TO GET ON THE GROUND, WHICH I
CANT EVEN IMAGINE HOW
FRIGHTENING THAT MUST HAVE BEEN.
AND THEN, HERE IS AN EXCHANGE
THAT HAPPENED AFTER THE INCIDENT
BEGAN TO SETTLE DOWN IN TERMS OF
THE HIGH EMOTIONS AT PLAY AND
THE VICTIM HERE, IS STANDING BY
A CAR AND THE OFFICERS ARE NOW
TRYING TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED.
THIS EXCHANGE MAKES ME WONDER
WHY HES ONLY SUING FOR $1
MILLION.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> I UNDERSTAND YOU WANT TO GET
TO A WELL-LIT AREA.
I GET THAT.
BUT WHEN WE FOLLOW YOU THAT
LONG -- LOOK AT THE CLIMATE OF
THIS DAY.
AGAINST EVERYBODY.
AGAINST US, AGAINST YALL.
>> AGAINST EVERYBODY.
>> CEDRIC ALEXANDER.
>> REALLY, THE CLIMATES BAD FOR
THEM.
>> THROUGHOUT MY ADULT LIFE,
IVE ALWAYS TRIED TO GIVE
BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT TO POLICE
OFFICERS.
AND IVE SAID IT ON THE SHOW,
YOU WILL NEVER HERE ME ON THIS
SHOW FOR POLICE OFFICERS,
WHETHER THEY ARE BLACK,
HISPANIC, WHITE, ASIAN AMERICAN.
IF THEYRE KICKING DOWN DOORS,
IF THEYRE IN A DANGEROUS
SITUATION AND THEY MAKE A
SPLIT-SECOND MISTAKE, WELL, WE
DONT KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE UNLESS
WERE IN THAT POSITION.
BUT IN THIS CASE, LIKE THE
GEORGE FLOYD CASE, THEY KNEW
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THEY HAD MINUTE AFTER MINUTE
AFTER MINUTE TO CORRECT THEIR
WRONGS.
AND THEY JUST REFUSED TO DO IT.
THEY CONTINUED TO HUMILIATE A
LIEUTENANT!
A LIEUTENANT!
WHO WAS SERVING THEIR COUNTRY!
WHEN THEY NOT ONLY HAD THE
RESPONSIBILITY, BUT YOU WOULD
ASSUME, HAD THE TRAINING TO DRAW
BACK AND CALM DOWN.
AND UNDERSTAND THEY HAD MADE A
TERRIBLE MISTAKE.
BUT IT JUST WENT FROM BAD TO
WORSE.
AND THEY HAD TO HUMILIATE THE
BLACK MAN, GET HIM ON THE
GROUND, SHOVE THE LIEUTENANT ON
THE GROUND UNTIL HE STARTED
WEEPING.
IT IS DISGUSTING.
AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW THAT
YOUVE BEEN STUDYING THIS FOR A
LONG TIME.
WHY DO WE KEEP SEEING VIDEOS
LIKE THIS, EVEN A YEAR AFTER
GEORGE FLOYDS DEATH?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME THIS MORNING.
BUT LET ME SAY, JOE, I HAD A
NUMBER OF PEOPLE CALL ME HERE
LAST NIGHT AND VERY EARLY THIS
MORNING HERE IN PENSACOLA.
JUST TO DISCUSS WHAT THEY HAD
WITNESSED THROUGH THIS VIDEO.
IM A 40-YEAR POLICE VETERAN.
IM RETIRED.
IM BACK AT HOME.
I SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING
ABOUT REFORM AND REIMAGINING
POLICING AND TRYING TO DO MY
HEART TO HELP CHANGE THIS.
BUT THIS VIDEO THAT WERE
LOOKING AT, IT IS PAINFULLY
EGREGIOUS.
AND FOR HIM TO HAVE GONE THROUGH
WHAT HE EXPERIENCED, NOT JUST
THE FACT THAT HES A SOLDIER,
WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT
THE FACT THAT HES A HUMAN
BEING.
BUT LET ME START BY SAYING THIS
ABOUT THAT TRAFFIC STOP.
THEY CALLED THIS IN AS A FELONY
STOP.
THAT WAS NOT A FELONY STOP,
BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SEE SOMEONES
TAG DISPLAYED.
HE CALLED IT IN AS A FELONY
STOP.
AND AS YOU NOTICED IN YOUR
REPORTING, HE EVEN LIED ABOUT
THE TYPE OF STOP THAT IT WAS,
WHAT HAD OCCURRED.
AND THEN WE SEE THIS ONGOING
HUMILIATION, THIS ONGOING JUST
HORRIBLE TREATMENT OF AN
INDIVIDUAL, A HUMAN BEING, WHO
HAPPENS TO BE A MILITARY
SOLDIER.
AND WE SEE IT IN THIS TIME THAT
THIS COUNTRY IS IN, WHERE WERE
TRYING TO FIX THE THINGS THAT
HAVE BEEN WRONGED SINCE
INCEPTION OF POLICING.
THIS IS NOT A NEW ISSUE, ITS
JUST THAT WE ARE ABLE TO CATCH
IT NOW ON VIDEO AND WERE SEEING
IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AMERICAN POLICING IN THIS
COUNTRY IS BROKEN, IS GOING TO
HAVE TO BE FIXED.
WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO MOVE
FORWARD THE WAY THAT WERE DOING
NOW AND EXPECT SOMEHOW
MIRACULOUSLY OVERNIGHT SOMETHING
IS GOING TO CHANGE.
ITS GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF
LEGISLATION AT THE FEDERAL,
STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS IN ORDER
TO CHANGE THESE BEHAVIORS,
BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT THAT
TRAFFIC STOP, TACTICALLY,
TACTICALLY, IF THAT WAS A FELONY
STOP, IT WAS TOTALLY INACCURATE,
WRONG.
WAS NOT TRAINED THAT WAY.
BUT IT WAS NOT A FELON STOP TO
BEGIN WITH.
AND IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THAT,
THE HUMILIATION, CALLING HIM OUT
THE WAY THAT THEY DID, YOURE
GOING TO RIDE THE LIGHTNING, NO,
OFFICER, GUTIERREZ, YOU SHOULD
HAVE BEEN FIRED THE NIGHT THAT
THIS OCCURRED.
AND HE SHOULD NEVER BE IN
POLICING AGAIN.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, THOSE WHO
HIRED HIM IN THAT CITY FROM HIS
ELECTED OFFICIAL DOWN TO HIS
POLICE CHIEF NEED TO BE HELD
RESPONSIBLE.
AND NOT JUST MONETARILY, BUT
HELD RESPONSIBLY POLITICALLY, BY
HAVING THAT TYPE OF PERSONALITY
AND INDIVIDUAL AS PART OF THEIR
POLICE RANKS.
ITS NOT ALL ABOUT TRAINING.
ITS WHO WERE HIRING.
AND WERE NOT HIRING THE RIGHT
PEOPLE FOR THESE JOBS.
>> AMEN.
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
>> AND I JUST -- I JUST GOT TO
SAY HERE OVER THE PAST YEAR,
ITS NOT JUST CEDRIC SAYING THAT
AND EDDIE SAYING THAT AND THE
REV SAYING THAT, THEY WILL ALL
CONFIRM, THEY HEAR THAT, I HEAR
THAT FROM POLICE OFFICERS ALL
THE TIME, WHO LOOK AT THESE
VIDEOS AND GO, MY GOD, WHAT THE
HEALTH
HELL IS HAPPENING IN THE RANKS
THERE?
WHY ISNT THERE BETTER
DISCIPLINE?
AND REV, SOMETHING THAT I KNOW
YOU HEAR ALL THE TIME, SOMETHING
THAT MIKA AND I WERE SAYING WHEN
WE WERE WATCHING INGING THIS UNF
VIDEO IS, MY GOD, HOW MANY TIMES
DOES THIS HAPPEN WHEN THE BODY
CAMS ARENT ON?
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN
BEFORE WE STARTED HAVING BODY
CAMS?
BEFORE WE STARTED --
>> HOW COULD BODY CAMS HAVE EVER
BEEN A DEBATE?
>> -- HAVING CAMERAS ON OUR
PHONES.
WERE ONLY SEEING THIS NOW
OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF THE
TECHNOLOGY OF THE PAST 10, 15
YEARS.
AND IT SHOWS -- YOU AND I HAVE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT BODY CAMS
NONSTOP.
EVERY POLICE OFFICER IN AMERICA
HAS TO HAVE IT.
THEY HAVE TO BE TURNED ON IF AN
INCIDENT LIKE THIS HAPPENS, AND
THEY DONT HAVE IT ON, THEN
THEY -- THE BURDEN OF PROOF IS
ON THEM.
BUT REV, HOW MANY TIMES DOES
THIS HAPPEN, WHEN THE BODY CAMS
ARENT ON?
>> AND THAT IS A REAL, REAL FEAR
THAT WE LIVE WITH EVERY DAY IN
OUR COMMUNITIES.
LET ME TELL YOU, IF IT WAS NOT
FOR THE 21st CENTURY TASK FORCE
THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD, THERE
WOULD NOT BE AS MUCH BODY
CAMERAS AVAILABLE AS THERE ARE.
I BELIEVE CEDRIC WAS ON THAT
TASK FORCE.
WE HAD TO FIGHT FOR THAT.
AND I HOPE THIS ADMINISTRATION
AND THIS CONGRESS WILL
LEGISLATE.
WEVE DONE THE DEMONSTRATION, WE
NEED THE LEGISLATION.
THIS WILL NOT STOP UNTIL BAD
POLICE AND MOST POLICE ARE NOT
BAD, BUT BAD POLICE KNOW THEY
WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, UNTIL
THEY KNOW QUALIFIED IMMUNITY IS
NOT GOING TO SHOW TO THEM.
UNTIL THEY KNOW THERE IS A
PENALTY FOR THIS.
WE ARE FACED THIS MORNING WITH
THIS TAPE, WITH A 20-YEAR-OLD
YOUNG MAN UNARMED, THAT IS DEAD,
WHOSE FAMILY IS GOING TO BE
REACHING OUT TO SOMEONE.
THATS WHAT PEOPLE LIKE ME AND
NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK STEP IN.
HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN THIS OVER AND
OVER AGAIN WITHOUT CHANGING THE
LAWS.
THE GOOD NEWS IS, YOU ARE RIGHT.
MANY POLICE ARE NOW BEGINNING TO
SPEAK UP.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE SAW
POLICE OFFICERS TAKE THE STAND
IN MINNEAPOLIS AND TESTIFY
AGAINST CHAUVIN.
WHICH I HAVE NOT SEEN IN THE
YEARS THAT IVE BEEN OUT HERE
FIGHTING AGAINST POLICE
MISCONDUCT.
IVE NEVER SEEN THE BLUE WALL
PIERCED AS IT HAS IN
MINNEAPOLIS.
BUT EVEN AS THAT HAPPENED, A
POLICEMAN STILL CAN TAKE HIS GUN
AND SHOOT AND KILL RIGHT IN THE
SAME COUNTY THAT THIS TRIAL IS
GOING ON.
WE NEED TO DEAL WITH, IF THERE
IS NO LEGISLATION, THERE WILL
NOT BE A CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR IN
BAD COPS.
BAD COPS ARE NOT GOING TO BE