- You know what? You're not in trouble.
Can you come into the precinct for me?
- No.
- If you didn't do anything wrong,
what do you have to hide?
- No.
Everything can be dealt with here, right?
- Am I suspected of committing a crime,
or am I free to go?
Am I suspected of committing a crime,
or am I free to go?
And say, "You know what, police?
I'm gonna call Black Lives Matter."
You tell them, "I'm gonna call Lex,
and she's coming right over here."
How do I look?
Ooh, I'm glad I looked at that.
I'm Lex.
I'm the founder of Black Lives Matter Utah.
Okay.
My start to activism
was in 2014, 2015
when Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner
were murdered.
In recent years,
homicides committed by police
were ranked the second-highest rate of death
in the state.
And Utah has the highest rate of in-custody deaths
in the nation.
- What are you doing, dude? What are you doing?
- Police here are a fraternity of bullies.
- Man, I'm on the ground! Why are you fighting me?
- A Black person is a suspect immediately.
I've been profiled many times driving.
That's one of the reasons my wife does most of the driving.
- When I was with my wife, who is white, and my kids,
a police officer pulled me over.
He came over to my wife's side of the vehicle
and proceeded to ask her if she was there of her own volition
and if I had raped her or anything like that
while our kids are in the back of the van.
- September 10th I get a phone call
that a police officer
shot and killed my cousin Bobby Duckworth.
Bobby was experiencing a mental-health crisis.
Police showed up, shot and killed him.
Shot him seven times.
- On March 23, 2019,
our son had been shot 11 times in his home by police.
Jamal will be permanently disabled
for the rest of his life.
- I moved to Utah when I was one year old,
and the bullying started in my life here.
Kids making fun of my hair.
Kids making fun of my butt.
A kid would drive by my house in the middle of the night
and scream, "We're gonna kill you, N-word!"
And sometimes it was physical abuse.
I was being raped every day
by my day-care provider.
So I was just victimized.
But I grew up,
and I'm angry.
If you mess with a Black kid,
I am coming for you.
I will be the person I needed when I was a kid.
Our organizational structure
is truly a multipronged approach.
We hit the streets to protest police
who brutalize and murder people.
We work with legislators on both sides of the aisle
to pass legislation
that would stop police brutality from occurring.
And we also work with police
to hold them accountable for their actions
and to correct the wrongs that they've already committed.
[cheers and applause] Oh, I can't hear you.
[loud cheers and applause]
- I went to my first protest, and I saw Lex on the stage,
and I got chills.
This is who I want to follow.
- Activism is the hardest thing I've ever done.
Doors have been slammed in my face.
I've been called too controversial.
- if you're outspoken here, you're watched.
On top of that, you're getting death threats.
- Don't you pull that [bleep] gun out!
- Some people think we're terrorists.
We are hunted by white supremacists
and by several militia groups.
- You don't need to know my name.
- It's like trauma, death, infighting,
and failure.
Morning. - Morning.
Do you know most people don't eat fried chicken
for breakfast?
- Did you know most people don't film their daughters
while they're eating? - [laughs]
You have to have a sense of humor to survive civil rights.
So we use comedy to make things light in the house for Bliss,
for everybody.
This is my husband.
What are you guys doing now?
- Just hanging out. [chuckles]
Look at me. One, two, three.
[camera shutter clicks]
- I have such a beautiful family.