Never before in American history
has there been an uprising like this--
exactly like this--
where you have huge numbers of people
coming out every single day
in every single state in the country.
And it's particularly notable
because it's almost completely spontaneous.
Usually, big demonstrations take months of planning,
publicizing, getting permits.
These ones are just, "Hey, yo, meet me outside
in five minutes," and people are there.
Since starting in Minnesota
after the murder of George Floyd,
these protests for black lives have spread
like nobody could have imagined.
From tens of thousands of people in big, multi-ethnic cities
to 200 people in towns that are 90% white.
And now, even more impressive,
is that this protest
has started blowing up all over the world.
REPORTER: In Paris they marched,
as they did in Rome and Tokyo.
In Hungary, a silent crowd took a knee
for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Covid-19 kept Thai protestors off the streets
but on screen in a massive Zoom session.
In London, joining this protest
mattered far more than the lockdown rules.
Thousands, many masked against coronavirus,
gathered outside the American embassy.
Your message is heard over here.
And... and we'll keep fighting the same fight that you are.
We'll keep fighting the same fight that you are.
Yeah.
That right there-- that right there--
is why this movement has become as big as it has.
Because everyone-- everyone--
is now realizing that we're all in the same fight.
Like, these protests may have been sparked by one killing
in one American city, but the truth is...
the truth is that
if you are a black person
or a minority or a poor person
in many places around the world--
in London, Berlin, Seoul, Cape Town--
you understand what it means
to be a target of the police
and a target of a system
that is designed to keep you down
with violence, if necessary.
And that's why you now have people
in every country standing together.
Standing together to say this is not acceptable anymore.
Black lives matter.
And whenever there are big protests,
whenever there are big protests there's always gonna be people
who stand on the sidelines, right?
There's always gonna be people
who sit in their-in their newspaper offices
or TV news studios and say,
"I sympathize with you but this is not the way
"to get what you want, this is not the way
"that you should be doing it. Protesting is a waste of time.
"It turns people off, it's just performative,
it doesn't accomplish anything."
Well, you know what, I hope those people are hungry.
Because they're gonna be eating their words.
'Cause after two weeks--
just after two weeks of these protests
we're already seeing incredible results,
both large and small.
For example:
for decades, Americans have been arguing
about Confederate monuments
and other racist statues littered around this country.
The people have said, "Take them down."
And government officials have said, "Oh, we'll think about it,
"we'll study it, we'll start a commission,
we'll get back to you."
Well, this time the people said, "Take them down"
and the government officials responded with,
"Yeah, you're right."
REPORTER: There were cheers Thursday night at the foot
of Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue
after the governor announced the monument,
which stood for 130 years, is coming down.
Mobile, Alabama removed
a Confederate statute this morning.
And Indianapolis announced this one is coming down.
REPORTER 2: For days, protestors in Philadelphia have tried
to tear down this controversial statue
of former mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo,
widely accused of being a symbol of racism
for his tactics against the black community
in the 1960s and '70s,
the city taking it down in the middle of the night.
Yes. In Philadelphia,
they decided to take down a statue
of a racist police commissioner.
And I guess the question we should be asking is
why did a racist police commissioner
have a statue in the first place?
And yeah, there are still... there are still people out there
who are like, "Yeah, but if you take down the statues,
"how will people learn their history?
These statues are about his..." Read a book, mother(bleep).
That's how you learn history.
No one really thinks that these statues
are teaching anybody history.
The bubonic plague was a major event in history.
We don't go around putting up statues of rats.
You don't see that shit anywhere.
And speaking of learning-- that's another thing
that these protesters are affecting, that's another area
that-that we're seeing the impact of the protests,
because people-- people, just average people--
are hearing these conversations about racism and policing
and they're saying, "You know what,
since there are no statues, maybe I should read."
Books on systemic racism
are making best-seller lists
as protests continue across the country.
Six of the top ten best-selling books on Amazon
are on the topic of race in America.
REPORTER: White Fragility, The New Jim Crow and Just Mercy
are some of the books at the top
of Amazon and Barnes & Noble's
best-selling list today.
REPORTER 2: Eso Won is sold out of the book
How to Be an Antiracist and has hundreds on back order.
James thinks they've received a total of 3,000
online orders this week alone
and eventually had to stop accepting them.
Yes, thanks to the protests and thanks to the conversations
and thanks to people pushing, Americans are so concerned
about what's happening in their country right now
that books about race and racism in America
are sold out.
And yes, I know a lot of people might say,
"It's too little, too late, why are you only reading now?"
That is a good question.
But I think, at the same time, we've got to be happy
that people are reading now.
How many times have we seen a video, how many times
have there been protests and no books have been bought,
no conversations have been had? So this is movement.
This is progress in the right direction.
And you can see that it's working.
Because people are aren't just buying books.
People are saying black lives matter.
And they're not just saying it, they're saying it in public.
"Black lives matter" has become the phrase
that people admit needs to be said.
And maybe it's because of George Floyd's video,
maybe it's because the whole world was forced to sit at home
and watch that video, but it's happening.
Everyone from Mitt Romney to K-pop fans
are saying black lives matter.
Corporations are saying black lives matter.
Amazon, Bud Lite, Gushers--
everyone is saying black lives matter.
And don't get me wrong-- I don't know if these companies
are actually are gonna "do something" to show that
they believe black lives matter other than just saying it,
but it is still a major step to have American corporations--
who, just a few years ago, were terrified of that phrase--
saying it as part of their corporate ethos.
Because "black lives matter" shouldn't be controversial,
as a phrase.
Black people having lives
shouldn't be a controversial thing at all.
And you can tell that this protest is working.
Because even the NFL--
even the NFL--
has stepped up to say, "You know what,
we can do better."
Roger Goodell is apologizing for how the league
failed to support players who were protesting police brutality
and racial injustice during the national anthem.
For many, this is an about-face that was a long time coming.
REPORTER: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell
is changing the league's message,
releasing this video statement late Friday.
We at the National Football League condemn racism
and the systematic oppression of black people.
We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong
for not listening to NFL players earlier,
and encourage all to speak out
and peacefully protest.
Yeah.
Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL,
has come out with the statement that you just saw,
which is one hell of a statement from the NFL.
And, look, it is a bit weird
that he's affirmed their commitment
to Black Lives Matter and protests
and then not mention Colin Kaepernick,
the person who was blackballed by the NFL
for protesting for Black Lives Matter in the first place.
I mean, that's... that's what I mean
about people actually doing something.
Like, it's nice to see the NFL say this-- don't get me wrong--
but I hope that Goodell and everyone at the NFL
are actually gonna look at doing things.
Because every other industry, you know,
they have to prove their commitment
by hiring thousands of new black people.
The NFL's just got to hire one.
And, yes, I know I said... I know I said that
even purely symbolic gestures are nothing to sneeze at,
but we all agree that posting statements,
taking down statues and selling books is not enough.
It's part of it, but it's not enough.
Companies have to hire more black people.
Companies have to stop not hiring people
because they're black.
The culture has to amplify more black voices.
And, of course, cities have to end
the racist policing of black communities.
That's where we all started.
That's where this whole thing started.
And that's the good thing about these protests,
is that it hasn't just gotten people talking,
it hasn't just got people buying books,
it hasn't just gotten, like, leagues and organizations
saying black lives matter.
The best part about these protests
is that they're already
producing substantive changes as well.
The killing of George Floyd is fueling calls
to defund America's police departments.
"Defund the police" chants are spreading at protests
and the hashtag is gaining momentum on Twitter.
The idea may also be catching on at city halls.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday
he will not be increasing the police budget.
He also announced $250 million will be invested
in such areas as jobs and education,
especially in black and nonwhite communities.
Yes, Los Angeles has announced
that they will be taking money away from the LAPD
and putting it into programs like education.
And please don't get it wrong, this is not a spite thing.
I've seen so many conversations
where people seem like they're punishing the police-- no.
Studies have shown that when you invest in people,
when you invest in communities,
you don't need to invest in the police.
It makes sense-- prevention is always better than a cure,
especially when the cure kills black people.
And after the mayor of Los Angeles made this announcement,
after Mayor Garcetti came out and did this, which was huge,
other cities quickly said that they're also gonna try--
at least try-- to fix their policing problems.
New York has announced
that they are planning to cut the police budget
and change some of the laws that have protected killer cops.
Houston, Sacramento, and other cities are banning choke holds--
they're banning choke holds and certain other uses of force,
which is not enough but it's a start.
And Democrats in Washington have introduced a bill that would,
among other things, make it easier
to investigate and punish violent police,
as well as banning no-knock warrants
like the kind used by the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.
And if all of this actually happens,
these will be meaningful reforms,
but one of the themes that has come out of these protests
is that reform is not enough.
What a lot of people are saying is, you cannot reform something
that was inherently designed to be bad.
And so what many people are demanding now
is to defund or abolish the police.
Let's stop having police in schools.
Let's stop having police deal with homelessness
or people with mental illness.
Let's stop having police patrol neighborhoods
where they don't live and give that job to residents.
And a month ago, a month ago, if you said any of this,
you seemed like you were crazy
and it was a pipe dream that would never happen,
but, again, after these protests,
it may soon become a reality.
NEWSMAN: In an unprecedented move,
the Minneapolis City Council has vowed to defund and--
go beyond that-- dismantle the city's police department.
They're promising to replace it
with a new system of public safety.
We are seeking to disband the Minneapolis Police Department
because it is not keeping Minneapolis safe.
We have looked at ways to reform this department.
We do not believe it is possible.
Yeah, the city where this all started
is actually promising to defund the police.
And, look, we're not naive.
We know that promises aren't always kept.
Politicians weasel out of things all the time,
and even good intentions only go so far,
but to have gotten this far,
with less than two weeks of protests,
is truly amazing.
And it's not over yet.
The people are still fighting.
The people are still pushing.
And something tells me, if they keep at it,
there will be no stopping them.