Is christine pelosi, a san fransicoan, California Democratic womans chair and daughter of House Speaker nancy pelosi. Did i miss anything, christine . Good to see you. Nice to see you and good to be with everybody. Thank you. I like the backdrop there. Hey, as an italian woman living up with that statue, what is your reaction today . Well, i think eighth sign of the times and the growing grass roots pressure. There has been all over the country. For years to say, let have a reckoning with our past and lets also dedicate public spaces to people who were about healing, truth and reconciliation rather than division and i think the murder of george floyd, by the minneapolis pd for those eight minutes that we all saw really just galvanized and gave fresh energy to what was really happening in the Indigenous Peoples movement and the black lives movement for black and brown lives. Frankly as a cochair, the veterans and military council, i have been active on the effort to remove the confederate names from bases and other military assets that we have in this country. Because i think its time that we use this as a moment of national truth, reconciliation and healing. And one way to do that is to remove some of these vesey tinls of oppression and really start to have a dialogue about what we want in our education in our history books and in our Living Spaces instead. And the military families that you work with, what do they tell you in terms of why its meaningful to remove those statues . Well, its very interesting to hear, especially from africanamerican veterans who said, you know, one of whom said he was a teacher at one of the bases in texas and he actually had to stay in the barracks. Heed a first, are they taising me . What is this . Right. And a lot of people felt while they were serving, they couldnt really speak out. But now that they are out, groups like vote vets are helping them find their voice to saying look, we can do something better. There are so many war heroes in this country. There are so many Civic Leaders and spiritual leaders in this country. We have a lot of choices. We dont have to go with people who literally took up arms against the United States of america by the active members, really members of the confederacy. I want to come back to the San Francisco columbus statue in a little bit. But what you were just saying about the removal of the confederate symbols, at the capitol today in d. C. , your mom, House Speaker, nancy pelosi ordered the removal of several portraits of former House Speakers who had that confederate history. Talk about why thats so important for it to happen in the nations capitol . Well, the nations capitol is the peoples house. And when you think of the places of honor that we bestow to people who have been either representative of states voted on by their states to be a immoralized at the capitol, in this case, portraits of the speaker. Here they found when they were doing an inventory when it came to the portraits, the four United States speakers had been willing participants, willing active members of the confederacy against the union and it was so powerful today on the eve of juneteenth to think of these four speakers, these four members of the confederacy, they couldnt have fathomed freedom for slaves or equality for women. Here they had a woman speaker order their removal in a process overseen by a black female clerk of the house of representatives. Thats history. Thats progress. And its a new day. Yeah. A year ago, i had a chance to go to d. C. And i was in that capitol rotunda, where i learned for the first time that each state got two statues that they wanted displayed there. I think correct me if im wrong, you would know better. I think ours was Ronald Reagan and sarah, himself, is a controversial figure, of course, also many people talk about what his impact was on native americans and the people who are right here in california. What do you think about that one . And other statues that may also be purtful symbols to some people . Well, i think it was, i was at the capital for the lying if state elijah cummings, the africanamerican congressman from baltimore, maryland, my mothers brother in service after he passed. One of the most beautiful things was when elijah was lying in state he was literally under the outstretched arm of standing there from the state of nebraska. It was a beautiful thing. And really i thought appropriate. I think you know, i chaired the womans caucus with the California Democratic party. Im always for having more statues of women. So i was pleased wnl my mother nancy pelosi ordered the statue of rosa parks to be in the rotunda and moved the statue of robert e. Lee to the crypt and also put in markers for so journal truth for early abolitionists and also a cornerstone of the capitol that was dedicated to the slave whos built the capital so i think there is always an opportunity to have more diversity than to have more people who reflect, who are reflexions of the state and all the people of the state and this is the kind of i hope we can have this kind of dialogue, thoughtful dialogue, not only what to put, who to put representing california, but also within the public spaces of San Francisco and in california, to say, what do you want to do with those public spaces . What do we want our children to know about our history . For me growing up italian, it was always columbus day. Right . By the time it was law school, it was the 500 anniversary of 1492, we were celebrating Indigenous Peoples day. So we had a kind of made that shift. It took a while, its taken a while for some of the laws to catch up. But i think its really important for us to know our history, honor our history. When we named our daughter isabella, it was quite clear we were naming her over the patron saint of homes will and hungry orphans as opposed to the conquistado conquistadora. I should say that columbus was serving. So who do you think should replace that columbus statue . Should it be a person of color, lbgtq representative, native american . What do you think should represent our city . I think thats the conversation we should have, we should have roundtable discussions, bring people in. We are seeing the same thing with the confederate names when they say we want to have a study. Great, tack off the racist name now. Then have a study about who to put, you know, whose name to put on the base, on the barracks. So i think that has to be a Community Wide discussion. I think it has to be done with great sensitivity, understanding that our diversity is our strength. As Speaker Pelosi tells us, so i think we have to accept and leave space for the fact that each of us is proud of our own heritage, but we can also talk about where, what it would mean to lift up the heritage of those who didnt start out in the majority culture, who didnt start out with human rights and as we go through these things, we can go through them in the Democratic Party. Everyone used to have a Jefferson Jackson dinner. Right . Now they dont. Now they dont. Now there are kennedy king dinners or obama concerns or you call it the state Democratic Party dinner. That comes with thoughtful conversation, should we be naming things for people . Should we have more generic spaces or maybe should we have an art contest and let the public decide that. I think those are all very viable things. But what we shouldnt do is rush to impugn the motives of people who want the removal or the feelings of those who are uncomfortable with change happening. Change is here. It is going to be uncomfortable. And we have to find space within that discomfort to Grow Together as a community. Thats really i think the best way forward. All right. Christine pelosi, cofounder of the dnv veterans and military familys council, thank you very much, always good talking with you. Take care. Thank you. Thank you. We will take a every year, you can see spectacular celebrities at aids walk San Francisco. Thank you. We will take a this year they are coming to you join bette midler Gloria Estefan matt bomer stars of queer eye rupauls drag race superstars. For aids walk San Francisco live at home, streaming on july 19 to benefit prc and their covid relief efforts all over the city. Register now at aidswalk. Net. Welcome back. There was a lot of conversations going on across the country as companies and cities are replacing racist images like aunt jemima and controversial figures like christopher clobs. With me is a native American Writer who grew up in oakland and also San Francisco civil rights attorney. Joe julian, thank you so much for joining me. Thanks so much for having me. Julian, im going to start with you. A few years ago, you wrote an article. You were very passionate arguing that monuments to native american oppression need to come down and you count Christopher Columbus among them. Explain to me and for the folks who are wondering what you mean by that, why you felt that was important and why you are happy to see this happen in San Francisco today. Christopher columbus was a figure who for my people and for native people across the country represents the genocide that was perpetuated against us on this land and hes a man who does not deserve celebration. We were told, of course, that in 1992 columbus sailed the ocean blue. But, in fact, just a year or two later, he was enslaveing and even raping and encouraging his men to rape women and girls as young as 9 and 10yearsold. This is not the kind of historical figure that in the year 2020 in a place like the bay area we should be celebrating, you know, the proper place for a statue of Christopher Columbus in my view is in a museum where it can be properly context youllized rather than valorized. So im really decided about the decision made about the Christopher Columbus statue in San Francisco as well as the statue that will be coming down in the Capitol Building in sacramento. I do wonder if you feel the same way about perhaps president Andrew Jackson. The man responsible for a trail and father is serra we see off 280 the big finger points to cars going by and in the capitol, do you feel all those figures that had a negative impact on native americans, do you think there is a place on display for them in open public spaces . Or do you think the museum is the way to go . I think that those statues should be scrutinized and probably taken down in the same way the columbus statue is taken down. There is a live conversation about monuments to leaders of the United States confederacy, which obviously separated from our union to wage war to defend the institution of slavery. Similarly, president Andrew Jackson and serra and a number of other figure was advocated for the colonization and genocide against my people i believe should not be celebrated and their statue should be taken down. I think a perfect way is to implement commissions that look at and scrutinize many of the Public Images and request whether in a multiracial democracy these are the kind of figures whose legacy and deeds we should be celebrating today. I want to bring in a former San FranciscoPolice Commissioner and san fransicoan as well, you know, on this show, ealways welcome and encourage and i think we very much need an open and respectful conversation, a different viewpoint, joe, quite honestly, i dont know exactly where you stand on this. But id like to hear as you break this down, there are many layers and complexities, what you think people should remember when we are talking about the columbus statue. Thats right. And thank you for the opportunity. Christopher columbus was not a perfect person, but he was a part of our history here in the United States and the one thing i would argue with julian is, is that yoerng as a piece of art, as a symbol, i dont think statues should be hidden away to the open to the public. I think thats the whole part of free speech in the United States. We are able to be out there and talk freely out in the open about things that occurred in our history and i appreciate you brigg up junipo serra, if you talk about california history, you got all sorts of good things and bad things that happened. The san fransicoans, they enslaved the native americans as well. Are we going to hide all that history . The catholic chur, they used slaves up to the 1,800s. Are we going to demonize the Catholic Church . No, i this i we need to have structures out in the open so we can talk about these things, while there were some bad things they did. There are very good things that they did that Christopher Columbus did. I dont think it can be argued against the fact that he opened the doors to the americas for the europeans. I wouldnt be here today or where i may but maybe in a different form if it werent for Christopher Columbus and some of the extraordinary things he did. Sure, he did some absolutely bad things as history has written about them. Why do we need too hide these things away . Are we so frail our political leader will take any symbol with any connotation and hide it in a museum so people can talk about these things . Thats where i disagree with this, san fransicoans are opened to this conversation. I think were adult enough, mature enough to have this conversation out in the public. And the way you see these statues being defaced these days, im against that as well. I think some of these statues are pieces of art and conversation pieces and frankly im adult enough to have those conversations. Lets fought forget i come from, im an Italian American. A lot of people forget Italian Americans were lynched historically as well. We have a history of being discriminated against. Maybe it doesnt happen as much in todays generation . You will find moments in time where these things happen. Theyre a part of our history. Would i be against trying to pay over by the way like we did like whats going to be done over at Washington School . Are we going to paint over the mural that had native americans and africanamericans painted in poor light . No, i was against that. I dont think we should be about revisionist history. Thats not where we are as a nation. We are adult enough to have this conversation. If i can respond. A quick 30 seconds before we take short break. So you know, firstly, i would ask joe if he could name the original name of San Francisco and the first people of San Francisco. Joe, could you do that . I know San Francisco as a place named after st. Francis and to your point. So San Francisco, to be clear, was originally known as the alomu by the aloni people, the first people in San Francisco, in the spirit of truth and history, i think that we have long celebrated. I grew up in. Ka. I remember the 4th Grade Mission project that i was forced to do alongside other students in my classroom, where we were asked to build little model missions. These were internment camps by native california people. I was asked to build one and celebrate one in 4th grade. I dont think that there is obie who is trying to revise history here or hide history here. I think there are people who are trying to have an accurate conversation about history that is hidden by the statue of columbus and that those statues, which celebrate the genesis do decide to be recon techtualized. They deserve to be put in a place where we can understand what the complicated legacy was. For factual accuracy here, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue on behalf of the spanish empire. This is not a part of the United States history. So i think there is a way in which we can have an accurate and honest conversation about what has happened here, about the fact that for example in 1969 im sorry, i have to jump in here. Here. We well many people have such a misunderstanding as to how a reverse mortgage works. People think that the bank takes your home, but that is not true. Thats absolutely 100 wrong. The home is ours. We can sell it if we want to at any time. I like the flexibility of not having a payment, but i can make the payment if i want to. Youre responsible for keeping up your property taxes and youre responsible for paying your insurance on the property. For us, it was a security blanket. The value of our house, was to fund our longterm health care. These are just a few uses of reverse mortgages. Or go online to request your free information kit. Without a doubt, one of the best financial tools ive learned about. Everybody should be taking a look at it. If theyre over 62, they should at least investigate it. For years, reverse Mortgage Funding has been helping customers like these use the equity from their homes to finance their lives. They know the importance of having financial security. Weve got great peace of mind. Whatever comes up. Were ready. I advise you to call them. Make an appointment so they can tell you how it works. Its a good thing. Reverse Mortgage Funding. Access your equity. Stay in your home. Have peace of mind. O on. We are back with native American Writer and activist who grew up in oakland. Continuing our conversation that we have having over on our live stream platforms about the removal today of the Christopher Columbus statue. Association we had to cut you off in the last block. Would you like to finish that on how we can look at history from an ed caring standpoint . Absolutely. Id be happy to. So, firstly, i would say that Christopher Columbus is not a part of the history but the bay area. I would say if we are going to be celebrating things that happened in the bay area or celebrating the history of this place, we might more accurately look at things like the 1969 occupation of alcatraz, effectively the montgomery bus boycott of the native american Self Determination and rights movement, which happened right here in the bay area and was not something that i learned about in highle school. It happened right here, its an essential starting point for the current era of native rights and activism we are living through. Actually, 2015 was the 50th anniversary of that occupation. So i think that, you gnome, when we talk about the fullness of history, i dont think that were short on Christopher Columbus statues in this country. I think we are short on monuments that honor the history of the diversity of this country. I think thats where we should be headed. Joe, correct me if im wrong, but columbus, himself, was fought particularly tied to this particular region is that we now call the bay area. Right . He was chosen that statue mainly for the fact that we had a robust italian population that contributed to the building of this area and vibrancy. So, i have to ask you, is there another Italian American figure perhaps that you think everybody can look up to that perhaps has a less controversial you know history that might be a good replacement . I mean, sure, can i think of a dozen. St. Francis by way of example. But i dont know look, i understand what julian is saying. I dont disagree with him in the sense that terrible things had happened to native americans. Should there be a statue that depicts that history . That depicts native americans pand what happened, absolutely . I think there should be, now, i dont know what that would look like, but would you put a statue up that depicts them in a positive light . These are conversations that we need to happen that need to happen. But it doesnt happen by taking them and putting them some place else. Thats the problem that im having here s. That i disagree we julian in that thats factually inaccurate, there will be a conversation after let me finish. Christopher columbus as a journalist, i think its important to note that actually there is going to be a conversation, actually because of the removal of the statue of what will go there in place. So in point of fact, the news of the day is there is going to be a conversation now about what we put in the place. Joe, if i may ask you. Do you you feel the same way, joe, about confederate symbols, right, which are hurtful to black americans . Do you see those in a different way . No, i absolutely do. And i think that that is different. Because i think in this, the only way that i would see, well, its all about the history. Right so if you are depicting a battle between the north and the south, i think thats the type of thing that we need to see. Now, when were celebrating confederacy, i think thats absolutely wrong, but i think that this is a little bit different here. I think history teaches us something a little different in this statue of Christopher Columbus. This conversation is not ending here today. Obviously, a lot of discussion will be happening in the weeks and months ahead. We dont know what will replace that statue. But the columbus statue in San Francisco did come down today. I appreciate both your perspectives, history seen through two different on that note, we got to go back on air. That understand both so much. Take care. And thats going to do it for us today. Thank you for joining us on this interactive show, getting answers. Well be here every day at 3 00 on air and live stream answering your questions, facebook live, abc7news. Com and our app. Tonight, several major stories as we come on the air. The Supreme Court rejecting president trumps attempt to end daca. In a 54 ruling, nearly 650,000 dreamers, young immigrants who were brought here by their parents, will be allowed to remain in the u. S. , living and working with legal protections. Conservative chief Justice John Roberts siding with the more liberal justices, arguing the Trump Administration acted unlawfulfully to end the program. President trump tonight attacking the court, and what hes saying now. There is awful major news out of atlanta tonight. The Deadly Police shooting of rayshard brooks. The two officers now surrendering. Former officer Garrett Rolfe now behind bars. Officer Devin Brosnan released on bond today. And tonight, we hear from him, going on