"THE STORY" EXCEPTING THAT FROM
THE GET-GO.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE WILL BRING IN DR. BEN CARSON,
SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT.
ALWAYS GOOD HAVING ON THE SHOW,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE TONIGHT, THIS IS A SAD
SITUATION, WE ALL WATCHED
RAYSHARD BROOKS’ WIFE, WE ALL
WISH IT DIDN’T END THIS WAY.
AS YOU LISTEN TO THE STORY PLAY
OUT WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> WELL, MY THOUGHTS ARE THAT
PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES ARE
OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL
ABOUT THIS.
I WAS QUITE SURPRISED TO SEE
THOSE CHARGES MADE THIS EARLY IN
THE PROCESS BECAUSE AS I SAID
EARLIER, THIS IS NOT NEARLY AS
CLEAR-CUT AS THE CASE IN
MINNESOTA WAS.
AND YOU KNOW, THERE IS
DEFINITELY WRONG ON BOTH SIDES
HEAR ABOUT THE ONE GUY LOST HIS
LIFE AND I GUESS ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT SHOULD COME OUT OF
THIS IS WHEN WE ARE TRAINING
POLICE OFFICERS IT SHOULD BE
AUTOMATIC THAT IF YOU TAKE YOUR
GUN OUT YOU HAVE MADE THE
DECISION THAT WHATEVER HAS
HAPPENED IS WORTH TAKING
SOMEONE’S LIFE.
AND I WONDER IF THAT PROCESS,
THAT MENTAL PROCESS HAD GONE ON
IF THIS WOULD’VE TURNED OUT THIS
WAY.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT TO ME
IS MORE DISTURBING, IS VERY
DISTURBING IS THE FACT THAT THIS
MAN WAS BEING CHASED AND SHOT AT
IN AN AREA WHERE THERE WERE
CIVILIANS.
AND I THOUGHT THAT POLICE WERE
TRAINED NOT TO DO THAT, NOT TO
ENDANGER OTHER CITIZENS IN THE
COURSE OF AN APPREHENSION AND IN
ONE OF THE CASES THE BULLET HIT
THE REAR FENDER OF A CAR AND OF
COURSE THAT’S NEAR THE GAS TANK,
WHAT IF THAT CAR HAD EXPLODED
AND THE PEOPLE INSIDE HAD BEEN
KILLED?
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF JUDGMENTS
THAT HAVE TO BE MADE, WE HAVE TO
ADMIRE THE POLICE.
THERE ARE SO MANY INTERACTIONS
THAT THEY ENGAGE IN EVERY SINGLE
DAY AND WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF
THESE KINDS OF INCIDENTS SO IT
IS A LITTLE BIT UNFAIR TO JUDGE
THE POLICE WHEN THEY MAKE A
MISTAKE AND I THINK PROBABLY
THIS COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED
BETTER, I THINK THERE’S NO
QUESTION IT COULD’VE BEEN
HANDLED BETTER BUT I THINK YOU
REALLY NEED A MUCH MORE COMPLETE
INVESTIGATION OF EVERYTHING, I
AGREE THAT A GRAND JURY SHOULD
HAVE BEEN IMPANELED AND IT’S TOO
BIG A CASE JUST TO RUSH TO
JUDGMENT.
IT COULD BE THAT THE SAME
VERDICT WOULD BE HAD, I
UNDERSTAND THAT BUT I THINK IT
WOULD MAKE MUCH MORE SENSE TO
DELVE INTO IT DEEPLY GIVEN THE
AMOUNT OF EMOTIONAL TRAUMA THAT
IT HAS CAUSED ON ALL SIDES.
AND WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT,
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
CONTINUALLY HIGHLIGHTING THE
MISTAKES THAT POLICE MAKE?
BUT NOT GIVING ANY BALANCE IN
TERMS OF THE AMAZING THINGS THAT
POLICE DO EVERY DAY.
I THINK WE’RE HURTING OURSELVES
AS A SOCIETY, NOT MAKING ANY
EXCUSES FOR POLICE TO MAKE
MISTAKES OR WHO DO BAD THINGS
BUT WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE MORE
BALANCED IN THE WAY WE EVALUATE
THESE THINGS EVER GOING TO
SURVIVE AS A SOCIETY.
>> Martha: YOU HEARD DR. WENDY
SAY THAT A BLACK MAN IS TWICE AS
LIKELY TO BE KILLED IN THIS
SITUATION AS A WHITE MAN.
THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
STATISTICS WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THESE NUMBERS AND OTHER PEOPLE,
IF YOU GO BY
"THE WASHINGTON POST" NUMBERS,
THAT NUMBER WOULD NOT HOLD UP
HOWEVER IT ALL GOES TO THE
ISSUE --
>> JUST THE OPPOSITE, ACTUALLY.
>> Martha: YES IT WOULD.
HE GOES TO THE ISSUE OF WHETHER
OR NOT THERE IS RACISM INVOLVED
IN THESE MOMENTS OR WHETHER IT
IS A POLICE OFFICER ACTING IN A
WAY THAT HE SHOULDN’T AND THE
MOTIVE IS ASCRIBED TO IT.
WITH REGARD TO THAT, THIS IS
KAMALA HARRIS, SENATOR HARRIS
TALKING ABOUT THIS AND I’D LIKE
TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT.
>> WE HAVE A DUTY AS
UNITED STATES SENATORS TO BE
FULLY AWARE OF OUR COUNTRY’S
HISTORY OF SYSTEMIC RACISM.
AND A RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE
SERIOUS ACTION.
>> A GREAT MANY OF OUR
COLLEAGUES USE THE PHRASE
"SYSTEMIC RACISM."
TO SUGGEST THAT THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS
IMBUED WITH RACISM.
>> Martha: DR. CARSON, WHAT
YOU SAY TO THAT, SIR?
>> WELL, AGAIN, WE LIVE IN A
PERIOD OF TIME OR IF THERE’S ANY
INCIDENT THAT GOES ON THAT
INVOLVES A BLACK PERSON AND A
WHITE PERSON YOU CAN BE
GUARANTEED THAT THE TERM RACISM
IS GOING TO BE THROWN INTO IT,
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THERE
ARE LOTS OF INTERACTIONS THAT
OCCUR BETWEEN PEOPLE THAT HAVE
NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE BUT IF
WE SAY THE SYSTEM IS
SYSTEMICALLY RACIST THEN IT
GIVES US THE EXCUSE THAT WE NEED
TO TRY TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THE
SYSTEM AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE
THOSE WHO SAY WE WANT TO REDO
AMERICA, WE WANT TO REMAKE
AMERICA PAY A WEALTH OF COURSE
YOU HAVE TO FIRST MAKE THE CASE
THAT AMERICA IS BROKEN AND THE
FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THIS IS
AS I’VE SAID BEFORE, THE
DESTINATION PLACE FOR MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.
DO WE HAVE DEFECTS?
ABSOLUTELY, WE ARE INHABITED BY
IMPERFECT PEOPLE BUT WHY DON’T
WE LOOK AT SITUATIONS LIKE WHAT
IS IT JUST OCCURRED IN ATLANTA,
DISSECT THIS AND MAKE SURE THAT
WE PUT IN PLACE POLICIES SO THAT
PEOPLE DON’T CONTINUE TO HAVE
THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS ARISE,
THAT WILL BE MUCH SMARTER THAN
GETTING INTO OUR RESPECTIVE
CORNERS, DEMONIZING EACH OTHER
AND GETTING ANGRY ALL THE TIME.