>> IT’S JUST DIFFICULT TO WATCH.
>> THAT WAS GABE GUTIERREZ
REPORTING THERE.
THE PUSH TO REFORM POLICING IN
AMERICA HAS MADE ITS WAY FROM
THE STREETS TO THE U.S. CAPITAL
NOW.
DEMOCRATS UNVEILED A BILL THAT
WOULD BOOST LAW ENFORCEMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY AND ALSO CHANGE
POLICE PRACTICES NATIONWIDE.
SENATOR CORY BOOKER IS ONE OF
THE LAWMAKERS WHO DRAFTED THAT
BILL
HE JOINS US NOW.
SENATOR, GOOD MORNING TO YOU,
SIR.
ON MONDAY YOU ALONGSIDE SENATOR
KAMALA HARRIS FROM CALIFORNIA,
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
DEMOCRATS, YOU UNVEILED THE
JUSTICE AND POLICING ACT OF
2020
AS YOU KNOW, THERE’S BEEN THIS
CALL TO DEFUND THE POLICE ALL
OVER AMERICA NOW
YOUR BILL DOES NOT ADDRESS
DEFUNDING THE POLICE, BUT THERE
SEEMS TO BE CONFUSION OVER WHAT
THAT MEANS
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU
DEFUNDING THE POLICE
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO
SAY THE BILL IS THE MOST
SWEEPING POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY
BILL, BUT A LOT OF FOLKS FROM
LAW ENFORCEMENT TO THE CIVIL
RIGHTS COMMUNITY JUST CALL IT
COMMON SENSE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE
TRANSPARENCY INTO OUR POLICE
ACTIVITIES, THEIR MISCONDUCT AS
WELL AS THEIR USE OF FORCE
THAT WE SHOULD BAN CERTAIN
PRACTICES THAT SEEMS TO LEAD TO
DEATH LIKE CHOKE HOLDS WHICH
MANY CITIES HAVE ALREADY DONE.
SO THIS IS A POWERFUL BILL
WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POWERFUL IF
IT WEREN’T FOR ALL THE KIND OF
NON-VIOLENT PROTESTS IN THE
COUNTRY.
I’M EXCITED ABOUT IT
BUT TO YOUR QUESTION, I THINK WE
ALL NEED TO BE PUBLIC SAFETY
ADVOCATES.
AND WHILE MANY PEOPLE MIGHT NOT
BE ABLE TO GET BEYOND THOSE
WORDS, THE THREE WORDS, THE
REALITY IS WE HAVE A HUGE DEGREE
OF COMMONALITY IN THIS COUNTRY
WHERE WE KNOW ABOUT 20% OF THE
PEOPLE WE ARREST ARE FOR DRUG
ADDICTION AND ABUSE.
AND IT’S BETTER DEALT WITH
THROUGH TREATMENT AND
COUNSELING
WE KNOW THAT MENTAL HEALTH IS A
SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT WE TREAT
WITH PRISONS AND POLICE OPPOSED
TO HEALTH CARE
SO IF YOU START JUST FOCUSING ON
PUBLIC SAFETY, POLICE THEMSELVES
WILL TELL YOU THAT WE ARE
OVER-RELIANT ON POLICE AND NOT
DOING THE THINGS THAT REALLY
STRENGTHEN OUR SOCIETY, EMPOWER
PEOPLE WHO ARE AT POINTS OF
FRAGILITY AND REALLY MAKE US A
MORE BELOVED COMMUNITY THAT’S
SAFER AND FRANKLY LESS ON
TAXPAYER DOLLARS
BUT WE HAVE BECOME A NATION OF
MASS INCARCERATION
5% OF THE GLOBE’S POPULATION,
ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR
INCARCERATED HUMAN BEINGS ON THE
PLANET ARE IN OUR NATION
IN FACT, ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE
WOMEN INCARCERATED ON THE PLANET
EARTH ARE HERE IN AMERICA.
OVERWHELMINGLY NONVIOLENT AND
PEOPLE THAT NEED HELP IN
CRITICAL SERVICES.
>> SENATOR, IT DOES SOUND LIKE
YOU THINK ALONG THE LINES OF
WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF
FOLKS OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS,
THAT WE’RE ASKING LAW
ENFORCEMENT TO DO THINGS NOW
THAT 20 YEARS AGO THEY WERE NOT
DOING.
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT, THOUGH,
THEN DO YOU ALSO BELIEVE THAT
RESOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN
ALLOCATED FOR CERTAIN THINGS
SHOULD BE REDIRECTED
PERHAPS BUDGETS IN NEW JERSEY
AND NEW YORK AND OTHER MAJOR
METROPOLITAN AREAS SPECIFICALLY
POLICE BUDGETS, ARE THEY TOO
LARGE?
SHOULD THAT BE REDIRECTED TO
SOCIAL PROGRAMS?
>> WE AS A SOCIETY HAVE DEFUNDED
THINGS
WE DEFUNDED PUBLIC EDUCATION IN
AMERICA IN PAINFUL WAYS THAT
HAVE COST -- HAVE HAD A COST
IF YOU THINK EDUCATION IS
EXPENSIVE, TRY IGNORANCE WHICH
IS FAR MORE EXPENSIVE.
WE HAVE DEFUNDED MENTAL HEALTH
CARE
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE EXPLICIT
DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT INVESTMENTS
ARE.
AS A GUY WHO HAS WORKED ON THE
FRONT LINES OF PUBLIC SAFETY, I
REMEMBER SITTING WITH THE HEAD
OF THE FBI IN NEW JERSEY AND HIM
LOOKING AT ME DESCRIBING A LOT
OF INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION
ABOUT GANG VIOLENCE.
I LOOKED AT HIM AND SAID, HOW DO
WE SOLVE THIS?
HE JUST SHOOK HIS HEAD AND SAID,
WE DON’T SOLVE THIS PROBLEM.
IN OTHER WORDS, HE WAS SAYING
THAT POLICE ARE TREATING THE
SYMPTOMS OF DEEPER PROBLEMS THAT
WE AS SOCIETY HAVE FAILED TO
INVEST BY MAKING -- ADDRESS BY
MAKING THE RIGHT INVESTMENTS
SO THERE’S A WHOLE LOT OF COMMON
GROUND
THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE
AMERICANS AS A WHOLE KNOW THAT
WE ARE A CARING AND BELOVED
SOCIETY.
RIGHT NOW OUR POLICIES DON’T
REFLECT THOSE VALUES
WE NEED TO START INVESTING IN
EACH OTHER
THAT REALLY WILL CREATE A
GREATER PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND THOSE PEOPLE IN THE STREETS
THAT ARE CHALLENGING US, WE’VE
GROWN COMFORTABLE WITH A BROKEN
SYSTEM, GOD BLESS THEM
BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN NONVIOLENT
PROTESTERS REALLY SHAKING THE
CONSCIENCE OF A COUNTRY MAKING
THEM FACE THE JAGGED BROKEN
EDGES TO HEAL AND BECOME BETTER.
>> BEFORE I LET YOU GO, THERE
WAS THIS NEWS CONFERENCE
YESTERDAY I’M SURE YOU SAW IT.
NEW YORK LAW ENFORCEMENT UNION
HEADS REALLY HAD SOME STRONG
WORDS FOR LAWMAKERS LIKE
YOURSELF, FOR JOURNALISTS AS
WELL
A LOT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICERS FEEL VILIFIED RIGHT NOW
IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE
OFFICERS WHO FEEL UNDER ATTACK
>> WELL, LOOK.
I HOPE FOLKS TAKE TIME TO LOOK
AT THE LEGISLATURE WE PUT
TOGETHER ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
THIS REFLECTS OUR VALUES BANNING
THESE NO KNOCK WARRANTS THAT LED
TO THE DEATH OF BREONNA TAYLOR
ANYBODY WHO’S SITTING AT HOME
AND HAS PLAIN CLOTHES PEOPLE
CHARGING INTO YOUR HOUSE WITH
WEAPONS DRAWN WILL TAKE MEASURES
TO DEFEND THEMSELVES
THIS IS A NATION THAT HAS COMMON
SENSE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN
CALLED FOR FRANKLY DECADES AGO
BEFORE I WAS BORN IN THE KERNER
REPORT
THERE ARE ROOTS OF INJUSTICE WE
SHOULD ADDRESS THAT POLICE
OFFICERS AROUND THIS COUNTRY
UNDERSTAND THE LEVELS OF
ACCOUNTABILITY THEY SHOULD BE
HELD TO BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE
POWER TO KILL AND TO MAKE THEM
IMMUNE FROM PROSECUTION WHEN
THEY DO HORRIBLY WRONG MEANS WE
ARE NOT A NATION THAT IS EQUAL