>>> AFTER A STAGGERING NUMBER OF
SHOOTINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
THIS PAST WEEKEND, MANY POLICE
DEPARTMENTS NOW ARE BRACING FOR
AN ESPECIALLY VIOLENT SUMMER.
NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT GABE
GUTIERREZ HAS MORE.
>> Reporter: SURVEILLANCE VIDEO
CAPTURES THE BRAZEN ATTACK IN
BROAD DAYLIGHT.
A CYCLIST STABBING A DELIVERY
MAN IN THE BACK.
THE NYPD NOW INVESTIGATING.
FROM NEW YORK TO CHICAGO TO
CINCINNATI, VIOLENT CRIMES
SURGED THIS WEEKEND, AT LEAST 11
PEOPLE KILLED, 55 WOUNDED IN TEN
MASS SHOOTINGS ACROSS SEVEN
STATE.
>> OH, [ BLEEP ].
>> Reporter: IN AUSTIN, TEXAS,
ONE KILLED, 14 WOUNDED.
IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, ONE
KILLED, SEVEN WOUNDED.
>> THE SENSELESS ACTS OF
VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE
TO OP.
>> Reporter: JUST THIS YEAR IN
THE U.S., THERE HAVE BEEN 273
MASS SHOOTINGS, DEFINED AS ANY
INCIDENT WHERE FOUR OR MORE WERE
SHOT.
THERE HAVE BEEN 31 SO FAR THIS
JUNE AND WERE NOT ONLY HALFWAY
THROUGH THE MONTH.
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
>> WEVE SEEN A LOT OF THE
PANDEMIC-RELATED ISSUES, RELATED
TO MENTAL HEALTH, UNEMPLOYMENT,
FINANCIAL STRESS COMBINED WITH A
LOT OF THE RETALIATORY VIOLENCE
THAT HAPPENS IN A LOT OF THE
INNER CITIES.
>> Reporter: BUT VS. EVEN MORE
THAN USUAL.
PORTLAND, OREGON, HAS SEEN A
STAGGERING 740% SPIKE IN
HOMICIDES SINCE LAST YEAR.
WITH THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WITH
CHILDREN WATCHING, BULLET HOLES
ARE NOW COMMON.
>> MY WISH IS FOR PEOPLE OUT
THERE WHO HAVE GUNS TO STOP
KILLING PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: GABE GUTIERREZ
REPORTING THERE.
WEVE TALKED ABOUT THIS ON THE
SHOW FOR A LONG TIME NOW, THAT
PART OF THE FRUSTRATION FROM LAW
ENFORCEMENT IS THAT WEVE SEEN
THESE HISTORIC DECLINES IN CRIME
FROM THE LATE 80s AND EARLY
90s AND POLICE OFFICERS WORRY
THAT WERE SLIPPING BACK INTO
THAT PLACE.
>> FOR SOME, IT WAS 1993, FOR
1994 RACE.
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.
NOBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM THEN.
NOBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW
THEY HATED CRIME BILLS THEN.
WHEN CRIME IS RISING THE WAY IT
IS, IT COMPLETELY RESHAPES THE
DEBATE IN ANY POLITICAL
CAMPAIGN.
SO I REMEMBER, THEN, AND I KNOW
WHEN WE WERE AT A 50-YEAR LOW,
AS FAR AS CRIME GOES, AND PEOPLE
STARTED CRITICIZING THE 94
CRIME BILL, I JUST SAT HERE, AND
I WAS QUIET.
THERE ARE PARTS OF IT, I KNOW,
THAT ARE TERRIBLE, BUT THE
100,000 COPS ON THE STREET, ALL
OF THESE OTHER THINGS, VERY
POPULAR THEN.
THEY WERE DOING THREE STRIKES,
YOURE OUT.
AGAIN, A LOT OF THINGS THAT WHEN
CRIME IS AT A 50-YEAR LOW,
SUDDENLY SEEM OFFENSIVE AND SEEM
LIKE THEYRE GOING OVER THE MARK
MARK.
BUT, MICHAEL, AS YOU KNOW, WHEN
CRIME IS SPIKING THE WAY IT WAS
SPIKING NOW, THE WAY IT WAS
SPIKING IN NEW YORK CITY IN THE
70s AND THE 80s, YOU -- OR
PEOPLE WONDER WHY DEMOCRATS
VOTED FOR RUDY GIULIANI.
THEY VOTED FOR RUDY GIULIANI FOR
ONE REASON, IT WAS ABOUT THE
CRIME.
WHEN CRIME GOES HIGH, IT
RESHAPES THE POLITICAL DEBATE
AND EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE READY
FOR THAT POLITICAL DEBATE TO BE
RESHAPED GOING INTO 2022.
>> IT DOES.
AND YOUVE GOT A NUMBER OF
FACTORS RIGHT NOW THAT I THINK
ARE GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTING
TO WATCH HOW THEY PLAY OUT.
FIRST OFF, YOUVE GOT THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLICE AND
THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY
PROTECT AND SERVE IN.
SO, ITS NOT JUST THE RACIAL
TENSIONS, BUT JUST MORE BROADLY
SPEAKING, HOW DO WE INTERACT
WITH OUR POLICE NOW GOING
FORWARD?
THE OTHER PIECE IS, YOU KNOW,
WHAT GABE PUT HIS FINGER ON IS
THOSE CURRENTS THAT ARE RUNNING
UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE THAT ARE
DRIVING THIS NARRATIVE OF
VIOLENCE.
AND WHATS REALLY THE ROOT CAUSE
HERE?
I THINK WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE
CRIME BILL IN THE 190s, IT WAS A
REACTION TO THE OVERWHELMING
SURGE CRIME, ALL RIGHT?
SO THIS WAS THE GOVERNMENT
RESPONSE.
THE TEST NOW WILL BE WHETHER OR
NOT WERE MORE METHODICAL IN
UNDERSTANDING WHATS DRIVING IT.
IS IT ECONOMIC, RACIAL,
POLITICAL?
WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE FACTORS
SO YOU CAN MITIGATE AGAINST
THOSE WITH A MORE NARROWLY
TAILORED APPROACH, AS OPPOSED TO
THIS BROAD, SWEEPING CRIME BILL
IN THE 21st SNURTDCENTURY THAT 1
YEARS FROM NOW, PEOPLE WILL SAY,
WHY THE HELL DID THEY PASS THAT?
>> SO WHAT YOURE SAYING IS NO
MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL.
>> TO MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL.
>> SO KASIE, THERE IS RIGHT NOW,
OBVIOUSLY, POLICE REFORM THATS
GOING ON THE HILL.
IT SEEMS WITH A SPIKE IN CRIME,
WITH US HEARING FROM PEOPLE LIKE
COMMISSIONER BRATTON AND OTHERS
THAT POLICE OFFICERS ARE BACK ON
THEIR HEELS AND THEY ARE JUST NOT TAKING THE CHANCES THEY TOOK
NOT TAKING THE CHANCES THEY TOOK
ONE YEAR AGO, TWO YEARS AGO, THE
GOOD COPS, IT SEEMS ITS SUCH A
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BILL.
ANY CHANCES THATS GOING TO
HAPPEN?
>> IM STILL HOPE.
AND I THINK IF YOU TALK TO THE
NEGOTIATORS WHO ARE WORKING
THROUGH IT RIGHT NOW, THEYRE
HOPEFUL THEY CAN GET THERE.
I THINK TO YOUR POINT, MICHAEL,
THE TRUST PIECE OF THIS IS SO
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS TIM SCOTT
HAS BEEN DOING IS WORKING VERY
CAREFULLY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT
ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS ON THIS
SO TO TRY
TO TRY TO FIND THE RIGHT
BALANCE.
NO COP WANTS TO WORK WITH
SOMEONE WHOS THROWING ETHICS
THEY ALL WANT TO WORK WITH OUT
THE WINDOW.
WE CAN ALL ACKNOWLEDGE, THERE
ARE PEOPLE WHO DONT DO THEIR
JOBS THE WAY THEYRE SUPPOSED TO
ON POLICE FORCES.
AND TIM SCOTT HAS BEEN PRETTY
CLEAR-EYED ABOUT SAYING THAT,
AND ALSO SAYING IF THOSE PEOPLE
ARE THE ONCE SETTING THE
CULTURE, THATS A PROBLEM AND
THEY NEED TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
BUT THERES A RECOGNITION THAT
WE NEED TO HANDLE QUALIFIED
IMMUNITY CAREFULLY.
BECAUSE WE WANT GOOD PEOPLE TO
DECIDE THAT THEY WANT TO BE
COPS.
THAT THEY WANT TO BE OUR POLICE
OFFICERS.
AND IF THEYRE SCARED THEYRE
GOING TO LOSE THEIR ENTIRELY
LIVELIHOODS AND WONT BE ABLE TO
TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES IF
SOMETHING GOES WRONG, THATS NOT
A GOOD OUTCOME, EITHER.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE DOES SEEM
TO BE A TRUSTING RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN TIM SCOTT, CORY BOOKER,
THERE SEEMS TO BE FAITH IF THEY
CAN COME TO AN AGREEMENT, THIS
WILL BE SOMETHING THAT YOU SEE
PASSED WITH BROAD BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT.
>> AND THOSE THREE ARE -- IT
SEEMS TO ME, BENDING OVER
BACKWARDS, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
A WAY TO MAKE THIS WORK.
TIM SCOTT, CORY BOOKER, KAREN
BASS.
ALL SEEM TO BE WORKING HARD ON
THIS.
>> I SENSED MORE OPTIMISM A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THAN I DO
NOW.
>> I THINK THATS TRUE, BUT I
DONT THINK ITS DONE YET.
>> ITS NOT DONE YET, AND ITS,
OBVIOUSLY, FOR ALL THE REASONS
KASIE ARTICULATED, ITS A
DIFFICULT BALANCING ACT, BUT THE
PERSON WHO GETS IT OUTSIDE OF
THE SENATORS IS JOE BIDEN.
YOU SAW JOE BIDENS CAMPAIGN
PLATFORM WHILE A LOT OF HIS
PARTY WAS CALLING REMOVING FUNDS
FROM THE POLICE FORCE, HIS PLAN
CALLED FOR INVESTING MORE FUNDS
IN POLICING.
THE 94 CRIME BILL KIND OF
LOOMED OVER HIM A LITTLE BIT
DURING THE PRIMARY, BUT DURING
THE GENERAL ELECTION, HE WAS
RESISTING THE URGES OF HIS PARTY
TO MOVE IN A DIFFERENT