The Daily - Monday, March 26, 2018

Episode Date: March 26, 2018

As hundreds of thousand of demonstrators prepared to march in Washington in response to the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., students on the South Side of Chicago felt sympathy, but also frustration. Why hadn’t the gun violence in their community earned the nation’s outrage? Guest: Sameen Amin, a senior video producer at The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today, as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators prepared to march on Washington in response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, students on Chicago's South Side felt sympathy, but also frustration. Why hadn't the gun violence in their community earned the nation's outrage? It's Monday, March 26th. Okay, Keyshawn, K-E-A-P-S-H-O-N, Newman, N-E-W-M-A-N. When's your birthday? April 8th, 2002.

Coming up. Yeah. So on a typical day, Keyshawn Newman, who's 15 years old, has trouble waking up. Because he's 15 years old. He sets like eight alarms on his iPhone. They start very early in the morning and they go like every 10 minutes. And he keeps snoozing them. Finally, one of them work and he gets up out of bed. He lives on the south side of Chicago with his mom and his older brother. It's a two-bedroom

apartment. Him and his brother share a room. They're both teenagers. His bedroom is plastered with posters. There's basketball players, and then there's also a poster of MLK on the wall. Sumeen Amin recently reported from Chicago. Meanwhile, his mom is sitting in the other room just calling out the time to make sure that her kids get to school on time, saying it's 7.10, 7.20, they've got to get out of the house by 7.40, and finally it hits 7.40 and then she comes out of the room and sees her kids at the door, and off they go. So tell me about this commute to school. Every day when he leaves the house,

he has to keep in mind that he's going to walk through some neighborhoods that are not going to be safe. He has to think about his walk to school. I have to worry about making sure that I don't, you know, be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just have to make sure that I stay safe as much as I can so I don't be the next kid that been shot from the violence that's been going on in the neighborhood. next kid that's been shot from the violence that's been going on in the neighborhood? It's about 10 to 15 blocks. He can cross a major street. And on one side of the street, a certain gang controls that area. He goes to the other side of the street,

and a different gang controls that area. And he might not have anything to do with either of those two groups. But simply because he lives on one side of the street and goes to the other side of the street, he's now in a dangerous territory. So he has to always watch his back. It's just you have to pick and choose what you do and where you go just so you can be safe. So if you walk outside, always just look around yourself, even if you just walk to a store, because anything can happen between one block to the next block. He told me that he was taught by his mom at a young

age, if you take one route one way, take the other route back. Because if someone's following you, then they're going to be confused. His mom told him that if you have a couple of bucks in your pocket and you're paying for something, only take out a dollar at a time. He lives in one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Beyond that, his neighborhood is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago. He lives on the south side of Chicago in a community called Auburn Gresham. And the homicide rate in that area is nearly twice the average for the city. It's nearly 10 times the national average. 90% of homicides are carried out by guns. So there are a lot of guns on the streets in this neighborhood that he lives in. My brother, he was walking back from taking his

girlfriend to the bus stop and he had seen his friends at the store, so tried to say hi, so that's what he went to go do. And as he was walking, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and there was a shootout down the block. He was shot nine times and was killed. When I had heard that in my head at that time, I couldn't really comprehend. I felt sad.

I felt angry. I felt depressed. It's just a lot of emotions. So it's March 14th, and it's a month after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, the school shooting there. And the students are preparing for this national school walkout. The entire school is participating. There's a lot of anticipation in the hallways. There's little posters up on the lockers about the national school walkout.

There's some kids holding placards with the faces of some of the kids that were killed in Parkland, Florida. There's also kids with posters and pictures of some of the kids that were killed in Chicago. And so this walkout for them is also a statement on their own community. Like my brother, he lost a close friend recently and like me seeing him hurt and crying like that it really affected me. You could just try to be like going outside like him he could have been going outside doing anything with his life going on with his life and he getting like you get killed like you

just never know what's gonna happen when you step out your house. For me, I know it's different for me because I come in here as your teacher, but I've lost three students over the past years, three years that I've been here. And so that's why I keep working here because I love you guys. Keyshawn is participating in the walkout, and he's also going to be speaking at this rally. It's a community rally where three different schools are going to be there. So Kishan, he's never spoken publicly. He's got a lot to say, but he's a shy kid, and he's really nervous. He's preparing his speech. Him and one of his friends are both speaking. And so they're kind of huddled on the side in the hallway,

writing on these little cue cards, looking up stats on their phones. And you got to put statistics. Where's your statistics paper? What you mean? Your statistics with the shooting rates. Oh, here it is. So, no, this is going to be my transition, though. Yeah, you can transition.

So I'm going to transition from that ain't right to I'm angry. And this is going to be the transition because I'm going to provide them with facts about just how big the number is. That's after three months of this year. Okay, 42. 420 have been shot already. So he's

rehearsing. He's rehearsing. You could tell that this was something that was a really big deal for him. There's this bell that goes off that signals that it's time for everyone to start walking out. And then you see kids streaming down the stairs, going outside of the school. And there is a massive crowd. There's lots of media there. They're kind of all crowded around the area where people are speaking.

Keyshawn and his friend, both who are speaking, they elbow their way through the crowd to get to the front. Give it up for Kassar from Brave Youth. Let's see you speak. I'd rather get a mic to be loud, okay, bro? Okay.

Because it's not that loud. Alright. Hi, I'm Keyshawn Newman from Brave Leader at St. Sabina. I'm here because I want to make a change in our community. There's been too many violence that's been happening that has impacted everyone. It ain't right. That's why I want to let no people know.

And while he's speaking, he pauses in the middle because he's so nervous and he gets cheers from the crowd. And he also gets a little emotional. He talks about his brother and he talks about how that forced him to speak out and fight for change. I just want to know if people are angry about it. If you're angry, then you can actually do something about it. If you're angry, then you can make a change. We're here to make a change. So after the speakers are finished, they release 17 white balloons for the kids in Parkland,

Florida. They release 13 yellow balloons for kids that go to Keyshawn's school who have been killed. And then 50 red balloons to signify Chicago kids who have been killed. And that's not an exact number, but it's to signify the amount of people who have been lost to gun violence in Chicago. And it's hard not to notice that that number is bigger. That number is significantly bigger. And for them, it was not a comparison, but more of a frustration about, we deal with this every day. We need to be involved in this conversation as well. And this is our reality of gun violence.

In my school, I don't really think of it as a place for a mass shooting because most of it happens outside of school. Nobody really thinks about coming to school to shoot or have any type of violence. Most people say, okay, meet me after school or anything like that. So at school, that's not really a place for it to be. Worry about a mass shooting. Why do these students think that the violence in Chicago doesn't get the kind of attention, the scale of attention, that a mass shooting garners in Parkland, Florida? So I think the kids understand that 17 people

being killed at once in a school is horrific and terrible. And the scale of that is powerful. But at the same time, they also wonder, given how long they've been dealing with gun violence and how present it is, how many of their loved ones have been shot and killed in their neighborhoods? Why that isn't cause for a national movement? Why that isn't cause for people to have a similar reaction? Those were the kinds of questions that they were grappling with. So what was your overall thought of it? Like the national walkout type situation

that mostly all the schools around the country was doing this. You really do not have to raise your hand. Yeah, this is not school at all. I went with Keyshawn to this violence prevention youth group that he's part of. It's in the basement of a church, and Lamar Johnson, who is the leader of this youth group, asks them a question about what are the differences and similarities between you guys and the kids in Parkland? Be honest. What you think, Keisha? What's similar? Huh? Feeling the trauma is the same?

If somebody you know got shot and somebody they know got shot, the feeling will be the same. It ain't going to be different. Listen to what I said. Do Chicago get attention for gun violence? Yeah. Now I'm going to ask the question. They don't get no attention. Exactly.

So I'm going to ask the next question that you were always really answering. Do Chicago get the same sympathy and compassion? Why do we get it so much? Because the areas are different. That area was nice and we had like wealthy and they it was nice. It was a great area.

Do you all know the median income which means just the average income of a person in Parkland? What is that? That's how we know. It's around it's between $125,000 and $150,000 a year

per household. Is that good? Okay, so compare that. Do you know the median income for a person living in Auburn, Gresham, or Englewood? I don't know. Say that again, Trini. So people in Parkland makes three times as much as you, your families in Chicago. All right, so look.

So Lamar, the youth group leader, is trying to help these kids grapple with these feelings that they're having of frustration, but also of remorse for what's happened in Parkland. And he's trying to guide their conversation, trying to guide their energy. You're not angry at Parkland. You want to know why? Parkland is with us. They acknowledge the fact the reason why they have this platform is because they're privileged. They are really sincere about helping create change here just as well as there. So we're not angry at them. What I want you all to be angry at is the whole system itself. Easy access to guns. I said that.

So you want to go gun control or DJ? Easy access to guns. For who that. Easy access to guns. For who? Exactly. We talked about this the day after it happened. How easy was it for that boy to get that gun? So the same way, how easy is it for you all to get a gun? All you got to do is ask somebody that you know for a gun. So now since you got the attention, now you got to look at what's similar and what's different about how y'all write this down. So now we take those similarities and differences. Now you say, this is why we're the same. We deal with the same amount of trauma every day. We're the same age and we have the same easy access to guns, but it's not right that we get viewed negatively because of our race.

And because we don't have as much money as them. You've been fighting for peace and justice for a long time, and you're not going to stop now. So use this moment, this anger, this frustration, this momentum, and take advantage of that. So when we go out, I think y'all going to be ready. Then this remarkable thing happens. Good afternoon, everybody. I'm Lamar Johnson. I'm the Bonds Convention Coordinator here at St. Sabina.

I help the great youth leaders at the Arc of St. Sabina. This is our youth summit. And we're here today because we have partnered with a few high schools in Chicago, as well as students from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. And today we have the unique opportunity to bring them here to Chicago.

Some of the survivors from the Parkland shooting come to Chicago to meet with these kids. The church that Lamar works with facilitates this meeting. And it's one Saturday that they come to Chicago and they meet behind closed doors. Keyshawn is going to be meeting Emma Gonzalez, who's become one of the more well-known survivors from Parkland shooting for the first time. Next we have Keyshawn Newman from Prospective Charter Schools. Some kids from Parkland speak. Keyshawn speaks at this point.

He's become a bit of a pro at doing this, and he's spoken a few times. Hello, I'm Keyshawn Newman from Prospective Charter School. Right now, I'm here today because I have a spark in me. Just as everyone behind me has a spark inside them. We're here to make awareness of all of the tragedies that everyone had to endure. Hello, I'm Emma Gonzalez. This microphone is a little bit tall for me. I'm a senior at Roger Stoneman Douglas.

Today has only reinforced the knowledge that this isn't just in schools. This is anywhere and everywhere. This isn't just in Chicago. This is in Parkland. This is everywhere in the United States. And this is the only country that has these problems because we are the only country with such lax gun laws. So these two groups of kids who lead dramatically different lives, but also have had really dramatic experiences with gun violence,

acknowledge their differences, but also land on this theme of commonality between both of them. And this idea that they have all been affected by gun violence, whether it's been a mass shooter in their school or whether it's walking down the block and having to watch your back because there are bullets flying in the neighborhood. And as far as the Chicago kids are concerned, they were frustrated before at the attention that they didn't get.

And now they're saying, you know what? Whatever it takes to light this match. We want to be part of this movement because this affects us. Losing somebody is losing somebody. Getting shot is getting somebody. Getting shot is getting shot. It doesn't matter if it happens to me or if it happens to someone in Florida.

The fact that you've lost somebody because of gun violence, it's going to feel the same. What I have in common with the kids in Parkland is that I know how it feels to lose someone that's close to you. They have conversations about their shared experiences. They have conversations about how they're going to push this movement forward together. These kids who have come from Parkland are very aware of what these Chicago teens face. And they are very committed to making sure that their reality is included in this movement that they're kind of leading at this point. Hello, my name is Keyshawn Newman. I'm here today from Chicago, Illinois,

in Altam Perspective Charter School. So Keyshawn, with his peers from Chicago, goes to Washington to march with the kids from Parkland. No, we don't have random mass shootings. We have daily shootings. For the National March for Our Lives Against Gun Violence. And they're there meeting with people from across the country and really talking about the type of gun violence that they face in their community. This is why I'm here, because we must stop letting this become the normal in Chicago. In this moment, the youth voice is rising across the country, and especially in Chicago. Our voices are loud, our voices are clear, and our voices are about to change history.

And our words are about to change history. It feels like what we saw on Saturday in Washington was using one tragedy, a tragedy that happens less often, a horrible mass shooting, and that in this instance affected a white community, to elevate this violence that happens on a far more routine, even daily basis, to a mostly African-American community. And that for the kids from Chicago, this is their chance to really be recognized.

Yeah, I think that for the kids from Chicago who are marching in Washington, this is their chance to be part of a national conversation. This is their moment. They have been working and organizing in their own communities for a long time. And now there's this opening on the national stage and they're taking it and they're running with it. Simin, thank you very much. Thank you. This weekend, at the march in Washington,

Kishan and other students from Auburn Gresham rallied alongside the students from Parkland, Florida. The efforts at inclusion by the march's organizers were shaped by the conversations that happened in Chicago between the two groups of students and the connections they made there. To the leaders, skeptics, and cynics who told us to sit down and stay silent, wait your turn. Welcome to the revolution. silent, wait your turn. Welcome to the revolution. It is a powerful and peaceful one because it is of, by, and for the young people of this country. My name is Cameron Caskey. Since this movement began people have asked me, do you think any

change is gonna come from this? Look around. We are the change. We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. You were 27, he was 60. Were you physically attracted to him? No. Not at all? No. Did you want to have sex with him?

No. But I didn't say no. I'm not a victim. I'm not. It was entirely consensual. Oh, yes. Yes. In an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday night, the adult film actress Stephanie Clifford

said she was threatened for trying to tell the story of her alleged affair with President Trump and agreed to remain silent to protect herself and her young daughter. I was in a parking lot going to a fitness class with my infant daughter. I was taking, you know, the seats, facing backwards in the backseat,

diaper bag, you know, getting all the backwards in the backseat, diaper bag, you know, getting all the stuff out. And a guy walked up on me and said to me, leave Trump alone, forget the story. And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, a beautiful little girl, it'd be a shame if something happened to her mom. And then he was gone.

The alleged threat occurred soon after Clifford had sold the story of the affair to a tabloid magazine, which failed to publish it, 60 Minutes reported, for fear of being sued by Trump. You took it as a direct threat? Absolutely. I was rattled. I remember going into the workout class and my hands were shaking so much I was afraid I was going to drop her. With that threat in mind, Clifford said she signed an agreement to keep quiet in return for $130,000 from Trump's lawyer in October of 2016, 11 days before the election. The president continues to deny the affair or that Clifford

was paid to stay silent about it. The president watches 60 Minutes. If he's watching tonight, what would you say to him? He knows I'm telling the truth. That's it for The Daily. I'm Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.