#RolandMartinUnfiltered - WTH Happened At Benedict College? Democratic Co-Chair Of The 2020 Bipartisan Justice Center Explains

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Starting point is 00:02:21 by going to RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. You can make this possible. All right, y'all. Let's talk about lord have mercy donald trump i'm gonna get to the booze in a second that took place uh at the world series but first off y'all uh on friday that was this weekend that was a forum that took place on the campus of benedict college in columbia south carolina it was the 2020 Bipartisan Justice Center. The whole goal was to talk about criminal justice reform. It was a presidential reform. Ten Democratic candidates were invited.

Starting point is 00:02:53 Then Donald Trump also was invited. But things begin to change because Trump goes there and he doesn't take questions. He gives a speech. Then he gets awarded by the 2020 Justice Center, which ticked off a whole lot of people. They're trying to figure out what in the hell is going on. Senator Kamala Harris, she lit it up by saying,

Starting point is 00:03:17 I ain't showing up. And then Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, saying I will organize an event for her on the campus to allow all students and others to attend. And then when she protested, it caused the original sponsor to pull out and Benedict College took over the form. What in the world went on? I said, well, one of the coaches is Tashara Jones. She is the treasurer in St. Louis. She's also the Democratic co-chair for the 2020 Bipartisan Justice Committee. Tashara, glad to have you here. First and foremost, I'm trying to understand, okay, so was Donald Trump supposed to come there, speak, and take questions? Because

Starting point is 00:03:58 this morning when I talked to the president of Benedict College. She said that was the original plan, but then the White House declared Friday an official White House event, which changed everything. What happened? So Dr. Rosalyn Artis is definitely correct. The White House changed it to an official White House event,

Starting point is 00:04:19 which means that then they took over everything, who could be in the room and everything. So once they changed it, it was out of our hands. All right. So why were they allowed to change it? Why didn't your group say, no, you are a declared candidate. These are the original rules. This is how we're going to proceed. And either you could accept those rules or not.

Starting point is 00:04:44 Well, I'm not trying to throw any of my cohorts under the bus but i wasn't involved in the discussions to arrange his visit whoa whoa hold up you're the co-chair but i am the dem we have a democratic right and we have a republican co-chair and and and so i i think of those as caucuses. Right. So I my responsibility was to make sure that we could get as many Democratic candidates there. OK, but if this is a bipartisan effort, again, I don't understand how y'all work, but this is a bipartisan effort. I would think that both sides are sitting at the table going over the planes, going over who gets there. So, for instance, I was told I was told that that Governor Weld, Joe Walsh and Mark Sanford were invited.

Starting point is 00:05:34 Well, they've been sitting on social media. No one contacted them and they were trying to get invited. Do you can you answer that? I cannot, because, again, all I was responsible for was the Democratic side. As a Democratic co-chair, I was in conversation with the campaigns that I could get in touch with to to see if they wanted to come to send them letters of invitation to confirm the details, to confirm, you know, to pass them off, to make sure, you know, what what part of the schedule, which day they were on, because we split them up between Saturday and Sunday. And that was my responsibility. So who handled the Republican stuff? So as far as I know, our other Republican members handled the Republican side. So that's our founder, Ashley Bell.

Starting point is 00:06:22 He's a Republican. And I know that he was in close contact with the administration to try to see if the president was going to come. But here's the problem. Why was Ashley Bell even involved? Because Ashley Bell works for the administration. Well, you're going to have to ask those questions to Ashley Bell. And I can't speak for, you know, the wins or the whys or the whats, but what I can say is that we made history this weekend. You know, we had a major presidential forum thrown by a Black organization on a Black college, one of the number one HBCUs, right, Benedict College, and many of the students there got a chance to interact with and interview the Democratic presidential candidates about the number one issue that's important to black people, which is criminal justice reform. But what did happen, though, of course, after Trump spoke, first of all, this award that he received, was it your group that gave him the award?

Starting point is 00:07:19 Were you aware he was getting this award? Was that decided by both sides? Or, like, how did that happen? So, I unfortunately was not aware that there was even a plan for an award. And I didn't arrive on campus until Saturday night. Alright, so, okay, I'm just confused.

Starting point is 00:07:39 I'm just being straight up. I'm familiar with the group in that, I remember some stuff that went 2016. They were trying to get me to attend a particular event. But I'm really confused here. OK, so this is just sort of how how my brain works. part of a bipartisan group, then I'm thinking that the Democratic people, black people are sitting in a room with the Republican black people and both are communicating over all of the details. So we're on one page. So you're so what you're saying is that you didn't know what the Republican stuff was happening.

Starting point is 00:08:27 They know what's happening on Democratic side. You don't know that an award was given. So is that how business is done on everything in this group? No, Roland, and you're right. I believe that this was a huge fallout of communication within our group. And I will take responsibility for that as well, because, again, I didn't know I was, you know, I'll be totally honest with you. I was at homecoming at Hampton and I started getting text messages on Saturday saying, hey, you know, did you know Trump got an award? And and I didn't know. So, you know, a lot of

Starting point is 00:09:06 our membership was blindsided. But, you know, we're also learning a lesson from this. You know, we can either take this as a learning experience and move forward in a more organized fashion or not. And I think we're going to do just that. We're going to make sure that we are all on the same page, that every, everything is communicated, um, and that everybody is on again, that everybody's on the same page with all of the details going forward. So for instance, so one report said that only nine Benedict students were able to attend. And when I talked to Dr. Artis this morning, she said there were another 30 some odd students. She says she counted them. The room only held 267. So who are the people who were invited on Friday? So and even that it was a White House event. Did they determine who got invited or did your group did? No. So again, when the White House declared it an

Starting point is 00:10:01 official visit, they made all of the invitations. So it was South Carolina politicians and their guests and White House staff and press corps. So when they take over, you know, we lose control of the event. But just like Dr. Arda said, there were more than 10 students in the auditorium. You know, it seats 267, and there were over 30 in attendance. So from your perspective, first, was it wrong for him to be given an award? Two, was it wrong for this to become an official White House event? Three, was it wrong for him not to take questions? So just from my perspective, Tashara Jones not speaking as the Democratic co-chair of 2020, so just me and you, no, I would not have given him award.

Starting point is 00:11:00 I think he should have taken questions from the students. And what was your third question? The third question is, should they have been able to take over your event? I don't agree with that. But, you know, the White House does a lot of things that I don't agree with. So, Senator, go ahead. This was an opportunity for students to have one-on-one interaction with the president, and that didn't happen. Senator Carla Harris was supposed to be there on Saturday.

Starting point is 00:11:29 She said that she was going to pull out of the event and protest, was going to have her own event. Then we were told that 2020 pulled out as the presenting sponsor and Bandit College took over the event. You said you got there on Saturday. Is that what happened? No, I wouldn't say that is exactly what happened because I spoke Saturday or Sunday morning and also closed out the event by giving students the instructions for the HBCU straw poll that we are conducting with all HBCUs in South Carolina. But I will say that, you know, our staff was still there interviewing the candidates. Every candidate that was interviewed on Saturday and Sunday was interviewed by a 2020 member or introduced by a 2020 member.

Starting point is 00:12:17 And also our staff was behind the scenes helping with production for the event. So basically it was still a 2020 event? In conjunction with Benedict College. I want to make sure that Benedict College gets its due. Their staff and faculty and students really showed up and made this event a success. But it's also, to be perfectly honest, it made Benedict look bad because people on social media were trashing the university, were critical of the university.

Starting point is 00:12:49 And frankly, they've had to go into damage control. Initial reports said that students were locked down in dormitories, forbidden to leave. In talking to President Arnott, she said that is common when you have motorcades, the presence of motorcade coming. She said the same thing happened. President Obama came to campus. And so all this drama around it actually hurt Benedict. Yeah. And I would I would also say it hurt our organization as well. When the White House changed it to an official visit, you know, protocols changed and guest lists changed and a whole host of things just, you know, were up, you know, just thrown up in the air and we had to adapt. But I would say that

Starting point is 00:13:32 Saturday and Sunday, I spoke to some students, myself spoke to some other people who attended. The students really enjoyed themselves. And again, were able to interact with candidates. I was backstage with several of them as they were interviewing Elizabeth Warren and really giving her some hard questions. So I don't think that that would have, you know, we have to have these conversations about criminal justice reform and why not on an HBCU campus because it affects our kids more than anybody else. All right, then.

Starting point is 00:14:01 I would love to connect with the Republican co-chair, to have them on this show to explain what took place. I think they have some answering to do and they need to do so and talk directly to black people, because this was positioned as a black organization, a group of black Democrats and Republicans talking about criminal justice reform. And frankly, that got overshadowed as a result of what took place here. It did. It did. And that's unfortunate. But I also think that, we want people to remember that, again, we made history by having this important discussion with 10 candidates and a sitting president on the campus of an HBCU. And one of those 10 candidates may well be our next sitting president. So they hopefully will remember this visit,

Starting point is 00:14:49 the time that they spent with the students of one of the top universities in the HBCU network. All right, Tashara Jones, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Good to see you. Thank you. I want to go to our panel here.

Starting point is 00:15:04 Bottom line is the Democratic side, people in this group here, they got screwed. Thank you. Good to see you. Thank you. I want to go to our panel here. Bottom line is the Democratic side, people in this group here, they got screwed. They did. And I just don't understand how you have a bipartisan organization that don't do stuff in a bipartisan way. It's like two different organizations

Starting point is 00:15:21 under one umbrella dealing with parallel tracks. Benedict College got played what you had on friday was a trump rally on hbcu campus they flew in republicans from across the country uh this ashley person ashley bell again who who used to be a democrat flipped to republican ashley worked for the administration so so he's he's a founder of the group when he was a Democrat, but he worked for the administration. Why in the hell is he involved in the planning of this event

Starting point is 00:15:51 when he worked for one of the declared candidates? So, you know, again, it's regrettable that the college got played because it's always good to see people on an HBCU campus, but this was a Trump rally on an HBCU campus, and he did not engage- And that's what he wanted. He wanted the photo op. And Walter Kimbrough, the president of Dillard,

Starting point is 00:16:08 he tweeted, he said, I won't call this a Trump visit to an HBCU unless he took questions from HBCU students. And he wouldn't take questions. Students were sequestered. They were told to either go home for the weekend or stay in their dormitories. True, whatever, there's a motorcade, there is some security. But young people, their First Amendment rights were shut down. Many of them want to protest. They were not able to do that. They were told that if they did anything, they would be subject to disciplinary action. Now, back in my day in the 70s, all you had to do is tell me I was going to get disciplinary action. And I'm like, OK, it's on. But young people these days are a lot more cautious. And obviously obviously your parents are not sending you to school

Starting point is 00:16:46 to get kicked out. But this was a horrible role, and I was so disappointed and just repulsed by the way that man used black people. Avis, so now we know the reports that the sponsor pulled out was a lie. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Starting point is 00:17:03 Yeah. Here's the thing. What happened here was that the Trump employee, who is the co-founder of this organization, colluded with the people in the White House to provide this photo opportunity for him at an HBCU where he could give them this award. And I'm told two people were for the White House were involved, Ashley Bell and Jerron Smith,

Starting point is 00:17:31 the same Jerron Smith who went on Don Lemon's show on CNN Friday night defending what took place, I'm told, by Republicans and Democrats. If they were heavily involved in the planning of this entire event, well, were the candidates, were folks on the other campaigns, were they heavily involved? They flipped this whole thing. On Friday, it was supposed to be

Starting point is 00:17:55 a speech and a Q&A. They turn it to a White House event knowing full well they take everything over. Absolutely. This was not, she found out about it at the last minute, but let me tell you, this was not a last minute decision. Nope. Okay. You don't move the president in the last minute decision.

Starting point is 00:18:10 There's an advanced teams that are involved. This was planned from the beginning and she got played. And I don't understand how she can trust them moving forward to doing anything with them moving forward. I don't even understand how they have an organization. I mean, it's supposed to be a bipartisan organization. Republicans over here, Democrats over here, you're not talking. But, Avis, the other thing is, I mean, President Roz Artis has talked about, has been very defensive, and either she got played or she colluded.

Starting point is 00:18:34 No, no. I don't think she was in on it. I don't think she colluded. Here's what I think happened. And, again, in talking to her today, I think what happened here was here was an organization that says we want to hold this event on your campus. OK, great. Just like ABC had the debate on the campus of TSU. They come to you and it's going to be bipartisan. We're inviting Republicans and Democrats as the organization.

Starting point is 00:18:58 You put the event on. Benedict says no problem. We'll avail ourselves to it. We're in a state where it's going to be it's going to be crucial to black voters in South Carolina. And all of a sudden, internal politics, where they don't know what the hell is going on here, where the Republicans are like, yo, guess what? We can flip this thing, and we'll get the photo op of Trump coming to HBCU, and we'll call this thing a White House event. And guess what? No, it's game on. Yeah. Then, of course, then all of a sudden, Senator Kamala Harris blows this thing up, says I ain't coming. And then, according to artists, the rules were changed. She said that initially the Democratic candidates agreed to have remarks and then a Q&A.

Starting point is 00:19:42 After what Trump did on Friday, she said to me this morning on the Tom Jordan Morning Show, she said that they gave the candidates options. Do you want to solely give a speech and no questions, or do you want six of the original rules, question, and Q&A? They all chose comments and then also

Starting point is 00:20:00 Q&A. But the problem, which I think Harris is right, Trump should have had to answer questions, Trump should have had to answer questions. He should have to answer questions because he touts the First Step Act. But by asking questions, they would have been able to ask him about why is it that you are against police consent decrees? Why are you using federal prisons? Why are you sitting here on one hand talking about i'm touting first criminal justice reform over here contributing to mass incarceration never getting to ask any questions because now it's a white house event that was the game benedict got played and this is why the message

Starting point is 00:20:38 to any hbcu moving forward is you you should be involved in every step of the way all the planning and you know what all the rules are and you say unless these things happen no candidate will be able to step foot on this campus to avoid the photo op and getting played absolutely you know this was one of the things i was gonna say super quickly this was advertised as a candidate form. A presidential form. Exactly. He was not supposed to. It was not characterized that he would come near Trump to give a speech. He was supposed to be a foreign participant just like the rest of them.

Starting point is 00:21:16 But guess what? But again, all the Republicans didn't get invited, which says Ashley Bell, Jerron Smith, how, and to all the Republicans in this 2020, did y'all collude to keep the other Republicans out? Absolutely they did. And of course they did. But the other thing, Avis, you said earlier, you don't move a president around, it's not last minute. No. So I do believe, I mean, Benedict College has a security force. They have people who do logistics.

Starting point is 00:21:44 This was not a surprise. Now, remember, he was still coming. So, first of all, the logistics side, he was still coming. What changed is that... So, you had the same advance team, same security, whether he was in a form or giving a speech. The difference by making it in the White House form

Starting point is 00:22:00 is that they began to invite the other outside people. That's the difference. And so, still, if I'm Benedict, I'm sitting here going, now, if I'm Benedict, like, when all of a sudden this is a White House event, now, at that point, at that point, if I'm Benedict, I go, oh, no. No, no, no.

Starting point is 00:22:20 You ain't changing the rules. This will either be a form or there will not be a speech. The only problem with that, Roland, speaking from my former perch as an HBCU president, is that how does it look to say the president of the United States cannot come? There you go. She's got Democrats and Republicans on her staff.

Starting point is 00:22:38 So she's caught between a rock and a hard place. But again, moving forward to any HBCU, especially dealing with this liar. Yes. Yep. You better say to anybody, we gonna be involved in this thing or not.

Starting point is 00:22:51 All right, folks, back to that Rolamark unfiltered video in just one moment. Hey, folks! Second annual Life Love Jazz Experience in Cabo, November 7th through the 11th. I will be there broadcasting. Roller Barton unfiltered there on that Thursday and Friday.

Starting point is 00:23:19 If you want to participate, if you want to come out, it's going to be a grand time. 14 amazing acts. Go to lifeluxjazz.com. But if you cannot to participate, if you want to come out, it's going to be a grand time. 14 amazing acts. Go to lifeluxjazz.com. But if you cannot make it, you can still check out the live stream. You're going to have a guest pass, folks, $10.99 to watch all of the concerts over the course of three days. I'm talking about some amazing artists. Now, of course, my frat brother, Gerald Albright.

Starting point is 00:23:41 Of course, we had Kirk Whalum on the show last week. He's going to be there as well. Some of the other people who are going to be in the house actor comedian mark curry oh my goodness donnie mcclurkin alex bunion raul madon incognito pieces of a dream average white band shalaya roy ayers tom brown ronnie laws ernest quarles man it's gonna be jam-packed if you want to get the live stream go to gfntv.com that's gfntv.com gfntv.com you want to get the live stream, go to GFNTV.com. That's GFNTV.com. GFNTV.com. You can watch all three days, live stream all the concerts right here

Starting point is 00:24:12 on your phone, on your iPad, on your computer, just for the cost of $10.99. So we certainly want you to do that, and we look forward to the Life Lux Jazz experience there in Cabo. Now back to your Roland Martin Unplugven video. I know a lot of cops.

Starting point is 00:24:44 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. music and sports. This kind of starts that in a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at

Starting point is 00:25:26 their recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. 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 podcast. You say

Starting point is 00:25:42 you'd never give in to a meltdown. Never let kids' toys take over the house. And never fill your feed with kid photos. You'd never plan your life around their schedule. Never lick your thumb to clean their face. And you'd never let them leave the house looking like less than their best. You say you'd never put a pacifier in your mouth to clean it. Never let them stay up too late. And never let them run wild through the grocery store.

Starting point is 00:26:21 So when you say you'd never let them get into a car without you there, no, it can happen. One in four hot car deaths happen when a kid gets into an unlocked car and can't get out. Never happens. Before you leave the car, always stop, look, lock. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.

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#RolandMartinUnfiltered - WTH Happened At Benedict College? Democratic Co-Chair Of The 2020 Bipartisan Justice Center Explains

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