AND CRYING OUT FOR JUSTICE.
AND JOINING ME NOW IS GWEN KARR.
AND MS. KARR, ITS ALWAYS A
PRIVILEGE TO TALK TO YOU.
AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU AN
OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE YOU HAVE
BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE OF GEORGE
FLOYDS FAMILY.
TO TELL ME HOW IT FELT WHEN YOU
HEARD THE WORDS GUILTY AGAINST
DEREK CHAUVIN?
>> WELL, WELL, THANK YOU, JOY,
FOR HAVING ME.
BUT, WHEN I FIRST HEARD IT, I
WAS HOME.
AND WATCHING THE JUDGE OPEN THE
ENVELOPE.
AND WHEN HE START READING THE
CHARGES, WHEN HE READ THE -- THE
MOST, YOU KNOW, SEVERE OF THE
CHARGES, FIRST.
AND IT WAS GUILTY.
I WAS -- I WAS JUST SO ELATED.
I WAS RELIEVED BECAUSE WE NEVER
KNOW HOW THESE CASES ARE GOING
TO TURN OUT.
WE HAVE HAD SO MANY
DISAPPOINTMENTS.
SO, I WAS JUST ON EDGE.
ALTHOUGH, WE ALL SEEN,
BLATANTLY, THAT GEORGE -- GEORGE
FLOYD WAS MURDERED.
HE WAS SUFFERING.
THE KNEE WAS ON HIS NECK FOR
OVER-NINE MINUTES.
BUT LOOK AT MY SONS DEATH.
THEY SEEN THEM CHOKING HIM TO
DEATH AND HE WAS HOLLERING, I
CANT BREATHE, 11 TIMES, AND THE
OFFICER STILL DECIDED TO TAKE
HIS LIFE.
JUST LIKE GEORGE FLOYD.
HE DECIDED TO TAKE GEORGES
LIFE, EVEN THOUGH GEORGE BEGGED
FOR HIS LIFE AND PLEADED FOR HIS
MOTHER.
SO, I WAS REALLY, REALLY
PLEASED.
IT WAS LIKE MIXED EMOTIONS,
REALLY.
>> YEAH.
IM SURE.
I MEAN, YOU -- AND THIS WAS
THE -- THE -- THE CONNECTIONS
THAT YOU HAVE HAD TO THESE
TRAGEDIES, AS YOU SAID.
YOUR SON CRIED OUT, I CANT
BREATHE, AS YOU SAID, 11 TIMES.
AND THERE WAS NO JUSTICE FOR
YOU.
YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP TO
LIEUTENANT NAZARIO, WHO KNEW
ERIC GARNER, KNEW YOUR SON.
AND THEN, HE GETS PULLED OVER
AND HARASSED AND IS NOW
TRAUMATIZED FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO
HIM IN VIRGINIA.
>> YEAH.
>> HOW -- HOW DO YOU -- I MEAN,
I KNOW I HAVE TALKED WITH YOU
AND, YOU KNOW, DIALOS MOM.
BUT SHARE, WITH US, HOW DO YOU,
AS A MOM, DEAL WITH THE -- THE
RETRAUMATIZATION OF EACH OF
THESE -- THESE DEATHS AT THE
HANDS OF POLICE?
>> YOU KNOW, JOY, ITS HARD,
BECAUSE EVERY TIME YOU HEAR OF
ANOTHER DEATH, IT JUST PUTS
ANOTHER HOLE IN YOUR HEART.
ITS JUST, LIKE, RE-TRAUMA --
TRAUMATIZING YOU, AGAIN.
BUT THE ONLY THING THAT YOU CAN
DO IS TRY TO COMFORT THESE
MOTHERS.
TRY TO EMBRACE AND EMPOWER THESE
MOTHERS.
AND THATS PART OF THE THERAPY,
TO TRY TO GET THE MOTHERS, FROM
DOING SOMETHING THAT COULD HURT
THEMSELVES OR DOING SOMETHING
DESPERATE.
WE, AS MOTHERS, HAVE TO COME
TOGETHER.
AND WE GOT TO FIGHT THIS THING.
WE HAVE TO GET LAW AND
LEGISLATIONS ON THIS.
AND I SAY EVEN -- BECAUSE I HAVE
HAD LAWS PASSED -- BUT ITS NO
GOOD, UNLESS THE LAWS ARE
ENFORCED.
>> AND YOU WERE PART OF THE --
THE PROSECUTION TEAM.
AND YOU WERE HELPING OUT.
WHAT DID YOU DO?
WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE?
IN THE -- IN THE GEORGE FLOYD
MURDER -- I MEAN, THE -- THE
CHAUVIN TRIAL.
>> OH.
WELL, IVE BEEN THERE.
WE WERE ACTUALLY IN THE
COURTROOM.
MYSELF, REVEREND SHARPTON, RAY
McGUIRE, WHO IS RUNNING FOR
MAYOR IN NEW YORK.
WE WERE ACTUALLY -- OH YEAH, WE
HAD GOVERNOR PATTERSON THERE,
ALSO.
AND WE WERE THERE.
WE WERE ANALYZING WHAT WAS GOING
ON, AT THE TIME.
YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE WITNESS
THAT WAS UP THERE ON THE STAND.
TALKING TO THE FAMILY.
LISTENING TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT
THEY HAD TO SAY.
AND THEY -- AND THEY HAD MIXED
EMOTIONS.
SOMETIME, THEY WERE OKAY.
AND SOMETIME, SOME OF THE FAMILY
WOULD JUST BREAK DOWN.
JUST BREAK DOWN AND CRY.
>> AND I HAVE SEEN YOU COMFORT
OTHER FAMILIES, INCLUDING FREDDY
GRAYS FAMILY.
AND I JUST WANT TO PLAY FOR YOU.
BLAYNE ALEXANDER, ONE OF OUR
REPORTERS SPOKE WITH SOME HBCU
STUDENTS ABOUT HOW THIS TRIAL
HAS -- AND THE VERDICT IMPACTED
THEM.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS FOR JUST A
MOMENT, PLEASE.
>> SO, YOU WERE, WHAT?
13 YEARS OLD?
WHEN TRAYVON MARTIN WAS KILLED.
SO YOU HAVE BEEN WATCHING A
NUMBER OF THESE TRIALS, ALMOST
IN RAPID SUCCESSION, YOUR ENTIRE
CHILDHOOD.
>> I AM IDENTIFYING THAT BECAUSE
HE LOOKS LIKE ME.
AND THEN, YOU KEEP GOING ON AND
AS I AGE, SO DO THE VICTIMS.
YOU GIVE MIKE BROWN, ERIC
GARNER, AS I GET OLDER, SO DO
THE VICTIMS.
AGAIN, ITS THIS CYCLE OF WHEN
AM I NEXT?
>> WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE FACT
THAT AFTER ONE KILLER IS BROUGHT
TO, WHAT PEOPLE WILL CALL
JUSTICE, THERE IS ANOTHER POLICE
OFFICER WHO MURDERS AND
15-YEAR-OLD, YOUNG GIRL, THAT
SAME DAY.
>> THEY SOUND LIKE MY KIDS.
AND -- AND, MS. KARR, YOU KNOW,
AND IT -- IT IS SO UNFORTUNATE
BECAUSE YOU DID NOT CHOOSE TO BE
IN THIS SORORITY OF WOMEN, THESE
MOTHERS OF THE MOVEMENT.
AND YET, HERE YOU ARE.
AND BECAUSE PEOPLE DO LOOK TO
YOU.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU -- YOU
HAVE BEEN SO STRONG AND SO
VOCAL.
WHAT SHOULD WE SAY TO OUR
CHILDREN ABOUT WHAT THE
DEREK-CHAUVIN VERDICT MEANS?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO OUR -- OUR
KIDS?
>> WELL, IT MEANS THAT THEY MADE
A JUST DECISION, THIS TIME.
BUT THERE ARE SO MANY OTHERS OUT
THERE, WHO NEVER GOT JUSTICE.
WHO NEVER GOT A DAY IN COURT.
AND WE HAVE TO SAY, WE STILL
HAVE TO STAY FOCUSED.
WE HAVE TO STAY ALERT.
WE CANT SAY THAT, JUST BECAUSE