CAREFULLY BECAUSE WE HAVE A
DIFFICULT BURDEN TO PROVE.
>> JOINING ME FOR WHAT WE HAVE
WITNESSED IN MINNEAPOLIS AND
HEARD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
SENATOR CORY BOOKER, DEMOCRAT OF
NEW JERSEY.
SENATOR, I WAS ANXIOUS TO TALK
TO YOU TONIGHT BECAUSE YOU HAVE
A LOT OF EXPERIENCE THINKING
ABOUT ALL THIS, ABOUT POLICING
PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU’RE THE
MAYOR OF NEWARK, PARTICULARLY
THE WAYS THAT WE TALK TO EACH
OTHER AND ABOUT EACH OTHER IN
PROTEST.
WHAT DO YOU THINK -- HOW HAVE
YOU FELT JUST PERSONALLY
WATCHING WHAT’S UNFOLDED OVER
THIS WEEK?
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S GUT WRENCHING
AND IT’S DEEPLY PAINFUL, AND I
THINK WHAT’S PAINFUL ABOUT IT IS
THE FRUSTRATION THAT YET ANOTHER
BLACK MAN HAS DIED, AN UNARMED
BLACK MAN AT THE HANDS OF POLICE
OFFICERS AND IMMEDIATELY, THE
RIGHTFUL THING, WE’RE OUTRAGED
ABOUT THIS INCIDENT BUT I’VE
SEEN THIS PATTERN PLAY OUT WHERE
YOU SEE AN UPROAR OF OUTRAGE,
BUT THEN WE GET BACK INTO A
REGULAR SYSTEM WHERE WE DON’T
UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS NOT A
SOMETIMES THING.
THIS KIND OF RACISM, THIS
BIGOTRY IS SO INSTITUTIONALIZED
THAT IT PUTS SO MANY OF OUR
FELLOW COUNTRYMEN AND WOMEN AT
RISK EVERY DAY.
AND IT’S OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM, WHICH I KNOW YOU KNOW SO
MUCH ABOUT BUT IT’S OUR HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM, AS WELL WITH BLACK
WOMEN DYING FOUR TIMES THE RATE
IN CHILDBIRTH THAN WHITE WOMEN.
IT’S IN OUR ENVIRONMENT, AS
WELL.
STILL, RACE IS THE BEST
INDICATOR, IF YOU ARE GOING TO
LIVE AROUND A TOXIC ENVIRONMENT
OR TOXIC DUMP.
WE HAVE DEEP PROBLEMS IN OUR
COUNTRY AND WHAT IS
HEARTBREAKING TO ME IS THE UTTER
LACK OF URGENCY TO DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT.
WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE THINGS WE
CAN DO TO CREATE DEEPER
ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY AND
FRANKLY, POLICING IN THIS
COUNTRY TO IMPROVE IT AND BRING
IT INTO THE 21st CENTURY.
PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD AN ENTIRE
TASK FORCE THAT CAME UP WITH
DOZENS OF RECOMMENDATIONS, NONE
OF WHICH WE’VE SEEN ON THE
FEDERAL LEVEL PUT INTO PLACE.
SO I SEE A LOT OF CONSTERNATION
NOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING
ABOUT THE PROTESTERS AND TALKING
ABOUT SOME OF THE VIOLENCE
THAT’S GOING ON AND I CONDEMN
VIOLENCE IN EVERY FORM, BUT GOD
BLESS AMERICA.
CAN’T WE REALIZE THAT WE ALSO
NEED TO CONDEMN THE CONDITIONS
THAT MAKE SUCH PROTESTS, SUCH
OUTRAGE, SUCH A REGULAR THING IN
OUR COUNTRY.
>> YOU’VE SPOKEN A LOT, I THINK
SORT OF BOTH IN YOUR PUBLIC LIFE
AND DURING YOUR PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN AND AS A SENATOR ABOUT
TRYING TO FIND COMMON GROUND AND
IT’S BEEN INTERESTING TO WATCH
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS STORY,
WHICH I’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE.
I REMEMBER THIS HAPPENED WITH
TRAYVON MARTIN AND GEORGE
ZIMMERMAN.
AT THE BEGINNING, THE INITIAL
RESPONSE WAS UNANIMOUS.
PEOPLE WATCH THAT VIDEO AND
THOUGHT THAT’S WRONG.
CONSERVES SAY THAT, LIBERALS SAY
THAT, ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE SAY
THAT.
THEY LOOK AT THAT VIDEO AND SAY
THAT’S UNJUST AND WRONG AND
TERRIBLE.
AS TIME GOES ON, THIS SORTING
HAPPENS AND YOU SEE CONSERVATIVE
MEDIA, CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS
TALK ABOUT THE LOOTING OR
RIOTING OR BURNING BUILDINGS AND
THAT BECOMES THE FOCUS AND
LIBERALS AND OTHERS TALK ABOUT
RACIAL INJUSTICE AND RACIAL
INEQUITY.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO
WATCHING THAT SORTING HAPPENING
PARTICULARLY WHEN IT IS
ENCOURAGED BY THE PRESIDENT?
>> WELL, THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T
SURPRISE ME.
THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO
ANYMORE THAT CAN SURPRISE ME,
SHOCK ME.
HE’S INCAPABLE OF BREAKING MY
HEART.
BUT I’M A BIG BELIEVER.
I SAY ALL THE TIME IF AMERICA
HASN’T BROKEN YOUR HEART, YOU
DON’T LOVE HER ENOUGH.
THERE ARE DEEP INJUSTICES.
THE REALITY FOR ISSUES LIKE THIS
AS TIME GOES ON BEYOND THIS IS
GOING TO BE THE TEST OF WHETHER
WE UNDERSTAND THAT PEACE IS NOT
NEARLY THE ABSENCE OF VIOLENCE
BUT THE PRESENCE OF JUSTICE AND
SO MANY PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN
THIS COUNTRY WITHOUT PEACE WITH
EVERY SINGLE DAY FEAR.
I THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THIS LAST
DAY OR TWO ABOUT JUST MY REGRET
THAT I AM NOW -- IT’S BEEN 30,
40 YEARS SINCE MY PARENTS HAD
THIS CONVERSATION WITH ME, WHERE
THERE WAS FEAR IN THEIR EYES AND
REALIZE MY PARENTS, MY HEROES
WERE AFRAID OF POLICE OFFICERS
AND I HAD THAT CONVERSATION.
I WISH WE LIVED IN A NATION THAT
30 PLUS YEARS LATER THERE
WEREN’T STILL HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PARENTS FEELING
LIKE THEY HAVE TO TEACH THEIR
BLACK BOYS HOW NOT TO GET KILLED
BY POLICE AND SO THERE’S A
CONSENSUS AND I KNOW THIS FROM
FRIENDS OF MINE ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE AISLE, THEY KNOW
RACISM EXISTS BUT I’M NOT A
RACIST.
THE QUESTION IF RACISM EXISTS IS
NOT ARE YOU OR ARE YOU NOT A
RACIST, IT’S ARE YOU OR ARE YOU
NOT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT
RACISM?
BECAUSE RACISM AND THE TOCCENSXI
THAT PROMOTE SUCH INJUSTICES IN
OUR SOCIETY DON’T JUST GO AWAY.
YOU HAVE TO BE -- IT’S NOT
ENOUGH NOT TO BE A RACIST AS
ANGELA DAVIS SAID, YOU HAVE TO
BE ACTIVELY CONFRONTING THE
TRUTH WITHIN OUR SOCIETY OF
RAISING IT UP SO THERE CAN BE A
DEEPER HEALING AND FINDING A
CONSTRUCTIVE LANGUAGE FOR OUR
COUNTRY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS
NOT ONLY AFTER SOME HORRIFIC ACT
OF VIOLENCE BUT IN THE AFTERMATH
OF THAT TO PREVENT MORE ACTS OF
VIOLENCE TO COME, WE HAVE WORK
TO DO IN THIS NATION TO HEAL AND
TO COME TOGETHER AND TO REALIZE
WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER AND WE
NEED EACH OTHER, BUT RIGHT NOW,
THE DATA THAT WE SEE FROM
EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION ALL THE
WAY TO MARIJUANA LAWS WHERE NO
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLACKS OR
WHITES FOR USING THE DRUG BUT
THERE WAS MORE MARIJUANA ARRESTS
IN 2017 THAN ALL VIOLENCE CRIME
ARRESTS COMBINED AND BLACKED
WERE FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO
BE ARRESTED FOR IT.
THESE ARE DATA POINTS THAT DO
NOT SPEAK TO THE HEART AND THE
REALITIES EACH DATA POINT IMPACT
THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
BEING DESTROYED AND CAN’T GET A
JOB, CAN’T GET A LOAN FROM THE
BANK FOR DOING THINGS TWO OF THE
LAST THREE PRESIDENTS ADMITTED
TO DOING.
THERE HAS TO BE PEOPLE RIGHT NOW
SITTING AT HOME WATCHING THIS,
WATCHING WHAT IS GOING ON.
THEY CANNOT ALLOW THEIR
INABILITYIN
INABILITY TO DO EVERYTHING ABOUT
THE PROBLEM IN AMERICA TO STOP
THEM FROM DOING SOMETHING MORE
THAN THEY DID IN THE LAST
STRETCH SINCE THE LAST VIDEOTAPE
CAPTURED WHAT IS A REGULAR
OCCURRENCE IN AMERICA.
IF YOU ARE NOT CHANGING, THEN
NOTHING WILL CHANGE IN THIS
COUNTRY.
>> SENATOR CORY BOOKER WHO JOINS
US FROM HIS HOMETOWN OF NEWARK,
NEW JERSEY TONIGHT WHERE HE WAS
THE MAYOR.
OVER SAW THAT POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THEY ARE PUTTING IN PLACE SOME
INTERESTING REFORMS YOU CAN READ
UP ON AND NOW THE SENATOR FOR
NEW JERSEY.
SENATOR, AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME.
>> NO, THANK YOU, AND YOU HAVE
BEEN A TRUTH TELLER ON THIS
ISSUE EVEN WHEN IT WAS NOT
COMFORTABLE AND CONVENIENT OR
THE NEWS OF THE DAY AND THAT’S
WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW, CHRIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR PUSHING THIS
AND LET’S MAKE SURE THREE OR
FOUR MONTHS FROM NOW, IT DOESN’T
JUST PASS FROM THE HEADLINES.
I HOPE YOU AND I CAN CONTINUE TO
BE AGENTS TO INSPIRE THE