>>> ONE OF THE BIGGEST
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THIS CASE
AND SO MANY OTHER CASES OF
POLICE BRUTALITY, THIS WAS NOT A
SHOOTING.
THIS WAS NINE MINUTES OF A MAN
WITH A SMUG LOOK ON HIS FACE,
KNEELING ON ANOTHER MAN’S NECK.
HE WOULDN’T HAVE DONE THAT TO A
DOG IN THE STREET.
TO DO THAT TO A BLACK MAN AT
38th AND CHICAGO WHERE THE WHOLE
WORLD SAW IT, I JUST CAN’T
IMAGINE THERE NOT BEING A
CONVICTION.
>> WHAT A SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL
POINT SHE MAKES.
IN HIS COLUMN TONIGHT, EUGENE
ROBINSON OF "THE WASHINGTON
POST" WRITES, REMEMBER THAT
CHAUVIN IS THE MAN ON TRIAL, NOT
FLOYD.
THE ONLY REASON POLICE
APPROACHED FLOYD IN THE FIRST
PLACE WAS THAT THEY SUSPECTED
HIM OF A MINOR, NON-VIOLENT
OFFENSE.
HIS PLEAS THAT THEY’RE GOING TO
KILL ME, THAT HE’S DYING.
REMEMBER, THAT THE U.S. CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM IS ON TRIAL AS
WELL.
AND REMEMBER THAT QUITE
LITERALLY THE WHOLE WORLD IS
WATCHING.
BACK WITH US TONIGHT, JASON
JOHNSON.
AND TIM MILLER AS WELL.
GOOD EVENING TO YOU BOTH.
PROOF OF WHY OUR FRIEND EUGENE
HAS THE PULITZER PRIZE, I WANT
TO ALSO PLAY FOR YOU SOME
COMMENTS FROM BEN CRUMP.
>> WE ALL KNOW, WE CAN NEVER
TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT A POLICE
OFFICER WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE
FOR KILLING A BLACK PERSON
UNJUSTIFIABLY.
EVEN THOUGH WE THINK THE VIDEO
IS VERY COMPELLING, THAT WE
UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A
REFERENDUM ON CAN BLACK PEOPLE
GET EQUAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA.
>> PROFESSOR, I’M GOING TO GO
AHEAD AND ASSUME THAT YOU AGREE
WITH MR. CRUMP’S CENTRAL POINT,
AS WELL AS EUGENE’S CENTRAL
POINT THAT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM ITSELF IS ON TRIAL HERE.
>> I AGREE AND DISAGREE, BRIAN.
BECAUSE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM IS ALWAYS ON TRIAL.
EVEN IF DEREK CHAUVIN GETS
CONVICTED, IT DOESN’T MEAN IT’S
A GOOD SYSTEM OR THAT BLACK
PEOPLE ARE TREATED FAIRLY.
WE’VE SEEN WITH TAMIR RICE,
TRAYVON MARTIN, THERE HAVE BEEN
SO MANY INSTANCES OF POLICE
OFFICERS AND RANDOM WHITE
INDIVIDUALS SHOOTING AND KILLING
BLACK PEOPLE AND NOT FACING ANY
CONSEQUENCES.
THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR
INSTANCE, IF THIS MANS GOES TO
JAIL, IT DOES MEAN THE SYSTEM IS
FINE.
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, A POLICE OFFICER WAS ACCUSED OF SERIALLY
OFFICER WAS ACCUSED OF SERIALLY
RAPING BLACK WOMEN IN THE CITY.
THIS MAY BE A BRIDGE TOO FAR,
BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN ALL THE
BRIDGES THAT HAVE BEEN BURNED BY
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM HAVE
BEEN FIXED IN AMERICA.
>> TIM, YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO AND
WITH A FOCUS GROUP OF
SPECIFICALLY OLDER WHITE VOTERS.
I’M TOLD THERE’S NO VIDEO OR
AUDIO OF THIS BECAUSE IT WAS A
CONDITION OF THEM BEING ABLE TO
SPEAK FREELY AND NOT BE RECORDED
DOING SO.
BUT HAVING EXPERIENCED IT, TIM,
WHAT IS THAT AUDIENCE LIKELY TO
TAKE AWAY FROM THIS TRIAL?
>> LOOK, BRIAN, IT WAS ONE OF
THE MORE SHOCKING FOCUS GROUPS.
WE DID A LOT OF THEM LAST YEAR
WHEN I WAS WORKING FOR
REPUBLICAN VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP.
NATURALLY, WE WERE TALKING TO
REPUBLICAN VOTERS.
NOT JUST OLDER WHITE VOTERS, IT
WAS OLDER, WHITE REPUBLICAN
VOTERS.
I WAS BRACING FOR THE WORST, BUT
IN THESE SWING STATES,
REPEATEDLY AND ACROSS MULTIPLE
FOCUS GROUPS, WE HEARD FROM
OLDER WHITE VOTERS THAT WERE
SAYING THAT THEIR CONSCIENCES
WERE SHOCKED BY THE GEORGE FLOYD
VIDEO.
IT MADE THEM THINK TWICE ABOUT
PLACING AND MAYBE CHANGED SOME
OF THEIR VIEWS.
ONE WOMAN TALKED ABOUT HER
CHILDREN, AND HOW THEY WERE OUT
IN THE STREETS AND PROTESTING,
AND HOW SHE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND
WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS TRIAL,
YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM BEING ON
TRIAL, IT’S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY
TO GALVANIZE MAYBE PEOPLE WHO
WOULDN’T BE ON THE SIDE OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
NATIONALLY, WOULD ENCOURAGE IT.
AND MAYBE THERE’S THAT POTENTIAL
OPPORTUNITY HERE. AND MAYBE THAT’S A MINOR GREEN
AND MAYBE THAT’S A MINOR GREEN
CHUTE IN THIS HORRIBLE,
UNCONSCIONABLE EVENT.
>> IS THE NATION PREPARED FOR A
NOT GUILTY VERDICT.
>> BRIAN, BLACK AMERICA IS USED
TO IT.
TALKING TO MY OTHER PROFESSIONAL COLLEAGUES, NONE OF US WOULD BE
COLLEAGUES, NONE OF US WOULD BE
SHOCKED IF DEREK CHAUVIN GOT OFF
SCOT FREE.
GETTING AWAY WITH KILLING SANDRA
BLAND, BOTHAM JEAN IN HIS HOUSE.
WHEN SOMEONE WHITE IS HELD
ACCOUNTABLE IN THIS COUNTRY FOR
KILLING SOMEBODY BLACK, WE’RE
ALWAYS SHOCKED.
WE’RE USED TO NOTHING HAPPENING. IF CHAUVIN GETS OFF FREE, THERE
IF CHAUVIN GETS OFF FREE, THERE
WILL DEFINITELY BE PROTESTS AND
ANGER.
BUT WE’RE ALMOST DESENSITIZED, A
LOT OF BLACK AMERICA, TO HOW BAD