#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Ex-cop charged for killing Daunte Wright; SC man shoves Black man walking; CEOs fight GOP voter bill

Episode Date: April 15, 2021

4.14.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Ex-cop charged for killing Daunte Wright; white SC man shoves Black man walking; CEOs fight GOP voter bill+ 110 CEOs oppose voting restrictions; Kristen Clarke's confirmation hearing; In Arkansas, three bills that would tighten restrictions on absentee ballots and change state law for reviewing complaints about election violations advanced; Former Buffalo Police Officer Cariol Horne who was fired after she defended a black man from one of her colleagues has been vindicated; Good news: Manhattan Beach resort has been returned to its rightful owners; Capitol Police had clearer advance warnings about the Jan. 6 attack than were previously known; Morris Brown College is finally being considered for accreditationSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered#RolandMartinUnfiltered is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Today is Wednesday, April 14th, 2021. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, breaking news.

The former Brooklyn Center Minnesota police officer, Kim Potter, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter for the death of Dante Wright. We'll show you her mugshot. She was taken into custody today around noon. After Cameron Webb, White House Senior Policy Advisor for COVID-19 Equity, will be here to update us on the status of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, as well as the rollout of the vaccine all across the country and its impact on the Black community. Day 13, the Derek Chauvin murder trial and the defense is presenting its case. More sort of weird testimony today,

folks. In the confirmation hearing for Kristen Clark's appointment to the Department of Justice started today, we'll show you how clueless Republicans are in trying to attack her. Even confusing, a satirical comment in a column when she was a college student. Do these people read? In voting news, hundreds of CEOs and more than 110 corporations signed on to efforts opposing voting restrictions, taking out ads in the New York Times and the Washington Post in Arkansas. Three bills that would tighten restrictions on absentee balloting and change state law for reviewing complaints about election violations advanced in the Arkansas legislature. In Buffalo, former police officer Carol Horn, who was fired after she defended a

black man from one of her colleagues, has been vindicated. She joins us with the details of her case and in Los Angeles and Manhattan Beach Resort has been returned to its rightful owners descendants of the black family. It was stolen from in 1924. California State Senator Stephen Bradford joins us with the details

and and we have updates on the Kwan Kwan Bobby Charles case in Ohio. Couple who received a $450,000 police abuse settlement and also will update you on Corey got the a of course who's been missing the LSU student from Baton Rouge since last week.

A report from the Inspector General Michael Bolton reveals that the Capitol Police had clear advance warnings about the January 6th attack. And what they did was they were told to stand down. Hmm. Isn't that crazy? And today's crazy as white person, folks. Columbia, South Carolina. Wait till we show you this U.S. Army officer. Yeah, a coxed, physically assault, a young brother who lives in the neighborhood. Guess what?

Black protesters showed up to his house today. It is time to bring the funk on Roller Martin Unfiltered. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. Let's rolling. Yeah, yeah. It's Uncle Roro, yo. Yeah, yeah. It's rolling Martin. Yeah, yeah.

Rolling with rolling now. Yeah, yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best, you know. He's rolling Martel now. Martel. By next week, President Joe Biden said every American should be able to access a COVID vaccine. What is happening with the rollout in black communities? Let's now talk about this with Dr. Cameron Webb. He is a member of the White House Senior Policy, Senior Policy Advisor for the COVID-19 Equity Panel. Dr.

Webb, glad to have you back, Dr. Webb. First of all, the decision to halt the administration of Johnson & Johnson shot out of precaution because of blood clots was announced on yesterday. Any belief that that's going to slow down or somehow cause people to have second thoughts about getting a COVID-19 vaccine? That's the reason that some people are going to have some new hesitation because of it. And I think that that's reasonable. A lot of the folks who haven't been vaccinated yet, a lot of the folks who are waiting, it's because they have questions about the safety and the efficacy. But what I want to focus in on is the fact that the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Food and Drug Administration immediately acted and said,

well, let's pause while we're investigating this and looking a little bit closer. So if anything, it should really make people feel more confident that this government is focused on the safety of the American people, focused on on saving lives, keeping people safe, because otherwise, you know, we wouldn't we wouldn't have acted so quickly to make sure we say, let's let's take a pause. Let's take a look at what's going on here and get to the bottom of it. I think it definitely should instill some confidence in the way that we're moving. We talk about the rollout now. The president said he wanted by mid to late April for vaccines to be available for all Americans. Are we close there? Have we reached that point? Well, the goal is by Monday, and I think we'll be able to reach that. I think

the states all over the country have responded. They've moved up their deadlines in terms of when all adults are eligible. And I'll tell you, Roland, this is going to have a huge impact on Black communities because disproportionately, we're younger. We tend to be younger and have more chronic disease at younger ages. And so the folks who are at higher risk for COVID who weren't able to get the vaccine when it was ages 65 plus, we're going to see a lot of improvement there. We looked at some of the early numbers for states that opened up their eligibility earlier on, and we saw that it was able to close some of those gaps in terms of vaccine equity. So I think that as long as states, while they're opening up eligibility, are making sure to stay focused on some of the hardest hit, highest risk communities,

ensuring that they have access along the way, this has a huge opportunity to keep a lot of communities safe, get a lot of people access to vaccine. And the broader point is that the contracts we already have, we've got 600 million doses between Pfizer and Moderna. So when people are worried about Johnson & Johnson and what that pause may mean for everyone being able to get vaccinated, we're going to have enough vaccine between Pfizer and Moderna. Part of the reason why we had contracts with different companies to have so much vaccine is in the event of something like this, where we lose some of the supply for whatever reason, we still have enough to vaccinate the American people. And so let's talk about in terms of this, the rollout. I mean, one of the things I am still

hearing, African-Americans wanting to get the vaccine, but still not knowing where to go, availability, all of those different things. A massive amount of money has been sent to states and local officials in the federal government is spending. I'm seeing these commercials on OWN. I saw one voiced by Dr. Skip Gates. But the messaging to African-Americans, is it actually happening? I saw there was one story, but in Maryland, they literally had a speaker on the back of a pickup truck driving through neighborhoods. I'm going, really? Well, that's not a federal program for that pickup truck. But what I will say is that, you know, the focus here is on making sure all things with COVID are inherently local. So we've got to get really local with how we execute this, particularly in the Black community. And so a lot of that

investment that you're describing, you know, starting really in the last week or so, we've been talking about how we can get additional dollars to community-based organizations and faith-based organizations who are already trusted messengers, trusted entities who are reaching out to their members or the folks who they engage with regularly in the community and saying, hey, here's how I can plug you in the vaccine, whether that's reserving spots for you at a mass vaccination site, whether that's reserving spots for you at a pharmacy or at a federally qualified health center, or whether that's partnering with pharmacies or other entities to host vaccination events. We're really trying to facilitate that because we think that this gets down to what we call that last mile of vaccination. It's not asking people to, you know, when you say there's a fire, you don't ask the fire to make its way to water.

You bring water to the fire. So this is us bringing water to the fire here, bringing vaccine to the community, to folks who use home and community-based services, to folks who are harder to reach for a whole variety of reasons. We've got to get down to those places. It's not just big mass events now. It's getting real local. But how are y'all monitoring that? Because, I mean, look, you have the efficacy, if you will, of the shots,

but you want to also make sure that you're maximizing the resources and that people, the word is going out. Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. And I think that monitoring piece is so important. And so, you know, conditional in these grants, we're saying you've got to work with these, you know, with community-based organizations. We're telling states you have to use these dollars to work with community-based organizations or faith-based organizations. That's the condition that we're working with because we think it's that important. And so these dollars, they're not for folks to use however they see fit. We know some of these promising practices that are working in some states all over the country,

and we want them to be propagated in more places. And so you're right. I think that accountability piece is going to be the key. We want states to be innovative, to be creative. We want localities to do what they know can work for and serve their communities. But we also want them to be innovative, to be creative. We want localities to do what they know can work for and serve their communities. But we also want them to be accountable to the goal, which is making sure we have an equitable vaccine process. So far, you know, we're not quite there. And so we're pushing the agenda. We're pushing more dollars into spaces. And we're saying you've got to work with the people who know how to get it done. That's these community-based organizations, these faith-based organizations. That's really where we're going to reach the bulk of a lot of community members.

But also the issue we're still facing is because people are not congregating, that also goes out. And so, and obviously, you know, we've been making the point of the utilization of Black media is also crucially important because it's also using the voices that Black people trust. Oh, that's right. That's right. That's part of why I'm talking with you today. It's because these are trusted spaces. And so absolutely, the investments that we make in that public confidence campaign, we've got to focus in diverse media. We've got to connect with black media, make sure that we are engaging there, supporting it, investing there, because that's how we're going to reach a lot of important voices.

And so I know we've had that conversation before. That's such an important part of the strategy. And that's something we're going to continue to push for. I'll tell you, you know, at the highest levels of government, there's a lot of accountability and interest in making sure we're getting these resources going to diverse media. All right, then. And Dr. Cameron Webb, we appreciate it, man. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Take care. All right, folks, let's get to today's breaking news, where the former police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, she is in jail facing second-degree murder charges, which, of course, is 10 years in prison up to a $20,000 fine.

This is the mugshot of former Brooklyn Center Minnesota police officer Kimberly Potter. Potter killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright Sunday during a traffic stop. Again, she was arrested around noon. She said she mistakenly pulled her gun instead of her taser. Police have been dispatched to her home as protesters gathered outside of her house. The Wright family attorney, Ben Crump, released a statement about Potter's arrest. But also earlier today, there was a news conference that took place as well. We're going to show you some of that.

This is the statement right here. Go ahead and pull it up, please. This is the statement. All right, y'all can pull the statement up, please. Thank you. Well, we appreciate that the district attorney is pursuing justice for Dante, no conviction can give the Wright family their loved one back. This was no accident. This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force, driving while Black continued to result in a death sentence. A 26-year veteran of the force knows the difference between a taser and a firearm. As I said, the news conference today took place there in Minnesota, which also he was standing in front, standing with Sabrina Fulton and Eric Garner, of course, excuse me, Gwen Carr, the mother of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner.

The reason why we are able to get an opportunity at due process so quickly in the state of Minnesota for the killing of Dante Wright is because of the blood of their children. It was the blood of their children who got us to this point now in America. Because remember, Leslie didn't get due process. The police officer was never charged and arrested like the officer was today. Gwen Carr, as you all know, she never got due process. Nobody was ever arrested and had to face evidence and witnesses in the court of law for choking Eric Gardner. Sequette Clark never ever got due process in Sacramento when Stephon Clark was killed in his grandmother's backyard.

And Sabrina Fulton, my lord, the sacrifices of what she has given and how Trayvon Martin has propelled the notion that black lives matter. And that we should get equal justice under the law is the reason why on this day in 2021, in less than a week, Reverend Al, in less than a week, the district attorney made the decision that we will charge this officer and the family of Dante Wright will get to have their day in court. So we say justice for Dante Wright and we're gonna say justice here in New York for Dante Wright.

So they can hear the Minnesota to know that we're coming and in saying justice for Dante Wright, we're and saying justice for Dante Wright. We're also saying justice for Michael Brown. We're also saying justice for Eric Godman. We're also saying justice for Trayvon Martin. And we're also saying justice for Stephon Clark. Let's pull in our panel. A. Scott Bolden, former chair of National Bar Association

Political Action Committee. Robert Petillo, executive director, Rainbow Push Coalition, Peach Tree Street Project, Monique Presley, legal analyst, crisis manager. Monique, I'll start with you to sit here to see this decision. She resigns yesterday, indicted today. It's a lot different from seeing her

in a police uniform on Sunday in an orange jumpsuit on Wednesday. Yes, that's true. It's very different. Not only is it different, it's also quick. As Ben Crump said, we rarely see this quickness,

Rob Portillo. Typically, it's a week or two weeks. This is... I'm trying to think back to previous cases if we've seen this indictment and arrest this quickly. Well, it's important to realize that this is the effect of people power, that regardless of what legislatures do, regardless of what the federal government does sitting on the George Floyd Criminal Justice Reform Act,

that we have cities now and district attorney offices and mayors that understand that if I don't want my city burned to the ground, I better hop on some action to get things done. Now, I do have questions about the charge that she was given, which is a second degree manslaughter charge. So in Minnesota, that is a negligent homicide charge. That is a, for example, a part of the statute says if you accidentally kill somebody when you thought you were shooting a deer, that is a second-degree manslaughter under Minnesota law. So I don't know why you start there when you're coming to charges in this, because what we've seen since the moment the shooting took place was a PR campaign saying it was just a mistake, it was an accident.

We don't have any evidence that this was a mistake. We don't have any evidence that this was an accident. We don't have any evidence that this was an accident. I own the Glock and I own the Taser. You cannot confuse the two in any reasonable person's mind. A black Glock 17 weighs about 30 ounces. A X26 Taser weighs about 10 ounces. One is bright green and neon green. The other is black.

One of them you have to flip a switch up with your thumb in order to activate it. The taser didn't allow it to charge for a couple seconds. On the Glock, there's not even a safety on it, so you can fire instantly. So the idea that somehow we are going to begin by presuming that it was an accident, this is no different than killing somebody during a deer hunting accident. I do think that we have to re-examine that because we give white women the benefit of the doubt when it comes to interactions with black men. We saw this with Botham John, where a black man can be sitting on his couch eating ice cream and you shoot him in his own house and you get a Bible and a hug from the judge and a hug from the victim's brother. We saw this with Emmett Till, where the woman finally admitted years later that she was lying and there was still no justice in that case.

So I don't know why we're starting from a position of assuming the best and giving her the benefit of the doubt while destroying the victim's character in the media when he has no ability to respond because, of course, he is the decedent. We want black men in this country to have the same benefit of the doubt when they are killed as white women have when they are the killers. Scott? Boy, you got a taser and a 9mm? How you living? Oh, you down there in Georgia. Let me say this.

I'm not as upset at these facts as my colleague is. The evidence that it was an accident, but you can be charged because of an accident, is that as soon as she shot him, she said, Oh, shit, I shot him. That's pretty powerful evidence that it was an accident or unintentional. Doesn't mean you don't get charged. And she got charged with manslaughter. And you had the video right there.

And you had a police chief resigning. She resigned. And so you could be pretty swift and effective. You know, unfortunately, these are tragic cases, but the facts, ironically, keep getting better for the families of the victims and for those who are going to be charged, and then later in the civil justice system. And so that's why she was charged so quickly. But let me just say this. This is going to be an interesting case, because she's going to take the stand and cry and beg for forgiveness and say that it was tragic, much like in a few other cases. And the jury has got to stay focused and say manslaughter two is manslaughter two.

Basically, you recklessly did this and she did. So I think that the city is going to settle this lawsuit. And then the trial may or may not occur. But but there's going to be some time served. Monique, the fact that well, first first, obviously the city is going to settle. I mean, it's rare they don't settle. But what you have here is that whole notion of it was an accident. Police chief comes out and says that, to Scott's point. You hear her on the video as well. But, you know, for people there in Brooklyn Center, they were demanding immediate

action. And the mayor certainly said that was going to happen. It's your comment I'm going to play the mayor's news conference today. Right. And I agree with Scott, first of all. And second of all, I hope that Robert is not correct and that these charges did not come as a result of public pressure and that they did not rush to charge and do something that was not well thought out and based in due process and set evidence and bringing charges against this officer. When I saw that the police chief, I wasn't surprised by the officer resigning. That's the right call. When the police chief resigned, I knew she was about to get charged. I knew it was about to happen quickly.

And that was a protest resignation in support of this officer who's a 20-something year veteran, someone who he knows, who's managed to be on the police force all this time, interacting with all kinds of people of all ages, of all races and never, ever doing this. So we know that there were some circumstances here. I think the video also, as Scott said, does not inure to a conviction in this case. And so, yes, it's going to settle. And maybe she'll end up taking a plea so that she doesn't have to go through with the trial.

But be clear, this is not Chauvin. This is not some witness who they can't even prep into finding any remorse for what was obviously some heinous action. This is a very different case. And this is going to be a witness who feels remorse, who displays remorse, likely because she feels remorse. So while, yeah, the white woman and the et cetera, and the so on and the so on, the video is pretty plain. And what I'm not ready to say yet is that this person intentionally went for a gun instead of a taser. I don't have any history or background between this officer and the decedent that makes me think that that kind of history was going into some malice or some extra negligence on her part. So the charge is appropriate. But what we really have to do if people want these things to change is back way up to why it's put in a police officer's hands to do these kinds of stops

in the first place. So all the people who couldn't understand the propriety, the necessity of defunding the police and taking these matters out of their hands, I hope that they have a clearer understanding of it now. Because the only way that we don't get to a result like this is if we did not have in the hands of an officer responsibility for low-level misdemeanors, whether it's tags or a broken blinking light or an air freshener, none of that. They should be off solving crimes, looking for hardened felons, tracking down people who have committed dangerous offenses so that these low-level stops don't turn into instances where there is the use of devices that can kill, such as a gun and devices like a taser, which has killed people also when improperly used.

So just like I said for Eric Garner almost seven years ago, I'm going to say today, one case, one decedent, one judgment, that is not the way to affect change. Change comes across the board, community, cell block, and in the courthouse. We need all three. Yeah. Hey, Roland, real quick. You know, one of the big facts on this case that we're not talking about is she was a 26-year veteran. You know, I often say, who are we giving guns and badges to? Here, she was a 26-year veteran. How much training has she gone through recently? Well, first of all, keep in mind,

she also was training rookies. Exactly, exactly. So if it was a split-second decision where she meant to use her left hand versus her right hand, there's clearly a distinction between a gun and a taser. If she just blanked out or blacked out

and hadn't been in any training herself, despite her training people, that's going to be a key fact here in regard to criminality and the mens rea and whether she could develop the criminal intent to commit second-degree manslaughter. I don't know. Robert, here's the issue she's going to have to deal with.

You're the one who's training new cops out of anybody who should know you should know. That's not helpful. That's not helpful. Excuse me. I said, Robert, Robert, go. That's exactly the amount of benefit of the doubt that we give white women in this country is staggering. Well, you can shoot somebody at Point Lake Range and say, oops, my bad, and we will believe them. You can shoot somebody sitting in their apartment and say, oops, my bad, I thought it was my apartment, and we will believe them. Or you can push your kids into a lake and say a black man did it and say oops my bad and then we will believe them so when we say we're charging her she has been charged with the exact same charge that we would

have if we went deer hunting and i accidentally killed you that is the value that we are putting on the life of a black man the only evidence that we have that it was a mistake is her saying it was a mistake because guess what if i was going to shoot somebody and i knew i was holding a camera i would say oh damn my bad i didn't mean to kill you. It's because she's been on the floor for 26 years and has investigated cases before. If she wanted to kill somebody, she would know exactly what to say and what to do to create the factual basis to ensure that she will not be charged. Why do we give her this benefit of the doubt? Meanwhile, this young man who was murdered, this young man who was murdered is having his entire life being put on display every time that he returned a library book late.

If he's put gum in little Susie's hair in kindergarten, we are analyzing that in the press. What drugs was she on at the time of this killing that made her confuse a lot from a case or hold on, hold on. What was her previous background in police brutality cases? Why isn't that being put out the same way that his criminal record is being put out? Why are we not talking about sleep deprivation among officers or steroid use among officers or drug use among officers? And why is it it took a couple of days to arrest her? Because guess what? If you or I killed somebody right now, they would not wait until Thursday or Wednesday or Thursday to arrest it.

We'll be taking them at the scene so they can begin the investigation. By giving her a couple couple days of lead time, that means any evidence that could have existed could have been destroyed. For all we know, you could go to her house and she's got a robe and a hood in the closet and that will be gone by now. So I don't understand why we're simply saying

society needs to change. No, we need to charge the person who just killed somebody at point-blank range with murder, and if the facts change later, you change the charges later. But the idea that we start from the place of saying the killing of a black man and saying the same thing as accidentally killing somebody during deer hunting, I don't think that's the justice many of us are looking for. Well, you've added a ton of facts to what we don't know,

and I'm glad you have this crystal ball. What is it we don't know? I'll tell you one thing. As soon as the woman shot him, rightfully or wrongfully, and it was wrong, as soon as she shot him, she said, oh shit,

I shot him. That's pretty powerful and definitive evidence here whether you arrest her then or arrest her two days later, that in fact she screwed up big time. I'm not letting her off the hook because she's a white woman. She was black, yellow, or brown. She should still be charged because she's got it. Oh, remember this. She has a license and a badge and a gun to use it. You could not arrest

her on the spot without some level of investigation. It's going to be a tough case. And if the facts turn out, what you just added to the scenario that you don't know and I don't know, but if it is added, those facts are true, then so be it. She'll be charged. She'll be indicted for murder or what have you. But Scott, hold on.

Hold on, one second, one second, one second, Monique. Then Robert. Let's not forget, it's not just what Scott pointed out that she said after the fact. It is during the action of it. Taser, taser, taser. After a threat to use a taser. Excellent point. And what you may want to calculate. And it's one thing for us to sit off here in our relative safety of ivory towers and think that on this night, 26 years into the police force, this woman decided it was her day as a white woman to kill a black man and get away with it 10 miles down from the trial of Derek Chauvin

for the murder that should have been a first degree murder charge of George Floyd. But I simply do not, based on what we have now, by that my obligation and what I view as our obligation, if we're sitting in the legal analyst seat, is to call balls and strikes based on the information we have from our experience in doing this kind of work. So what I can say is that in the split-second decision-making that officers make, especially those with a great deal of training, it is not the first time that a Glock has been mistaken for a taser. That is the reason why they did a whole bunch of things in terms of changing the way that they are holstered, the side of the body that they are on. They have taken steps because of this type of accident. So it's not a novice thing. I am not prepared in this incident to say that she's being given the benefit of her whiteness in the fact that she's being believed,

because if she was really being believed by that, like that, we would still be waiting for a charge. I am also not prepared yet to say that there was intentionality. And if they had the ability to charge higher up the scale and they really were concerned about things being burned down in the city, we would have already gotten that charge too.

So I want us all to for real take a beat and understand that there are root causes for these actions and the root cause does not rest in one officer who may have legitimately made a mistake. And we owe it to our system of laws and to the safety of all Black men, not just one, to get at root causes and fix them. Robert? But look, at the same time, and give me a second to lay this out. One, she's been on the force 26 years. So if I wanted to kill somebody, I would know exactly what to say beforehand and what to do afterwards in order to make it look like it was an accident.

I would know to say taser, taser, taser, reach for my block and then afterwards say, oh, damn, my bad. I didn't mean to do that. Two, the fact that last night they had police security who set up barriers and gates around her house before she was charged means that anything that may have been there that could have been evidentiary could have been removed in that period of time. This is why I say that's important to charge at the scene because you can always reduce an indictment later. You can always go back to the grand jury and say we have different information now, but you can't get that time back to collect that evidence. We don't know what was on her computer. We don't know what was on her cell phone. We don't know if she had any previous interactions with the young man who was killed, who did have previous interactions in the criminal justice system. So we're giving

her the supreme benefit of the doubt, starting off by saying that it was an accident, when we have nothing to say that was an accident other than her saying it was an accident. I want black men in this country to have the same benefit of the doubt given to them for dying as we do to white officers for killing them in the first place. So I don't know why we're starting from a place of saying it was an accident just based on her word of saying it was an accident. And then even with the charge of second-degree negligent manslaughter, it carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. We know this is going to plead out. So now we're down to five years, maybe, a maximum of a $20,000 fine.

Once you get into the system, she might serve 18 months for killing this young man and then be right back in our communities doing private security and working for some other firm, selling books, going on book tours like George Zimmerman, those sorts of things. So I think we have to not just take any crumbs of justice and demand the full justice for a full life that was lost. Okay, just in terms of guidelines and procedure, hold on. Okay. Just in terms of guidelines and procedure,

hold on Scott, just in terms of guidelines and procedure, just because she was not arrested does not mean that everything in her possession wasn't taken. In fact, it was all right. So that's, that's police guidelines and procedures for an officer involved shooting. She was immediately quarantined. She was immediately held for questioning. Everything that she had on her was removed from her. She didn't get to just go home and sleep and figure it out and clean the car and clean the house. That's not the way that it works. Even when she has a chilling period, a cooling period where she has an opportunity to seek counsel, those things would have happened immediately. But in Minnesota, there is no such period. So same as the officers in the Floyd case were separated and then held and then taken for

questioning. That's what happened with her. That's why the chief knew what was about to happen and resigned. So I just don't want, you know, people are hot and emotional as they should be. And I'm not one of those calling for peace, peace, peace, because when people are at war with us, they can't expect peace from us. That works my nerves, too. But I at least want all of the facts out there before we create some and make it more salacious and more tragic than it already is. Right, right. Scott, go ahead. But here's the best, real quick.

Here's the best fact made or point made of all of us in this discussion. Taser, taser, taser, taser. You know why she yelled that or somebody yelled that? That's to put everybody on the police side, as well as the defendant or the arrestee, that I'm drawing my taser and I'm about to tase your ass. That's what I'm doing. And everybody steps back, everybody adjusts, and then she pulled it and then she used a nine millimeter. That is the most powerful evidence that at least this was a reckless accident on her part. That's why they could never really charge murder,

because she's telling you what she's about to do. She's giving you intent and the mindset, and she just did the opposite of it. I can't put a men's ray of a cloak on that and make it into murder one under any circumstances. That evidence is too powerful to the contrary. So we'll have to watch closely, Roland. But this is too powerful to the contrary. So we'll have to watch closely, Roland. But this is not going to be an easy case. I think it pleads and settles. And it's a tragic case for all those involved. It really is. All right, folks, let's just do this right here to the control room. I need y'all to Skype Ben Crump right now. And so he said he can do it. So if y'all can work on that right now,

get Ben Crump on Skype because I want to talk to him about the Daunte Wright case, as well as what took place today in the Derek Chauvin trial. While we're doing that, this is the mayor, Mike Elliott of Brooklyn Center for gathering these last few days and for raising your voices in honor of Daunte Wright. This has truly been a tragic and difficult week for the people of Brooklyn Center and my heart is broken for Daunte's family and friends. He was taken from us and from them far too soon. I share our community's anger and sadness and shock. And my message to all who are demanding justice for him and for his family is this. Your voices have been heard.

Now the eyes of the world are watching Brooklyn Center. And I urge you to protest peacefully and without violence. Let us show the best of our community. And to the Wright family, I know that there is nothing I can say or do that will bring Dante back or ease your grief. But I promise you this, his death will not go in vain. And as we navigate this challenge, we are going to strive to ensure the safety of our residents and our staff, including our public safety officers, and we are working to safeguard our businesses and other gathering places from damage. With the news of the decision to charge the former Brooklyn Center police officer with manslaughter comes a prolonged period of continued grieving, hurt, and understandable anger. Our task as a city and as a leadership is to allow for the expression of those very

legitimate voices and to also create a pathway forward toward healing and renewal of our stability and strength as a community. The foundations of achieving these goals are transparency and accountability. I look forward to working with our city council and our newly established community crisis management team and with all of our residents that find, together with all of our residents, to find a way forward. And I ask the community to remain peaceful as we live through this tragic event. Let's go live in New York City. We're joined by Ben Crump, who is the attorney for the Dante Floyd, Dante Wright family, as well as the George Floyd family. Ben, first and foremost, moved rather quickly there to indict and arrest this police, this ex-police officer who killed Dante Wright. Yes, they did. And I hope that we are starting to see a precedent set. I was with the mothers,

Gwen Carr, Eric Gardner's mother, Michael Brown's mother, Leslie McSpadden, and Stephon Clark's mother. None of those women ever got any charges brought. And I think it's the blood of their sons who have helped us get to this point in America where we see some semblance of due process for Black people who are killed unjustly by police. And I further think that there is a still, when you think about Officer Knorr, who was in that same district, that same circuit, was charged and convicted of third-degree murder when he killed a white woman in very questionable circumstances in a dark

alley where others had called the police on her. They couldn't see what she had in her hand. And he shot. And not only did her family get $20 million rolling, but also he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. No criminal history or anything just like this policewoman. But they charged her with second degree manslaughter. So we will have to see what the jury will do in this case. And one of the things that also jumps out there, of course, you know, what do you make of,

we're discussing this with our attorneys who are on our panel right here, Scott Bolden, Monique Presley, Robert Petillo, immediately going to, it was an accident. It was an accident. But also you hear her say, even in the video, that she thought it was, she said taser, taser, taser. She's like, oh, my God, I shot him. What do you make of that? Well, what I think, Roland, is this is a 26 year veteran who was training other officers that day. And, you know, you are trained, I understand from my police expert that you have your gun on your dominant side and you have your taser on your opposite predominant side. And it should be one of those things that people practice constantly while they're working as a police. And so she knew the gun was in her dominant hand.

It weighs 2.6 pounds. The taser wears eight ounces. The gun is all black. The taser, and we believe it's all yellow, but we know if it's not, it has a bright yellow stripes on it, so it shows you that it's the taser. And she holds it

in her hands for at least five to six seconds, based on how we started breaking down the video. And what's really troubling to me, Roland, is the fact that she never should have drawn her taser in the first place. It's a misdemeanor warrant that they have out for his arrest. It was a traffic violation. They say his license on his license plate registration was expired, even though the DMV in Minnesota

has sent out a directive to police that because of COVID-19, they were behind on people being able to register their vehicles. So they were giving them a directive not to pull people over for not have for having expired tags. But I believe he was a young black man and he was really pulled over for driving while black. We've seen some folks post videos and present information that said that this so-called warrant that was sent to him because he did not appear was sent to the wrong address. Is that true or false? Yeah, it appears to be true.

He never got the warrant, and it wasn't the address that he was living in. So, and also... And he had showed up to court every other time since he had been charged with this crime. And we've heard, first of all, again, people putting all stuff out, all kinds of stuff out there. Have they, have the police stated, have they told the family specifically why Dante was stopped? Was it because of the air freshener?

Other people say, oh, they, he had a warrant. Well, first of all, they didn't know that until actually they stopped him. So what have they said exactly why he was stopped in the first place? You know, Roland, as your great panelist Monique, as well as Scott Bolden know, often they start to try to justify things and re-engineer justice. They are trying to talk all about this one, but at the time they stopped him, they said it was for an expired license. And then they started to say, oh, well, you have an air freshener hanging from your rearview mirror, and that is a violation in the state of Minnesota.

And so it was almost as if this training officer who was training these officers how to do their job was training them to do the most when it's a marginalized minority, engage in the most oppressive and excessive discretion that you can use against these black people. I still come back to saying it was about driving while black, because we know most times they stop white motorists for traffic violations. They give them the traffic ticket and let them go on their way. And I know personally, it is within the police discretion. When you have a misdemeanor warrant out, you can give them a notice to appear. You do not have to arrest them. But it seems like they do the most when it's black people.

But you say that they were instructed by the DMV because of COVID, and because there were issues there, not to stop folk for the very reason. There was a memo that they sent out from DMV saying there are many people who could not get their registration renewed because of COVID and they may have expired. So they said there are going to be a high number of expired tags. That's what the directive said. Now, I guess it's within the police discretion that they still can stop and arrest you,

but we know that DMV memo went out to all police agencies in the state of Minnesota. All right, then. Actually, last question for you. Today, you had the confirmation hearing of Christian Clark. She is being targeted by the right wing significantly. Just your thoughts on what it would mean for her to be confirmed to run the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

You know, when you think about Daunte Wright being killed within 10 miles from where Derek Chauvin was on trial for George Floyd's death, which I think is one of the most and we need a strong civil rights director there in the Department of Justice to enforce the equal protection laws for marginalized minorities. So we got to fight for this sister. We can't let them kick her out like they have kicked so many women of color out just because they choose to stand up for us. All right, Ben Crump, we certainly appreciate it, man. Thank you so very much. Hey, thank you, Roland, always. All right, thanks a lot. Folks, again, today, more testimony by the defense put on in the trial of Derek Chauvin. Here is a round of what took place today in the courtroom. Good morning, sir. Good morning.

You understand, Mr. Hall, you do have a Fifth Amendment right not to be compelled to incriminate yourself. Do you understand that? Yes. Yes. All right. And you understand that applies even when you are not one of the parties to the case, but when you're a witness in a trial, do you understand that? Yes. Do you understand that your attorney, and I'm sure they have given you advice about whether to invoke your Fifth Amendment right

against compelled self-incrimination? But ultimately, it's your choice. Do you understand that? Yes, sir. All right, and you'll have to speak up just a little bit, and I'll turn up the podium. There we go. Do you understand this is your choice, so you could disregard the advice of your attorneys if you wanted to?

Yes, sir. Knowing all that, you've had a chance to look at the questions that were proposed by both sides? I have. Would you be willing to answer those if I were to put you on the stand and swear you in as a witness? No, I am not. Okay, and why would you not answer those? I'm fearful of criminal charges going forward. I have open charges that's not settled yet of my personal stuff. So basically you are invoking your Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination? Yes, sir.

All right. Thank you, sir. You can have a seat. Did you form, in your opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, what you thought was the principal cause of Mr. Floyd's death? Yes. And what is that? Cardiac arrhythmia due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during restraint. Are you suggesting that though Mr. Floyd may have been in cardiac arrest, there was a time when he may have been revived because he wasn't dead yet. Immediate medical attention for a person who's gone into cardiac arrest may well reverse

that process, yes. Do you feel that Mr. Floyd should have been given immediate emergency attention to try to reverse the cardiac arrest? As a physician, I would agree. Are you critical of the fact that he wasn't given immediate emergency care when he went into cardiac arrest? As a physician, I would agree. How would you classify the manner of death? So this is one of those cases where you have

so many conflicting different manners. The carbon monoxide would usually be classified as an accident, although somebody was holding him there. So some people would say you could elevate that to a homicide. You've got the drugs on board. In most circumstances, in most jurisdictions, a drug intoxication would be considered to be an accident. He's got significant natural disease, certainly the heart, paraganglionoma, you know, you can certainly consider it as a potential exacerbating process, but I wouldn't put it at the top of the list there.

So he's got a mixture of that. And then he's in a situation where he's been restrained in a very stressful situation. And that increased his fight and flight type reaction and that during restraint would be considered a homicide. When you put all of those together, it's very difficult to say which of those is the most accurate. So I would fall back to undetermined in this particular case. Of course, that former medical examiner out of Maryland,

and a lot of folks were talking, Monique, about his prior cases and some of his rulings in cases out of Maryland that were also troublesome. Yeah, and then he wasn't successful. I mean, every time, if there's any good omen whatsoever, when he comes in, he says something that seems completely lacking in basis or the biggest stretch possible. And you see, I mean, he folded under cross examination. So even if he's stretching and talking about these comorbidities and preexisting conditions and et cetera and so on, it was still very obvious that he had to say that it happened when under restraint by police. And then under cross-examination, he had to concede that if they had stopped killing him and started trying to treat him, he had a chance to live. Scott, 30 seconds. Robert, 30 seconds. Yeah, I disagree with Monique. I think he was thoughtful. Whether you like what he said or not. He did the FBI role to the jury. He was quite credible.

And his conclusion that you couldn't determine what the cause of death was is more than enough to raise reasonable doubt on the minds of the jury. We'll have to see how the jury votes based on his testimony. Robert? I disdain expert witnesses in many cases. Often you can buy an expert to say whatever you feel like that expert needs to say. That's one of the part of judicial system does need to be reworked between forensic experts and expert witnesses. You can basically shop around and find someone to say exactly what you need to say to prove your case on either side. All right, folks, let's now go to Buffalo. After a 15-year battle with the city of Buffalo, New York, Carl Horn will be getting her full

pension and back pay. Folks, check this story out. This is unbelievable. In 2008, Horn was black, was fired for stopping a white officer from choking an unarmed black suspect. She the one who, she was fired. In his ruling, New York State Supreme Court Judge Dennis Ward cited the deaths of George Floyd and Eric Garner, two black men killed in police custody to show why Horn did the right thing. Well, she joins us right now along with her attorney, Ronald Sullivan Jr., who is the attorney and director of the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute. Glad to have both of you here on the show.

Carrie, all I got to say, you did not give up. But take us back to to what happened. I mean, here you are stopping the guy and you're the one who has to fight for your pension. Hey, that's that's just to make racism. And when, when, when it happened, first and foremost, um, take us, take us inside the department. What was it like for you? Was it hell for you? Did other officers shun you because you dared to check one of or your own? Well, if there's a place worse than hell, then I think that's where I was at.

But it wasn't about the officers shunning me, which they did, but it wasn't about that. It was about the officer that I said was being abusive continued to be abusive, where he choked another officer, and he also slammed four boys' heads into a police car where he wound up going, doing four months in jail, but he still got suspended. So the officer that you

stopped from choking this black kid, did that damage to other suspects? Yes. And I'm sure you're sitting there going hello that's called vindication y'all this the kind of person has no business being on the force not only that he also sued me for 65 000 20 000 what he he already got he sued you because you stopped him

he sued me because he said that i lied about him being abusive and you said he got 20 000 of that yes he did all this time you're you're going through um the legal system you're going through the legal system. You're going through that. And Ronald, are you sitting here going, why are we actually doing this? Absolutely. It was amazing.

I mean, the tone of your voice suggests everything. I met Carrie Holt a year ago, and if I weren't reading the papers, I really wouldn't have believed that she had been in this position. And so I told her, you know, said something that I usually don't say and most lawyers shouldn't say. But I said, I'm going to get you some justice in this case. This is just wrong, wrong, wrong. And we're going to we're going to work this thing out. So it's absolutely unbelievable. But but it happened right here in the USA. Carry all we've seen other stories come out about the Buffalo Police Department and the actions of officers. and that's when your story got renewed attention and focus in the news media because of what you were going through and enduring.

Actually, it got more attention when George Floyd died and those three officers did nothing. So in my case, I got fired for stopping police brutality. And in their case, they sat there and watched George Floyd die. So back in 2016, I wrote a law called Cario's Law, which is now Cario's Law, Duty to Intervene, because it was passed in October of last year, October of 2020. So I wrote this law because I didn't want what I was going through to happen to another officer. So in the meantime,

you have those three officers standing there watching George Floyd die. So when that happened, that's when it came to a head. And that is when he pushed for Cario's law to be passed. This got Greg Kwiatkowski, And that is when he pushed for Cario's law to be passed. This got Greg Kwiatkowski, I guess his name is pronounced. The incident took place in 2006. And you've said before, repeatedly, that had you not intervened, Neal Mack would be dead.

Neal Mack could have been dead. Isn't this also part of the issue, and I've heard this from other black police officers, the refusal to step in. They see wrongdoing taking place. And that blue line just sort of creates this paralysis of let me let you let them finish. I mean, we've seen there was a brother who was slain up against a fence by a cop in Los Angeles. And the cop has viciously beaten him. And the two of the cops are just sort of standing there watching it, watching it happen. I mean, we see this over and over and over again.

Just this this fear of saying, say, man, chill. It's rare to see, I think during the protest last year, there was some white cop where a black supervisor snatched a cop, threw him back, said, get behind the line and get off the line because you're too much of a hothead. That's rare to actually see that happen. Yeah, and in my case, you know, Mac of a hothead. That's rare to actually see that happen. Yeah, and in my case, you know, Mac was already handcuffed.

He actually handcuffed before I got there. So what they tried to do was confuse people to act as if it was one incident where he was trying to arrest him that I stopped the arrest. But the arrest had already happened prior to me coming there. He was already handcuffed and being I stopped the arrest. But the arrest had already happened prior to me coming there.

He was already in cuffs and being punched in the face. So once we got outside, that's when he choked him. I'm really confused here, Ronald, because when Cariol talked about having to pay the $20,000, $20,000, $65,000. I'm reading this story here where it says, in 2011, a judge found that Horn's lawyer made eight statements considered defamatory and false, including one that said, quote, saved the life of a suspect who was already in handcuffs and was being choked out by Officer

Greg Kwiatkowski. I'm sorry, that was defamatory and false? Well, that's what a court ruled. Now, be clear, I wasn't the lawyer back then, but that's what the court ruled. And if you think about it, we're in a very different territory and era now where cell phones basically show and prove that what black folk have been saying for a long time actually happens day in and day out. What happened then is the courts simply didn't believe Cario, didn't believe that an officer would have someone in a chokehold while they were in handcuffs and under arrest. And you know, it wasn't until years later that he was arrested and served jail time for another instance of abuse. So it was a defamation case, and she lost that case.

It's really unfortunate. But her team is here now. My colleague at the Harvard Law School and the Kirkland & Ellis Law Firm, we are together representing Cariol, and we'll vindicate her interests across the board as best we can. Cariol, final'll, we'll, we'll vindicate her interests across the board as best we can. Cariol, final point, question here. You are, um, you were fired before months before being eligible for that particular pension. Um, for our folks who, who, who don't understand what that means. A lot of people don't realize. So first of all, how long were you on the police force?

20 years. You're on police force for 20 years. So first of all, how long were you on the police force? 20 years. You're on police force for 20 years. And so that pension is what? Because it goes back. So you would have been receiving how much a year for the last 11 years? Well, the pay has gone up from around 60,000 when I got fired. So it's gone up since then. So that means that, that means that, so that's what you would have gotten each year for the past decade?

Base pay. That doesn't include overtime, court time, or any other time. So their decision clearly has had a financial and economic impact on you. And again, and that's the piece there, the actions by firing you and hoping you would just shut up and take it. That's what they thought was going to happen.

That's what they thought. I didn't have anything else to lose. Well, we certainly appreciate you staying in the fight. And I'm quite sure it feels great to be vindicated as a result. Thank you. All right, Cariole, thank you so very much. Ronald Sullivan, our attorney, thanks a lot as well. Thanks. This here, Scott, is the fundamental issue.

When we want, when we talk about good cops and bad cops, we want cops like Carrie O to step in and say, man, stop. But what they did to her is why folk don't. That blue line and protecting your pension, protecting your future, that's what causes people to say, hey man, I ain't getting in this thing. And that's what causes people to say, hey, man, I ain't getting in this thing. And that's what caused them to lie on police reports and back up their partner and back up the lies. And that's how it begins to build and build. Let me tell you how you solve that. You put their pensions at risk if they lie, if they abuse people, if they cover up for

people, if they don't point out bad conduct. Because one bad apple, that's not true. They're all bad apples if you don't report on one bad apple. You're complicit in it. And her story is just incredible. And she's got some incredible lawyers, of course, including Ron, who I've worked with before. But the reality is I'm thinking about how incredible it is that a judge 11 years later could give her her pension. Like, what happened to statute of limitations or, you know, listen, race judicata? These issues have been dealt with before.

She's incredibly lucky that there was a legal journey or pathway towards getting still yet another hearing on appeal. She's lucky to have great lawyers and lucky that, as Ben Crump said, we have the blood of these prior dead men, whereby these cases and law enforcement are growing into equality and justice, or growing into equality and justice or closer to equality and justice. It's an incredible case. She should write a book, and her lawyer should write a book, too.

Monique? Yes? Are you seriously not paying attention? Like, I need you to stop sending me damn text messages and your ass should be paying attention to the show. See, if you stop focusing on the last conversation and focus on this one right here, you're going to be busting on television.

Robert, go. Robert, your thoughts. This is why it's so important. One, I'd like to mention that Ben Crump agreed with me, just so we all understand. Ben Crump agreed with me on this case. Put that on a T-shirt. That's a T-shirt.

He didn't agree with you. He agreed with part of what you said. Look, I'm just saying me and Ben Crump, same page. Send me some of that money when it comes. But look, I think this is why it's important to have federal thin blue line legislation. We have to have federal legislation that addresses this issue of the thin blue line that protects officers who lie and who protect the bad apples. Because the saying is one bad apple spoils the bunch, not get rid of one bad apple and everything's fine. So we have to have some legislation to protect people who are whistleblowers. Set up a federal hotline where officers can report the bad conduct of other officers.

Imagine if any of those other officers intervened in the George Floyd case. Say, hey, man, hey, ease up, let up. It's been long enough. You had your knee on his throat. He might be alive today. Imagine if in the case of Mr. Wright, if any of those officers said, hey, hey, just a misdemeanor. Stop. He's not armed. He's a kid. So you don't need to tase him. You don't need to shoot him. You know, there's I

don't know any country on earth where you electrocute somebody for a misdemeanor tag violation. But in America, it's completely normal to tase, quote unquote, or electrocute somebody just because that's the less lethal method. So we have to have some federal legislation. We need to push that through. The George Floyd Act that's currently going through the Senate is a good first step. But even after that, we have to go back stronger to really protect the lives of people who have not been convicted of a crime and make sure we're stopping police from upholding the same white supremacist system they always have. All right, Robert, I appreciate it. No, Monique, you ain't got nothing to say on this topic because

you were not paying attention. All right, got to go to commercial break right now. Got to go to commercial break right now. We come back, we're going to talk to Kristen Clark hearing, and we're going to talk about the white man in South Carolina who shoved the brother walking down the street. Guess what? Homeboy's been arrested. All that's next on Roller Martin Unfiltered. Shortly after 9-11, America and its allies went to war in Afghanistan to defeat a terrorist stronghold. We accomplished that mission years ago. Trillions of dollars lost, over 2,000 Americans dead, countless Afghans dead.

It's time to get out. Many presidents have tried to end the war in Afghanistan, but President Biden is actually going to do it. And by 9-11, over 20 years after the war was started, the last American soldier will depart, and America's longest war will be over. Promise made, promise kept. I believe that it's movement time again.

In America today, the economy is not working for working people. The poor and the needy are being abused. You are the victims of power. And this is the abuse of economic power. I'm 23 years old. I work three jobs. Seven days a week. No days off. They're paying people pennies on the dollar compared to what they profit. And it is time for this to end. Essential workers have been showing up to work, feeding us, caring for us, delivering goods to us throughout this entire pandemic. And they've been doing it on a measly $7.25 minimum wage.

The highest check I ever got was literally $291. I can't take it no more. You know, the fight for 15 is a lot more than about $15 an hour. This is about a fight for your dignity. We have got to recognize that working people deserve livable wages. And it's long past time for this nation to go to 15 so that moms and dads don't have to choose between asthma inhalers and rent. I'm halfway homeless.

The main reason that people end up in their cars is because income does not match housing costs. If I could just only work one job, I could have more time with them. It is time for the owners of Walmart, McDonald's, Dollar General, and other large corporations to get off welfare and pay their workers a living wage. And if you really want to tackle racial equity,

you have to raise the minimum wage. We're not just fighting for our families, we're fighting for yours too. We need this. I'm going to fight for it until we get it. I'm not going to give up. We just need all workers to stand up as one nation and just fight together.

Families are relying on these salaries and they must be paid at a minimum $15 an hour. $15 a minimum. Anyone should be making this a bit of a stay out of poverty. I can't take it no more. I'm doing this for not only me, but for everybody. We need 15 right now. Carl Payne pretended to be Roland Martin.

Holla! Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. The confirmation hearing for the woman who was said to become the first black woman to lead the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division began today. Kristen Clark was questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Yeah, it's always you guys, because loonies on the Republican side saying crazy stuff. So here's a video roundup, which you missed. We live streamed this and rolled it up and unfiltered it, so we actually have the entire hearing on our YouTube channel.

You can go back and watch that. But here is some of what took place today. You wrote an op-ed in Newsweek entitled, I prosecuted police killings, defund the police, but be strategic. Do you still believe it is a good idea to defund the police? Thank you, Senator, for that question. I do not support defunding the police. The impetus for writing that op-ed was to make clear that I do not support defunding the police. And I spend considerable time talking about the need to channel resources to places such as mental health treatment, alleviate some of the burdens that we place on the doorstep of law enforcement some of the issues we ask them to wrestle with that are

outside their core competency but... Ms. Clark, let me and we have limited time so let me you say you don't support defunding the police you just said it twice the title of your article was defund the police but let's not just look to the title your article begins by saying that the national protests we saw last year, quote, opened up space for transformative policy discussions. You then continue to write, into that space, and this is a quote, into that space has surged a unifying call from the Black Lives Matter movement, defund the police. Do you really believe defund

the police is a unifying call? I don't support defund the police. I'm reading from your article. Do you disagree with your article? Amidst the demonstrations and protests, I wanted to provide a different perspective. I don't support taking away resources from police and putting communities in harm's way. There's a rise in hate crimes and extremists. Ms. Clark, you know you're testifying under oath here. Please allow her to go. You just said a moment ago.

Senator Cruz, please allow her to complete her answers. Well, I'm not going to allow her to filibuster. So I'm going to ask a question. If she wants to answer the question that I asked, she can do so. But I'm not going to. She should be allowed. I hope you'll show respect to the witness. I will show respect to every witness, but we also have limited time,

as you're aware, and you've been on this committee long enough to know that witnesses, in avoiding questions, will try to filibuster on different topics. So I'm going to ask questions, and I'm going to expect answers to the questions I ask. And I understand the chairman wants to jump in and defend the witnesses, but that's your prerogative to try to do so. I will defend witnesses on either side and members on either side. We will be respectful in this committee. I hope that all members will.

I hope and expect the same standard will be applied. Yeah, Ted Cruz is an asshole. Let's go to our panel. Derek Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. Joy Cheney, the senior vice president for policy for the National Urban League, Wade Henderson, Interim President, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. I'm going to start first off with you, Joy.

They have been attacking Christian Clark. They were attacking Vanita Gupta. It's abundantly clear Republicans cannot stand female civil rights lawyers. You know, you said it. I wouldn't. But yeah, I said it. I'll say it again. It does seem to be that way if the shoe fits. I don't know what they're thinking. I don't know what kind of advice they're getting. It must be that that works in some corners of their constituency, but it doesn't work for the vast majority of Americans. You know, women of color are a valuable part of our electorate and of the people that support them,

of the people that support all of us. So why they would choose to attack them, I don't know. Kristen Clark is the best of what America has to offer. And I was so proud today. I couldn't help but laugh, Wade, listening to Senator John Cornyn, who clearly does not know how to read the word satire. I mean, they have made this huge thing about this article, and literally it's called a joke being satirical.

I'm like, my goodness. I'm like, dude, you were on the Texas Supreme Court. You that dumb? Well, it was a little too subtle on Kristen's character and the assault on Benita's character. The attack on their record, the smear that has been associated with this campaign, is a reflection of the extremism that has infected the current day Republican Party. This is the Republican Party in the aftermath of the insurrection of January 6th. And these are individuals who supported or certainly didn't condemn what happened. And they're attacking two of the most well-qualified, most well-prepared and most fearless litigators and advocates that the civil rights community

has produced in years. So this is not just an assault on the current appointments for which they're being considered. This is also to sort of make them radioactive for future consideration. They won't be nominated by future administrations because of the fight that they're going through now. And we in the community can't allow that to happen. They're too talented for that outcome. Before I go to Derek, I just got to show y'all that stupidity today from John Cornyn.

And I hate the fact, y'all, let me just apologize for all my fellow Texans. I hate the fact that the two biggest asses on this committee are both Texas senators. Y'all go ahead and play it. Martin Luther King famously said that he had a dream of the day when his children would be known by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. Do you agree with that? Absolutely, Senator.

Well, maybe there's a misprint, but I'm sure you can clear it up for me. Dating back to your days in school when you seemed to argue that African Americans were genetically superior to Caucasians. Is that correct? No, Senator. I believe you're referring to an op-ed that I wrote at the age of 19 about the bell curve theory, a racist book that equated DNA with genetics and race. As a black student at Harvard that time, we took grave offense to this book. It was co-authored by... So this was satire? Damn, Derek. You know, if anyone could recall that period of time with Bell Card, the book was outrageous.

And I remember Christian when she took on that fight. And what she did so persuasively was to get other students of that era engaged because what was taking place was an attack on our intelligence and trying to amplify this concept of white supremacy. And she did it with great precision during that time period when we were students. Christian Balfour is one of the most qualified individuals to be considered for this position. It is ironic to say that they could not find issue with all of those unqualified individuals who were being considered for years. And they want to come after Christian and Vanita, who are two individuals I've known for over 20 years and they have done excellent work.

They are more than competent. They're qualified and they should be confirmed. It is immediately. And what we're really dealing with here, Joy, is we're dealing with a Republican Party that despises civil rights. They despise people who fight voter suppression. They love people who make up stuff about voter fraud. And really what they want to do is they want to cut the knees off of a Department of Justice under President Joe Biden because, again, what they do not want, they don't want monitors being sent into these states. They don't want aggressive actions. That's really what this

is all about. That is exactly it. You hit it right on the head. They would not be fighting so hard, making such ridiculous arguments. I've been a Senate staffer. I can't believe some of these questions were put forward. They wouldn't be fighting so hard if they were not so desperate to make sure that the most qualified person was not in that position. We call them out on it. She will be confirmed. She needs to be confirmed quickly. We need her immediately. We can just look at what's happening in our country. Her experience fighting anti-democratic efforts in supporting the role of democracy around our country, voting rights, protecting people from from violations of civil rights. Just in the segments you've had before this evening. We need her. We need her immediately. Attorney General Garland had it right. She is just who

he needs on his team. She's who we need on the American people's team. And it needs to happen immediately. One of the things that folks, let me know if y'all have this here, Wade, up in the control room, y'all have this here. And Wade, this is like, this is like really strange. So like one of the most, one of most uh and i y'all ain't got to say it i'm i got no problem saying it one of the most ignorant and bigoted members of the united states senate is arkansas senator tom cotton uh first of all i will never i will never forgive that that simpleton for what he did for what he did in making a black woman wait to be confirmed to be the ambassador to the Bahamas who worked in the White House Counsel's Office for President Barack Obama.

And Cassandra died. Cassandra, yes. She died waiting for a hearing, did not know she, I think it was leukemia or something along those lines. She did not know she, I think it was leukemia or something along those lines, she did not know, she died waiting to get confirmed, and Tom Cotton sat there and upheld it because he was being petty. Yes. Now, so in today's hearing, he actually got upset with Kristen because of her comments about cops being prosecuted for killing black folks.

Folks, roll it. I want to play a little bit of it, then come back to you. Go to it, please. Folks, roll it. I want to play a little bit of it, then come back to you. Go to it, please. Guys, go to my computer, please. All right, we're going to have it in a second. But wait, go ahead and just comment on that. I'm going to play it in a second.

Go ahead. Look, Rowan, let me say, you're absolutely right about Tom Cotton. It hurts me to hear you say it, but it's true. It also hurts me to hear you say that the Republican Party has turned its back on civil rights, even though it is true. You know, this is the same party that last reauthorized, helped reauthorize the Voting

Rights Act in 2006. 98 to nothing in the Senate, and George Bush signed the bill. There was a time when voting rights were national issues and bipartisan issues. But this current Republican Party has been hijacked by President Trump and his wing, the Taliban wing of the Republican Party. So they, in fact, have become the real basis of the base of the party and where it is going on important issues. So it's not just the confirmation.

You can expect a huge fight on the voting rights bills that are pending in Congress. You can expect a huge fight on the George Floyd justice and policing act that's pending. But obviously, with all the hurt and pain that's happening in the way of highly qualified, highly qualified, fearless attorneys who have proven their mettle on the field, in the courtroom, doing what they need to do to enforce the nation's laws. So, no, that's where we are. And I think we have to stand up and make that clear. And Derek, bottom line is this here. Look, there's too much at stake to allow these folks to try to block strong enforcers of our civil rights laws. Yeah, it is so much at stake and they know what's at stake. Unfortunately,

we have to go through this process so we can get them confirmed. At the end of the day, this is about the direction of this country. When you see what's taking place in Texas and Michigan and Florida, I mean, in Georgia, we need someone strong in DOJ who understand voting rights laws, who understand the nature of what the outcome should be and the impact it's gonna have on our communities and to be as aggressive as possible. You know, Christian, Vanita, they came from a time period

where we all watched what happened to Lonnie Grenier. It is incumbent upon us as a civil rights community not allow them to do the same thing they did to Lonnie, what they did to Debo or anyone else. We have the competent, qualified individuals who will appear to the Constitution and protect our rights as citizens. Well, look, we're going to look. I've been hugely supportive of Kristen Clark. She often appeared in my TV one show on this show. She was never afraid to come here

to let us know about all the cases, the great work that she has done. And we must all stand behind her to ensure that this Senate does not block her. It gets confirmed. That also means telling every single Democrat, do you hear me, Sinema? Do you hear me, Joe Manchin?

You better be standing with her as well. And if it comes down to a 50-50, then they better be there to vote for. Simple as well. And if it comes down to a 50-50, then they better be there to vote for. Simple as that. Joy, Wayne, Derek, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Our legal panel, get your thoughts as well. Get your thoughts as well on today's confirmation hearing and the importance of having Vanita Gupta in the Department of Justice. I'll start with you, Monique. What I am exhausted by is this constant dressing down of women of color. I dealt with it as an attorney appearing before not just openly racist judges, but sexist judges, but judges who thought that

they weren't racist nor sexist. But anytime I would say something that any male counterpart of mine would have said, and at the top of their lungs, I mean, I've been called little girl. I've been told to sit down. I've had to pass things on to junior associates and cases in order to do the best for a client because I knew that the judge couldn't handle a Black woman who could stand her ground and speak and think in coherent sentences and name more no law, no more law than they did. And so I was infuriated by what Kristen Clark went through at the hands of a Cornyn or a Cruz. I know she can handle it.

I know she's brilliant. I know she took it all in stride. I know she'll be confirmed, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't piss me off because we should be long past that and we shouldn't have to listen to her when she comes and testifies, when she's issuing consent decrees in communities and cities that are not doing what they're supposed to do, and when she's suing governments and when she's erecting the type of guidelines and rules that we need across this nation in order to keep our people safe. But today I was just pissed off.

This is the clip. If y'all want to see, frankly, somebody who acts like a proud boy, Tom Cotton. Was Officer Darren Wilson justified when he shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014? So there is a trial underway right now, Senator, and I, like millions of people, am sitting back and watching the trial as it plays out. And I'm prepared to accept the verdict of the jury. In November of 2020, just a few months ago, that was not exactly what you said. You said that on this day, a grand jury chose not to indict Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown. It's a powerful reminder of why we need to make clear that Black Lives Matter. We must demand that the Department of Justice resume pattern practice investigations and expand

prosecutions involving police shootings. I would also point out that Eric Holder's Department of Justice in March 2015 conducted an extensive review of Officer Derrick Wilson's conduct and concluded that it did not support the filing of criminal charges. They issued an 87-page report. That was done under the watch of your fellow nominee, Vanita Gupta, I might add. In fact, there have been three separate investigations that have cleared Officer Wilson of wrongdoing. And just last year, Habro, just last year in June, you sent a letter to Congress in which you described the Michael Brown case as, quote, prosecutorial decisions

not to indict police because of impenetrable qualified immunity for police and acquittals based on racism." End quote. Why do you continue, despite all this evidence to the contrary, from many of your fellow Democrats to refuse to take an answer on whether or take a position on whether officer Darren Wilson was justified or not in the shooting of Michael Brown? And Senator, if I can, I want to correct my answer. I indicated that there was a trial still going on, which is not the case. So I just want to offer up that correction. I think that in general, there is a need for greater police accountability.

There is a bipartisan agreement on this issue. I know that this body did a bipartisan agreement on this issue. I know that this body did a lot of work last year. Ms. Clark, those are all policy questions and we have that policy debate. Well that's the whole damn point there. Again, you see the level of arrogance, Scott, that exists. Look, they don't like black women at all. We know how black women were treated by Donald Trump, the Republican Party. This is also why black women at all. We know how black women were treated by Donald Trump, Republican Party. They all this is also why black women hates the Republican Party more than any other group in

America. Yeah. And, you know, we just got some vicious white races in elected offices and positions now. And they clean it up with race-neutral terms, but just because you don't use the N-word, right, doesn't mean you can't be a vicious white racist that exposes and puts upon others that you may have to vote on. Qualified immunity, Christian was talking in her letter, that letter that I've seen, was talking about qualified immunity. The officer in the Michael Brown case, because of qualified immunity, is why those reports that came out didn't absolve him,

just they chose not to prosecute him. Didn't say he didn't engage in bad conduct or unprofessional conduct, but they couldn't sue him or bring a case against him, at least at the federal civil rights level. So let's be real clear. But these are two brilliant women, and I'm amazed that the Cornyn and Cruz and Cotton, nothing embarrasses

them. Because when you're that level of arrogant and narcissist, you don't care. In fact, watch this. This is Cotton getting really upset with the chair Dick Durbin. Watch this.

Do you want to answer that simple question, yes or no? Let's turn to another case. Senator, could you please just allow her opportunity to respond? Could you please stop your pattern of interrupting me repeatedly? This happened the last time we had a hearing. I'm sorry. You called a vote in violation of this committee's rules. I will give you additional time, but I'd like to give her a chance to complete her answer. I've asked her a simple yes or no question multiple times. She refuses to answer it. Thank you, though, for your input.

Let's turn to another case. Jacob Blake. Which Jacob Blake, that you won't answer the simple question yes or no. I'm saying right there. Right there, Robert. This month, I'm just letting you know what would have came out.

Look, Roland, I think this very much, for me at least, confirms. Don't nominate me for nothing. Like, I'm being completely fair. Do not nominate me for any federal judicial office. Don't, like, it don't matter if you see me on

Roland and you think that would be a good assistant. Don't nominate me for nothing. Because if you're mad about a satirical article from 25, 30 years ago, don't nominate my ass for nothing. If you think you're going to say you can't answer a simple question and I don't hop across that desk,

you ain't never been to Waverly Hall, Georgia. Because, look, don't nominate me for nothing. Do not nominate me for a damn thing. Because the way they are going to have to drag me out of that Senate chamber. So, look, what this is really about, this is about the Supreme Court. Because if you have these two women become Senate confirmed, then it's going to be nearly impossible to stop them if they are nominated for the Supreme Court when Clarence Thomas or Justice Alito either dies or

passes away or retires from the court. So they want to dirty these women up as much as possible to stop them from being Supreme Court justices in the future. This is not about the Justice Department. This is not about the Attorney General's office. This is about stopping the first woman of color from being, African-American woman, from being on the Supreme Court by any means necessary. And if Raphael is

going to do so, I'm hoping Rowling gets in there and runs against him for that Senate seat because that is where we are in this country. The only way to do it is you're going to have to defeat them electorally. But again, do not nominate me for anything. No, I'm just letting you know. I don't know.

I can't. First of all, am I eligible to run for the U.S. Senate in Texas? Yes, I'm registered there. I still own my home there. But I do not believe they allow cussing during debates because Ted Cruz would get smooth cuss the hell out during a debate. All right, y'all. Y'all know what time it is. Yeah, illegally selling water without a permit. On my property. Whoa! Hey! I remember.

You don't remember? I'm uncomfortable. Y'all remember the story I told y'all when I was in Houston and I was leaving out of Walgreens and going to the Kroger and these two white men said, let's go get that nigga. And I went in and I told my mama and daddy and my dad was like, let's go. My mom was like,

Reggie, what you doing? He's like, Hey, I ain't trying to hear that. Let's go. And I was like, okay.

And we walked into the store and he rolled up on two groups, several groups of white men. And like, is that them? Is that them? And then we found the two and they were like, no, no, no, we weren't talking about your son. I'm just letting y'all know right now, had this happen, all I'm saying is, uh, this white boy here will be having some

problems. Y'all, this literally happened. Just watch this. Go away right now. Hey, they've already been called. They're just waiting. You know what? Maybe you should hang on a little longer. We'll see how it goes.

Then we won't have to get the report by ourselves. What is it you're doing here? Walking. Then walk. Okay, and that's what I was doing since you came out of town What is it you're doing here? Walking. Then walk. Okay, and that's what I was doing. She came out of town. Well, you've been here like 15 minutes now.

Let's go. Walk away. Keep walking. Walk away. I already walked away. Walk away right now. You need help? You've got this on camera.

I'm happy to help you. Uh-uh. I didn't hit you. There's a difference between pushing you. I'm pretty sure you were the aggressor, buddy. You were aggressing on the neighborhood. Someone came running. Walk back. You better walk away.

You walk away. You talking to my wife right now. That's your wife? Walk away. I didn't do it. Walk away. Your wife is speaking. Check it out.

You either walk away or I'm going gonna carry your ass out of here. Dude, what do you wanna do? You better not touch me. Or what? What are you gonna do? You up on me. Let's go, walk away. I didn't do anything to you.

I'm about to do something to you. You better start walking. I didn't do anything to her. You better start walking right now. You come after me like that? I ain't coming after you. You're in the wrong neighborhood, motherfucker. Get out.

I live here, motherfucker. Get out. Get out. Where? Where's your house? What's your address? Maybe we should walk you home. Walk me home? You want to bet what I can do?

I live here, sir. Right now you're harassing the neighborhood. I'm not harassing anyone walking through the neighborhood I live in, sir. Where? Because check it out, we are a tight-knit community. We take care of each other. How long have you been living here? A hell of a lot longer than your ass, because I have never seen you before in my life.

How long have you been living here? That's none of your business. Why does that even matter to you? How long have you been living here? It doesn't matter. You know what? Get the hell out of my face. Get out of my face.

You walked up to me. Check it out, motherfucker. I ain't playing with you. You either get your ass moving or I'm going to move you. You smell drunk. You want to bet? You are drunk. I'm about to show you what I can do. I would suggest that you walk away. Walk away. I'm walking. You keep following me, sir. There's only one way out of here. It's right over there. There's multiple ways out of here, sir. You want to bet? Walk away.

Well, his ass went viral. We now know that this white man is a non-commissioned army officer. His name is Jonathan Pitlin, Station at Fort Jackson. Guess what? His punk ass

got arrested an hour ago. Charged with third degree assault for shoving that young black man who was simply walking in a Columbia, South Carolina neighborhood. Okay? Well, there was a news conference today

where the chief announced this guy being arrested. Y'all go ahead and roll that. At 8.30 this morning, Jonathan Pentland was arrested for assault and battery third degree in reference to the video that we've all seen. It's a very disturbing video. It's one that we're not going to tolerate or condone in Richland County. And the message I wanna give is that when something like that happens,

the Sheriff's Department's gonna act very swiftly, and we're gonna hold those responsible for those accountable. We're not gonna let people be bullies in our community, and if you are, then you're gonna answer for it. And that's what we've done in this case. This case first came to our attention on Monday when our deputies responded and took initial

reports. They did a good job at that point because they didn't rush to make judgments. They took the information and it was passed to our investigators. Our investigators got it yesterday, but one of the most valuable pieces of evidence we had was the video. I want to thank whoever was responsible for that video. Thank you for doing that. That shows what our community can do when we work together. Taking videos, reporting stuff to

us. Our initial call came from a citizen that lived in that community who saw the confrontation and called the Sheriff's Department and reported it to us. That's what we ask our citizens to do. When there's something going on in the community, call, let us respond so we can get involved and we can take care of it. And that's what happened in this case. That's what we all need to do. We have to work together to make sure that we prevent incidents.

Well, Jonathan Pentland, Robert, let's just say he had a few more visitors today. Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on. Y'all pull the sound up. Make racist people uncomfortable. Our job is to make racist people

uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. is to make racist people uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. My job is to beat the ass. I ain't with no less. Oh, I'm going to make you shit on yourself.

Me too. Yeah. Yeah. Man, I know how to move up right. Here's another video. Now go to my computer, right. Here's another video. Now, go to my computer, please. Here's another video. You'll see from another angle of a lot more folk who was in Jonathan's yard.

They were, again, folk says, you know, since you want to sit here and see folk walking, guess what? We got some folk walking. And not only that, they also they also let me find the photo. I love this photo, Robert. I really do. Because, again, if you want to get black people attention, Jonathan, you got black people attention. They got all his business out here on social media. This is him and his wife, the one you hear her talking. This is him, yeah, and guess what? Yeah, uh-huh, mm-hmm, yeah, yeah, we know about all y'all. Like, all late business out here.

And in fact, guess what? Now his bosses have now been involved. Now the Army is investigating Robert. See? When your ass get a little extra and you're white... uh have now been uh involved now the army is investigating robert see when your ass get a little extra and you're white let's just appreciate two words i think all black men need to understand it's called an abdominal holster abdominal holster you can wear it with basketball shorts you can wear it with slides on you want to make sure it goes right here, even for us bigger fellas, so you have easy access to concealed carry. Because

other than having a drone with you that records you 24 hours a day or a professional film crew, the only way to protect yourself as an African-American male in this country is to ensure that you are always exercising your Second Amendment rights. Because if there was not a camera there, imagine what would have happened. If somebody

wasn't standing there with a cell phone, imagine what would have happened. If somebody wasn't standing there with a cell phone, imagine what would have happened. We have to ensure that we are protecting ourselves and protecting our communities. We are being trained, we are exercising our rights. I'm glad that the police department did the right thing, but just imagine what would have happened if he did not have a film crew there with him

between those two individuals, the drunk husband and the wife. And I can't wait for the civil suit in this case. I'm hoping this young man is able to retire off of what he takes from this man's pension. And, Monique, you know what? The hits keep on coming because it ain't nothing like seeing who is the person over the military base where homeboy serves. Uh-oh. Meet Brigadier General Milford Beags Beagle Jr.

He's a brother. Ooh. Homeboy want to be famous, Monique. He famous. Yeah, I mean, he's famous for all of. He famous. Yeah, I mean, he's famous for all of the wrong reasons. And I'd like to believe at some

point we can get to the point where the person who's in charge at the base doesn't have to have the same skin as me in order for him to have a conscience and desire to do... Oh, no, no, no. That's just added pleasure. That's just added pleasure. That's just added pleasure. But go ahead. Right.

And, you know, the way I deal with law enforcement, I don't make any assumptions when the skin's the same because the output can sometimes be different than what we expect. But there are so many things that were wrong with this encounter, and Robert

is right. God knows what would have happened if it wasn't for cameras. But I don't agree with Robert that strapping up would be a good solution because as far as I'm concerned, that just lands the brother in jail for whatever ends up happening that happened off camera because nobody would believe that he was actually taking the action in his own defense. So these the issues are mammoth and the solutions are going to have to be as varied and as wide and and as as deep in scope as the issues in order for us to get any forward movement. Hey, all I'm saying is, Scott, somebody, they actually planted a Black Lives Matter sign in the front yard. And so, but the thing that got, here's what got me, Scott, with the video that I thought was hilarious, that they're going to demand to know where he lived. Then he said, how long y'all been living?

How long y'all been here? We ain't gotta tell you. Well, I gotta tell your ass anything. You know what's always fascinated me about this section of your show is that you don't have to make this shit up. You like have videos of people just doing this shit. You ain't gotta make it up. You like have videos of people just doing this shit. You ain't gonna make it up.

It's just in 2021 we still have white people telling black people to get out of the neighborhood or you won't blow around here. We're a tight knit community. And they know they're on video and they're still showing

their racial their racism. But here's the last point. Here's a question, Roland, and perhaps there's some intellectual treaties on this. The history of black people and brown people in this country, what is it about the melon in my skin, the melon in my brothers and sisters' skin that drive white people so crazy. Easy. The level of hatred. It's expensive. Easy.

It was expensive. Jim Crow's expensive. Slavery, quite frankly, got to be expensive after slaves were freed. What is it about the melon in my skin that makes white people so mad and angry at me? Because they were mad that we were never intended to walk around free. We were never, we were never. And even when the shackles were removed,

it was never intended for them, for us to even live in a same neighborhood. Let me remind people, which is why I tried to educate that Obama, Allen West last night. It was Republicans who joined with Southern Dixiecrats to filibuster for almost three years the Fair Housing Act. Because they were like, look, all right, we'll let y'all asses vote. We'll let y'all asses ride the damn bus. And we'll let y'all asses eat in restaurants. All right, fine. You Negroes can swim in the pool.

There ain't no way in hell y'all going to live in our neighborhood. See, it didn't matter. But it was black Republican Senator Edward Brooke who brokered the breaking of the filibuster in the Senate in February of 68. It still went. And the only for two more months. The only reason the bill got passed because king gets killed lbj sent a letter on april 5th saying let's pass this bill which is what king gave his life for so but scott the bottom line is it was never it was never a white america's a position white America's position for us to even be able to have this conversation right now

because we were supposed to always be enslaved. And that is what, how dare you, how dare you walk, what we just witnessed, where you live, we're going to walk you home. That was apartheid South Africa, where you live. We're going to walk you home. That was apartheid South Africa. Where your papers? Nigga, where your papers? Yeah.

That's all that was. That was a slave patrol. Steal. That's what that was. And this dude all buff. I'm going to sit here. Yeah, I hope you're behind get court-martialed. I hope there's a dishonorable discharge. I hope all of that because we have to,

that's why I keep saying, zero tolerance. No, no, no. We ain't about to sit here and pray. We ain't about to take a knee and sit here, you know. We ain't about to sing some freedom songs. No, no, no. Your ass has got to go because we ain't dealing with that. We ain't about to take a knee and sit here, you know. We ain't about to sing some freedom songs. No, no, no. Your ass has got to go.

Because we ain't dealing with that. We ain't dealing with it. It's as simple as that, you know. And so, Robert, you know, now he well-known. Monique, now, him and his wife going to be, now they're going to be apologizing to the neighbors. When we say, we're a tight-knit group, now they're going to be like, look at y'all asses,

brought these damn folk, a hundred folk around here every single day. Y'all, we're a tight-knit group, they're going to be like, look at y'all asses. Brought these damn folk, a hundred folk around here every single day. Y'all, they got his address on Twitter. They're going to have... You know what? Here's what I advise. Hey, Jonathan, you and your wife should listen to Uncle Roro. I would

advise y'all to go get a really big barbecue pit and y'all need to have a community big barbecue pit and y'all need to have a community cook-off and y'all should be just apologizing to every black person you see because y'all about to have visitors. Every single day.

Because we ain't having that. Game is changing. Game is changing. So Jonathan Pentland and y'all arrested this morning. And that's what happens when you decide to act a fool. Real quick here. Saw this story yesterday, folks. First of all, I got to read this here. A Fort Jackson spokesperson did say, quote, this type of behavior is not consistent with our army values and will not be condoned. We have begun our own investigation and are working with the local authorities.

And don't forget, y y'all not only is the uh commanding brigadier general of that base black so is um pentagon chief lord austin just wanted to let y'all know that so uh jonathan you may want to go ahead and play in. Yeah, you may want to do some backup. All right, y'all. Let's talk about getting back what was stolen. This story out of California. Unbelievable. Nearly 100 years ago, this very valuable piece of land was taken from black people.

Manhattan Beach, California. Now that land is going to be returned to the heirs of the family. A fascinating story. My man, Stephen Bradford, he has been leading this effort. California state senator. He introduced this particular bill that deals with this. And again, it's called Bruce's Beach, and it's being returned. So, Representative Bradford, first of all, give us the history behind this beach, the family that owned it.

Because it's amazing that they're actually giving it back. Yes, thank you, Roland, for this invitation. And yes, Bruce's Beach is a unique story, but it's not separate. I'm pretty sure it's hundreds, if not thousands of stories similar to what the Bruce's went through. But Willa and Charles Bruce acquired this property in 1912, and they created the first West Coast resort for African-Americans, adhering to those separate but equal laws. And they built an African-American beach resort, bathhouse, dance hall, restaurant, you name it, lodging for African-Americans. And shortly after they built this out, other African-American families also moved to Manhattan Beach and started acquiring property around the resort.

Shortly thereafter, they started being harassed by the Klan. And in 1924, when the Klan couldn't run the Bruces and other African-American families off the beach. The city took the property back or took it by eminent domain for sale under the guise of building a public park, understanding that that public park never came to fruition until about 35 years after the fact. And the only reason they did it then because the city was fearful of a lawsuit. And the city then deeded the property to the state of California. And in 1995, the state of California deeded it to the County of Los Angeles,

who's in possession of the property right now. So it is our efforts through SB 796 to allow the county now, since we put deed restrictions on how the property could be disposed and used, to now remove that in order for the county now to return this property back to the heirs. These folks would have been multimillionaires. They paid a little over $1,200 for this property in 1912. Today, it has a very conservatively excess value of $75 million. Wow.

Yes, $75 million. So imagine the generational wealth that this family would have had today. And surprisingly, there are still people in Manhattan Beach, be it the council, who, one, didn't even want to acknowledge or apologize for this injustice. They issued a statement of acknowledgement last week at a council meeting, but far from a full-throated apology and recognition of how this family was treated.

And again, they used the law to steal this property because it clearly states if you take property by eminent domain, you have to first pay one fair market value. But you have to use it within a certain time frame of what the property was acquired for. And that never happened until 35 years after the fact. So we're excited about where we are today. I think it shows what reparations can look like. As I stated, this is not the only example in California, but this is one where this property is pretty much still in the same condition that it is as when the city took it back and raised the resort and removed everything from there. The only thing standing there today is a lifeguard, county lifeguard facility.

And the key here is that there are descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce alive right now. They have a great, great, great grandson in New York, Anthony Bruce, who's the last direct descendant, but they're also Chief Yellowfeather, who's a descendant of the family. Yes, there are family members who are now and they will become. Being in control of the property once we do what we need to do here in the legislature and the county does. Yes. So there are direct descendants of the Bruce's family. Questions from our panel. I'll start with Scott. Yeah, just excellent work, if I may.

And, you know, I own a home in one of the last three black beach towns in the country, at Van Hyland Beach, which was founded by Frederick Douglass, Andoa's brother. Senator, I don't know whether you are aware of that story here on the Chesapeake in near Annapolis. It's a municipality, one of two in Anne Arundel County. And so this story warms my heart because while Highland Beach and its companion beach still remain majority black, obviously it is not all black, and these black beach towns need to be preserved here. The story is that they're getting the property back. And I hope they will have some preservation interests with the city and others to honor that prior black ownership and those prior black entrepreneurs.

So I stand up if I had a drink, I certainly toast you and your colleagues and the hard fought efforts because this is heavy lifting stuff. I'm a lawyer. It's heavy lifting stuff, convincing people to do the right thing decades later. So God bless you and keep up the fight. And I'm sure with the exposure, there are a lot of people who are going to be visiting that area, whether they own a piece of it or not. So God bless you. Thank you. But let's be clear, the city of Manhattan Beach is not in cooperation with this. This is the county. So we have to recognize Supervisor Janice Hahn and Supervisor Holly Mitchell for leading this effort, because the city still has sucked their heels in sand.

Truly don't want to recognize what's happened. Keep fighting. Keep fighting. We will. We will. Thank you. for the fight because just juxtaposing it to what our host just finished talking about, about how, you know, in the minds of many people in the majority in this country, we were never meant to stay. We were never meant to own. They didn't want us living in the same places as them. And to this day, that's been passed down. The racism is now in the genetic code. So I think that situations like this are so important for our then was stolen from us, for something like that to be restored and for the story to be woven in and passed down is critically important. Yeah. Yes.

Absolutely. Robert Portillo. Almost 100 years later. Yep. Robert Portillo. How do we replicate this effort around the country? Because right now, around the country, there are black communities that are sitting under interstate highways that were built in the 1950s. There's hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland that was stolen from black Americans

and transferred either to the government or to white owners from the 1870s until the 1930s and 1940s. If you go down to central Georgia, halfway between Harris County and Bibb County, you can find a little town called Petillo, Georgia, which I believe my family is heir to. But how exactly do we work on building this around the country so that more black people can have access to the general generational wealth as is needed in order to help bridge that racial wealth gap? I hope this serves as an example of what can be done when you have willing elected officials who are willing to first acknowledge what happened. And again, we credit the county for acknowledging it because they're in the control of it. And then the state for what our role, what role we played, and now making sure we remove all those restrictions that were placed on this property in return. And I think, again,

it's going to be an example of what we can do. We also formed the first in the country, a reparations task force. I've been appointed by the Senate President Pro Tem to serve on that. We will convene our first meeting in June, and we're going to be looking at a variety of ways and other examples of situations like this where we can show the rest of the country what reparations look like and what we can do if we're really committed to first recognizing those wrongs and bringing forth some type of restitution and some type of atonement and, you know,

in correction to that and trying to make some of these families whole. We'll never probably have the ideal situation like we have right now with Bruce's Beach. But as you stated, it's many more examples across this country that can truly follow this model. All right, then. Senator Bradford, man, great job. And I'm sure the Bruce family is appreciative. And keep us up to date. If there are any roadblocks, let us know who we need to call out. Thank you for rolling, for always being a great voice for the African-American community. Continue to speak truth to power.

We love you, brother. Well, you know I'm always ready to jack some folk up, so just let a brother know. And I got both my COVID shots. I'm going to be out in California soon to take some of your money on a golf course. I'm waiting on that. You've been talking a whole lot of noise. I'm waiting on it.

Bring it. Bring it. Okay. All right. All right. Don't write something. All right. Look. Look. I'm waiting on her. Bring it. Bring it. Okay. All right. All right. Don't write something. All right. Look.

Look. I'll let you know. I take Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Square. I got my own swipe. So I'm just letting you know. So if you try to say you didn't make it to the ATM machine, I got other options. It'll be Cash and Carry right in the pocket. You don't even have to worry about it.

Okay. That's cool. I'm just saying your pocket's going to be a little lighter when I'm done with you. All right. Hey, whatever. Whatever. All right. Name your poison. I'll pick the course.

You name it, I'll find it. Hey, it don't matter. Hey, my sticks work on any course you pick. All right, man. I appreciate it. Good seeing you, man. Likewise. Take likewise take care all right y'all we had a whole bunch of other stuff y'all but we just had too much it was just look what crazy white folks just acting so stupid we just had too much stuff by the way uh the the cop in uh brooklyn to go give me the uh voice shot uh the cop in uh in Brooklyn Center, she's bonded out.

Someone sent me a poster. I think it was a $100,000 bond. So she out of jail. No word of Jonathan Pentland if he bonded out as well. So just go ahead and show that mugshot again. I just need to go. Yeah, go. That's right.

Let's see. Drop a little third. Let's see the full orange. Orange is the new white cop. So, yeah, we need to go ahead and show that. So, yeah, that's right. What's wrong, Scott? What? Scott, hey, anytime I get to see a cop wear orange, I got to show it. Because, look, it's rare to ever see a cop even get charged shooting, killing somebody black. It's just a tragic case. That's all. It is tragic. It is tragic.

But I'm going to show her in that orange jumpsuit. Okay, you showed it. It's your show. We saw it. And I wish there was a perp walk. What's next? Put it back up for Scott. Thank you very much. See, Scott, that's what happens when it's your show. You can just call for it and put it back

up. Go back to the panel. Put the picture back up. See, Scott, I'm teaching you a lesson. I'm teaching you a lesson. All right, y'all. If y'all want to support what we do, your money makes it possible. Scott, you owe us more money this year.

Last year's donation was last year. Y'all can give me a cash app. Cash app, dollar sign. First of all, if you don't come on this show talking about you on some damn beach house on the last three, you know,

you want to sit here and floss. Oh, oh, oh, you didn't think I picked up on that? And I know, Monique, I know why you laughing. Hey, I don't know

why Monique laughing because she sent me a damn text which is why she couldn't speak earlier in the show. Only person today who paid attention the whole time

was Robert. So Robert get a gold star. Maybe Robert will buy himself a new Glock or a Taser. I ain't did some shit. You came front of the show. Everybody else wearing t-shirts. I'm the only person that has a shirt and tie. Well, we just had for your camera not crooked today.

Right. Right. And you talking about the same thing. I'm wearing blue for Autism Awareness Month, so that's why I kept this on. Oh, gosh. Okay. Now what, Robert? Awesome. I'm with it.

I'm with it. First of all, you should ask that at the beginning of the show when you asked, wasn't paying attention to my first question. But anyway, if y'all want to support Roland Martin Unfiltered, support us via Cash App, dollar sign RM Unfiltered, PayPal.me forward slash RM Martin Unfiltered, Venmo.com forward slash RM Unfiltered, Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com, or Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com.

Y'all can support the show. So, Scott, I'll be awaiting your cash transfer as well. So, I know you got it. I'm going to give you $10 tonight. $10 tonight. You get $10. It better be $10 every 30 seconds for four hours. It better be $10 every 30 seconds for four hours.

All right, y'all. Take care, you players. That's it. Take care. I'll have another one of our interviews we did for Dad Stop Embarrassing Me, the new Netflix show starring Jamie Foxx on tomorrow's show. And some of the other stuff, y'all, we literally did not have time. Otherwise, it's going to be a three-hour show.

And so, look, that's just too much. So we got to go. So, Robert, I appreciate it. Thank you for being attentive. Scott, thank you for shockingly not interrupting people as much this week. And Monique, you're on probation. So, yes, thank you very much. That's it, y'all. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Oh! A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding.

But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. Small but important ways. From tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, 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 Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. 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 starts that 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you've got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth.

Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.