WE'RE BACK WITH NEW JERSEY SENATOR AND DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN HOPEFUL CORY BOOKER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME SPECIFIC POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN THROWN
OUT BY THE NEW DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS AND BY SOME OF THE
PEOPLE-- >> I CAN JUST SAY ONE THING
BECAUSE THIS NEWS CAME OUT ABOUT PAUL MANAFORT, AND I'M REALLY
TICKED OFF ABOUT THIS.
>> Stephen: YESTERDAY, THURSDAY.
>> YES, YESTERDAY CAME OUT-- WELL, ONE OF MY FRIENDS SAYS WE
HAVE A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT TREATS YOU BETTER IF YOU'RE
RICH AND GUILTY THAN IF YOU'RE POOR AND INNOCENT.
AND THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE MINE IN
AMERICA WHO GET CONVICTIONS FOR DOING THINGS THAT TWO OF THE
LAST THREE PRESIDENTS ADMITTED TO DOING.
WE ARE A NATION RIGHT NOW THAT CHURNS INTO OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE.
YOU CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT A COUNTRY BY WHO THEY INCARCERATE.
IN TURKEY, THEY'RE INCARCERATING THE MEDIA.
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU TRAVEL THERE, SIR.
BUT IN OUR COUNTRY, WE PREY UPON THE MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS IN
OUR NATION-- POOR FOLKS, MENTALLY ILL FOLKS, ADDICTED
FOLKS, AND OVERWHELMINGLY BRACK BLACKAND BROWN FOLKS?
>> Stephen: YOU WERE SHOCKED THAT HE GOT ONLY FOUR YEARS.
>> NO, CRIMINAL JUSTICE CAN'T SHOCK ME ANYMORE.
>> Stephen: EVEN THOUGH THE MUELLER TEAM SAID, 19-24, THEY
SAID HE WAS IRREDEEMABLE.
>> I DON'T BELIEVE IN IRREDEEMABLE --
>> Stephen: THEY SAID A HIGH RISK OF RECIDIVISM.
THAT HE IS A HARDEN CRIMINAL.
>> YES, AND HE IS SOMEBODY THAT DONE DTHINGS THAT UNDERMINED
THIS INVESTIGATION.
SO EVERYBODY-- THAT'S SO DELEGITIMIZES OUR CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM.
THERE ARE PEOPLE IN PRISON RIGHT NEW-- I HAD A GUY THAT WENT WITH
ME TO THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, THE LEGISLATION I
WORKED ON WITH OTHER SENATORS, LIBERATED, WHO WAS IN JAIL FOR
LIFE FOR BEING IN POSSESSION OF CRACK COCAINE THAT WEIGHED LESS
THAN A BASEBALL AIR, LIFE SENTENCE.
AND HERE IS A GUY THAT BETRAYED OUR NATION, THAT THE PROSECUTORS
SAID-- THAT THE SENTENCES GUIDELINES SAID OVER 19 YEARS,
AND HE'S GETTING OUT WITH A SLAP ON THE WRIST.
WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES LIKE MINE THAT,
THIS IS THE KIND OF INJUSTICE.
WE SAY THE WE'RE THE LAND OF THE THREE, BUT ONE OUT OF EVERY
THREE INCARCERATED WOMEN ON THE PLANET EARTH ARE HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
WHICH WOMEN?
THE MOST VULNERABLE.
SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL AASSAULT.
LOW-INCOME FOLKS.
OVERWHELMINGLY THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN WE INCARCERATE ARE LOW
INCOME.
THIS IS A CANCER ON THE SOUL OF OUR COUNTRY.
WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY TO ME IS JUST YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE
WORK WE HAVE TO DO.
WE SWEAR-- I HAVE THING, BEFORE YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RELIGION,
FIRST SHOW IT TO ME IN HOW YOU TREAT OTHER PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
( APPLAUSE )
WE HAVE A CIVIC GOSPEL THAT WE ALL SWEAR AN OATH TO IN THIS
COUNTRY.
WE SWEAR AN OATH THAT WE WILL BE A NATION OF LIBERTY AND JUSTICE
FOR ALL.
THAT IS NOT TRUE.
AND WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND THAT'S WHY I INTRODUCED LEGISLATION THIS WEEK TO SAY,
OKAY, WE DID THE FIRST STEP ACT, WHICH IS A GOOD PROGRESS.
BUT NOW IT'S TIME WE DO THE NEXT STEP ACT.
BECAUSE JUST THINK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WE TALK ABOUT.
YOU TALK ABOUT OTHER ISSUES.
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR CHILDREN, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH
OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE ARE BUILDING A NEW PRISON IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY 10 DAYS FROM
THE TIME I WAS IN LAW SCHOOL TO THE TIME I WAS MAYOR OF THE CITY
OF NEWARK, WHILE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE WAS CRUMB BLIRNG
WE WERE BUILDING OUT THE BIGGEST INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE PLANET
EARTH FOR INCARCERATING PEOPLE.
THINK ABOUT THIS-- ONCE YOU GET AN INDICTMENT OR A CONVICTION
FOR DOING THINGS THAT NOW SENATORS ADMIT TO DOING-- "OH, I
SMOKED MARIJUANA"-- THERE WERE MORE MARIJUANA POSSESSION
ARRESTS IN 2017 THAN ALL THE VIOLENT CRIMES.
AND THOSE PEOPLE CAN'T GET A JOB, CAN'T GET A BUSINESS
LICENSE.
IN SOME STATES THEY CAN'T VOTE.
THEY HAVE THEIR CITIZEN RIGHTS RIPPED AWAY FROM THEM.
THIS IS A SYSTEM IF AMERICA'S IN-CARERATION RATE WAS THE SAME
AS OTHER COUNTRIES WE WOULD HAVE 20% LESS POVERTY.
THESE ARE THE KIND OF SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS BY HAVING
A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THAT TREATS PEOPLE AFTER THEY GET SICK AS
OPPOSED TO PREVENTSIVE CARE AND WELLNESS AND EARLY INTERVENTION.
WE SEEM TO BE A SOCIETY THAT WANTS TO SAVE SO MUCH TAXPAYER
DOLLARS AFTER PEOPLE ARE BROKEN INSTEAD OF MAKING SMART,
STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS TO EMPOWER OUR COUNTRY TO SUCCEED.
AGAIN, THAT'S ANOTHER REASON I'M FIGHTING TO LEAD THIS NATION.
>> Jon: SENATOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
SENATOR CORY BOOKER, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH THE STARS OF COMEDY CENTRAL'S
"CORPORATE," MATT INGEBRETSON AND JAKE WEISMAN.