ELECTED IS HANG NOW -- HAPPENING
NOW ON HIS WATCH AND HE CAN’T
REALLY EXPLAIN THAT.
>> ALSO DIFFERENT IN 2020,
THERE’S A MOVEMENT FOR RACIAL
JUSTICE IN THIS COUNTRY THAT HAS
THE SUPPORT OF 75% OR 80% OF THE
POPULATION.
LET’S TURN TO CIVIL RIGHTS
GROUPS NOW MEETING WITH FACEBOOK
CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG YESTERDAY AS
PART OF THE STOP HATE FOR PROFIT
CAMPAIGN WHICH ADVERTISED AN AD
BOYCOTT OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA
GIANT.
BUT ACCORDING TO THE BOYCOTT’S
ORGANIZERS, YESTERDAY’S MEETING
WAS A, QUOTE, DISAPPOINTMENT.
THE CAMPAIGN RELEASED A
STATEMENT, WHICH READS THIS
WAY -- "INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY
RESPONDING TO THE DEMANDS OF
DOZENS OF PLATFORMS’ LARGEST
ADVERTISERS THAT HAVE JOINED THE
AD BOYCOTT DURING THE MONTH OF
JULY, FACEBOOK WANTS US TO
ACCEPT THE SAME OLD RHETORIC,
REPACKAGED AS A FRESH RESPONSE."
FOR ITS PART, FACEBOOK SAID THE
MEETING, "WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
US TO HEAR FROM THE CAMPAIGN
ORGANIZERS AND REAFFIRM OUR
COMMITMENT TO COMBATING HATE ON
OUR PLATFORM," ADDING, "WE KNOW
WE WILL BE JUDGED BY OUR
ACTIONS, NOT BY OUR WORDS, AND
ARE GRATEFUL TO THESE GROUPS AND
MANY OTHERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED
ENGAGEMENT."
JOINING US NOW, SOMEONE WHO WAS
INSIDE YESTERDAY’S MEETING,
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE NAACP
DERRICK JOHNSON.
DERRICK, IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU
AGAIN.
SO, TAKE US INSIDE THAT ROOM, IF
YOU WILL, WITH MARK ZUCKERBERG
AND SHERYL SANDBERG.
YOU LAID OUT YOUR CASE AND THEY
SAID WHAT?
>> WELL, IT WAS THE SAME
INFORMATION WE’VE HEARD BEFORE.
THERE WAS NOTHING NEW.
IN FACT, THEY ASKED US FOR THE
MEETING.
WE PROVIDED THEM WITH
INFORMATION.
THEY’VE HAD IT FOR OVER THREE
WEEKS.
AND WE GET ON THE PHONE AND THEY
WANT US TO REHASH WHAT WE HAD
ALREADY SENT TO THEM.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS A WASTE OF
TIME.
THEY ARE TONE-DEAF TO WHAT
CORPORATIONS ARE SAYING.
THEY ARE TONE-DEAF TO WHAT MANY
PEOPLE ACROSS THIS COUNTRY ARE
SAYING.
AND WE SIMPLY WANT A PLATFORM
THAT PROTECTS PEOPLE AND
PROTECTS OUR DEMOCRACY.
>> SO, LET’S BE SPECIFIC,
MR. JOHNSON, ABOUT WHAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUT OF
FACEBOOK.
WHAT ARE TWO OR THREE THINGS
THAT YOU THINK FACEBOOK COULD DO
THIS MORNING THAT WOULD HELP
PROTECT PEOPLE FROM THE HATE AND
THE BILE THAT’S SPEWED ON
FACEBOOK?
>> THEY NEED TO BE MORE
AGGRESSIVE WITH REMOVING WHITE
SUPREMACIST GROUPS OFF THE
PLATFORM SO THE PLATFORM IS NOT
USED BY THOSE GROUPS TO RECRUIT
AND PLAN THESE THAT CAUSE HARM
TO INDIVIDUALS.
THEY NEED SENIOR-LEVEL
INDIVIDUALS, CIVIL RIGHTS
EXPERIENCE WITHIN THAT STRUCTURE
SO THEY UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE
SENSITIVITY OF THE INFORMATION
THAT’S BROUGHT ACROSS THE
PLATFORM.
THEY NEED TO COMPLETELY DO AWAY
WITH ANY POLITICIAN PERCEPTIONS.
THERE IS NO WAY SOMEONE, NO
MATTER WHAT OFFICE THEY HOLD,
SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY WHEN THE
LOOTING STARTS, THE SHOOTING
BEGINS.
THAT’S A DIRECT THREAT TO
AFRICAN-AMERICANS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
AND THEY COMPLETELY MISSED THAT.
THEY LET THAT STAY UP THERE.
AND THEY HAVE TO REMOVE THE
REVIEW OF CONTENT FROM THEIR
POLICY SHOP.
THEIR POLICY SHOP IS TOO CLOSE
WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION.
THEY ARE PANDERING TO THIS
ADMINISTRATION SH AS OPPOSED TO
HAVING A PLATFORM THAT PUT
PARTISANSHIP BELOW THE QUESTION
OF RACE.
RACE SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS A
PARTISAN CONVERSATION.
IT IS AN AMERICAN CONVERSATION
THAT WE MUST ADDRESS ONCE AND
FOR ALL.
>> YOUR ARGUMENT SOUNDS CRYSTAL
CLEAR AND PROBABLY DOES TO
ALMOST EVERYONE WATCHING, SO WHY
DIDN’T IT GET THROUGH TO MARK
ZUCKERBERG ON THAT CALL
YESTERDAY?
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT’S THEIR
RESPONSE?
WHAT DO THEY SAY IN DEFENSE OF
LEAVING UP WHITE SUPREMACIST
GROUPS WHO CAN CONGREGATE AND
PLOT ON FACEBOOK?
>> WELL, IT WAS VERY CLEAR.
THEY SAID, WE AGREE WITH YOU.
THERE’S JUST SOME NUANCES WE
NEED TO DISCUSS.
MANY OF THE GROUPS HAVE BEEN
TALKING TO FACEBOOK FOR OVER TWO
YEARS.
WE’VE HEARD MANY OF THE
RESPONSES.
NOW WE ARE WAITING FOR SOME
OUTCOMES.
THEY ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH
DIALOGUE THAN ACTION.
IT IS TIME FOR ACTION.
WE NEED TO PROTECT THIS YEAR’S
ELECTION.
WE NEED TO PROTECT HUMANS WHO
HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO THE RACIAL
HATE TARGET, WHETHER IT’S THE
LATINO COMMUNITY,
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, ANTI-SEMITIC
SENTIMENTS ON THAT PLATFORM.
THIS PLATFORM IS SO LARGE, IT’S
LIKE A PUBLIC UTILITIES.
THERE IS NO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
THERE IS NO SHAREHOLDER INTEREST
TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
THERE IS NO GOVERNMENTAL
REGULATION TO HOLD THEM
ACCOUNTABLE.
THERE’S ONLY ONE PERSON WHO OWNS
60% OF THE STOCK THAT MAKES ALL
THE DECISIONS.
THERE’S NO ALTERNATIVE TO THIS
PLATFORM.
WE AS A SOCIETY MUST DEMAND MORE
FROM COMPANIES WHO ARE SO
SITUATED THAT THEY OPERATE LIKE
A PUBLIC UTILITY AND THERE IS NO
ACCOUNTABILITY.
>> YAMICHE ALCINDOR HAS A
QUESTION FOR YOU.
YAMICHE?
>> GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR TAKING MY QUESTION,
DERRICK.
I HAVE A TWO-FOLD QUESTION.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> THE FIRST IS, TELL ME A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY YOU THINK
FACEBOOK IS TOO CLOSE TO THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN, IN PARTICULAR.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?
WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD?
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THAT
RELATIONSHIP?
AND SECOND, WHAT WERE THE ACTION
ITEMS, IF AT ALL, THAT CAME OUT
OF THAT CALL?
DID YOU LEAVE THAT CALL
THINKING, OKAY, FACEBOOK IS
GOING TO DO ONE, TWO, AND THREE?
>> WELL, I LEFT THAT CALL
DISAPPOINTED.
THE ONLY THING WE REALIZED WHAT
FACEBOOK WAS GOING TO DO WAS THE
SAME THING THEY’VE ALWAYS DONE,
HAVE A REALLY BEAUTIFUL DIALOGUE
WITH NO OUTCOME.
WE’VE HAD NO OUTCOME.
THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS ENJOYED
A VERY COMFORTABLE RELATIONSHIP
WITH FACEBOOK.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT TWITTER, AND
THEY STOOD UP AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT, AND THEY SIMPLY PUT A
FACT CHECK ON HIS POST.
IT WAS MARK ZUCKERBERG WHO WENT
ON THE NEWS AND CRITICIZED JACK
DORSEY FOR DOING SO.
WITH THE SHOOT AND LOOT COMMENT,
AS OPPOSED TO ADDRESS THE POST
AND TAKE IT DOWN, IT WAS
RECEIVED -- A CALL WAS PLACED TO
THE WHITE HOUSE TO HAVE A
CONVERSATION.
WE HAVE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THIS.
THE 2016 ELECTION WAS A
MANIPULATED BY A FOREIGN NATION,
RUSSIA, ON THAT PLATFORM, PAYING
WITH RUSSIAN CURRENCY FOR GROUPS
CALLING THEMSELVES BLACK LIVES
MATTER THAT DIDN’T EXIST.
THEY SOLD HATE TO CREATE A
DIFFERENT LEVEL OF ENERGY TO
IMPACT THE 2016 ELECTIONS.
THAT SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED.
THAT SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED.
>> PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE
NAACP DERRICK JOHNSON, THANK YOU