JACKIE.
>> Jacqui: DAVID LEE MILLER IN
NEW YORK CITY, THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
>> Gillian: A NEW YORK
CONGRESSMAN AND SELF-PROCLAIMED
SOCIALIST, CRITICS WARNED THERE
WOULD BE CONSEQUENCES AND AFTER
A COUPLE YEARS WITH BOWMAN IN
OFFICE THE CRITICS SAY THEY HAVE
PROOF.
VIOLENT CRIME IN HIS NORTHERN
BRONX DISTRICT HAS SURGED NEARLY
30%.
JOE CARDINALE, TAKE A LOOK AT
THE STATS, PUT THEM ON THE
SCREEN FOR YOU.
NORTH BRONX VIOLENT CRIME IN
2022 IN HIS DISTRICT, THERE WAS
3,396 INCIDENTS, COMPARED TO
2021, 2,609, 30% YEAR ON YEAR
INCREASE.
ARE YOU SURPRISED?
>> NOT AT ALL.
I MEAN WHAT DID THEY THINK WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN?
GILLIAN, IT’S NOT DEFUNDING
ANYMORE, IT’S DEMANT LING THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE WHOLE
SYSTEM.
WHEN YOU HAVE PROSECUTORS THAT
REFUSE TO PROSECUTE, JUDGES GO
ALONG WITH THE BAIL REFORM, IT’S
THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR DISASTER
AND IT’S HAPPENING ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
SO, WHAT DID THIS CONGRESSMAN
THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN
HE SAID OH, YOU KNOW WHAT, I GO
ALONG WITH THIS PROGRAM.
IF THEY HELD EVERYBODY
ACCOUNTABLE THE WAY THEY HOLD
POLICE ACCOUNTABLE, THE JUDGES,
THE PROSECUTORS, THE
CONGRESSMEN, THEN THINGS WOULD
CHANGE.
BUT THEY ARE NOT HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
MAYBE THEY SHOULD MAKE IT A
REFERENDUM AT THE ELECTION TIME
AND LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT
THEY THINK IS RIGHT FOR THE
CITY, NOT JUST ONE PERSON
SITTING UP THERE, ECHOING
EVERYTHING SAID IN CONGRESS
ACROSS THIS COUNTRY, AND THAT’S
DEFUND THE POLICE.
THEY GOT WHAT SHE DESERVED.
>> Gillian: AND BOWMAN HAS
CALLED FOR THE DISMANTLING OF
THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM, TAKE A LOOK AT SOME
TWEETS.
SYSTEM IS CRUEL AND INHUMANE
CANNOT BE REFORMED.
DEFUND THE POLICE, DEFUND THE
SYSTEM TERRORIZING OUR
COMMUNITIES.
AND 2021, REPUBLICANS WANT TO
DEFUND EVERY GOVERNMENT PROGRAM
EXCEPT FOR THOSE THAT ACTIVELY
TERRORIZE BLACK AND BROWN
PEOPLE, AND OCTOBER 14, 2019, IT
IS TIME TO DISARM THE POLICE,
SOMETHING THAT D.C. MAYOR BOWSER
HAS CALLED FOR HERE.
A COUPLE TIMES NOW WHEN SHE HAS
REQUESTED NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS,
SHE HAS MANDATED THEY REMAIN
UNARMED WHILE PROTECTING
AMERICANS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
STREETS.
>> IF IT WASN’T SO SERIOUS IT
WOULD BE LAUGHABLE.
WHAT DO THEY THINK IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?
I MEAN, DID THEY REALLY WANT THE
NATIONAL GUARD, AND THAT’S --
NEXT THING IS THE COMMUNIST
STATE.
I MEAN, LET’S BE REAL ABOUT
THIS.
YOU NEED THE POLICE TO BE
EFFECTIVE IN THEIR JOB, AND THEY
CAN’T BECAUSE EVERYTHING THE
POLICE DO TODAY IS DICTATED BY
POLITICAL POLICY.
IT’S NO LONGER WHAT EACH POLICE
DEPARTMENT DOES FOR THE
NEIGHBORHOOD THEY REPRESENT.
IT’S WHATEVER THE POLITICS OF
THE DAY RECOMMENDS.
IT’S JUST RIDICULOUS AND THE
COPS IN NEW YORK, THEY DON’T
HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT DEFUNDING,
THEY ARE DRIVING THE COPS OUT OF
HERE IN HOARDS.
AND IT’S RIDICULOUS THAT THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WAS ONCE
THE PREMIER JOB ACROSS THIS
NATION, ALL RIGHT, IS NOW THE
LAUGHING STOCK OF THE POLICE
DEPARTMENTS AND WHAT ARE YOU
GOING TO DO TO RECTIFY IT?
WE NEED TO GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN OFFICE THAT ARE GOING TO GET
IN OFFICE THAT ARE GOING TO GET
BEHIND THE POLICE, LET THEM
GET -- TAKE THE HANDCUFFS OFF
THE POLICE.
IT BOTTLENECKS AT THE POLICE
LEVEL, WE WILL MAKE THE ARREST
AS THE CAPTAIN SAID, MAKE THE
ARREST AND THEN GO TO A
PROSECUTOR THAT SAYS NAH, IT
DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR THIS, AND
MAKES IT BEYOND THE PROSECUTOR,
IT GOES TO THE JUDGE AND SAYS
NO, NO CAN DO, PUT THEM BACK ON
THE STREET.
>> Gillian: WHAT ARE REASONABLE
STEPS, SIR, THAT POLICE
HEADQUARTERS CAN TAKE TO
REASSURE AND REGAIN THE TRUST OF
AMERICANS WHO FEEL BETRAYED BY
THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED
OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS,
THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD,
ETC. WHAT ARE THE REASONABLE
STEPS SHORT OF DEFUNDING THE
POLICE THAT POLICE DEPARTMENTS
CAN TAKE?
>> THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS ARE
CONSTANTLY EVOLVING WITH THE
THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN SOCIETY
TODAY.
ESPECIALLY IN THE NYPD, THE MOST
DIVERSE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE
WORLD.
BUT YET THEY WILL HOLD THE
ENTIRE 35,000 POLICE OFFICERS
ACCOUNTABLE FOR MAYBE 1 OR 2
ACTIONS OF IMPROPER POLICING.
SO WHEN YOU TAKE THAT INTO
CONSIDERATION AND WHEN YOU TAKE
INTO CONSIDERATION THE
POLITICIANS THAT GO ALONG WITH
THAT, AND THE PRESS THAT GOES
ALONG WITH IT, AND JUST
MAGNIFIES THIS, THEY SEE THE
POLICE AS A WRONG FORCE, WHICH
IS NOT THE CASE.
BUT ALLOW THEM TO GET INTO THE
COMMUNITIES AND THE SCHOOLS AND
SPEAK TO THE CHILDREN.
DON’T LET THEM BE THE EVIL
ENTITY THEY ARE PORTRAYED TO BE.
WE NEED TO GET THE COMMUNITY
POLICING BACK AND LET THE
COMMUNITY GET BEHIND THE POLICE
AND THEN THE POLITICIANS WILL
HAVE TO GET BEHIND IT, THAT’S
THEIR VOTES.
>> Gillian: WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT
THERE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.