WE LEARNED THAT TYLER PERRY HAS
AGREED TO COVER THOSE FUNERAL
COSTS.
>> ALL RIGHT, BLAYNE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE ARE NOW JOINED BY KEISHA
LANCE BOTTOMS.
GOOD MORNING, MADAM MAYOR.
IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU.
I WATCHED YOUR ENTIRE NEWS
CONFERENCE YESTERDAY.
THIS IS VERY, VERY PERSONAL TO
YOU.
WHY DO YOU FEEL SO STRONGLY
ABOUT THIS?
>> HODA, IT’S FOR ALL THE
REASONS WE’VE BEEN SPEAKING
ABOUT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF
WEEKS WITH THE KILLING OF GEORGE
FLOYD.
THIS IS PERSONAL TO SO MANY
PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHEN I WATCH THE VIDEO AND THE
INTERACTION WITH RAYSHARD BROOKS
IN THAT DRIVE-THROUGH, THAT
COULD HAVE BEEN ANY ONE OF US.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANY ONE OF
OUR KIDS OR BROTHERS.
AND IN THIS CASE IT WAS.
IT WAS SOMEONE’S FATHER.
AND IT BREAKS MY HEART.
THIS INTERACTION WITH THESE
POLICE OFFICERS WAS SUCH --
ALMOST A PLEASANT INTERACTION.
AND IT DID NOT HAVE TO END THIS
WAY.
THAT’S WHAT’S SO FRUSTRATING AND
QUITE FRANKLY, IT LEAVES US
ASKING SO MANY QUESTIONS BECAUSE
WE DO SO MANY THINGS IN ATLANTA
WE THOUGHT TO GET IT RIGHT.
AND THIS WENT SO TERRIBLY WRONG.
>> WELL, YOU CLEARLY WANT
CHANGES.
AND YESTERDAY YOU PUT OUT SOME
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDERS.
YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WAY
POLICE DO BUSINESS.
YOU WANT TO CHANGE THINGS
RELATED TO THE USE OF FORCE,
RELATED TO POLICE INTERVENTION.
WHAT KIND OF SPECIFIC CHANGES
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR, MAYOR?
>> SO IRONICALLY, WE HAD JUST
EMBARKED UPON A REVIEW OF ALL OF
OUR USE OF FORCE POLICIES
EXPECTING A REPORT WITHIN THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS WITH FINAL
RECOMMENDATIONS IN 45 DAYS.
AND THEN THIS HAPPENED ON
FRIDAY.
SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE KNOW
IMMEDIATELY AS WE AWAIT THOSE
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT
NEEDED TO HAPPEN.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT
OFFICERS INTERVENE IN A
SITUATION WHERE THEY SEE WRONG
DOING.
THAT WAS THE CASE WITH GEORGE
FLOYD WHERE WE SAW THE OFFICERS
NOT INTERVENE.
THAT’S NOT PART OF OUR POLICY.
WE HAVE TO OBJECTIVELY LOOK AT
DE-ESCALATION
DE-ESCALATION.
THAT’S NOT VERY CLEAR IN OUR
POLICIES.
SHOOTING AT MOVING VEHICLES AND
SO MANY OTHER THINGS.
WE’RE PEELING BACK THE LAYERS OF
OUR STANDARD OPERATING
PROCEDURES, SOME OF IT’S
AMBIGUOUS AND SOME OF IT IS
SIMPLY NOT LAID OUT.
WHAT I CAN SAY IS IF THIS IS A
CHALLENGE THAT WE ARE HAVING IN
ATLANTA, I ASSURE YOU THAT THERE
ARE AGENCIES ACROSS THIS COUNTRY
IF THEY HAVEN’T ALREADY BEGUN TO
DO THIS WORK, THEN THEY PROBABLY
NEED TO TODAY.
>> WELL, AS YOU HEARD MAYOR
BOTTOMS, TODAY PRESIDENT TRUMP
SAID HE HIMSELF IS GOING TO PUT
OUT SOME EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT
HAVE TO DO WITH POLICE
PROCEDURES.
DID YOU THINK ABOUT WAITING
UNTIL HE CAME OUT WITH HIS RE
REFORMS BEFORE YOU CAME OUT
MANY.
>> WE CAN’T WAIT.
WE WERE WAITING FOR TWO WEEKS
FOR RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN MR.
BROOKS WAS KILLED ON FRIDAY.
SO WE DON’T HAVE ANOTHER HOUR TO
WAIT IN ATLANTA.
AND THERE WILL LIKELY BE EVEN
MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDERS FROM MY
ADMINISTRATION FOR US TO VERY
QUICKLY BEGIN TO ADDRESS AND IN
SO MANY WAYS UNDO THE TRAINING
THAT OUR OFFICERS HAVE RECEIVED
OVER SEVERAL YEARS.
>> YOU MADE SOME CHANGES
ALREADY.
THE POLICE CHIEF, SHE STEPPED
DOWN.
ERICA SHIELDS.
SHE WAS THE CHIEF FOR THREE
YEARS BUT ON THE FORCE FOR
20-PLUS YEARS.
SHE REMAINS ON THE FORCE, BUT A
LOT OF PEOPLE HELD HER UP AS THE
WAY POLICE OFFICERS SHOULD ACT.
SHE WAS WITH PROTESTERS.
SHE WAS MARCHING.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS SHOULD
SHE HAVE STEPPED DOWN?
>> CHIEF SHIELDS AND I WORKED
TOGETHER FOR MANY YEARS GOING
BACK TO MY TIME ON CITY COUNCIL.
I HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF RESPECT
AND REGARD FOR HER AND FOR HER
LEADERSHIP.
BUT THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A
SPRINT.
AND JUST AS WITH ANY RELAY TEAM,
THERE ARE TIMES YOU HAVE TO PASS
THE BATON ON FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO
CONTINUE THE RACE.
AND CHIEF SHIELDS SAID THAT SHE
WITH HER DEEP AND ABIDING LOVE
FOR OUR CITY WANTED TO TAKE A
STEP BACK AND ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE
TO LEAD US THROUGH THIS NEXT
PHASE.
SHE CONTINUES TO BE PART OF OUR
TEAM AND WILL CERTAINLY HAVE A
GREAT DEAL OF INPUT AS WE MAKE
THIS TRANSITION INTO THE NEXT
PHASE OF WHAT OUR POLICE
DEPARTMENT LOOKS LIKE IN
ATLANTA.
>> AND FINALLY MAYOR, THE DA
SAID THAT I THINK BY TOMORROW
THERE MAY BE SOME CHARGES FILED
AGAINST THE POLICE OFFICERS.
SOME OF THE CHARGES COULD RANGE
FROM MURDER, FELONY MURDER,
INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER.
YOU’RE AN ATTORNEY.
AND YESTERDAY I THINK IN YOUR
NEWS CONFERENCE YOU CALLED IT
MURDER.
WHAT, IF ANY, CHARGES SHOULD BE
FILED AT THIS POINT?
>> I’LL LEAVE THAT TO THE
DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
HE’S AN INDEPENDENTLY ELECTED
DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
WE HAVE SEVERAL USE OF FORCE
CASES SITTING IN HIS OFFICE AND
I JUST ASK THAT WITH THE SAME
EXPEDIENCY AND THAT HE’S LOOKING
AT THIS CASE AND THE ONE A FEW
WEEKS AGO WITH THE COLLEGE
STUDENTS THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT
ALL OF THESE CASES.
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO
OFFER OUR COMMUNITIES AND THESE
FAMILIES SOME FINALITY.
I’LL DEFER TO HIM AND WILL AWAIT
HIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
ATLANTA MAYOR KEISHA LANCE