>>
>> THE
>> THE PROTEST IS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IN THE QUEEN CITY. YOU SEE ALINA POLICE OFFICERS
YOU SEE POLICE OFFICERS THERE
ON THE SCENE.
THIS IS AN AMATEUR DIVISION
JUST OUTSIDE OF THE METRO
DIVISION IN WEST CHARLOTTE.
THIS IS NOT TOO FAR FROM THE
NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF THE +@ARTS
WERE A PROTEST HAPPENED ABOUT
6:30 PEACEFULLY BETWEEN CMPD
AND THE PROTESTERS.
AS TIME WENT ON YOU START TO
SEE THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN
HIS PROTESTERS AND CMPD
RESULTING IN TIRES BEEN
SLASHED, WINDOWS BEING BROKEN,
AND EVEN A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN
A POLICE OFFICER AN+@D A BICYCL
YOU ARE SEEING IMAGES OF A
PERSON BEING DETAINED.
THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL PEOPLE
THAT HAVE BEEN PARADED INTO THE
METR+@O DIVISION OFFICE HERE IN
WEST CHARLOTTE IN THE PAST
COUPLE OF HOURS.
ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
THAT WE SAW WHO HAD BEEN
ARRESTED EARLIER THIS EVENING
OR AT LEAST DETAINED WAS
BRAXTON WINSTON, HE ROSE TO
LEADERSHIP IN THE CITY AFTER
+@ HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH THE +@
PROTESTS THAT TOOK PLACE
FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF KEITH
LAMONT SCOTT.
LAMONT SCOTT. +@ HE WAS ANOTHER BLACK MAN KILLED
AT T+@HE HANDS OF CHARLOTTE
MECKLENBURG POLICE.
I WANT TO BRING IN THE MAYOR OF
CHARLOTTE WHO JOINS US ON THE
PHONE. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE
TIME TO TALK TO US.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THIS
OPPORTUNITY.
>>
OPPORTUNITY. >> >> WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE IN
CHARLOTTE TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT WE
ARE SEEING HAPPENING IN THE
CITY.
IT IS UNNERVING TO A LOT OF
PEOPLE BECAUSE WE HAVE SEEN
THIS HAPPEN IN OTHER CITIES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WHAT YOU
WANT US TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT IS
HAPPENING?
>> I WANT TO SAY TO GEORGE
FLOYD'S FAMILY AND ALL OF US
ACROSS THE NATION +@NOT SAW THI
REALLY DEVASTATING ACT HELD
PAINFUL IT WAS TO WATCH AND HOW
MUCH NUMBNESS AND FRUSTRATION
IT HAS GIVEN US.
I WANT TO SAY THAT I UNDERSTAND
THAT.
YOU CANNOT LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY
TODAY AND NOT UNDERSTAND EVERY
TIME ONE OF THOSE IMAGES OF
SOMEBODY BEING +@KILLED BY POLI,
LIKE MEN PARTICULARLY, WE HAVE
GONE THROUGH THIS IN OUR
COMMUNITY AND OUR CITY AND WE
CAME OUT BETTER FOR.
WHAT I WANT OUR MESSAGES TO BE
IS TO REMEMBER THAT WE GOT
THRO+@UGH THIS.
WE GOT THROUGH IT BECAUSE WE +@
WORKED WITH PEOPLE AND NOT JUST
IGNORED IT.
WE CHANGED.
OUR DEPARTMENT HAS CHANGED AND
DE-ESCALATION TRAINING AND
UNDERSTANDING HOW IMPORTANT IT
IS TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S NOT SOME PASSING OF A
TREND OR AN ACT OF KINDNESS. WE
ARE OUT THERE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD. WHAT I WANT TO
+@SAY TO MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PA
THAT THERE ARE WAYS TO ENGAGE
+@ AND WORK HARD TOGETHER THAT
MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
>> WERE YOU ON THE SCENE
EARLIER?
>> I WAS NOT.
>> I KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
IN CONTACT WITH YOU OR FOR MANY
OTHER PEOPLE, MAYBE THE
DIFFERENCE IN WHAT YOU SAW BACK
IN 2016 IN TERMS OF THE
ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN POLICE AND
THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT WE ARE
SEEING TONIGHT.
>> THIS SURPRISINGLY CAME FROM
FAITH LEADERS IN THIS COMMUNITY
. THE FAITH-BASED LEADERS ON
THE WESTSIDE WOULD CALL ME TO
SAY I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHAT IS
HAPPENING.
+@
SAY I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING. THAT TO ME SAYS THAT THE PEOPLE
IN THIS COMMUNITY CARE DEEPLY
ABOUT THESE KINDS OF ACTIONS.
THEY HAVE CALLED AND SAID WHAT
CAN WE DO.
HOW CAN WE START THIS DIALOGUE?
HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO DO THIS
+@WORK IN THE COMMUNITY?
WHAT THEY HAVE SAID IS THAT
THEY ARE WILLING TO CALL AND
TALK ABOUT THIS.
YOU NOTICE THAT THERE ARE
SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT WERE
ENGAGED IN THIS PROTEST THAT
SAID LET'S STOP.
LET'S PROTEST PEACEFULLY.
IT DIDN'T END UP BEING THAT WAY
BUT AT THE SAME TIME CMPD
SHOWED GREAT RESTRAINT AND THEY
TRIED VERY HARD NOT TO CREATE+@
THAT KIND OF IMAGE THAT WE
WOULD HAVE IN THE PAST YEARS.
+@
THAT KIND OF IMAGE THAT WE WOULD HAVE IN THE PAST YEARS. >> IT HAS TO BE ON YOUR MIND
THAT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
OF THE WEEKEND.
THEY ARE CERTAINLY IN PROXIMITY.
+@
OF THE WEEKEND. THEY ARE CERTAINLY IN PROXIMITY. WITH THIS GETTING STARTED
KNOWING THAT THINGS CAN
ESCALATE.
>> IT'S A NEW DAY.
WE ALL GATHERED TOGETHER WITH
THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE WORKED
WITH IN THE PAST THAT WE HAVE+@
INTENDED TO SPEAK WITH US THAT
WE REALLY WORK AND LISTEN HARD
TO DO THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO
TO BE SAFE AND BE THE SAFEST
THAT THEY ARE. THEY CAN BE
HEARD AND WE CAN DO IT IN A WAY
THAT WE ALL RESPECT EACH OTHER.
WE START A NEW DAY AND REENGAGE
WITH ALL OF THE +@PEOPLE.
>> WHAT YOU THINK?
WE KNOW THIS IS A SNAPSHOT IN
TIME AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW OR SUNDAY
BUT IF THINGS CONTINUE THE WAY
THAT THEY ARE NOW, WHAT ARE
YOUR ACTIONS ON MONDAY?
>> EACH DAY IS IMPORTANT.
EACH DAY YOU GET A BETTER
PICTURE OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE
THINKING AND YOU GET MORE
+@
PICTURE OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING AND YOU GET MORE DIALOGUE GOING.
I CAN'T SAY WHAT MONDAY WILL BE
LIKE BUT TOMORROW MORNING I
KNOW THAT WE START WITH TALKING
WITH EVERYBODY THAT WE CAN AND
GET IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAFE.
+@ WE CAN SAY THIS IS HOW WE CAN
PROTEST BECAUSE THE RULES OF
ENGAGEMENT START OFF WITH
+@
PROTEST BECAUSE THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT START OFF WITH RESPECTING PEOPLE WHERE THEY
ARE.
>> I KNOW THAT ONE OF THE
THINGS I KEEP SEEING NOT ONLY
ON TV BUT WE HEAR PEOPLE
TALKING ABOUT.
PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
THEIR SONS.
I'M TALKING SPECIFICALLY
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN ARE
+@ CONCERNED ABOUT THE BOYS,
WHETHER THEY ARE LITTLE BOYS OR
+@ CONCERNED ABOUT THE BOYS, WHETHER THEY ARE LITTLE BOYS OR@
THEY ARE GROWN MEN.
I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A SON.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT DON'T
REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE A +@
HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING WHAT
THAT FEAR MIGHT BE.
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHAT GOES
THROUGH YOUR MIND AS THE +@MOTH
OF A BLACK MAN WHEN YOU SEE
THIS KIND OF PROTEST AND
REACTION AND EVENT?
>>+@ IT IS VERY REAL TO ME.
MY SON, WHEN HE WAS +@AT +@CHAP
HILL IN SCHOOL WAS ARRESTED FOR
AN ARMED ROBBERY BECAUSE HE HAD
DREADLOCKS AND HE WAS
IDENTIFIED BY THE PERSON WHO
SAID HE HAD BEEN ROBB+@ING HIM.
WHAT SAVED HIM WAS A CREDIT
CARD RECEIPT THAT SHOWED THAT
HE HAD SIGNED A CREDIT CARD IN
A DIFFERENT LOCATION FROM WHAT
HAPPENED.
HONESTLY EVEN TALKING ABOUT IT
RIGHT NOW SENDS CHILLS THROUGH
MY BODY.
HE IS PRETTY OLD NOW
>> I ASKED THE QUESTION. HE WAS
A JUNIOR AT CHAPEL HILL WHEN
THIS HAPPENED.
>> THIS IS NOT BRAND-NEW.
THIS IS A CONVERSATION AND A
CONCERN THAT HAS EXISTED FOR +@
LONG TIME.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION
+@ NOT NECESSARILY TO PUT YOU ON
THE SPOT.
THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS VERY
REAL TO YOU AND I KNOW THAT
THIS IS YOUR CITY AND YOUR TOWN
AND SOMETHING THAT IS VERY
CLOSE TO YOU WHETHER IT
INVOLVES YOUR SON BUT
SPECIFICALLY YOU CAN IDENTIFY
WITH THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE.
>> IT IS VERY +@DIFFICULT TO HA
TO SIT DOWN WITH YOUR SON AND
SAY SOMETHING IS GOING ON HERE.
I NEED YOU TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL
RIGHT NOW.
I NEED YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO
INTERACT WITH THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
THAT IS REALITY FOR MANY OF US.
PEOPLE OFTEN SAY YOU ARE THE
MAYOR, YOUR SON DOES NOT HAVE
TO GO THROUGH THAT WHILE MY SON
WENT THROUGH THAT.
>> THE POLICE CHIEF OF THE CITY
WHEN POLICE ARE BEHIND THEM AND
THEY ARE DRIVING.
THEY CAN THINK IN IDENTIFYING
THIS.
>> THIS KIND OF THING HAPPENS
WHEN THEY ARE SEEING WHETHER OR
NOT THEY ARE GOING TO FUNCTION
SOMETIMES.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PEOPLE.
THEY ARE ACROSS THE COUNTRY
OVER WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY ARE
SO UPSET AND OTHER AREAS.
THIS IS A DEEPER ISSUE. HOW DO
YOU BEGIN TO, AS A LEADER OF
THE CITY THAT IS DIVERSE.
HOW DO YOU BEGIN TO ALLOW
PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT?
>> I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE
EFFORT. THESE CONVERSATIONS ON
RACE MATTER.
I'M RELIEVED WHEN WE CAN HAVE
THIS KIND OF DIALOGUE AND I CAN
SAY THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN
UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT JUST
THOSE PEOPLE.
THOSE PEOPLE. +@ IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT+@ WE
INTERACT WITH EVERY DAY.
+@ FOR THAT I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR
THE EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE AROUND
EQUITY AND JUSTICE AND DEALING
WITH RACISM.
+@
EQUITY AND JUSTICE AND DEALING WITH RACISM. THAT IS HOW I HAVE HOPE.
THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME SAY THAT
CHARLOTTE CAN BE A MODEL FOR
OTHER CITIES.
WHILE WE MAY NOT BE PERFECT WE
NEVER