WE TRADE MILD FOR HOT AND DRY
FOR OFF-AND-ON STORMY.
WE COVER THAT COMING UP IN A
FEW MINUTES.
EARLIER THIS MORNING, WE SAT
DOWN WITH MINNESOTA ATTORNEY
GENERAL KEITH ELLISON.
JOINING US RIGHT NOW IS
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN
THIS MORNING.
I KNOW THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
I'M A LITTLE FATIGUED BUT
FINE AND ENERGIZED.
THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE
DONE AND I'M UP FOR IT.
YOU MUST BE RELIEVED.
FOR MANY REASONS.
I WAS SO GLAD THAT LAST NIGHT
SEEMED TO BE MUCH BETTER.
HOPEFULLY TONIGHT WILL BE EVEN
BETTER.
THAT IS A RELIEF.
I WILL AGREE.
, THAT THIS ISN'T YOUR
WHEELHOUSE, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY
IDEA WHY THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT
KIND OF SHOW OF FORCE THE NIGHT
BEFORE?
YOU THAT THREE NIGHTS AGO WHERE
THEY BURN DOWN A PRECINCT.
WHY NOT HAVE THE SHOW OF FORCE
THE NEXT NIGHT?
I WOULD BE SPECTATING IF I
OFFERED AN OPINION.
I WILL SAY THIS, I THINK THE
GOVERNOR WANTED TO GIVE
EVERYBODY AS MUCH OPPORTUNITY
AS THEY COULD TO SORT OF COMPLY
AND THEN WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR
THAT THIS THING WAS GOING UP,
HE KNEW THAT HE WANTED TO BE A
LITTLE BIT MORE FORCEFUL.
BUT RESTRAINT WAS SOMETHING
THAT WE WERE HOPING FOR. BUT I
WOULD DEFER THAT TO THE
COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
HE WOULD SPEAK FOR THAT MUCH OF
IT ON ME.
THERE'S BEEN SO MANY
INCIDENCES AND PROTESTS AROUND
THE COUNTRY.
THIS WAS GOING ON FOR A LONG
TIME.
THIS REALLY FEELS DIFFERENT TO
ME AS A JOURNALIST.
JUST FEEL DIFFERENT TO YOU?
YES, IT DOES.
BUT IT FEELS LIKE THE LOGICAL
EXTENSION OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AND
EVEN DECADES.
IN THE 1960S, THERE WERE A LOT
OF CIVIL DISTURBANCES IN THE
ISSUED SOMETHING CALLED THE
KERNER COMMISSION REPORT, 68.
TWO NATIONS.
AND IT SAID LOOK, THE
KINDLING FOR THE DISTURBANCE
MAY HAVE BEEN JOBLESSNESS AND
DISCRIMINATION, BUT THE SPARK
IS ALWAYS VERY NEGATIVE
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN POLICE AND
COMMUNITY AND IT IS STILL TRUE.
WE HAVE MORE INEQUALITY AND
MORE DISPARITY THAN WE DID IN
THE 60s IN MANY WAYS.
THE MINIMUM WAGE IS NOT KEPT UP
WITH WHAT IT IS IN THE 60s.
AND SO THE POLICE INTERACTIONS
WITH THE COMMUNITY ARE INTENSE
AND THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
BE EXPLOSIVE.
WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT.
SYSTEMIC CHANGES, THAT'S WHAT
WE HAVE TO DO RIGHT NOW.
YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE TOP LAW-
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL IN THE
STATE OF MINNESOTA, YOU KNOW
HOW TOUGH IT IS TO PROSECUTE
POLICE OFFICERS. PEOPLE ARE
DEMANDING THAT THE OTHER THREE
OFFICERS ALSO BE CHARGED.
I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE,
SMART PEOPLE THAT SAY THAT WILL
BE TOUGH, ESPECIALLY FOR THE
TWO OFFICERS THAT WERE AT THE
END OF IT STILL HOLDING THEM
DOWN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I THINK THAT ANY TIME YOU
PROSECUTE THE POLICE, IT WILL
BE DIFFICULT.
LET ME JUST REMIND PEOPLE ABOUT
HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO GET A
CONVICTION IN THE WALTER SCOTT
CASE, THAT'S THE CASE WHERE HE
WAS RUNNING WITH THE OFFICER IN
SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE OFFICER
TOOK A STANCE AND JUST SHOT HIM
DOWN.
THAT JURY HUNG AND IN THE
RODNEY KING CASE, THOSE PEOPLE
WERE ACQUITTED.
THERE'S BEEN MANY OTHER CASES
THROUGHOUT PROSECUTING A POLICE
OFFICER IS NOT EASY EVEN AMONG
THE MOST CULPABLE.
THEY SAY OF COURSE THAT PERSON
IS CLEARLY GUILTY, BUT BY THE
TIME IT GETS TO TRIAL, THAT'S A
DIFFERENT STORY.
HIGHLY SKILLED DEFENSE
ATTORNEYS WHO ARE TRYING TO
BREAK EVERY SINGLE LINK.
A LOT OF TIMES, JURORS RESOLVE
ALL DOUBTS IN FAVOR OF THE
POLICE.
SO THE PROSECUTION IS TO MAKE
SURE THEY HAVE A VERY SOLID
CASE.
I WILL SAY IT WILL BE
DIFFICULT.
IT'S POSSIBLE AND IT IS JUST
AND IT IS RIGHT TO DO SO.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW TO
MINNESOTA?
I'M A PARENT AND YOU ARE A
PARENT, BUT I'M NOT A PARENT OF
COLOR.
YOU HAVE FOUR YOUNG ADULT
CHILDREN INCLUDING THREE SONS.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT
THAT?
I FEAR FOR THEM EVERY DAY.
MY SON IS A CITY COUNCILMEMBER.
HE'S MY CITY COUNCILMEMBER.
HE IS SO EARNEST AND SINCERE
ABOUT GETTING JUSTICE AND
HAVING A BETTER COMMUNITY, WE
DO WHAT IS OUR FAMILY TRADITION
TO DO, WE DO SERVICE TO THE
PUBLIC.
THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
THAT IS ALL THAT WE CAN DO.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO
ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN
CONTINUALLY GET UP IN THE
MORNING AND TRY TO MAKE A
POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO OUR
COMMUNITY.
SO THAT IS WHAT WE DO.
WE NEED TO DO MORE THAN SEEK
JUSTICE FOR MR. FLOYD, WE NEED
TO DIG INTO THE SYSTEMIC
IMPROVEMENT.
I WILL SAY THIS TO YOU, HERE'S
A STEP TWO, 27% OF AFRICAN
AMERICANS OWN THEIR OWN HOME IN
MINNESOTA.
ABOUT 70+2 IN THE WHITE
COMMUNITY.
ABOUT THE AVERAGE INCOME FOR
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN MINNESOTA
WAS ABOUT 32,000 UNTIL THE
DROPPED TO ABOUT 27,000.
IT HAS CREPT UP A LITTLE, BUT
IN MINNESOTA, THE AVERAGE IS
ABOUT 68,000.
THE INCOME DISPARITIES, THE
HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES, THE
INCARCERATION DISPARITIES, THE
ARREST DISPARITIES HAVE, THEY
ARE VERY STARK AND THAT IS WHAT
FUELS THIS OVERALL PROBLEM.
MR. ATTORNEY GENERAL, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING IN.