Transcripts For CSPAN Former President Obama Holds Town Hall On Racial Justice Police Reform 20240712

More than 1000 are killed in america and black people arm our three times will likely to be killed. Together, we can work to refine Public Safety so that it recognizes the dignity of every person. Of atown hall is part brothers Keeper Alliance town hall series. It was launched in 2014 after the tragic killing of trayvon martin. The president launched it, calling on america and everybody to do whatever they could in their power to make sure men of color new that they matter and to reduce the systemic barriers that stand in their way to make sure every young person has every opportunity to reach their dreams. Today, the work of my brothers keeper continues at the Obama Foundation where we lead a network of more than 250 communities and a massive call to action to businesses, mayors, and other folks across the country. Where young boys and men of color are valued and have opportunity. We are excited to have president obama sharing his viewpoints today and gathering a panel of local and National Experts that are fighting on the ground and fighting this fight for many years. Before we start our program today, i want to acknowledge the lives of george, atatiana, ahmaud, and others by taking a 32nd moment of silence to remember those lives and reflect. Please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you. We speak their names and hold them in our hearts. It is with their memory that we move ahead in action. It is my pleasure to start where we should always start. Brothers the my keeper ohio conference. There is a statewide network of my brothers keeper in ohio. This young man blew us away with his incredible words. He graduated from Fort Hays High School in may, class of 2020. He was a straight a student and member of the National Honors society. Patrick will attend the Ohio State University in the fall and plans to major in criminal justice and criminology. It is my pleasure to introduce this brilliant, bright young man. Hello, ladies and showman. I am 18 years old and plan to attend the Ohio State University. And this is 2020 quarantine killings. Ask, how do black boys write about their city . How do we know streets if we dont know uncracked sidewalks. They ask, how do these black boys know anything about their city . The buildings are sitting on corners where brothers bodies are still learning how to rot. There are small crosses placed in the grass where families lovedafford to bury ones. It reminds us that we are anything else. We call those corners playgrounds. We call those corners the killing fields. We call our bodies bullets even if we were never aimed in the right direction. We call the remnants of our mothers family. We are a catalog of prayers of broken hands. It we pray for our family tree to make its way back home. We use our hands to dig the graves we cannot afford. We are farmers of broken, black bodies. We have never known cities. Never known comfort. Streetsur feet to walk paved by sunlight. And if they could choose this skin. We make a catalyst of bodies with our dinner menu and we eat with our eyes closed. We are always conflicted between being black and being peaceful. I wish god could have given us a choice. Years, we were told there was something we need to scrub off this body as if this dirt could go away. For ag on each other little slice of the pie. We dont know this city. Gotten auldnt have house or a bed when it was first built. We dont know home. Could use these miles into the night. It is bedazzled with remnants of the stars. Home. t know we know this plan has never been hours. We know how to vote ourselves into nothing. We know our sweat and tears. Make these hands be useful. We are the farmers a revolution. No country was built without the piling up of dead bodies. America, the land of the free and home of the brave. We fought and died for that slogan white right beside our white brothers. Doesnt that make us worth something . Riot is the language of the unheard. I want to take a second for thinking the Obama Foundation for giving me an opportunity to communicate and spread the message. It is my honor to introduce a man that needs no introduction. He is the founder of the my brothers keepers program. He is a father, lawyer, lecturer, community organizer, and so much more. Born and raised in honolulu, to americacame forever and is the 44th president of the United States of america, president barack obama. President obama that was unbelievable. And we could not be prouder. You are a hard act to follow. I cant wait to see all the things that you will be doing in the future. Good afternoon, everybody. All the participants, the panelists. Let me start by just seen,ledging that we have in the last several weeks, the kind of months, the epic changes and events in our country are as profound as anything we have seen in our lifetime. I am now a lot older. I will be 59 soon. Acknowledgingy havealthough all of us been feeling pain, uncertainty, some folks have been feeling it more than others. Most of all, the pain experienced by families. Breonna,ihanna weaud, and so many that thought about during that moment of silence. Families affected by tragedy. I,ase know that michelle and and the nation, we agree with you. We are committed to the fight of making a more just nation. And we cant forget that even as there confronting particular act of violence that , our nationslosses are in the midst of a Global Pandemic that has exposed the vulnerability of the health care disparate the and as a consequence, the disparate impact that exists in the health care system. The unequal investment and the biases that have led to infections and lossoflife in communities of color. In a lot of ways, what has happened over the last several s challenges, structural in the United States, it has been thrown into high relief. They are the outcomes, not just of the immediate moment in time, but the result of a long history ,f slavery, jim crow institutionalized racism that have too often been the plague of the original sin of our society. And in some ways, as tragic as these last few weeks have been, as difficult, scary, and uncertain as they have been, they have been an Incredible Opportunity for people to be awakened. We can Work Together to tackle changeake them on, and america to make it live up to the highest ideals. Sot of what has made me hopeful is that people have galvanized, activated, and mobilized. Because historically, so much of hasprogress we have made been because of young people. When he was a young man got involved. Cesar chavez was a young man. Movement were the young people. The leaders of the union were young people. The leaders of the environmental of thet and the movement Lgbt Community finally had a voice and was represented for young people. Sometimes i feel despair and i see what is happening with young people across the country. With talent, voice, and sophistication that they are displaying. It makes me feel optimistic. As if this feel country is going to get better. I want to speak directly to the young men and women of color in witnessedry who have too much violence and too much death. And too often, some of that comes from folks that are supposed to be serving and protecting you. I want you to know that you matter. I want you to know that your lives matter. If you look at my nephews and nieces, i see limitless potential. You should be able to learn and toe mistakes without having worry about what will happen. Looking at some birds in the park. You have the power to make things better and you have helped to make the entire country feel as if this is something that has to change. I want to acknowledge the folks in Law Enforcement that share the goals of reimagining policing. There are folks out there that took their oath to serve your communities and your countries, they have a tough job, and i know you are just as outraged as are many of the protesters. And so we are grateful for the vast majority of you that protect and serve. I have been heartened to see those in Law Enforcement that recognize let me march along with these protesters. Let me stand sidebyside and recognize i want to be part of the solution. ,nd you show restraint volunteered, engaged, and listened. You are a vital part of the conversation. And change is going to require everybodys participation. An office,ice i created a task force on 21st Century Policing in the wake of the tragic killing of michael brown. Law task force included enforcement, community leaders, and activists. They were charged to develop a very specific set of recommendations to foster better working relationships than they are supposed to protect. Even as they are continuing to promote effective crime reduction. A rangereport showcases of solutions and strategies that were proven and based on data and research to improve Community Policing and collect better data. Howrting and identifying police were trained. And using force in ways that increase safety rather than sit the tate tragedy. Precipitate tragedy. Most of the reforms that are needed to prevent of the type of violence and injustices take place at the local level. Reform has to take place in more than 19,000 american municipalities. Local law18,000 enforcement jurisdictions. Be clear about where change is going to happen. And how we can bring about that change. Mayors and county executives appoint most Police Chiefs. Policet determines practices in local communities. They decide whether or not to investigate or charge those. And there are Police Community review boards. Oftentimes may be elected as well. The bottom line is i have been hearing a little bit of chatter on the internet about voting versus protest. Participation versus civil disobedience and direct action. This is not either or. This is both and to bring about real change. We have to highlight a problem and make people empower uncomfortable. And we also have to translate that into Practical Solutions and law that kimberly and be implement it and we can monitor to major we are following our heart. Very quickly. Couplejust close with a of specific things. What can we do . Number one, there are specific evidencebased reforms that if we put in place today, would build trust, save lives, would not show an increase in crime. Those were included in the task force report. You can find it on obama. Org. A lot of mayors and local officials read and supported the task force. Mayor in thisery your use ofeview force policies with members of your community and commit to report on planned reforms. What are the specific steps you can take. Force was donesk several years ago. Since then, we have implemented some of these reform ideas. We have more data as to what works. Others are out there highlighting what the data shows. What works and what doesnt in terms of reducing incidents of Police Misconduct and violence. Lets go ahead and start implementing those. We need those in positions of power to say that this is a priority. Number three, every city in this country should be in my brothers keeper communities. Up for boys and young men of color, programs and policy reforms. Go to our website. It can make a difference. This. Close by saying i have heard some people say that you have a pandemic, then you have these protests. 60sreminds people of the and the chaos, the discord, the mistrust throughout the country. I have to tell you, although i was very young when you had riots and protests, assassinations and discord back in the 60s. I know enough about the history to say that there is something different. Look at those protests. It was a far more representative crosssection of america out on the streets peacefully protesting. And who felt moved to do something because of the injustices they have seen. The did not exist back in 1960s. That broad coalition. That recent surveys have shown that despite some protests having been marred by the actions of some, a tiny minority that engaged in violence. As usual, it got a lot of attention and focus. A majority of Americans Still think the protests were justified. 30, would not have existed 40, 50 years ago. There is a change in mindset that is taking place. A greater recognition that we can do better. Not as a consequence of speeches by politicians. Ofis not the result spotlights and news articles. It is a direct result of the activities, organizing, and mobilization and engagement of so many young people across the country that put themselves on the line to make a difference. So i just have to say thank you to them for helping bring about , making sure that we now follow through. Point, attention moves away. Starts toint, protest dwindle in size. It is important for us to take the momentum that has been created as a society and as a thisry to say, lets use to finally have an impact. Thank you, everybody. Im proud of you guys. Will beow that we hearing from a bunch of people that have been on the frontlines of this that know a lot more than i do about it. Thank you, mr. President. The president decided he wanted to stay and be part of the conversation led by Brittany Cunningham with the attorney general and other leaders. Before we go to that section, i want to reiterate the pledge the president mentioned. If you are a mayor, go to obama. Org and take this pledge. Several mayors have said, sign me up. They have already taken a pledge. Mayor de blasio of new york mama mayor lightfoot of chicago, the mayors of minneapolis, d. C. , san francisco, and atlanta. They are all my brothers keeper communities. We will be posting all the cities and the mayors that take the pledge. And in 90 days, we will see who has taken the pledge and the work happening to create lasting change in communities. A is my pleasure to introduce friend, activist, educator, writer from nbc and msnbc news. A lifelong activist after the ferguson uprising. A policy platform to end Police Violence. And president obama there is an Advocacy Campaign to adopt a use of that can reduce Police Violence by upwards of 70 . Thank you for gathering this conversation with this moment of intense grief. Your experiencing that grief and you need a community in which to do that. Like me, you are girded in the strength of your ancestor ancestry. Itd far more with far less. However you have come here, we are glad you are here. Were are here to get honest, to get clear, and to get to work. Even the moments of seeing people raise their voices and in the moments where a Police Officer might take a knee, that momentary action might turn into true, systemic, and lasting change. So many brilliant voices have been gathered. We better understand how we got to this moment. I want to make sure to lift up the names of the people that brought us here. It was george floyd, a father in minneapolis. It was breonna taylor, a lifesaving emt. It was shawn reed, friend and brother in indianapolis. It was a black trans man that love life in tallahassee, florida. And we are having this in the , and two Ahmaud Arbery other black trans men that were killed. Frankly, there are too many names to list because as the president has said, we have in attorney general holder, i want to start with you. I was raised to be an activist. If you asked my mom, this is the only life i have ever known. As it relates to relate. Ully as you know, there were literally thousands of brave protesters like the ones we are seeing right now. I want to know what you learn from those grassroots activists. What have you carried from those conversations and ferguson with . Ou holder i remember back in 2014, meeting with the president i did not know how people would react to my presence. But we made the determination that i would go. The thing that struck me the most, a few things really got me. There were young people that were there and unbelievably waysssed and in a lot of directing the action that you saw. The things that they were concerned about. It was a general a genuine desire to make things better. There was a genuine desire to work. People were extremely respectful. Time, if weed some invested some federal resources, we would be in a position, using the great leaders. It was the young people that we met there, making life and ferguson better. And an example of what was possible in the rest of the country. As the president reminded us, this is not an either or question. One of my favorite things to remind people is that it is not about policy or protest, this is about policy and protest. And so that dr. King many others taught us that protest is what creates pressure so that policy can get past. Similarly, we are in a longterm game and a shortterm game. We are dealing with radical imagination and figuring out what Public Safety can look like. Role, you have engaged in pattern and practice investigations. Like this, when we saw the uprisings that we did all over the country when you were still in office . The keyer one of things that people need to understand is that there is not a tension between having justice , fair treatment, and Public Safety. You can keep people safe and also have a better, more equitable criminal Justice System. Im not going to get too boastful here but for the first time in 40 years during the obama administration, we reduced the number of people incarcerated in the federal system and also lower the crime rate. In can make things better terms of community and Police Relations and keep people safe at the same time. We tried to come up with ways in which we could look at what we thought were the problems. We address those to engage Law Enforcement and bring them together so that they can get to know each other and understand how difficult it is to be a Police Officer. Understand how communities of color have had to deal with unfair Law Enforcement practices over the years. We bring people together. It was through those kinds of meetings that led to the 21st and pattern and practice investigations, using the power that we had under the civil rights that shoots. Statutes. The highlight of my time as attorney general. Given the opportunity to get into communities and affect positive change, to bring established relationships between people and Law Enforcement and people in communities of color. Some ways, what im most proud of. It lays the foundation for future work. Young people, that is our audience today. Young people were critically involved. I want to ask you one more on. Tion before i move police trying to engage, imagine what communities look like. We dont have traditional systems because communities are so healthy. Your most radical imagination for where we can get to as a community and as a people. What is that dream . That is an interesting one. My dream is that we would get to a place where people are judged on their individual deeds, their individual characteristics. And we dont stereotype people. Thats not only with regard to how we do things in the criminal Justice System. It is separate and apart from the greater society. Thees that we face in criminal Justice System, appropriate use of force, implicit violence, a range of things. Those grow out of the same kinds of problems that we see in larger society. We have to deal with problems that are more systemic. Bets if we want to deal and effective bringing about needed change. I would hope that we get to a place where discrimination is no longer a factor in the lives of people of color. Bet their treatment would something to be expected. In order to enslave people, you had to think that they were in some ways different. Not be astudes may explicit as they once were. Implicit radical change, i would like to erase those feelings and base policy on realworld experiences as well as the perceptions of stereotypes. I hear you saying that being , that is not radical and what everybody is owed. I want to move now to Philippe Cunningham from the city of minneapolis where so much of this is centered. This is ground zero in so many ways as it was home to george floyd and his family. I have so many questions for you. But i want to know how you are doing . What is happening on the ground in minneapolis. I see my friend deion jones peacefully protesting in los angeles when he was hit with a rubber bullet. We have seen so many images of that kind of unnecessary confrontation. And a lot of them, unfortunately, are coming from minneapolis. What do people need to understand about what is going on on the ground. Inc. You for having me and thank you for the question. I am starting off that i am here today because of the strength of my ancestors and elders that came before me fighting the fight to make my work possible. On the ground in minneapolis, folks are mobilizing on a scale we have never seen before. And a Diverse Coalition of folks is emerging, demanding justice. Not only for george floyd, but for how the city of minneapolis protects its residents. Ist were seeing right now generations of trauma and rage, violence bestowed on the black at every by the state single level of government. Ad i will add that as transgender man, i have lived and the trauma i have witnessing state sanctioned violence as well as generational trauma of my ancestors who have survived slavery. Interesting about this, ground zero in minneapolis, we are an incredibly progressive city. At the same time, we are the city that has the most significant Racial Disparities between white and black folks, the entire country across every indicator. This has just been boiling under the surface. I have been in office for 2. 5 years. Hadin my first two years, i to deal with three officerinvolved shooting deaths in my ward alone, including one that was suicide by cop. Incidents from those doesnt dissipate because the legal system deemed their deaths justified. President obama spoke to the data we are starting to see. In fact, people being caught in the criminal Justice System further disenfranchises black and brown folk. Cycle involved in the criminal Justice System that is often passed enter generationally. Enough is enough. And our system is obviously broken. It is time for a new system of Public Safety in our city. Wheree heard from folks they believe they just want to add a Police Officers. Others want to work for incremental change. We have the ability to keep ourselves safe and our Community Safe. I am a little bit tired because i have been up all night with my community, organizing my community, working closely with folks on the ground. We are seeing largescale protests right now. The historically black community in minneapolis that i represent, and burningght wing down blackowned businesses. To protecte together the community. Have strategies and make them sustainable. With youdnt agree more on all of it. I want to hold space for the intersections of your identities and the way that systems particularly impact you because it is such a critical part of the conversation. We cant allow it to be erased. I want to acknowledge and agree with everything you said about the fact that we save us and we continue to save us. Imagine it is beyond the traditional system, figure out how we protect one another and build up Strong Communities from the ground up. We are more than capable, no matter what anyone else says. That is what i want to ask you about. As an elected official, youre playing the role in a traditional system and you have a radical imagination about what is possible. We know that budget is a moral document. Jobs,ing in housing, things that keep people well and keep their needs met. It is the most imaginative even if they should be the things that people receive. How are you thinking about enacting those things . Where does minneapolis go to make sure that everybody there is not just living in a liberal city but an equitable city. Thatank you for framing it way. When i talk about the work that needs to be done, what we have seen is that a lot of Reform Efforts that have been implemented, we have tremendous leadership from our former mayor unabashedly office, demanding overhauls. Woman policeirst chief that is also native, the first lgbt police chief. Every officer is trained in procedural justice and antiviolence training. Then she appointed our cities. Irst chief erin ando even with all of that work, many officers have been in all but open revolt with their grievances being aired by the police federation. Take a step back and look at the big picture about what does it mean to keep our Community Safe . We have to be thinking about it from a different frame and a different paradigm. We know the system of policing is founded on and rooted in white supremacy. So as we are trying to do this police, we have to get serious about investing in new alternative systems and Public Safety there rooted in justice and our community. We have a paradigm for this. It is the Public Health approach to Public Safety. Thinking about violence as a disease that spreads, it spreads interpersonally and enter generationally. Intergenerationally. There is evidencebased strategies. Minneapolis has been working ash John Jay College as well cities united. We have been working together to really institutionalize this opportunity. I have been a tireless advocate for violence, prevention, and intervention efforts. We have created, in late 2018, the office of prevention for city ordinance. We institutionalize a new system. But that only goes so far. We need money to go into that. That is where the budget as a moral document comes in. There is always political will to put money into the Police Budget. The budget is almost 200 million in minneapolis. Approved a budget of 1. 6 billion. They take up a huge chunk. We had to fight relentlessly to get 50,000 for a Domestic Violence Intervention Program strategy for us to implement, despite the fact that in minneapolis, the number one reason for 911 initiated police calls for service is because of domestic assault. We are not successfully getting to the root of these issues. Institutionalized approach that is Community Led with intervention, thinking about housing and jobs. Training and education. It is what true copperheads of Public Safety is comprehensive Public Safety is. What would it look like to have a future without police . What does it look like to not need the police . And work backwards from there. I used to be a teacher so backwards planning is my jam. Its my favorite thing to do. You helped root us. There are things and policies that have to change. Before i close with you, why about i be understanding what the grassroots demands are. We are attempting to be supportive of what is happening on the ground there. Shortterm, longterm, notverything in between just policies, but culture and investment . I was a special education teacher. What we really need in terms of support in minneapolis is for folks to keep an eye on us and be able to hold us accountable. There is real momentum here. Since i have been in office. And if we implement specific reforms. The antibias training, those sorts of reforms. Need to dig even deeper into it. We have seen a groundswell of demand. That is what we are seeing right now. These folks are the ones that are transformation oriented. In minneapolis. I am not the only black trans person on minneapolis city council. So that really opens the possibilities, when we Work Together. The opened an investigation the department has opened an investigation for systemic racial discrimination. I would say that what we need right now is for folks outside of minneapolis to keep an eye on what is going on and to invest in the folks that are on the ground and have been doing this work for years and years. And also to push folks on the ground to make their voices heard. That is one of the biggest things i hear the most from folks that simply want more police. I am soft on crime because i advocate for a copperheads of approach for Public Safety. We need folks to we have transformational change. We have already begun to see the seeds of so much of that transformation right there in the hometown due to leadership. The first black woman president of the university of minnesota. I am always like, yes, we make schools safe for young people. Much, not just for this conversation, but your continued courage. I will come lastly to my good friend and partner rishaad robinson who is the president of color and change. We have been on the phone a lot during the last few weeks. You are always thinking so about conversations that they have upheld at the national level. Dont have saviors, we build teams. That is how we get the work done in the community. That is the work color of change has done, to give us the opportunity to be on the team. How are you thinking about making sure people understand what their role is on the team . What is the spectrum of demand you are seeing, remembering the color of change and pushing and exploring as you do this work . Thank you for the question. It is great to be on this conversation, doing work with my brothers keeper. I would say a couple of things. Over the last eight months alone, over 5 Million People have taken action with color of change. Making phone calls and showing up to rallies. That is important, we want to translate the present of this moment into the ability to actually change the world. Sometimes those are the written rules of policy and those are the unwritten rules of culture. I want to talk about both why those things are critically important at this moment and channel strategic action. Racism. Dual alone it will find the crack. We constantly need to figure out how are we shoring up the system that will have cracks in them and building new systems for the future. So on the written rule side we are focused on how do you get people in that moment, something clear to do, pushing for justice and recognizing that we have to move people up the ladder because none of the families the longterm world needs to hange. We have to change ways money from the federal level and taking action. Art of what we try to do and building for energy and helping to describe for people how to do it. A couple of years ago in the of t of the challenge Police Violence, we came up with the District Attorney that we didnt have the ability to move. With petitions, they were not noticed. So we recognize we have to help the Community Better understand. We have to build more energy so they could operate without public pressure. These are executive level traditions and the most powerful act. Searchable National Data base. We work with folks in hollywood to develop video that describes the role of District Attorney for every day people so people can understand how District Attorneys operate. We work across the movement of lives clear command that we could take to get people talking about treating kids as kids. [indiscernible] increasing transparency, all of these things are incredibly important to winning justice longterm and we have to change the role and change what the public expects from prosecutors and the way public thinks about criminal justice and leads me to the cultural conversation. Ecause for the last 20 years basically, a couple of blips, Violent Crime has gone down. According to pew, americans think Violent Crime is going up and we have a deep gap between perfection and reality. And they talked about in terms of reducing Police Budget and ensuring we are investing in education and health and jobs and all the things, communities that have reduced the need for Law Enforcement, they dont need police. The public has been inundated with images that make us believe that Violent Crime is right around the window. We had to build a program and through our work, we are working to study crime and working to storytellingge the and one of the things we warked, all these crime tv shows covered and ties like new york and connection to the community, no fear in the game on the impact of the images that they are portraying, putting black faces on the criminal Justice System and magical world where plaque and brown people that gets and racism doesnt. We have to work that and change that and part of that activism is the work we have to do. And for us to achieve the type of policy changes that are needed, we have to change the story. And i want to say far too often we tell about black communities are vulnerable. They are vulnerable when they have been under attack and black communities have been tarkted and history of being underaffected and all of those things are not being vulnerable but being on the chopping block so when we work to change that story, we can accomplish so much more. I have one very brief question because i know we have to wrap up. I want to ask you and maybe give me some tips, is this moment a game changer . We have been in this work for a while now. Is this a shift in whats possible where we see ourselves right now . Thats a great question, we want that we want things that are quick and easy and progress and justice is not easy. But think about inflex point, it prevents the possibility and actually prevent the real threat to go backwards. A lot of things have changed over the last several years. White people in a starbucks take out their cell phones and filming on Police Interaction that they recognize is wrong because the movement has trained them. A major Financial Company that racismcist uses the word in a statement that we wouldnt imagine them doing it. But we recognize what we have learned along the way and the way in which we have shifted what our demands. We shifted what can be possible. I want folks to think that we have been the game changer. The game has continued to change and the deep level of pushback is an absolutely of the power our movement is building. Make no mistake, doesnt mean that progress is a straight line. But i want folks coming into this movement not come into this movement that they have to fix the movement but put on their arm our and join us and follow the institution that has been driving. And then they have their creativity but we have been winning and reaction to what we are seeking is a result of the progress that i believe we are making. Pushback wouldnt be as so great if the progress isnt real. We are the game changer. We have heard in that, changing our communities, having the kind of role, it is hard work and necessary work and we have to be brabe enough to imagine what is possible and then go work for it and not just dream it and we have to be incisive enough to make sure people are safe, whole and healthy now, that black people deserve to live because we are human and we need much more from america. We just or sure that dont deserve to survive but thrive and as dr. Cornell west says. Lets go make sure that love is making love. Mr. President , i have seen that face many times. I know you are itching to ask a question and i will close and hand it off to you. President obama i have been enjoying, hearing all the wisdom that has been spread by so many others. Want to give eric holder his props as attorney general. He rebuilt the Civil Rights Division within the justice department. Consistently on the ground working with communities, listening to communities and coming up with Practical Solutions to try to make things better and i couldnt be prouder andim, blown away by felipe rashad is a consistent warrior for change. He was part of the conversations we had after ferguson. I think you know that. So as i listen, i am feeling once again inspired. And what has particularly inspired me is the degree to which folks are thinking strategicically, practically at a very detailed level about where are the places where you can make change. And what are the Practical Solutions backed up by research, data and experience that allows us to create set of communities , safe andafe and just fair, safe and nondiscriminatory, and that is possible. And i think one of the things the factbeen raised is that we dont have the capacity to eradicate 400 years of racism in one fell swoop. If we think this is a seismic shift, i hope people dont feel like nothing is going to happen once we figure this out. I have been known to quote dr. King frequently. It bends towards justice, we bend it. All of you have bent it over the last four, five, six, 10 years and we are seeing the fruits of those labors in the degree of awareness that is out there. Look, think about some of the people who have spoken out against what happened in minneapolis. Jim n you have i just harbaugh, ohio state contingent here, but the coach of Michigan Football marching today. Thats not something that was happening five, six years ago, although jim, i know and he has been on the right side of this issue for quite some time. You have unlikely participants because all of you have worked so hard to raise awareness and that is the progress that has been made, doesnt mean everything has been solved. The only question that i think might be worth while for me to throw out there, even though i have read enough in the literature and pretty good sense of what the answer is going to be, brenda, you mentioned that you campaign it cant wait. We talked about the 21st Century Task Force report. T would be useful to quick off quickly that the campaign is promoting because for a lot of people who are watching, they may be surprised that some of these things are practical and could be implemented quickly. I know just one off the top of my head that we can focus on because it has been so painfully real these last few weeks, chokeholds and strangle delem holds just saying thats not what we do. U dont need to do that to effectively restrain somebody. Summary executive form so people can hear what the specific things are. The eight things are banning strange willholds and chokeholds. Requiring a warning before pulling out a weapon. Exhausting all alternatives. A duty of other officers to intervene. They cant just stand there. Banning shooting, establishing use of force and all force to be reported. Together those eight things can reduce Police Violence. But 70 that is not standing competition with what police just walked us through. These things can happen immediately without executive order, all we need is a mayor to have the political will and say and let alone tomorrow. So do that now and then continue to work with the community, because we will continue to keep up the pressure to make sure we are getting to those Public Safety solutions that are communitybased and oriented and far beyond anything we are experiencing right now. These dont stand in competition with imagination but necessary steps immediately to keep people safe as we doing the hard work [indiscernible] president obama let me point out in my opening remarks, tension is posed between political participation and protests, police are an example you are allowed to participate politically. If you are on the streets protesting and making demands, having somebody a city council who can follow up and respond and advocate and deal with push back and is in the room when budgets are made and is advising mayors how they are going to negotiate the next collective bargaining contract with the police union. You need those folks in order to ltimately deliver the goods. Im constantly mindful of the an either his is not or thing all of which are necessary to make a difference. When michelle talked about the cultural element of this, dr. King, this may be impossible but somebody mentioned to him, well just having an antidiscrimination bill or antilynching bill, wont change hearts and minds and he said it will keep me from that, too. The narrative of the story and telling people, see me, im human, heres my thing, this is somebodys son, somebodys uncle, heres the story you need to understand about our background and community and how do we break down stereotypes as eric holder talked about. Thats the work of a lot of people. Some are going to be on the streets protesting, some are running for office, some are writing. I picked up and reread the fire next time. And how James Baldwin can lay out a reality 50 years ago that sounds like it was written yesterday and thats activism and thats work and participation. Worry sometimes as we debate strategies, people start thinking there is one way of doing things. The more specific we are practical in the shortterm as well as visionary in the longterm, better off we are going to be. With that, im going to be quiet because you dont need to hear. Om i want to say how much i appreciate all of you. And the conversation is going to continue. Let me thank for the hard work that was on display. And nicole is going to take a few questions. So not everyone has the opportunity to watch questions. So thats another reason you should come in. Nicole will pose a couple of questions. And we will be spending resources and created a google group and continue this conversation. Nicole, let me bring you to field those questions. Thank you everyone. Tons of Great Questions as the el mentioned, we can first question from our young people. Medias how have the portrayal of frequent violent riots effected work to promote activists and legitimated officials towards a selfcontaining Public Safety system . Media portrayal of focusing hyper focusing on the violent protests or the violence and rioting happening during the protests pulled away from what is actually happening. The real story of the trauma and the pain and reason why folks are out on the ground doing the work, why we are traumatized as a community and why we are doing this Work Together. So the media is looking nor representational authority and talking about the Public Safety is not that sexy. Its easier to be able to pick the what is happening right now and make that news worthy and what it is is distracting and distracting from folks in the community who have demands and vision and pulling away from their voice. The folks that have been on the ground nonstop for years. Some folks in their cases for decades. And i want to make sure that i have been all over the media and fortunate that folks have been reaching out all over the world and i keep hammering home, Everyone Wants to talk about the riots and the violence and everything that is happening, but i redirect it back to it is possible for us to build alternative systems Public Safety outside of policing. It requires will and investment and we are already doing it and it works. Trying to constantly bring it back to that is really what i think is important that we have messages that have the platforms, the bully pulpit and have those platforms. We have to keep pushing and not let media distract us from the point that is justice. Thank you, council member. The next question a few folks asked this exact same question. What advice can you give to mayors to honor protestors demands for more Police Accountability while supporting the police force and maintaining broad public confidence. How do we change Accountability Measures while also confronting many Police Unions who have invested in our elected officials . President obama im going to take a stab at something, doesnt answer the entire question. When i was in the state legislature back in illinois, we not d one of the first, if he first laws dealing with racial profiling in traffic stops. And there was no way to get that passed without support of the f. O. P. , fraternal order of organizationrimary f the Police Unions. And the argument i was able to police hem was that officers are going to be safer if there is Greater Trust and less tension, that they will be able to do their jobs better if they have data that has been collected, that is clear and Police Chiefs are going to be able to manage their forces collectively and will be less distracted by things that dont and re an armed response they can refocus attention in ways that are good for them as well as the community. It took a long time to make that argument. And im sure there are rank and file members who didnt believe it. But after we passed it, we started collecting data on that issue. And we were able to get them to o along. How responsive the police union is going to be in any circumstance, they will go city by city. And its not easy. But i guess the point i am making and eric holder, may want to chime in on this, i do believe there is leadership that recognizes the need for change. But changing culture is hard. And sometimes the dynamics within the unions themselves are different. And sometimes they say we need to close rank even though we know a few things are messed up. So finding ways to listen and recognize that they have a tough job, but also then insist that this is what we need to do and we will do it and work with you to figure out and when brittany talks about the it cant wait, you should have a dialogue to find out what specific things are a problem without having to choke somebody when they are in handcuffs. What is it that you think is a problem when you force people to articulate what it is that they object to with reasonable demands with the sort outlined. A lot of times they come up empty, but you have to engage in that conversation, but i think its possible to get that done. At the end of the day, though, if you dont have the political pressure to do it, they will resist just because the status quo without some pressure and it is so important both for the protests and for the ollowup that people like council kung man. Next question, this question is coming from a doctor in new york. He thanks our panelist and the uestion how do we generational differences and age and those of us who have been in this fight for many decades in a way that respect each other ideas and approach eggs to deal with racism and not diminish the role and the will of either. This will have to be our last question. Try to give us a 92nd response. 92nd 90 second response. Who would like to take that question with a Quick Response . I would say this. There is the need for young people to work with people like myself who have some years behind them. The arrogance of youth cannot be the terminate. The arrogance of age cant be the determinant. Theres wisdom through lived experience. Theres idealism that young people possess in abundance. Its a combination of that idealism with that experience that makes the most effective movements. People are older have to understand that young people have always been at the forefront of positive change in the nation. The Founding Fathers were young people. George washington was only 44 years old. Say, youryor used to dont see many old fools. Young people need to understand that as well. You dont get to be 60, 70, 80 years old without having navigated a whole series of things. Thats worthwhile. As a young person, you might want to test theories. Older people can say, ive experienced this and this is why this will not work. Its a combination of the two. A lack of arrogance on the part of both ultimately can create a coalition that can be successful. Thank you. Any final words . Pres. Obama keep working. Say hopeful. Moment. D, this is a weve had moments like this before. People are paying attention. Mean thatt everything will get solved. Dont get disheartened. Its a marathon, not a sprint. The fact that people are paying attention provides an opportunity to educate, activate, mobilize, and act. To seizeat we are able this moment. I hope the mayors across the country who have either been watching or hearing about this take that pledge to start immediately implementing steps that can make a difference. I hope all the young people who have been inspired to engage, they keep at it. Thats what ultimately is going to create the kind of country we want. For those who have been talking about protests, remember, this country was founded on protests. Its called the american revolution. Every step of progress in this country, every expansion of freedom, every expression of our deepest ideals, has been won through efforts that made the status quo uncomfortable. We should all be thankful for folks who are willing to come in a peaceful, disciplined way, to be out there making a difference. Thanks, everybody. Im proud of you. I encourage all of you to go to obama. Org. Take a pledge. If you are looking for places to donate or resources or to join the alliance, go to obama. Org. We will continue to be there with you. We are excited to provide Technical Assistance for you as you think about reading those use of force policies. This is just the beginning of a conversation. We will continue this in many different ways. We on the lookout for our next town hall that will be coming up as well. You to all of our communities, the extraordinary that work that you do everyday. Thank you to all of our young men and women for everything that you do. Not just to be the future but to be the change today. Have a great day. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] going onbout protests around the u. S. With Minnesota Attorney general keith ellison. He held a News Conference this afternoon and announced there will be additional criminal charges against the Police Officers accused in the death of george floyd including a seconddegree murder charge against former officer derek chauvin. Heres that now. First of all, thank you to. He press for myself we want to share information with you. I want to begin with a reminder. That is, we are here today