first, Cynthia. You play the lead role, dynamic woman, Harriet Tubman. You take this to an entirely different level, not only in terms of your understanding of the character but also some of her inner thoughts and some of the emotions and things that brought her to make her decision and why she chose to go back over and over again risking her life um to make sure that she was able to liberate people um what did that mean for you as a woman portraying this role in this time in our nation's history um it meant a lot i I think that we don't have enough representations of us with agency. And the wonderful thing about Harriet is not just the work that she did

and the many times that she came back and the lives that she saved, but it's the agency that she had, the force of will that allowed her to make the choice to run in the first place to go in the first place and then to keep coming back um in order to do that she had to know that there was danger you know in her path and she had decided that it was being free or die she was going to be free or die that was that was the the long and short of it fear is is your enemy. Whoa, easy now. I'm gonna be free on that. And I think that to be able to be a representative of that kind of woman of that life is really significant, it's really special and I

don't take it lightly that's for sure. Yeah. And how did you get into this character because it seemed like you brought so much to it. Not only an understanding of her innermost thoughts but also an understanding of how to relate that to an audience today. Sometimes we've seen there have been some modern twists on a lot of our historical figures that aren't necessarily the greatest representations of them. How were you able and what did you draw from to be able to portray her in the way that you did i think i desperately wanted people to see her as a human being i think we know of hopefully most people know of the great work that she did and and the danger she put herself in consistently and and we see her as this wonderful

superhero who's saved many lives but i think that we we don't um get the chance to to see her as a human being as a woman and that's sort of for me and for Casey as well uh what we really wanted to to bring to it so we we did the research we did the reading and wonderfully in her story you see all of the humanity all of this life you know the love that she had for her husband we you don't hear about that very often but it was a big love it's the love that she came back for you know uh you you learn about how much family meant to her you learn about the fact that she had the ingenuity to go and hire a lawyer save the money that she had from thompson's farm to take and hire a lawyer to to draw up the papers that say that her mother is was supposed to be free like that's a person with uh love and care in her so you have to inject the

role with that it comes as part of the package there's a person with spirituality so i made sure that i made space to to go back into myself and figure out where i was when in my relationship with god because i have faith um so that it felt uh natural to call on that when I was playing her uh but it's something that people don't realize but it is something that she has said herself uh in in the biographies that you read she speaks about that and you know it's about taking the small things the facts that you you find out and really filling the the broad picture broad strokes picture that we have of her. Yeah.

Absolutely. And Leslie, I'm going to turn to you for a second. When we talk about the role of Harriet Tubman and those who were also a part of the Underground Railroad and what that meant as it relates to the function, but also the design and how you were able to make sure that people didn't know. Your character in the film is very strong in the sense that he's a leader. This has been going on for years. He understands the level of danger that is potentially there,

in addition to having compatriots across various places to assist during the process. After the passage of the Futures of Slave Act, there is a lot more intensity around fear and what it's going to look like to actually still be able to do that. You draw on that in your role. How do you feel that you were able to reach back and not only showcase how pivotal this moment in history was, but also really be that person who drives home the importance of the work. Oh, man. I mean, I don't even know if it's for me to say how, you know, how it went, you know, or, you know, how it turned out. You know, it was just my job to try to bring home that danger, try to, you know, make that real for myself as much as possible, you know, you, and I, you know, I'm, I'm no fan of myself. So I, you know, I, most of the time I feel like, well, thank you.

Most of the time I feel like I fall short because it's because these, these stakes are huge. They go, they're big and, and it, it is not, it's not easy to make yourself feel that to feel that that danger and that um that sense of urgency you know um that they must have been feeling rescuing slaves requires skill and careful planning it requires reading harriet can you read a sign or a map can you read it all i put my attention on trying to hear God's voice more clearly. Do you know what would happen if you got caught? They would torture you until you pointed them right to this office. You got lucky, Harriet.

And there's nothing more you can do. Don't you tell me what I can't do. I made it this far on my own. God was watching, but my feet was my own. Running, bleeding, bleeding climbing nearly drowned nothing to eat for days and days man i made it so don't you tell me what i can't do but did my best you know you try to um you know trying to put yourself there you know i mean i you know, trying to put yourself there. You know, I mean, I, you know, I'm just drawing a lot on my own relationship with Cynthia, you know,

for what William might be feeling. And also what William might be feeling for the people in the network who he, who he's known for so long and he's known that they've risked their lives. And so you just, you know, you're trying to think of, you know, what if your friends and family,

you know, were in danger of being caught and prosecuted or worse. There's a segment of the African-American community that feels as though Harriet should not have been played by someone who's not of African-American descent. You've heard those rumours on Twitter, and there is conversation about what that means. How do you feel in regards to those comments? I understand them, you know, and I, you know, I don't mind hearing them and I don't mind sort of the discussion at all. That comes from, there's a lot of, there's a lot of pain underneath that there's a lot of um people women specifically you know black women in this country whether they're performers or not you know who

feel historically ignored you know i mean the fact that this is the first major motion picture about harry tubman being made you know these so so, so there's, there's pain there, you know, I'll add to that, you know, historically there's been, you know, such a, such a, um, a dearth, like a lack of our stories being told at all. And so we can sometimes, you know, come, you know, we, we, we come, we're facing these problems from the historical, our experience of them. I'm getting to a point, I promise. But what I'll say is when I graduated school, even, you know, a few years ago, there was no Issa Rae, there wasn't Alina Waithe, Donald Glover, Shonda Rhimes even ava duvernay like

these people were not on the scene and so our stories are being greenlit now um because there's data that says that they make money there's data that says they can make money internationally and so um i said all that to say you know this this is is the first Harriet Tubman story being made. It does not have to be the last. There's nothing stopping anybody else from making a Harriet Tubman story. This is the story that Casey Lemons wanted to tell. This is the story that Debra Martin Chase wanted to tell. This is the actress that they thought would be perfect. I happen to agree, you know, for this version. And I look forward to seeing the Harriet stories that are told after this, you know, the brilliant actresses that will take on this amazing story after this.

I'll say that. Yeah, I mean, I understand it very much, though. And I, you know, welcome to the discussion. I understand that there's a want and a love for this woman. But it's that, it's, we're lucky that we have this film here, this first telling, but I absolutely do not believe that is the last or should be the last. And I just hope that it's even just a blueprint for what might come next. I want it to just create a space for many more Black actresses to come and tell their story because before anything, before being English, before that I'm

a Black woman who wants to tell wonderful stories about other Black women and Harriet is a wonderful Black woman and I hope this is just one of those stories that keeps going and going and going. And thank you both so much. I think that was a perfect note to end on. I encourage everyone to go out and see Harriet. This is an amazing film. And I think the casting was amazing as well. Thank you.

Thank you very much. All right, folks. That's our roll call. I'm going to film the video in just one moment. All right, folks. Life Lux Jazz Experience taking place in Kabul November 7th through the 11th next week. Yours truly will be there. We want you to be there as well.

Go to lifeluxjazz.com, L-I-F-E-L-U-X-E-J-A-Z-Z.com. 14 acts, Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum, Average White Band, Shalaya, Ronnie Laws. I mean, it's going to be jam-packed. Now, here's the deal. If you can't go, I understand, but you can also participate by getting the live streaming pass

from gfntv.com from GFNTV.com. GFNTV.com, 10.99, you'll get to see all of the concerts over the course of three days. It's fantastic. Oh, did I tell you that GFNTV.com, black owned? Yeah, as well. And so also, Life Love Jazz Experience, black owned. A sister created this to provide an opportunity for African-Americans

who live in a lot of these cold states, even though climate change has screwed that sucker up, to opportunity, of course, to hang out in Mexico for four days and have a great time. I'll be doing Roller Martin Unfiltered there next Thursday and Friday from Cabo. But you can experience the concerts by going to gfntv.com and getting your live streaming pass. So please do so and we look forward to checking it out. Back to your Roland Martin. I know a lot of cops.

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