>>> FACING A RECENT SPIKE IN GUN
VIOLENCE HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
HAS A SERIES OF STRIKE FORCES
ACROSS FIVE MAJOR AMERICAN
CITIES.
THE GOAL IS TO CRACK DOWN ON THE
ILLEGAL PEMBROKE PINES LINE OF
GUNS FLOWING INTO URBAN AREAS,
PARTLY BY TARGETING WHAT ARE
CALLED STRAW BUYERS, PEOPLE WHO
PURCHASE FIREARMS LEGALLY ONLY
TO TURN AROUND AND PROVIDE THEM
TO PEOPLE WHO SHOULDNT HAVE
TELL.
JOINING US NOW IS CEDRIC
ALEXANDER, FORMER MEMBER OF
PRESIDENT OBAMAS TASK FORCE ON
21st CENTURY POLICING, A FORMER
PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR FOR
DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA, AS WELL
AS AN MSNBC LAW ENFORCEMENT
ANALYST.
SAM STEIN IS BACK HERE WITH US.
CEDRIC, WE SHOULD SAY FIRST OF
ALL ANY ACTION TAKEN AT THIS
POINT THATS INTENDED TO REDUCE
VIOLENT CRIME SHOULD BE
COMMENDED AND WE SHOULD TRY TO
GET BEHIND IT.
STRAW BUYERS ARE NOTORIOUSLY
SLIPPERY TO PROSECUTE, AS YOU
KNOW, SO IS THIS A GOOD THING,
WHAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS
LOOKING TO DO?
WHAT IS YOUR READ ON SOMETHING
LIKE THIS?
AS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAS PUT
IT, VIOLENT CRIMES, PARTICULARLY
HOMICIDES AND SHOOTING, ARE UP
IN MANY CITIES AROUND THE
COUNTRY AND THE BIDE
ADMINISTRATION HAS SOUGHT TO AID
COMMUNITIES HAM STRUNG BY
VIOLENCE, BUT THE INITIATIVE
LAUNCHED THIS WEEK DIFFERS FROM
OTHER RECENT FEDERAL EFFORTS TO
ADDRESS VIOLENCE BECAUSE IT IS
NOT SENDING AGENTS OR
PROSECUTORS INTO CITIES WITH
CRIME SPIKES.
JUSTICE OFFICIALS SAY THE STRIKE
FORCES ARE TARGETED PROSECUTIONS
MEANT TO BE A LONGER TERM EFFORT
TO COMBAT GUN TRAFFICKING.
LAST WEEK YOU ASKED ON THIS
NETWORK, WHAT ARE WE DOING IN
THE HERE AND NOW.
YOU CALLED THIS A CRISIS.
DO YOU THINK THIS MOVE FROM THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS ADEQUATE
FOR THE HERE AND NOW?
>> WELL, LET ME BE CLEAR ABOUT
ONE THING, MICHAEL.
WE CURRENTLY ARE IN A CRISIS,
PARTICULARLY IN MANY OF OUR
CITIES ACROSS THIS COUNTRY AS
RELATES TO VIOLENCE.
I THINK YOU WOULD AGREE AS WELL,
TOO, THAT WE HAVE TO DO
SOMETHING, AND ANYTHING THATS
BEEN DONE RIGHT NOW,
PARTICULARLY HELP THAT IS COMING
FROM DID DOJ AND THE HEAD OF
DOJ, THE A.G. HIMSELF.
SO I THINK THIS EFFORT, THIS
INITIATIVE IS GOING TO BE
MEANINGFUL TO MANY CITIES ACROSS
THIS COUNTRY, BUT IN ADDITION TO
THAT IT ALLOWS
FOR OPPORTUNITIES NOT JUST FOR
JOINT LAW ENFORCEMENT
COOPERATION.
THATS SOMETHING THEY HAD BEEN
DOING.
THEYRE BEING SPECIFIC HERE
AROUND THESE GUN PURCHASES.
I THINK IT IS A VERY CLEVER
THING TO DO IN THIS VERY MOMENT
BECAUSE IN THIS VERY MOMENT THAT
WE ARE IN THE HERE AND THE NOW,
THIS IS SOMETHING WE ARE HOPING
TO ADDRESS THOSE URGENT ISSUES
IN CITIES LIKE CHICAGO AND
ANOTHER ACROSS THE COUNTRY
THATS IN SUCH PAIN WITH THIS
VIOLENT CRIME.
>> CEDRIC, THE HEARING NOW FOR THIS TOPIC OF CRIME IS NUANCE.
THIS TOPIC OF CRIME IS NUANCE.
WE KNOW MURDERS, ABOUT 20% TO
ABOUT 2020.
THAT SPIKE IS CONTINUEING.
IN 1991, FOR EXAMPLE, THE FBI
AND "THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORT
THERE WERE 9.8 MURDERS.
THAT NUMBER ESTIMATED TO BE DOWN
NEAR SIX.
THEY CUT BY ABOUT A THIRD.
HERE IS WHERE PERCEPTION COMES
IN.
56% OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
BELIEVE VIOLENT CRIME IS HIGHER
NOW THAN IT WAS IN THE 1990s.
WHICH IS FACTUALLY INCORRECT.
IT IS ONE THING TO TACKLE
VIOLENT CRIME, RIGHT?
IT IS ANOTHER THING TO TACKLE
THE PERCEPTION OF VIOLENT CRIME.
HOW DO WE GO ABOUT DOING THAT
AND HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?
>> PERCEPTION IS REALITY.
IF WE GO BACK TO THE 90s, WE
HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND WE DIDNT
HAVE ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA AS
WE DID TO GET NEWS OUT QUICKLY.
EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBER MAY
INDICATE BEING HIGHER BACK THAN
THE 90s, IT DOES COME BACK DOWN
TO PERCEPTION.
YOU ASK SOMEONE WHOS BEEN
ROBBED OR VIOLATED, THEY WOULD
TELL YOU THOSE STATISTICS MEAN
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO THEM.
ANOTHER THING WE HAVE TO BE
CONCERNED WITH, THESE SPIKES WE
ARE SEEING HERE PRIOR TO THE
PANDEMIC AND POST THE PANDEMIC
CERTAINLY DONT RISE TO THE
LEVEL THEY DID IN THE 90s BUT
THEY ARE RELEVANT TO THE WORLD
WE LIVE IN TODAY.
PEOPLE SEE IT MORE AS A THREAT
AND CERTAINLY A LOT MORE BECAUSE
IT IS ABLE TO BE CAPTURED AND BE
PLAYED OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND
WE HAVE TO ATTEND TO THE NUMBERS
BECAUSE WHAT WE DONT WANT TO
HAPPEN IS THE TREND WE ARE
SEEING, TURNING INTO STATISTICS
THAT WE DONT WANT TO BE LONE
STANDINGS.
WE DONT WANT IT TO TURN INTO
TRENDS IS WHAT I AM SAYING HERE.
>> CED, I WANT TO PLAY SOMETHING
THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID LAST
NIGHT AT THE CNN TOWN HALL.
>> WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH A LARGER
PROBLEM OF THE WHOLE ISSUE OF
LAW ENFORCEMENT GENERALLY.
WE ARE IN A SITUATION WHERE AS
MUCH AS WE NEED TO PASS THE
FLOYD ACT AND ALL THAT.
HERE IS THE DEAL, COPS ARE
HAVING REAL TROUBLE.
THEYRE NOT ALL BAD GUYS.
THEYRE A LOT OF GOOD GUYS.
WE NEED MORE POLICEMEN AND NOT
FEW POLICEMEN.
WE NEED THEM INVOLVED IN
COMMUNITY POLICING.
IT IS ABOUT GETTING -- WE HAVE
AVAILABILITY NOW OF OVER LOTS OF MONEY FOR COPS TO BE ABLE TO
MONEY FOR COPS TO BE ABLE TO
HIRE PSYCHIATRISTS AND
PSYCHOLOGYISTSISTS AND AS WELL A
SOCIAL WORKERS.
BUT NOW YOU HAVE THE PRESIDENT
ALSO FEELING THE TENSION WITH
THE FOLKS WHO WANT TO DEFUND THE
POLICE.
DO YOU THINK HES GOT THE RIGHT
APPROACH HERE?
>> WELL, YEAH, I DO AND THE
REASON I SAY THAT BECAUSE THIS
IS THE POSITION HE TOOK DURING
THE 2020 CAMPAIGN WHEN THERE WERE AN IMMENSE AMOUNT TO GO
WERE AN IMMENSE AMOUNT TO GO
FURTHER AND REMOVING FUNDING
LEVEL.
BIDEN HAS GONE AGAINST GRAIN A
LITTLE BIT WITHIN HIS OWN PARTY.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW,
BIDEN HAS HISTORY ON THE ISSUE.
HE WAS UP FRONT IN THE LATE 80s
AND 90s AND URGING DEMOCRATS TO
COMBAT HEAD ON PERCEPTION.
THAT LED HIM TO OFFER THE 1994
CRIME AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF COPS ON THE STREET IN
ADDITION TO ALL HOST OF
DIFFERENT OTHER MECHANISM
PRODUCING CRIME LEVELS.
THATS HIS BACKGROUND.
THE QUESTION IS, CAN THAT
LEGISLATIVE OR MOULDING
LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE PASS
HERE?
I WANT TO ENHANCE THE ABILITY OF
COPS PERFORMING SOCIAL
FUNCTIONS.
I DONT KNOW WHERE THE POLITICAL
COALITION IS, THIS FLOYD
POLICING BILL IS STUCK.
WE DONT KNOW IF THEYLL HAVE A
BREAK.
THEY SAID THEY NEED TO AT THE