democracynow--2020-05-29--"It Was Murder": Minneapolis Demands Charges in Police Killing of George Floyd, Calls to Defund Cops

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Thousands took to the streets of Minneapolis Thursday as protests against the police killing of George Floyd rocked the city for the third night in a row .
Demonstrators set fire to a police precinct just hours after prosecutors said they were not sure yet if they would criminally charge Derek Chauvin , the white police officer who pinned African American man George Floyd to the ground by his neck for eight minutes while Floyd gasped for air .
In a video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world , Floyd repeatedly gasps , “ I can ’ t breathe.
” The four officers , including Chauvin , have since been fired , but not arrested .
On Thursday , Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was questioned about the delay in charging and arresting the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd .
AMY GOODMAN : George Floyd ’ s murder sparked an uprising in Minneapolis , as some protesters lit fires and destroyed building fronts .
Solidarity actions brought thousands to the streets of Los Angeles ; Phoenix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Louisville , Kentucky , at least seven people were shot while protesting the police killing of a Black woman , Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment in March .
Gunfire erupted as demonstrators surrounded a police vehicle Thursday night there .
It ’ s unclear who fired the shots .
Back in Minnesota , the governor , Tim Walz , has called in the National Guard as mass protests rage in Saint Paul and Minneapolis .
On Twitter , President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” THUGS , ” and threatening , quote , “ when the looting starts , the shooting starts.
” Twitter responded by flagging Trump ’ s tweet , warning , “ This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence .
However , Twitter has determined that it may be in the public ’ s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible , ” unquote .
In another tweet , Trump attacked Minneapolis ’ s mayor , Jacob Frey , who ’ s called for the arrest of now-fired police officer Derek Chauvin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which the mayor called “ murder.
” Gwen Carr , the mother of Eric Garner , traveled to Minneapolis and spoke at a vigil Thursday at the spot where George Floyd was killed .
AMY GOODMAN : Protests in Minneapolis are ongoing .
This morning , the Minnesota State Patrol arrested CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez , along with his producer and camera crew , live on national television outside the charred remains of the 3rd police precinct .
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz later apologized to CNN over the arrests .
The crew was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the streets an hour and a half later .
The cover of today ’ s Minneapolis Star Tribune reads “ State of Agony.
” That agony expressed in this short excerpt of the damning video of the officer with his knee on the neck of George Floyd .
This is a warning : This is extremely graphic and violent .
We are only showing it to show the extreme nature of what has happened .
AMY GOODMAN : For more , we ’ re joined by two guests : Kandace Montgomery , executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black-led , queer- and trans-centering community organization based in the Twin Cities in Minnesota , and Jeremiah Ellison , Minneapolis city councilmember .
We welcome you both to Democracy Now !
Jeremiah , let ’ s begin with you .
Can you respond to everything that has taken place , beginning with that video , that authorities do not want people to see — some of the authorities — though the mayor himself , of Minneapolis , has called the killing of George Floyd by the police officer “ murder ” ?
JEREMIAH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolutely right on that point .
I think it was murder .
I think that ’ s evident from the video .
And not only on officer Chauvin ’ s part , but I think that the three officers aiding him in the murder of George Floyd should also face charges for what transpired there , what happened there .
You know , I think that , obviously , Minneapolis is in a state of unrest .
And while the protests might not be unfolding in a way that I would personally like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police response , to protesters has been so brutal , especially early on , before things were violent .
Our police force responded in a way that was so brutal , it ’ s hard for me to say that we have any moral ground to stand on when it comes to those calls for peace that I ’ ve seen from some of my colleagues .
AMY GOODMAN : I mean , some people may have been wondering , from seeing this video , where the other two officers are .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ knee on the neck of George Floyd .
You ’ ve got Thao , the officer standing next to him .
Apparently , Chauvin has something like 18 complaints against him , Thao something like six .
Where the other two are , new video has surfaced of the other two officers holding down George Floyd right next to , but behind the police car of — right next to Chauvin .
JEREMIAH ELLISON : Yeah .
I mean , I think that they are as complicit in this murder as the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And I think that they need to be held accountable for that .
AMY GOODMAN : So , you have the four officers .
How is it possible that they have not been arrested yet ?
We ’ re not talking about convicted or tried .
But you look at what happened with George Floyd himself .
He was being arrested by police .
AMY GOODMAN : Yet , after days of this video being out — even in the case of Ahmaud Arbery , the authorities did not want that video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s the horror of authorities when a video like this gets out .
But within a few days of it getting out , the retired officer and his son and another person involved were charged with murder .
What ’ s happening in Minneapolis ?
And what do you make of the Hennepin County Attorney Mike [ Freeman ] saying there may be exonerating evidence ?
JEREMIAH ELLISON : I think it ’ s completely inappropriate .
I think that the video is self-evident .
And I think that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hands and that he needs to move forward with what we ’ re seeing in that video .
And if he wants to sort of pass on that duty to other state law enforcement , I think that he should do that .
But I think that every day that we delay justice , you know , we ’ re potentially denying justice .
And I think that the public certainly feels that way , and you ’ re seeing that in the protests .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re with the Minneapolis organization Black Visions .
Talk about what you ’ re demanding .
Have you been in the streets ?
Can you respond to what ’ s happening there ?
And can you describe for us when you first saw this video , Kandace ?
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY : Yeah .
Thanks for having me on .
Right now Black Visions as well as Reclaim the Block and other community members are , and for the last several years have been , calling on our City Council and mayor to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community-led safety solutions .
We want justice for George Floyd , and we know that justice isn ’ t enough .
And now is the time to defund the police and invest in community .
And I was on the streets , not last night , the night before , for some time .
I actually live with my dad , who is really vulnerable to COVID-19 , and so I ’ ve had to figure out ways to keep myself safe so that I can still care for him .
But yeah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being led by young Black and Brown folks .
Upon seeing the video — I haven ’ t really watched the full video , because I feel like I ’ ve honestly seen enough of those .
But the murder did happen two blocks from my home .
Cup Foods is actually my regular corner deli , yeah .
AMY GOODMAN : So , describe when you saw the video .
And I wanted to ask both you and Councilmember Ellison about the showing of the video .
I mean , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what has provoked it , this horrific film , how do you feel about it being shown on television ?
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY : Yeah , I mean , I think I have complicated feelings .
I think it ’ s really important that especially people who are not Black , who do not live in the terror and violence of police departments across the country and across the globe on a daily basis , really need to see the hard truths that Black kids grow up with and that Black people see on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think that it ’ s concerning , the ways that we ’ re so willing to broadcast Black death .
And how are we actually honoring those folks that we are losing ?
So , I feel really mixed about it .
I think there are many benefits to being able to see these .
The same thing with Philando .
Having these videos — *KANDACE MONTGOMERY : Yeah — have mobilized and activated community members and have led to real change .
Yeah .
AMY GOODMAN : And also , Councilmember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : I think I share really similar thoughts .
On an emotional level , I never want to see the video , and I never want to see somebody ’ s last moments , especially when , in their last moments , they are — there ’ s an attempt to deny their dignity , such as the case with George Floyd .
I never want to see that shown to the public .
But often it is the emergence of these videos that even gets us a chance at the pursuit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go back to a time a few years ago , ask you about the police killing of 24-year-old African American Jamar Clark , November 2015 .
During a protest at the 4th Precinct police station , an officer dressed in fatigues and carrying what appeared to be a gas-launching gun pointed his weapon at you as you stood with your hands up .
At the time , you had long dreads , Jeremiah .
A Star Tribune photographer captured the moment .
And your dad , then-Congressmember Keith Ellison , who ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tweeted , writing , “ Photo is agonizing for me to see .
My son is PEACEFULLY protesting w/ hands up ; officer is shouldering gun .
Why ?
” And he spoke about it on Democracy Now !
at the time .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that ’ s Keith Ellison , former Congressmember , first Muslim member of Congress , now the attorney general of Minnesota .
And , Jeremiah , at the time , you were protesting in the streets , nearby the 3rd Precinct , at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this arc of your life , from standing in the streets protesting the police killing of Jamar Clark to now being a city councilmember and you ’ re protesting a similar killing ?
JEREMIAH ELLISON : Yeah .
You know , what I think is really interesting about the last couple years , since that incident occurred , is that , you know , I showed up there as a neighbor .
You know , my dad mentioned that I ’ m an artist .
And that ’ s — I had my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the neighborhood , that I now represent .
And I wasn ’ t sort of one of the organizers of the event .
And as a matter of fact , Kandace was one of the main organizers , who was really holding it down and who is somebody I really sought guidance from at the 4th Precinct occupation .
You know , I think that while I ’ ve always been involved in politics , and while I ’ ve always had sort of this desire to pursue justice , that event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major way , and it made me realize that we have to be — we need leaders to be more creative , more bold in pursuing and ensuring that that kind of thing doesn ’ t happen again .
AMY GOODMAN : Finally , I want to ask both of you , starting with Kandace Montgomery , as we wrap up , what you ’ re demanding right now .
The four officers have been fired , but they haven ’ t been charged .
What are you demanding happen to them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutality ?
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY : Right now we are really honing in on a demand to the mayor and the City Council to defund the police .
We want justice for George Floyd , and we think accountability with the officers is really necessary .
And too often we just lean on that accountability and feed more into a prison system that continues to be harmful to all of our communities .
And so now is really the time for the Minneapolis City Council and mayor to defund the police and invest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling for the Minneapolis Police Department to acknowledge the harm of their institution in the ways that it has violated the dignity and rights of Black communities and families , make an official apology , and then continue the work .
AMY GOODMAN : And let me also ask you , Kandace — Tamika Mallory and others have been warning people about provocateurs on the streets , and I ’ m wondering your thoughts on this .
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY : Absolutely .
I think that that is always a real issue .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state-led interventions to quiet and quell Black organizing and rebellion .
And so I think it ’ s very important that folks who are on the streets are being wary of who ’ s actually aligned with the values and the reasons why they are out there , and who ’ s not .
AMY GOODMAN : And finally , your final response , Jeremiah Ellison , also with the CNN whole camera crew being arrested ?
They were there when there were no police at the fires , early this morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then he showed the local police moving in .
And before they even landed on the ground getting out of their police cars , they were tear-gassing people who were on the sidewalk .
CNN was showing all of this .
And then Omar Jimenez himself was handcuffed and taken in .
And he himself , when he came out , said , you know , he understood that the reason he ’ s out on the street now is because the images were shown of him being arrested as he reasonably said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do ?
” to the State Patrol who had moved in .
JEREMIAH ELLISON : I think it ’ s inexcusable , I think , not only what happened to the CNN reporters , but , you know , again , at the beginning of this protest , there were protesters who were being sprayed with mace , unprovoked by our officers .
I think that some of our city leadership has struggled to clarify whether officers are acting rogue or whether this is a part of the plan .
And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve demanded that we take a different approach .
And that demand has sort of fallen on deaf ears .
And — AMY GOODMAN : And , City Councilmember , you had Josh Campbell , the white CNN reporter , not arrested , narrating what was happening to the reporter of color of CNN , Omar Jimenez .
But finally , President Trump calling the protesters ” THUGS ” and then saying , “ when the looting starts , the shooting starts , ” his tweet being flagged with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence .
Your response to the president of the United States ?
JEREMIAH ELLISON : Well , I ’ m ready to make sure that we keep the residents of Minneapolis safe .
That ’ s including from the president .
And I think that while the way that protest unfolds might be not — it might not be neat , it might be — some might consider it unsightly , but at the end of the day we ’ re seeing damaged property , and he ’ s talking about shooting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our city .
I think it ’ s completely inappropriate , and it ’ s not anything that I would welcome in Minneapolis .
AMY GOODMAN : Jeremiah Ellison , I want to thank you for being with us , a city councilmember of Minneapolis , and Kandace Montgomery , executive director of Black Visions Collective , a Black-led , queer- and trans-centering community organization based in the Twin Cities in Minnesota .
Next up , as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic shifts to Latin America , so too does the use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repression .
We ’ ll look at a new Amnesty International report .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : “ Ella ’ s Song ” by Sweet Honey in the Rock , Ella for Ella Baker , the great human rights leader .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Thousands took to the streets of Minneapolis Thursday as protests against the police killing of George Floyd rocked the city for the third night in a row. Demonstrators set fire to a police precinct just hours after prosecutors said they were not sure yet if they would criminally charge Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who pinned African American man George Floyd to the ground by his neck for eight minutes while Floyd gasped for air. In a video that’s now been seen around the world, Floyd repeatedly gasps, “I can’t breathe.” The four officers, including Chauvin, have since been fired, but not arrested.
On Thursday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was questioned about the delay in charging and arresting the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd.
MIKE FREEMAN: That video is graphic and horrific and terrible, and no person should do that. But my job, in the end, is to prove that he violated a criminal statute, and there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge. …
We have to do this right. We have to prove it in a court of law. And I will just point to you the comparison to what happened in Baltimore in the Gray case. It was a rush to charge, it was a rush to justice, and all of those people were found not guilty. I will not rush to justice. I’m going to do this right. And those folks who know me in the African community know I will do my very level best, but I will not rush justice, because justice cannot be rushed.
AMY GOODMAN: George Floyd’s murder sparked an uprising in Minneapolis, as some protesters lit fires and destroyed building fronts. Solidarity actions brought thousands to the streets of Los Angeles; Phoenix; Denver; Columbus, Ohio. In Louisville, Kentucky, at least seven people were shot while protesting the police killing of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment in March. Gunfire erupted as demonstrators surrounded a police vehicle Thursday night there. It’s unclear who fired the shots. Back in Minnesota, the governor, Tim Walz, has called in the National Guard as mass protests rage in Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
On Twitter, President Trump called for violence, calling protesters ”THUGS,” and threatening, quote, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter responded by flagging Trump’s tweet, warning, “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible,” unquote.
In another tweet, Trump attacked Minneapolis’s mayor, Jacob Frey, who’s called for the arrest of now-fired police officer Derek Chauvin over the killing of George Floyd, which the mayor called “murder.” Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, traveled to Minneapolis and spoke at a vigil Thursday at the spot where George Floyd was killed.
GWEN CARR: As you know, this happened to me almost six years ago. And this is just opening up a old wound, pouring salt into it. They keep coming into — the police officers come into our neighborhoods. They brutalize. They terrorize. They murder our children. And we have done nothing.
AMY GOODMAN: Protests in Minneapolis are ongoing. This morning, the Minnesota State Patrol arrested CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, along with his producer and camera crew, live on national television outside the charred remains of the 3rd police precinct. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz later apologized to CNN over the arrests. The crew was released, and Omar was reporting on the streets an hour and a half later.
The cover of today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune reads “State of Agony.” That agony expressed in this short excerpt of the damning video of the officer with his knee on the neck of George Floyd. This is a warning: This is extremely graphic and violent. We are only showing it to show the extreme nature of what has happened.
EYEWITNESS 1: You have your knee on his neck.
EYEWITNESS 2: You’ve got your knee right on his neck, officer.
EYEWITNESS 1: He ain’t even resisting arrest.
GEORGE FLOYD: I cannot breathe.
EYEWITNESS 3: Are you having fun?
GEORGE FLOYD: I cannot breathe.
EYEWITNESS 1: You’re just a grown — you’re a tough guy. You’re a tough guy, huh?
OFFICER TOU THAO: What’s that?
EYEWITNESS 1: I said he’s a tough guy. He’s not even resisting arrest, bro.
OFFICER TOU THAO: Did you get the whole part when we fought with him?
EYEWITNESS 1: But, bro, why are you just sitting there? He ain’t doing nothing now. Put him in the car.
GEORGE FLOYD: Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me.
AMY GOODMAN: For more, we’re joined by two guests: Kandace Montgomery, executive director of Black Visions Collective, a Black-led, queer- and trans-centering community organization based in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and Jeremiah Ellison, Minneapolis city councilmember.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Jeremiah, let’s begin with you. Can you respond to everything that has taken place, beginning with that video, that authorities do not want people to see — some of the authorities — though the mayor himself, of Minneapolis, has called the killing of George Floyd by the police officer “murder”?
JEREMIAH ELLISON: I think the mayor is absolutely right on that point. I think it was murder. I think that’s evident from the video. And not only on officer Chauvin’s part, but I think that the three officers aiding him in the murder of George Floyd should also face charges for what transpired there, what happened there.
You know, I think that, obviously, Minneapolis is in a state of unrest. And while the protests might not be unfolding in a way that I would personally like, I think that our response, the police response, to protesters has been so brutal, especially early on, before things were violent. Our police force responded in a way that was so brutal, it’s hard for me to say that we have any moral ground to stand on when it comes to those calls for peace that I’ve seen from some of my colleagues.
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, some people may have been wondering, from seeing this video, where the other two officers are. You’ve got Chauvin with his knee on the neck of George Floyd. You’ve got Thao, the officer standing next to him. Apparently, Chauvin has something like 18 complaints against him, Thao something like six. Where the other two are, new video has surfaced of the other two officers holding down George Floyd right next to, but behind the police car of — right next to Chauvin.
JEREMIAH ELLISON: Yeah. I mean, I think that they are as complicit in this murder as the other two — as the first two officers. And I think that they need to be held accountable for that.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you have the four officers. How is it possible that they have not been arrested yet? We’re not talking about convicted or tried. But you look at what happened with George Floyd himself. He was being arrested by police.
JEREMIAH ELLISON: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: That happened suddenly.
JEREMIAH ELLISON: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: Yet, after days of this video being out — even in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, the authorities did not want that video out; they had it for months. It’s the horror of authorities when a video like this gets out. But within a few days of it getting out, the retired officer and his son and another person involved were charged with murder. What’s happening in Minneapolis? And what do you make of the Hennepin County Attorney Mike [Freeman] saying there may be exonerating evidence?
JEREMIAH ELLISON: I think it’s completely inappropriate. I think that the video is self-evident. And I think that the ball is in the district attorney’s hands and that he needs to move forward with what we’re seeing in that video. And if he wants to sort of pass on that duty to other state law enforcement, I think that he should do that. But I think that every day that we delay justice, you know, we’re potentially denying justice. And I think that the public certainly feels that way, and you’re seeing that in the protests.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to bring Kandace Montgomery into this conversation. You’re with the Minneapolis organization Black Visions. Talk about what you’re demanding. Have you been in the streets? Can you respond to what’s happening there? And can you describe for us when you first saw this video, Kandace?
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY: Yeah. Thanks for having me on. Right now Black Visions as well as Reclaim the Block and other community members are, and for the last several years have been, calling on our City Council and mayor to divest from the police and invest in community-led safety solutions. We want justice for George Floyd, and we know that justice isn’t enough. And now is the time to defund the police and invest in community.
And I was on the streets, not last night, the night before, for some time. I actually live with my dad, who is really vulnerable to COVID-19, and so I’ve had to figure out ways to keep myself safe so that I can still care for him. But yeah, I was there witnessing the rebellion being led by young Black and Brown folks.
Upon seeing the video — I haven’t really watched the full video, because I feel like I’ve honestly seen enough of those. But the murder did happen two blocks from my home. Cup Foods is actually my regular corner deli, yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: So, describe when you saw the video. And I wanted to ask both you and Councilmember Ellison about the showing of the video. I mean, we’re seeing the fires repeatedly, but what has provoked it, this horrific film, how do you feel about it being shown on television?
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY: Yeah, I mean, I think I have complicated feelings. I think it’s really important that especially people who are not Black, who do not live in the terror and violence of police departments across the country and across the globe on a daily basis, really need to see the hard truths that Black kids grow up with and that Black people see on a regular basis. As well, I think that it’s concerning, the ways that we’re so willing to broadcast Black death. And how are we actually honoring those folks that we are losing? So, I feel really mixed about it. I think there are many benefits to being able to see these. The same thing with Philando. Having these videos —
AMY GOODMAN: Castile.
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY: Yeah — have mobilized and activated community members and have led to real change. Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: And also, Councilmember Ellison, your thoughts?
JEREMIAH ELLISON: I think I share really similar thoughts. On an emotional level, I never want to see the video, and I never want to see somebody’s last moments, especially when, in their last moments, they are — there’s an attempt to deny their dignity, such as the case with George Floyd. I never want to see that shown to the public. But often it is the emergence of these videos that even gets us a chance at the pursuit of justice.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go back to a time a few years ago, ask you about the police killing of 24-year-old African American Jamar Clark, November 2015. During a protest at the 4th Precinct police station, an officer dressed in fatigues and carrying what appeared to be a gas-launching gun pointed his weapon at you as you stood with your hands up. At the time, you had long dreads, Jeremiah. A Star Tribune photographer captured the moment. And your dad, then-Congressmember Keith Ellison, who’s now the attorney general of Minnesota, tweeted, writing, “Photo is agonizing for me to see. My son is PEACEFULLY protesting w/ hands up; officer is shouldering gun. Why?” And he spoke about it on Democracy Now! at the time.
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Well, my first reaction when I saw the picture of Jeremiah was horror. I would gladly face whatever dangers were necessary, but to have my son have to face it is another thing. He’s a 24-year-old guy. He has a strong passion for justice. He’s a professional artist. And he doesn’t think he needs his dad worrying about him like that. But I can’t help it. I remember when he was just a little boy, and now he’s a grown man. And I actually am a little proud that he feels this burning desire to stand up for what’s right and to make a better society. But yet, that picture was very, very disturbing. And we’re going to — not going to let it sit there. I mean, to shoulder a weapon like that at nonviolent protesters is outrageous. It’s a violation of decency. And we’re going to find out whether it’s a violation of law.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s Keith Ellison, former Congressmember, first Muslim member of Congress, now the attorney general of Minnesota. And, Jeremiah, at the time, you were protesting in the streets, nearby the 3rd Precinct, at the 4th Precinct. Can you talk about this arc of your life, from standing in the streets protesting the police killing of Jamar Clark to now being a city councilmember and you’re protesting a similar killing?
JEREMIAH ELLISON: Yeah. You know, what I think is really interesting about the last couple years, since that incident occurred, is that, you know, I showed up there as a neighbor. You know, my dad mentioned that I’m an artist. And that’s — I had my art studio, and I grew up in the neighborhood, that I now represent. And I wasn’t sort of one of the organizers of the event.
And as a matter of fact, Kandace was one of the main organizers, who was really holding it down and who is somebody I really sought guidance from at the 4th Precinct occupation.
You know, I think that while I’ve always been involved in politics, and while I’ve always had sort of this desire to pursue justice, that event really, really politicized me in a major way, and it made me realize that we have to be — we need leaders to be more creative, more bold in pursuing and ensuring that that kind of thing doesn’t happen again.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, I want to ask both of you, starting with Kandace Montgomery, as we wrap up, what you’re demanding right now. The four officers have been fired, but they haven’t been charged. What are you demanding happen to them, and overall around the issue of police brutality?
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY: Right now we are really honing in on a demand to the mayor and the City Council to defund the police. We want justice for George Floyd, and we think accountability with the officers is really necessary. And too often we just lean on that accountability and feed more into a prison system that continues to be harmful to all of our communities. And so now is really the time for the Minneapolis City Council and mayor to defund the police and invest in community. As well, we are calling for the Minneapolis Police Department to acknowledge the harm of their institution in the ways that it has violated the dignity and rights of Black communities and families, make an official apology, and then continue the work.
AMY GOODMAN: And let me also ask you, Kandace — Tamika Mallory and others have been warning people about provocateurs on the streets, and I’m wondering your thoughts on this.
*KANDACE MONTGOMERY: Absolutely. I think that that is always a real issue. We know the history of COINTELPRO and other state-led interventions to quiet and quell Black organizing and rebellion. And so I think it’s very important that folks who are on the streets are being wary of who’s actually aligned with the values and the reasons why they are out there, and who’s not.
AMY GOODMAN: And finally, your final response, Jeremiah Ellison, also with the CNN whole camera crew being arrested? They were there when there were no police at the fires, early this morning, around 4:00, around 3:00, and then he showed the local police moving in. And before they even landed on the ground getting out of their police cars, they were tear-gassing people who were on the sidewalk. CNN was showing all of this. And then Omar Jimenez himself was handcuffed and taken in. And he himself, when he came out, said, you know, he understood that the reason he’s out on the street now is because the images were shown of him being arrested as he reasonably said, “What do you want us to do?” to the State Patrol who had moved in.
JEREMIAH ELLISON: I think it’s inexcusable, I think, not only what happened to the CNN reporters, but, you know, again, at the beginning of this protest, there were protesters who were being sprayed with mace, unprovoked by our officers. I think that some of our city leadership has struggled to clarify whether officers are acting rogue or whether this is a part of the plan. And I know that I called that into question. I’ve demanded that we take a different approach. And that demand has sort of fallen on deaf ears. And —
AMY GOODMAN: And, City Councilmember, you had Josh Campbell, the white CNN reporter, not arrested, narrating what was happening to the reporter of color of CNN, Omar Jimenez. But finally, President Trump calling the protesters ”THUGS” and then saying, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” his tweet being flagged with a warning by Twitter, saying it encourages violence. Your response to the president of the United States?
JEREMIAH ELLISON: Well, I’m ready to make sure that we keep the residents of Minneapolis safe. That’s including from the president. And I think that while the way that protest unfolds might be not — it might not be neat, it might be — some might consider it unsightly, but at the end of the day we’re seeing damaged property, and he’s talking about shooting and killing people, citizens, residents of our city. I think it’s completely inappropriate, and it’s not anything that I would welcome in Minneapolis.
AMY GOODMAN: Jeremiah Ellison, I want to thank you for being with us, a city councilmember of Minneapolis, and Kandace Montgomery, executive director of Black Visions Collective, a Black-led, queer- and trans-centering community organization based in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
Next up, as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic shifts to Latin America, so too does the use of COVID-19 as a pretext for police repression. We’ll look at a new Amnesty International report. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “Ella’s Song” by Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ella for Ella Baker, the great human rights leader.


democracynow--2020-05-29--Headlines for May 29, 2020

Headlines for May 29, 2020

Thousands took to the streets of Minneapolis Thursday as protests against the killing of an African American man by a white police officer rocked the city for the third night in a row .
Demonstrators set fire to the Minneapolis Police Department ’ s 3rd Precinct , just hours after prosecutors said they were not yet sure if they would criminally charge Derek Chauvin , the white police officer who pinned George Floyd to the ground by his neck for eight minutes while Floyd gasped for air .
In a video that has now been seen around the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t breathe.
” Four officers including Chauvin have since been fired , but not arrested .
On Thursday , Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was questioned about the delay in charging and arresting the officers .
Mike Freeman : “ That video is graphic and horrific and terrible , and no person should do that .
But my job , in the end , is to prove that he violated a criminal statute , and there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge.
” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Minneapolis and Saint Paul .
This morning , Minnesota state police arrested CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez , along with his producer and camera crew , live on national television outside the charred remains of the 3rd police precinct .
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz later apologized to CNN over the arrests , and the crew was released .
After headlines , we ’ ll go to Minneapolis for the latest .

Thousands took to the streets of Minneapolis Thursday as protests against the killing of an African American man by a white police officer rocked the city for the third night in a row. Demonstrators set fire to the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct, just hours after prosecutors said they were not yet sure if they would criminally charge Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who pinned George Floyd to the ground by his neck for eight minutes while Floyd gasped for air. In a video that has now been seen around the world, Floyd repeatedly gasps “I can’t breathe.” Four officers including Chauvin have since been fired, but not arrested. On Thursday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was questioned about the delay in charging and arresting the officers.
Mike Freeman: “That video is graphic and horrific and terrible, and no person should do that. But my job, in the end, is to prove that he violated a criminal statute, and there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called in the National Guard overnight as protests raged in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. This morning, Minnesota state police arrested CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, along with his producer and camera crew, live on national television outside the charred remains of the 3rd police precinct. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz later apologized to CNN over the arrests, and the crew was released. After headlines, we’ll go to Minneapolis for the latest.


democracynow--2020-06-01--Defund Police: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Says Budgets Wrongly Prioritize Cops Over Schools, Hospitals

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor , if you could respond to her extraordinary speech , and also the way in which public officials , including liberal officials like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio , have responded to the protests , simultaneously saying they feel the pain of the protesters but condemning the violence and looting , as they say , that have happened during the demonstrations , and then the fact that there are many who have been calling for defunding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened here ?
I mean , one of the things that ’ s been so remarkable about the images everywhere are the kind of military gear that so many of these police officers are wearing .
I mean , one Democratic senator , Brian Schatz from Hawaii , tweeted Sunday in response , saying that he ’ s introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to discontinue the program that transfers military weaponry to local police departments .
Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor , if you could respond ?
KEEANGA-YAMAHTTA TAYLOR : Yeah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say about this .
I think , I mean , one thing that becomes so apparent with the cops on the street , one , you understand — I mean , for most of America , you get a glimpse of why people are so angry .
I mean , look at the kind of wanton , reckless abuse and violence that the police are instigating , and attacking people who are trying to protest .
I feel like what we ’ ve seen over the weekend is a national police riot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s no wonder .
They feel emboldened by the white nationalism of the president of the United States and , really , the lawlessness of the Republican Party writ large .
And so , it feels like we ’ re bearing the consequences of that .
But I think that there is a bigger issue about the cops that is also worth talking about , which is , why these police are never arrested , prosecuted , punished , really , even beyond just arresting and prosecuting people , but just punishing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of racist , abusive and violent behavior .
And I think that , you know , regardless of what these elected officials have to say , I think that we ’ re actually going to see a lot more of this , which is why the conflicts will continue .
And the reason why I say that is because it has been a strategy of cities across this country that have committed themselves to not investing in the civic and public sector infrastructure — so , public schools , public hospitals , public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make a city function .
Those have been systematically defunded , increasingly privatized .
And the way that cities manage the inevitable crises that arise from that , when combined with unemployment , when combined with poverty , when combined with evictions and all of the insecurities that we see wracking cities across this country , the police are used to manage that crisis .
And that is why , in city after city , as other public institutions take financial hits , as other public institutions are defunded , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their budgets .
And we look around now , where , because of the COVID crisis , every city is talking about massive budget cuts , but not to the police .
The police almost never have to incur layoffs .
They never have to incur budget cuts , because they are seen as the public policy of last resort .
And so , this is — when we talk about defunding the police , it is that the police should not be absorbing a third of the budget , as they do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles , New York , while we ’ re closing public schools , while public hospitals don ’ t have the proper personal protective equipment .
Look at the way that police are — the gear and the equipment that they have , compared to hospital workers dressing themselves in garbage bags , being forced to use the same N95 masks for weeks at a time .
Look at the contrast between that , and then you understand what the actual priorities of the governing politicians and bodies are .
Which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing I ’ ll say — the hypocrisy of someone like Andrew Cuomo or Bill de Blasio or any of these politicians coming on television , on their press conference , wringing their hands about the police , talking about these issues as if they are passive bystanders or just concerned citizens , and not elected officials who have power , who have authority , who have the ability to punish the police , who have the ability to make budgetary priorities , who have the ability to shift resources in one direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and act as if they are just watching the train wreck in slow motion , and not that they are actually in control of the gears .
And this is part of the hypocrisy that is making people so angry , is that we have these people , elected officials , getting on television , talking about how terrible this is , Andrew Cuomo saying , “ Say her name.
” Andrew Cuomo , do your job .
And I think that this is part of what is forcing people to feel that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other response , than to rebel , because the levers and mechanisms of government that are supposed to attend to these issues have shown themselves to be completely broken .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : Professor Cornel West , if you could comment on what professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor said , and also the fact that some observers are saying that all of these emergencies occurring simultaneously — the economic emergency with over 40 million Americans now unemployed , the health crisis with the pandemic — that these could result — and then , of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that these could result in some significant structural transformation within the U.S. , as occurred , in part , following the Great Depression and the protests of ’ 68 ?
Do you agree with that ?
And if so , what kind of transformation do you think is essential ?
CORNEL WEST : Well , I would just want to say , first , just ditto to what Sister Taylor said .
And I want to say — of course , send my salute to Brother Bakari .
He ’ s part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cleveland and others in so many ways .
But I think we also have to be very candid about the decadent leadership class , that when Sister Taylor talks about Cuomo and the others , absolutely .
But , you see , we ’ ve had a Black leadership that has so sanitized and deodorized the Black freedom struggle that you end up with neoliberal politicians who have accommodated themselves to the Wall Street greed .
That ’ s why they bail out Wall Street rather than everyday people .
They have accommodated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pentagon and State Department .
That ’ s why they can vote for budgets where 53 % of every cent goes to the military , and there ’ s no money left for investment in education , healthcare , jobs with a living wage .
And we haven ’ t had enough organized voices to bring critique to bear on that kind of decrepit neoliberal Black leadership .
And Obama is at the center of it .
The Black Caucus is at the center of it .
Black professionals are at the center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrities — not all of them , but most of them — are at the center of it .
So their lives become simply lives of luxury and exemplary of success , and have little to do with service to poor people , have little to do with sacrificing for working people .
So , when Martin King can say , “ My country is the biggest purveyor of violence in the world , ” that takes courage in '68 , takes courage today .
That 's the kind of courage we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Fannie Lou , Ella Baker — these are not just names .
They exemplify something that ’ s deep and rich in the history of a hated people who have taught the world so much about love .
That ’ s my tradition , the greatness of Black people , not the cowardliness of Black people .
We ’ ve got both in our community .
But our tradition of telling the truth and being willing to live and die for justice , that is what is necessary in this moment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — young folk hardly see it at all , hardly see it at all , because so many of the professionals have simply been bought off .
They sold out .
They ’ re indifferent .
They ’ re too callous to the plight of their poor and working-class , not just Black , everybody , not just here , but around the world — the Wretched of the Earth , as the great Frantz Fanon wrote about with such power .
AMY GOODMAN : Bakari Sellers , I want to ask you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a state , who are the outside agitators who are coming in .
You certainly know , from your family ’ s illustrious history , that when people came from the North to support the push for voting in the South during the civil rights movement , that to go from one state to another , for groups of people all over the country , for example , to go to Ferguson after Michael Brown was murdered by a police officer , that that meant solidarity .
It didn ’ t mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people want to gather to show support .
If you could respond to that , this accusation of outside agitators ?
And then , as an attorney , why aren ’ t these police officers — why haven ’ t they been arrested ?
Philonese Floyd , George ’ s brother , said these cops arrest people every single day .
Why are these police officers not charged right now ?
They can even change the charges later .
BAKARI SELLERS : So , you brought up a good point .
And nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term “ outside agitator.
” What it is , is a copout .
Elected officials — and we ’ re seeing that used to say that my own constituents don ’ t have any reason to have this level of discord .
You know , they deemed my father to be an outside agitator .
They said that Andrew Goodman and Mickey Schwerner and James Chaney were outside agitators .
So , those terms , that terminology , it just frightens me to my core .
But it ’ s also a copout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what my other two friends on this program stated , that right now is not the time to just tell people to go home .
Now is not the time to hide behind sheets of peace .
And now is not the time to tell people just to go home and wait until November when you can cast your ballot .
That ’ s just not the way this is working .
We have to have tangible solutions , which leads me into the next point .
You know , I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including , to Dr. West ’ s point , Black elected officials , stand up and say , “ Leave the streets , go home , and just register and vote.
” Well , in '64 , ’ 65 , ’ 68 , imagine telling Ella Baker or Fannie Lou Hamer or my father , Cleveland Sellers , or Martin or Malcolm that they had to just go home and come back when it was time to vote .
That 's not the way this works .
You asked a very good question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement hasn ’ t been charged .
And let me give you some very tangible things that we can do that need to be done .
The first thing , to my Sister Tamika Mallory , who I ’ m glad I didn ’ t have to go after her , because I don ’ t have anything to say after she speaks .
I would oftentimes say that the first thing we need to do is arrest all the officers .
All the officers need to be arrested , not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but they also need to be arrested in Breonna Taylor ’ s case .
The second thing we need to do is we need to lower the federal civil rights standard so that we can bring criminal charges against cops who murder our people .
The third thing we need to do is limit qualified immunity , so we can bring these 1983 actions against cops who were bad in departments who allowed them to be bad .
And the fourth thing we need to do is we need to have a national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad acts .
Right now you can murder somebody , get off , go two cities down and get rehired .
That is not the way this should be .
And those are tangible solutions that I don ’ t want to wait ’ til November for .
I want people to put pressure on their local officials in government right now to do those things , and every mayor , every governor — AMY GOODMAN : We have to — we have to leave it there .
AMY GOODMAN : But we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Bakari Sellers , attorney , author of the new book , his memoir , My Vanishing Country ; Dr. Cornel West , professor in the practice of public philosophy at Harvard University ; and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor of Princeton .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Nermeen Shaikh .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, if you could respond to her extraordinary speech, and also the way in which public officials, including liberal officials like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, have responded to the protests, simultaneously saying they feel the pain of the protesters but condemning the violence and looting, as they say, that have happened during the demonstrations, and then the fact that there are many who have been calling for defunding the police in response to what’s happened here? I mean, one of the things that’s been so remarkable about the images everywhere are the kind of military gear that so many of these police officers are wearing. I mean, one Democratic senator, Brian Schatz from Hawaii, tweeted Sunday in response, saying that he’s introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to discontinue the program that transfers military weaponry to local police departments. Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, if you could respond?
KEEANGA-YAMAHTTA TAYLOR: Yeah, there’s so many things to say about this. I think, I mean, one thing that becomes so apparent with the cops on the street, one, you understand — I mean, for most of America, you get a glimpse of why people are so angry. I mean, look at the kind of wanton, reckless abuse and violence that the police are instigating, and attacking people who are trying to protest. I feel like what we’ve seen over the weekend is a national police riot. And, you know, it’s no wonder. They feel emboldened by the white nationalism of the president of the United States and, really, the lawlessness of the Republican Party writ large. And so, it feels like we’re bearing the consequences of that.
But I think that there is a bigger issue about the cops that is also worth talking about, which is, why these police are never arrested, prosecuted, punished, really, even beyond just arresting and prosecuting people, but just punishing them as public servants for their kind of racist, abusive and violent behavior. And I think that, you know, regardless of what these elected officials have to say, I think that we’re actually going to see a lot more of this, which is why the conflicts will continue.
And the reason why I say that is because it has been a strategy of cities across this country that have committed themselves to not investing in the civic and public sector infrastructure — so, public schools, public hospitals, public libraries — all of the things that make a city function. Those have been systematically defunded, increasingly privatized. And the way that cities manage the inevitable crises that arise from that, when combined with unemployment, when combined with poverty, when combined with evictions and all of the insecurities that we see wracking cities across this country, the police are used to manage that crisis. And that is why, in city after city, as other public institutions take financial hits, as other public institutions are defunded, it’s the police that always get to maintain their budgets. And we look around now, where, because of the COVID crisis, every city is talking about massive budget cuts, but not to the police. The police almost never have to incur layoffs. They never have to incur budget cuts, because they are seen as the public policy of last resort.
And so, this is — when we talk about defunding the police, it is that the police should not be absorbing a third of the budget, as they do in cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, while we’re closing public schools, while public hospitals don’t have the proper personal protective equipment. Look at the way that police are — the gear and the equipment that they have, compared to hospital workers dressing themselves in garbage bags, being forced to use the same N95 masks for weeks at a time. Look at the contrast between that, and then you understand what the actual priorities of the governing politicians and bodies are.
Which is why — and this is the last thing I’ll say — the hypocrisy of someone like Andrew Cuomo or Bill de Blasio or any of these politicians coming on television, on their press conference, wringing their hands about the police, talking about these issues as if they are passive bystanders or just concerned citizens, and not elected officials who have power, who have authority, who have the ability to punish the police, who have the ability to make budgetary priorities, who have the ability to shift resources in one direction or another, but they sit back and act as if they are just watching the train wreck in slow motion, and not that they are actually in control of the gears. And this is part of the hypocrisy that is making people so angry, is that we have these people, elected officials, getting on television, talking about how terrible this is, Andrew Cuomo saying, “Say her name.” Andrew Cuomo, do your job. And I think that this is part of what is forcing people to feel that they have no other choice, no other response, than to rebel, because the levers and mechanisms of government that are supposed to attend to these issues have shown themselves to be completely broken.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Professor Cornel West, if you could comment on what professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor said, and also the fact that some observers are saying that all of these emergencies occurring simultaneously — the economic emergency with over 40 million Americans now unemployed, the health crisis with the pandemic — that these could result — and then, of course, these protests across the country — that these could result in some significant structural transformation within the U.S., as occurred, in part, following the Great Depression and the protests of ’68? Do you agree with that? And if so, what kind of transformation do you think is essential?
CORNEL WEST: Well, I would just want to say, first, just ditto to what Sister Taylor said. And I want to say — of course, send my salute to Brother Bakari. He’s part of a family of political royalty with Brother Cleveland and others in so many ways.
But I think we also have to be very candid about the decadent leadership class, that when Sister Taylor talks about Cuomo and the others, absolutely. But, you see, we’ve had a Black leadership that has so sanitized and deodorized the Black freedom struggle that you end up with neoliberal politicians who have accommodated themselves to the Wall Street greed. That’s why they bail out Wall Street rather than everyday people. They have accommodated themselves to the killing machine of the Pentagon and State Department. That’s why they can vote for budgets where 53% of every cent goes to the military, and there’s no money left for investment in education, healthcare, jobs with a living wage. And we haven’t had enough organized voices to bring critique to bear on that kind of decrepit neoliberal Black leadership.
And Obama is at the center of it. The Black Caucus is at the center of it. Black professionals are at the center of it. And these cowardly Black celebrities — not all of them, but most of them — are at the center of it. So their lives become simply lives of luxury and exemplary of success, and have little to do with service to poor people, have little to do with sacrificing for working people.
So, when Martin King can say, “My country is the biggest purveyor of violence in the world,” that takes courage in '68, takes courage today. That's the kind of courage we need. Malcolm would be the same way. Fannie Lou, Ella Baker — these are not just names. They exemplify something that’s deep and rich in the history of a hated people who have taught the world so much about love. That’s my tradition, the greatness of Black people, not the cowardliness of Black people. We’ve got both in our community. But our tradition of telling the truth and being willing to live and die for justice, that is what is necessary in this moment of reckoning.
And we don’t — young folk hardly see it at all, hardly see it at all, because so many of the professionals have simply been bought off. They sold out. They’re indifferent. They’re too callous to the plight of their poor and working-class, not just Black, everybody, not just here, but around the world — the Wretched of the Earth, as the great Frantz Fanon wrote about with such power.
AMY GOODMAN: Bakari Sellers, I want to ask you about the accusation that when they look at a state, who are the outside agitators who are coming in. You certainly know, from your family’s illustrious history, that when people came from the North to support the push for voting in the South during the civil rights movement, that to go from one state to another, for groups of people all over the country, for example, to go to Ferguson after Michael Brown was murdered by a police officer, that that meant solidarity. It didn’t mean that it took away their validity when people want to gather to show support. If you could respond to that, this accusation of outside agitators? And then, as an attorney, why aren’t these police officers — why haven’t they been arrested? Philonise Floyd, George’s brother, said these cops arrest people every single day. Why are these police officers not charged right now? They can even change the charges later.
BAKARI SELLERS: So, you brought up a good point. And nothing makes me cringe more than hearing the term “outside agitator.” What it is, is a copout. Elected officials — and we’re seeing that used to say that my own constituents don’t have any reason to have this level of discord. You know, they deemed my father to be an outside agitator. They said that Andrew Goodman and Mickey Schwerner and James Chaney were outside agitators. So, those terms, that terminology, it just frightens me to my core. But it’s also a copout.
And I want to piggyback on what my other two friends on this program stated, that right now is not the time to just tell people to go home. Now is not the time to hide behind sheets of peace. And now is not the time to tell people just to go home and wait until November when you can cast your ballot. That’s just not the way this is working. We have to have tangible solutions, which leads me into the next point.
You know, I’ve heard a lot of elected officials, including, to Dr. West’s point, Black elected officials, stand up and say, “Leave the streets, go home, and just register and vote.” Well, in '64, ’65, ’68, imagine telling Ella Baker or Fannie Lou Hamer or my father, Cleveland Sellers, or Martin or Malcolm that they had to just go home and come back when it was time to vote. That's not the way this works.
You asked a very good question about what needs to happen and why law enforcement hasn’t been charged. And let me give you some very tangible things that we can do that need to be done. The first thing, to my Sister Tamika Mallory, who I’m glad I didn’t have to go after her, because I don’t have anything to say after she speaks. I would oftentimes say that the first thing we need to do is arrest all the officers. All the officers need to be arrested, not just in George Floyd’s case, but they also need to be arrested in Breonna Taylor’s case.
The second thing we need to do is we need to lower the federal civil rights standard so that we can bring criminal charges against cops who murder our people.
The third thing we need to do is limit qualified immunity, so we can bring these 1983 actions against cops who were bad in departments who allowed them to be bad.
And the fourth thing we need to do is we need to have a national database for law enforcement officers who commit bad acts. Right now you can murder somebody, get off, go two cities down and get rehired. That is not the way this should be.
And those are tangible solutions that I don’t want to wait ’til November for. I want people to put pressure on their local officials in government right now to do those things, and every mayor, every governor —
AMY GOODMAN: We have to — we have to leave it there.
BAKARI SELLERS: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: But we are certainly going to continue the discussion, Bakari Sellers, attorney, author of the new book, his memoir, My Vanishing Country; Dr. Cornel West, professor in the practice of public philosophy at Harvard University; and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor of Princeton. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.


democracynow--2020-06-01--"America Has Looted Black People. We Learned It from You" Says Women's March Activist Tamika Mallory

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
We ’ re continuing with our guests .
We ’ re joined by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor , professor at Princeton University ; Dr. Cornel West at Harvard University ; and Bakari Sellers , joining us from North Carolina .
His new book is just out , My Vanishing Country .
I ’ m here with Nermeen Shaikh as we continue to bring you the voices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the largest nationwide uprising since the '60s , protesters shut down cities across the country following the police murder of George Floyd , the African American man in Minneapolis .
This is activist , former Women 's March co-chair Tamika Mallory , speaking at a rally in Minneapolis .
TAMIKA MALLORY : We are not responsible for the mental illness that has been inflicted upon our people by the American government , institutions and those people who are in positions of power .
I don ’ t give a damn if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be on the streets with us calling for the justice that our people deserve .
Where was AutoZone at the time when Philando Castile was shot in a car , which is what they actually represent ?
Where were they ?
So , if you are not coming to the people ’ s defense , then don ’ t challenge us when young people and other people who are frustrated and instigated by the people you pay — you are paying instigators to be among our people out there , throwing rocks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so young people are responding to that .
They are enraged .
And there ’ s an easy way to stop it : Arrest the cops .
Charge the cops .
Charge all the cops , not just some of them , not just here in Minneapolis .
Charge them in every city across America where our people are being murdered .
Charge them everywhere .
That ’ s the bottom line .
Charge the cops .
Do your job .
Do what you say this country is supposed to be about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all .
It has not been free for Black people , and we are tired .
Don ’ t talk to us about looting .
Y ’ all are the looters .
America has looted Black people .
America looted the Native Americans when they first came here , so looting is what you do .
We learned it from you .
We learned violence from you .
We learned violence from you .
The violence was what we learned from you .
So if you want us to do better , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : Activist Tamika Mallory speaking in Minneapolis over the weekend .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman. We’re continuing with our guests. We’re joined by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, professor at Princeton University; Dr. Cornel West at Harvard University; and Bakari Sellers, joining us from North Carolina. His new book is just out, My Vanishing Country. I’m here with Nermeen Shaikh as we continue to bring you the voices of the rebellion around the country. In the largest nationwide uprising since the '60s, protesters shut down cities across the country following the police murder of George Floyd, the African American man in Minneapolis. This is activist, former Women's March co-chair Tamika Mallory, speaking at a rally in Minneapolis.
TAMIKA MALLORY: We are not responsible for the mental illness that has been inflicted upon our people by the American government, institutions and those people who are in positions of power. I don’t give a damn if they burn down Target, because Target should be on the streets with us calling for the justice that our people deserve. Where was AutoZone at the time when Philando Castile was shot in a car, which is what they actually represent? Where were they?
So, if you are not coming to the people’s defense, then don’t challenge us when young people and other people who are frustrated and instigated by the people you pay — you are paying instigators to be among our people out there, throwing rocks, breaking windows and burning down buildings. And so young people are responding to that. They are enraged.
And there’s an easy way to stop it: Arrest the cops. Charge the cops. Charge all the cops, not just some of them, not just here in Minneapolis. Charge them in every city across America where our people are being murdered. Charge them everywhere. That’s the bottom line. Charge the cops. Do your job. Do what you say this country is supposed to be about — the land of the free for all. It has not been free for Black people, and we are tired.
Don’t talk to us about looting. Y’all are the looters. America has looted Black people. America looted the Native Americans when they first came here, so looting is what you do. We learned it from you. We learned violence from you. We learned violence from you. The violence was what we learned from you. So if you want us to do better, then, damn it, you do better.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Activist Tamika Mallory speaking in Minneapolis over the weekend.


democracynow--2020-06-01--"My Vanishing Country": Mass Protests Rise from 400 Years of Systemic Racism, Says Bakari Sellers

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to bring Bakari Sellers into the conversation .
In 2006 , he became the youngest African American statewide elected official in the country when he was elected to the South Carolina state Legislature .
Well , he has his memoir out ; it ’ s called My Vanishing Country .
And one of the central moments in the book is the Orangeburg massacre of 1968 , one of the most violent , least remembered events of the civil rights movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campus of South Carolina State University to protest segregation at Orangeburg ’ s only bowling alley .
Dozens of police arrived on the scene .
State troopers , they fired live ammunition into the crowd .
When the shooting stopped , three Black students were dead , 28 students wounded .
Nine officers who opened fire were all acquitted .
But there was one person who went to jail .
It was Bakari Sellers ’ father , Cleveland Sellers , a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , known as SNCC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually spent seven months behind bars .
He was pardoned decades later .
Bakari Sellers , it ’ s an honor to have you with us .
You say that February 8th was the most important day of your life , but you weren ’ t even born yet .
Talk about the connections to what was happening then to what ’ s happening today in this country .
BAKARI SELLERS : First , thank you for having me on such an august and esteemed panel here this morning .
February 8th , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important day of my life .
Not only did law enforcement shoot into a crowd , killing Henry Smith and Samuel Hammond and Delano Middleton .
Not only did they shoot my father .
Not only was he the only person who was incarcerated .
But there has been trauma that ’ s lingered since then .
My sister was born while my father was still locked away .
The first time that my father was able to see my sister was actually on the prison yard .
But when I think about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I think about Ahmaud Arbery and I think about Breonna Taylor , it just goes back even further .
You know , my father got started in the movement , and I think Dr. West will acknowledge that the names that he mentioned — the Ella Bakers , the Fannie Lou Hamers — they were all a part of what we call the Emmitt Till generation , in 1955 , when that picture was in Ebony magazine , and the whole world was able to see that image of what racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young Emmitt Till .
But you think about Emmett .
You think about Jimmie Lee Jackson .
You think about Medgar Evers .
You think about not just the Orangeburg massacre , but the four little girls in Birmingham .
And the list goes on and on and on .
And my father is 75 years old today .
I ’ m 35 years old .
And the biggest problem we have in this country is that we have many of the same shared experiences .
In My Vanishing Country , I not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , some of the successes I ’ ve had , but I ’ ve also talked about the fact that I ’ ve had to bury good friends , one of which was Clementa Pinckney , who was the pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church , who was killed after Bible study with eight others just because of the color of his skin .
That ’ s the country that we live in .
And what you ’ re seeing today is not just about George Floyd .
I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re seeing today is about systemic injustice and systemic racism that ’ s plagued this country for 400 years .
And just to harp on Brother West ’ s point for a second , just to drive it home , and one of the things I highlight in My Vanishing Country , I ’ m from Denmark , South Carolina , where we have three stoplights and a blinking light .
And I grew up in a food desert , meaning that you couldn ’ t go two to three miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meaning that you probably have a higher propensity to have things like diabetes .
We ’ re drinking dirty water where I ’ m from , which means that you are taking in toxins that are likely to cause cancer at higher rates ; inhaling dirty air because of Brownfields and the manufacturing plants , meaning that you ’ re more likely to have asthma .
Because we didn ’ t expand Medicaid , my hospital shut down .
We live along what ’ s called the “ corridor of shame , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and their heating and air don ’ t work , and their infrastructure is falling apart .
These are the systemic injustices and systemic racism that we ’ re highlighting and talking about .
And then you overlay that with the pandemic , and it ’ s no question that — my father says it all the time — when America gets a cold , Black folk get the flu .
Well , now America has COVID , and Black folk are dying .
And then you think about the bodies , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are obsessed with in this country .
We have George Floyd who was killed like a dog .
Let me not even say “ like a dog , ” because if he was a dog , they actually would have arrested all four officers by now .
But there was a knee to the back of his neck for eight to nine minutes .
And I think that there are so many people , including myself , who were questioning , as the parents of Black children in this country , “ How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What do we tell them ?
” These are questions in a crisis of conscience that is now facing the United States of America .
And so , I hope people , if they pick up My Vanishing Country , Black folk get a sense of pride , but I hope white folk get a sense of understanding , because before you can get to atonement — and Black folk are always in a position in this country of forgiving , but before we can even get to that point , we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have empathy .
And the last thing I ’ ll tell you , Amy , is , from Orangeburg to Charleston , all the way back to Emmett , to now George , the common link , linchpin , is this : The people of color in this country and around the world are not given the benefit of their humanity .
You can not tell me that those officers saw George Floyd as being human .
They saw him as something less than .
And so , until we start fundamentally giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we will still have these systemic problems that are now boiled over into the streets .
Do not tell my people to go home , do not ask for peace , until you are also asking for justice .
Justice has to become a verb in this country , not just a noun .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to break and then come back to this discussion .
That ’ s Bakari Sellers , former state legislator in South Carolina , now author of his memoir .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pandemic .
Dr. Cornel West is with us from Harvard University , and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor of Princeton University , speaking to us from Philadelphia , one of the cities where people rose up over the last week .
This is Democracy Now !
We ’ ll be back with all in a minute .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to bring Bakari Sellers into the conversation. In 2006, he became the youngest African American statewide elected official in the country when he was elected to the South Carolina state Legislature. Well, he has his memoir out; it’s called My Vanishing Country. And one of the central moments in the book is the Orangeburg massacre of 1968, one of the most violent, least remembered events of the civil rights movement. A crowd of students gathered on the campus of South Carolina State University to protest segregation at Orangeburg’s only bowling alley. Dozens of police arrived on the scene. State troopers, they fired live ammunition into the crowd. When the shooting stopped, three Black students were dead, 28 students wounded. Nine officers who opened fire were all acquitted. But there was one person who went to jail. It was Bakari Sellers’ father, Cleveland Sellers, a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, known as SNCC, convicted of a riot charge and actually spent seven months behind bars. He was pardoned decades later.
Bakari Sellers, it’s an honor to have you with us. You say that February 8th was the most important day of your life, but you weren’t even born yet. Talk about the connections to what was happening then to what’s happening today in this country.
BAKARI SELLERS: First, thank you for having me on such an august and esteemed panel here this morning.
February 8th, 1968, is by far the most important day of my life. Not only did law enforcement shoot into a crowd, killing Henry Smith and Samuel Hammond and Delano Middleton. Not only did they shoot my father. Not only was he the only person who was incarcerated. But there has been trauma that’s lingered since then. My sister was born while my father was still locked away. The first time that my father was able to see my sister was actually on the prison yard.
But when I think about George Floyd, where we are today, and I think about Ahmaud Arbery and I think about Breonna Taylor, it just goes back even further. You know, my father got started in the movement, and I think Dr. West will acknowledge that the names that he mentioned — the Ella Bakers, the Fannie Lou Hamers — they were all a part of what we call the Emmitt Till generation, in 1955, when that picture was in Ebony magazine, and the whole world was able to see that image of what racism and bigotry and hate had done to young Emmitt Till. But you think about Emmett. You think about Jimmie Lee Jackson. You think about Medgar Evers. You think about not just the Orangeburg massacre, but the four little girls in Birmingham. And the list goes on and on and on.
And my father is 75 years old today. I’m 35 years old. And the biggest problem we have in this country is that we have many of the same shared experiences. In My Vanishing Country, I not only talk about Orangeburg and, you know, some of the successes I’ve had, but I’ve also talked about the fact that I’ve had to bury good friends, one of which was Clementa Pinckney, who was the pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church, who was killed after Bible study with eight others just because of the color of his skin. That’s the country that we live in. And what you’re seeing today is not just about George Floyd. I don’t want anybody to think that. What we’re seeing today is about systemic injustice and systemic racism that’s plagued this country for 400 years.
And just to harp on Brother West’s point for a second, just to drive it home, and one of the things I highlight in My Vanishing Country, I’m from Denmark, South Carolina, where we have three stoplights and a blinking light. And I grew up in a food desert, meaning that you couldn’t go two to three miles and get fresh fruits and vegetables, meaning that you probably have a higher propensity to have things like diabetes. We’re drinking dirty water where I’m from, which means that you are taking in toxins that are likely to cause cancer at higher rates; inhaling dirty air because of Brownfields and the manufacturing plants, meaning that you’re more likely to have asthma. Because we didn’t expand Medicaid, my hospital shut down. We live along what’s called the “corridor of shame,” in which kids go to school, and their heating and air don’t work, and their infrastructure is falling apart. These are the systemic injustices and systemic racism that we’re highlighting and talking about. And then you overlay that with the pandemic, and it’s no question that — my father says it all the time — when America gets a cold, Black folk get the flu. Well, now America has COVID, and Black folk are dying.
And then you think about the bodies, this Black, violent killing porn that we are obsessed with in this country. We have George Floyd who was killed like a dog. Let me not even say “like a dog,” because if he was a dog, they actually would have arrested all four officers by now. But there was a knee to the back of his neck for eight to nine minutes. And I think that there are so many people, including myself, who were questioning, as the parents of Black children in this country, “How do we go about raising them? What do we tell them?” These are questions in a crisis of conscience that is now facing the United States of America.
And so, I hope people, if they pick up My Vanishing Country, Black folk get a sense of pride, but I hope white folk get a sense of understanding, because before you can get to atonement — and Black folk are always in a position in this country of forgiving, but before we can even get to that point, we have to have understanding. We have to have empathy.
And the last thing I’ll tell you, Amy, is, from Orangeburg to Charleston, all the way back to Emmett, to now George, the common link, linchpin, is this: The people of color in this country and around the world are not given the benefit of their humanity. You cannot tell me that those officers saw George Floyd as being human. They saw him as something less than. And so, until we start fundamentally giving Black folk the benefit of their humanity, we will still have these systemic problems that are now boiled over into the streets. Do not tell my people to go home, do not ask for peace, until you are also asking for justice. Justice has to become a verb in this country, not just a noun.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to break and then come back to this discussion. That’s Bakari Sellers, former state legislator in South Carolina, now author of his memoir. It’s called My Vanishing Country, released during the pandemic. Dr. Cornel West is with us from Harvard University, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor of Princeton University, speaking to us from Philadelphia, one of the cities where people rose up over the last week. This is Democracy Now! We’ll be back with all in a minute.


democracynow--2020-06-01--"America's Moment of Reckoning": Cornel West Says Nationwide Uprising Is Sign of "Empire Imploding"

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : Dr. Cornel West , could you respond to what professor Yamahtta Taylor said ?
You agree that , of course , the murder of George Floyd was a lynching .
You ’ ve also said that his murder and the demonstrations that have followed show that America is a failed social experiment .
So could you respond to that and also the way that the state and police forces have responded to the protests , following George Floyd ’ s killing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so many cities and states across the country ?
CORNEL WEST : Well , there ’ s no doubt that this is America ’ s moment of reckoning .
But we want to make the connection between the local and the global , because , you see , when you sow the seeds of greed — domestically , inequality ; globally , imperial tentacles , 800 military units abroad , violence and AFRICOM in Africa , supporting various regimes , dictatorial ones in Asia and so forth — there is a connection between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ externally and internally .
Same is true in terms of the seed of hatred , of white supremacy , hating Black people , anti-Blackness hatred having its own dynamic within the context of a predatory capitalist civilization obsessed with money , money , money , domination of workers , marginalization of those who don ’ t fit — gay brothers , lesbian sisters , trans and so forth .
So , it ’ s precisely this convergence that my dear sister Professor Taylor is talking about of the ways in which the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shaken , with uprisings from below .
The catalyst was certainly Brother George Floyd ’ s public lynching , but the failures of the predatory capitalist economy to provide the satisfaction of the basic needs of food and healthcare and quality education , jobs with a decent wage , at the same time the collapse of your political class , the collapse of your professional class .
Their legitimacy has been radically called into question , and that ’ s multiracial .
It ’ s the neofascist dimension in Trump .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama and the Clintons and so forth .
And it includes much of the media .
It includes many of the professors in universities .
The young people are saying , “ You all have been hypocritical .
You haven ’ t been concerned about our suffering , our misery .
And we no longer believe in your legitimacy.
” And it spills over into violent explosion .
And it ’ s here .
I won ’ t go on , but , I mean , it ’ s here , where I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Rabbi Heschel and Edward Said , and especially Brother Martin and Malcolm , their legacies , I think , become more central , because they provide the kind of truth telling .
They provide the connection between justice and compassion in their example , in their organizing .
And that ’ s what is needed right now .
Rebellion is not the same thing in any way as revolution .
And what we need is a nonviolent revolutionary project of full-scale democratic sharing — power , wealth , resources , respect , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this American Empire .
AMY GOODMAN : And your thoughts , Professor West , on the governor of Minnesota saying they ’ re looking into white supremacist connections to the looting and the burning of the city , and then President Trump tweeting that he ’ s going to try to put antifa , the anti-fascist activists , on the terror list — which he can not do — and William Barr emphasizing this , saying he ’ s going after the far left to investigate ?
CORNEL WEST : No , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You know , you remember , Sister Amy — and I love and respect you so — that antifa saved my life in Charlottesville .
There ’ s no doubt about it , that they provided the security , you see .
So the very notion that they become candidates for a terrorist organization , but the people who were trying to kill us — the Nazis , the Klan — they ’ re not candidates for terrorist organization status — but that ’ s what you ’ re going to get .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump-led neofascist backlash and clampdown on what is going on .
We ought to be very clear about that .
The neofascism has that kind of obsession with militaristic imposition in the face of any kind of disorder .
And so we ’ ve got to be fortified for that .
But most importantly , I think we ’ ve got to make sure that we preserve our own moral , spiritual , quality , fundamental focus on truth and justice , and keep track of legalized looting , Wall Street greed ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abroad in Yemen , in Pakistan , in Africa with AFRICOM , and so forth .
That ’ s where our focus has to be , because with all of this rebellious energy , it ’ s got to be channeled through organizations rooted in a quest for truth and justice .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Dr. Cornel West, could you respond to what professor Yamahtta Taylor said? You agree that, of course, the murder of George Floyd was a lynching. You’ve also said that his murder and the demonstrations that have followed show that America is a failed social experiment. So could you respond to that and also the way that the state and police forces have responded to the protests, following George Floyd’s killing, with the National Guard called out in so many cities and states across the country?
CORNEL WEST: Well, there’s no doubt that this is America’s moment of reckoning. But we want to make the connection between the local and the global, because, you see, when you sow the seeds of greed — domestically, inequality; globally, imperial tentacles, 800 military units abroad, violence and AFRICOM in Africa, supporting various regimes, dictatorial ones in Asia and so forth — there is a connection between the seeds that you sow of violence externally and internally. Same is true in terms of the seed of hatred, of white supremacy, hating Black people, anti-Blackness hatred having its own dynamic within the context of a predatory capitalist civilization obsessed with money, money, money, domination of workers, marginalization of those who don’t fit — gay brothers, lesbian sisters, trans and so forth. So, it’s precisely this convergence that my dear sister Professor Taylor is talking about of the ways in which the American Empire, imploding, its foundations being shaken, with uprisings from below.
The catalyst was certainly Brother George Floyd’s public lynching, but the failures of the predatory capitalist economy to provide the satisfaction of the basic needs of food and healthcare and quality education, jobs with a decent wage, at the same time the collapse of your political class, the collapse of your professional class. Their legitimacy has been radically called into question, and that’s multiracial. It’s the neofascist dimension in Trump. It’s the neoliberal dimension in Biden and Obama and the Clintons and so forth. And it includes much of the media. It includes many of the professors in universities. The young people are saying, “You all have been hypocritical. You haven’t been concerned about our suffering, our misery. And we no longer believe in your legitimacy.” And it spills over into violent explosion.
And it’s here. I won’t go on, but, I mean, it’s here, where I think Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer and Rabbi Heschel and Edward Said, and especially Brother Martin and Malcolm, their legacies, I think, become more central, because they provide the kind of truth telling. They provide the connection between justice and compassion in their example, in their organizing. And that’s what is needed right now. Rebellion is not the same thing in any way as revolution. And what we need is a nonviolent revolutionary project of full-scale democratic sharing — power, wealth, resources, respect, organizing — and a fundamental transformation of this American Empire.
AMY GOODMAN: And your thoughts, Professor West, on the governor of Minnesota saying they’re looking into white supremacist connections to the looting and the burning of the city, and then President Trump tweeting that he’s going to try to put antifa, the anti-fascist activists, on the terror list — which he cannot do — and William Barr emphasizing this, saying he’s going after the far left to investigate?
CORNEL WEST: No, I mean, that’s ridiculous. You know, you remember, Sister Amy — and I love and respect you so — that antifa saved my life in Charlottesville. There’s no doubt about it, that they provided the security, you see. So the very notion that they become candidates for a terrorist organization, but the people who were trying to kill us — the Nazis, the Klan — they’re not candidates for terrorist organization status — but that’s what you’re going to get. You’re going to get a Trump-led neofascist backlash and clampdown on what is going on. We ought to be very clear about that. The neofascism has that kind of obsession with militaristic imposition in the face of any kind of disorder. And so we’ve got to be fortified for that.
But most importantly, I think we’ve got to make sure that we preserve our own moral, spiritual, quality, fundamental focus on truth and justice, and keep track of legalized looting, Wall Street greed; legalized murder, police; legalized murder abroad in Yemen, in Pakistan, in Africa with AFRICOM, and so forth. That’s where our focus has to be, because with all of this rebellious energy, it’s got to be channeled through organizations rooted in a quest for truth and justice.