Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20240712

Court after the Republicanled Senate approved her confirmation following a rushed process to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We will get the latest. Plus, we will speak to alicia garza, cofounder of black lives matter and supermajority. I think black voters in particular, especially as we turned out and shaped the contest across this country, we really do deserve to hear more about what youre going to do to advance the issues that i think all of us care about, the issues of health care, the issues of Community Safety and security, the issues of Climate Change and what is happening in our environment all around us. The issues of low wages that are keeping families from being able to support themselves. Amy we will speak with alicia garza about the election, new bookg, and her the purpose of power and how she was the target of a white supremacist plot that was foiled last week by the fbi. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman. Conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett has been sworn in to replace Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg on the Supreme Court after the Republicanled Senate voted 5248 to confirm her. For the first time in 151 years, a Supreme Court nominee was confirmed without a single vote from the minority pay. On monday night, Supreme Court Justice Clarence thomaswore barrett in to her lifetime seat. The oath i have solemnly taken tonight means at its core i will do my job without any fear or favor and that i will do so independently of both the political branches and of my own preferences. Amy hundreds attended the white house ceremony despite a new covid19 outbreak that has infected at least five of Vice President mike pences aides. Justice Coney Barrett is President Trumps ird appointee to the Supreme Court and gives the court a 63 conservative majority. Democrats slammed republicans for ramming through the confirmation at a time when tens of millions of votes have already been cast in the election. Republicans confirmed barrett just eight days before the election. In 2016, republicans refused to hear hearings president obamas nominee Merrick Garland nearly eight months before the election. This is Senate Minority leader chuck schumer. 26,oday, monday, october 2020, will go down as one of the darkest days in the 231 year history of the United States senate. The record show that tonight the Republican Senate majority decided to thwart the will of the people and confirm a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court in the middle of a president ial election after more than 60 million americans have voted. Amy Amy Coney Barretts impact on the court to be felt immediately. Later this become the Supreme Court will consider whether to hear a key mississippi Abortion Case that could challenge roe v. Wade. And the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case that could scrap the Affordable Care act on november 10, one week after election day. Coney barrett will also join justices in a highprofile case about whether trump must turn over his tax records, as well as deciding key Voting Rights cases in the coming days, including democratic efforts to extend the deadline for counting mailin ballots in North Carolina and pennsylvania. One voting case was decided by the supreme cot just mutes before t senate voted to confirm amy coy rrett. In a 5 ruling, t court red mailn ballotin wiscoin can beountednly they e reived by ection d, novemb 3. Demoats soug to exte the unting of ballots toix days afr electi day, sos long as thewere posarked by novemb 3 amid surge in mailn votingnd posta delays. President ump won wionsin in 2016 bless tn 1 , arnd 2300 votes asovid19 ses and spitalizions sur across the United States, newark new jerseys largest city begins a new curfew starting at 8 00 p. M. Today. In el paso, texas, a curfew has also been imposed after the city hit full capacity on its icu beds following a 300 jump in coronavirus hospitalizations in the last month. The American Academy of pediatrics said monday around 800,000 children in the u. S. Have already been infected by covid19 and that cases are rising. In immigration news, scores of prisoners at northwest Detention Center in Washington State have been placed in quarantine at the immigration prison after another employee tested positive for covid19. Meanwhile, President Trump continues to hold rallies in front of largely nonsocially overwhelmingly unmasked crowds. On monday, he again mocked the media for covering the pandemic. Pres. Trump covid, covid, covid. That is all they talked about. Fake news. Covid, covid, covid. Amy in financial news, wall street tumbled monday as talks over a new stimulus remain at a standstill and surging cases could lead to more lockdowns. In international news, china is testing the entire city of kashgar in xinjiang province nearly 5 Million People after Authorities Say they identified one asymptomatic case. At least 137 other asymptomatic cases have been reported since testing began. Xinjiang is home to 11 million uighurs and other muslim communities who have been subject to a myriad of human rights abuses and repression. Resides reportedxcessive lockdown measures during its first coronavirus lockdown. In germany, two counties have nogone into a defacto lockdown as new coronavirus cases surge acrossuch of europe. In russia, a nationwide mask mandate has been reinstated as cases there surge. In medical news, scientists at astrazeneca said monday an experimental vaccine being developed at Oxford University in britain has shown an immune response in both younger and older patients. Meanwhile, researchers at Imperial College in london found the number of people testing positive for covid19 antibodies has fallen by 26 between june and september, suggesting immunity fades rapidly and people who have recovered can be reinfected. In more medical news, drug maker eli lilly said monday its antibody treatmentas ineffective on hospitalized patients with advanced cases and that a governmentsponsored trial would stop administering the drug to new patients. The Trump Administration imposed sweeping new counterterrorism sanctions on irans oil sector in a move designed to make it harder for joe biden to undo sanctions if he is elected president. This comes just weeks after the Treasury Department essentially locked iran out of the Global Financial system by imposing sanctions on 18 iranian banks. In syria, dozens of turkishbacked fighters have reportedly been killed in suspected russian air strikes on a rebel Training Camp in the province of idlib. It marks the deadliest strike in the area since a ceasefire was reached in march. It comes as tension is escalating between russia and turkey in the region. In pakistan, a blast at a Religious School in the city of peshawar has killed at least seven people including children and wounded over 120 others. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. In bolivia, a court in la paz has dismissed terrorism charges and annulled an arrest warrant against evo morales, arguing the former president s rights and due process had been violated. The charges were issued following a right wing coup last year that overthrew morales. This comes as morales has vowed to return to bolivia after luis arce of morales mas party won last weeks president ial election by a landslide. Morales has been in exile for nearly one year. Mexico has reached an agreement to settle a longstanding water debt with the United States, despite opposition and ongoing protests from farmers in the Northern State of chihuahua. Mexico has been diverting water to the u. S. From the la boquilla dam, which farmers say has left them unable to irrigate their crops amid a searing drought. Under the terms of a 1944 treaty, mexico owes the u. S. Nearly a halfbillion cubic meters of water. In thailand, protests are continuing demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, who was installed after a 2014 coup, as well as reforms to the constitution and the monarchy. Thousands marched on the German Embassy in bangkok monday, asking for an investigation into the kings activities during his frequent stays in germany. Protesters say they will take to the streets as long as needed. I dont want to give up yet. If i give up, i would not be here. I have join the protest and i will keep coming because i want change. Amy china has imposed sanctions on u. S. Military contractors lockheed martin, raytheon and part of boeing in response to a new u. S. Taiwan arms deal. On monday, the Trump Administration announced plans to sell taiwan a 2. 3 billion Missile System made by boeing. Japans new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said japan has set a goal to become Carbon Neutral by 2050. Japan is the worlds fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The pledge follows a similar one from chinas xi jinping last month, who vowed to go Carbon Neutral by 2060. Greenpeace japan welcomed the announcement but said that doing away with Nuclear Energy needs to be part of any comprehensive climate plan. Back in the United States, in new york city, five climate activists were arrested monday after they shut down work on the north brooklyn pipeline, chaining themselves to the construction site. Construction site. National gridowned pipeline carries fracked gas through mostly black and brown neighborhoods in brooklyn, construction site. National gridowned pipeline carries fracked gas through mostly black and brown neighborhoods in brooklyn, despite bans on fracking and new fossil fuel infrastructure in new york, as well as Significant Community opposition. This is one of the activists who was arrested at mondays action. We wont stand for new fossil fuel infrastructure being built by National Grid purpura for forprofit pr companies. No pipelines on stolen land. Amy the next two stories contain descriptions of Police Violence and disturbing images. In philadelphia, hundreds of protesters took to the streets overnight monday following the Police Killing of Walter Wallace jr. , a 27yearold black man who his family says was suffering a Mental Health crisis. A video of the shooting shows wallaces mother trying to restrain him, putting her body between her son and two Police Officers at the scene. Wallace then pushed his mother away and walked toward the officers, who shot wallace at least 10 times. Police allege wallace refused to drop a knife he was holding. Video footage shows wallace was at least 10 feet away from the Police Officers when they repeatedly shot him. At least one witness told the Philadelphia Inquirer the officers were too far from him and said bystanders were trying to deescalate the situation. Philadelphias District Attorney has launched an investigation. In illinois, a Police Officer in the city of waukegan has been fired following last weeks Fatal Shooting of marcellis stinnette, a 19yearold black teenager. Stinnette was reportedly sitting in the passenger seat of a car when the officer shot him. 20yearold Tafara Williams was sitting in the drivers seat. She was also shot and injured. No gun was found inside the car. The department of justice has agreed to review the case. Police body camera and car footage of the shooting are expected to be released this week. In california, activists and Community Members in the border town of san ysidro are demanding justice and an investigation into the Fatal Shooting of a 30yearold mexican man by Border Patrol last week. The san Diego Uniontribune reports the man, whose name ha not been released, had reportedly crossed into thu. S. When Border Patrol agent confronted himnd shot him in the chest. He died before he could be taken to the hospital. Activists say over 100 people have been killed by u. S. Border agents since 2010. President trumps soninlaw and Senior Advisor Jared Kushner is facing widespread criticism after questioning whether africanamericans want to be successful. He made the comment on fox friends. One thing we have seen in a lot of the black community, which is mostly democrat, President Trumps policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems they are complaining about but he cant want them to be successful more than they want to be successful. Amy democratic congresswoman gwen moore of wisconsin responded on twitter by writing trust fund baby slumlord kushner who has enriched himself in the white house takes the silver spoon out of his mouth long enough to insert his foot with a racist trope about black people and success. In southern california, over 100,000 people in Orange County were told to evacuate after blazes from two wildfires nearly quadrupled in size monday. Southern california edison said one of their power lines may have started the larger of the two, the silverado fire. And feminist utopian poet diane di prima died sunday at the age of 86. Born and raised in new york city, she became a rare, prominent female voice in the beatnik community in the 1950s, alongside counterparts like jack kerouac and allen ginsberg. She moved to the bay area in the 1960s where she eventually became San Francisco poet laureate. Di prima is known for her insurrectionary revolutionary letters series, which she started in 1968 and continued writing through 2017. In one of her letters, she concluded remember you can have what you ask for, ask for everything. Diane di prima is survived by her husband and five children. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. When we come back, we will speak to alicia garza for the hour, cofounder of black lives matter and a super majority. We will talk to her about the confirmation of Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett. The election, the power of movements of the past, and the future. And so much more. State with us. Stay with us. [music break] amy like a prayer by madonna. Alicia garza writes about the song influence on her as a child in her new book the purpose of power how we come together when we fall apart. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman. I am joined by my cohost Juan Gonzalez in new brunswick, new jersey. Hi, juan. Juan welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Judge amyrvative Coney Barrett was sworn in as the ninth justice to the Supreme Court of the United States monday night, just 30 days after President Trump announced her nomination and eight days ahead of november 3 and as tens of millions have already cast their ballots this election season. Barretts confirmation to replace Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg just six weeks after her death seals the courts 63 conservative majority potentially for decades to come. She is President Trumps third appointment to the court. Republicancontrolled senate votermed her by a 5248 along party lines, with maine senator Susan Collins as the loan republican voting against her. No democrat supported her. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas swore Coney Barrett in on monday night at a white house ceremony. The oath that i have solemnly taken tonight means at its core that i will do my job without any fear or favor and that i will do so independently of both the political branches and of my own preferences. Amy brett wasworn in just hours aftethe supre courts coervative moritruled wiscsin coulnot exte its ilin baot deadle. Shwill joijusticesn deding oer key ving rits cas in theoming days, inuding decratic eorts to tend theeadline r counti main balls in nor carona and pnsylvani latethis wee the Supreme Court ll also nsider wther hear a y missisppi ortion ce that cld chlenge rov. Wade. And e court set to ar arguments in a case that could scrap the Affordable Care act on november 10, one week after election day. For more on the consequences of Amy Coney Barretts confirmation and much more, we go to the bay area in california where we are joined by alicia garza, the principal of black futures lab and cofounder of supermajority. Along with i jim who and cecille richards. Is cofounder of the black lives Matter Global Network. Called book is just out the purpose of power how we come together when we fall apart. Welcome back to democracy now why dont we start off with what happened last night . President trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett before Ruth Bader Ginsburg was buried. Days beforeeight the election that she was confirmed by the u. S. Senate. Eight months was the time period that the republican majority in the senate refused to even have a hearing on president obamas the supreme for court, judge Merrick Garland, saying it was too close to the election. Eight days versus eight months. , onou could comment, alicia the significance of, well, now justice Amy Coney Barretts views on everything from reproductive rights to lgbtq issues, and beyond. Absolutely. First and foremost, it is so good to be here with you, amy. Good morning. This confirmation does have serious consequences. I think what we are saying is the Supreme Court is actually not a neutral body. It isncredibly political. The acceleration that you talked about President Trump and Senate Republicans really has everything to do with the fact theyre moving an agenda they have been building for more than 30 years now, but theyre also concerned they wont have an opportunity after this upcoming election to continue to wield power in the way they have been. And so certainly, i think you see both things colliding. It is concerning that Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed yesterday, particularly given her complete lack of qualifications for the role, but also considering her extreme views on everything from reproductive justice and reproductive rights to civil rights and racism. She has declared in front of Clarence Thomas, who we know has a long record of denying things that exist in this country, including racism, but she declared in front of the country as she was going to lead in a way that was impartial and in a way that was independent of both parties. But i think we should not be comforted by that in any way. What we are saying is a tip on the Supreme Court, not just toward a conservative majority, but a conservative majority that has extreme views. And that is something we should be concerned about because the impact is that these are justices who are on this court for life. So no matter what the changes in the administration are, this extreme conservative majority will continue to exist on the Supreme Court. Unless, of course, there is a favorable outcome in this upcoming election cycle. And really what that would look like is democrats taking the senate, democrats keeping the house, and democrats changing the balance of power in the white house. It is a big hill to climb, but we will see what happens over the next couple of weeks. You alicia garza, as mentioned, the extreme nature of the court now, no matter what happens in the election, there will still be tt make up afterwards. As an organizer who has spent now decades organizing local communities, what do you see as your role past the election in terms of helping people organize in dealing with Hospital Court . It is important for us to understand the composition or at least the size of this court is not actually determined by any rule. So as an organizer, what i like to say is there always chest moves to make you have to make a level of power necessary in order to enact those moves. That is exactly what i would say to folks who are watching and listening today. From onet a week away of the most important election cycles in a generation. I think it is important pressed understand that elections are an opportunity to really demonstrate our power, and opportunity to demonstrate who we have won over, how we have won hearts and minds, what types of coalitions and alliances we have built to build the widest possible movement. However, voting in elections are not the endall beall. The organizing is important before, during, and after election cycles. ,ertainly, i know for my team we have been talking a time about what happens in between election cycles. You know, what happens no matter what is going on in the white house. And what we do is we train local leaders to be able to change the rules in cities and states. I think that is actually democracy. It is getting more power into the hands of more people. In order for us to do that, not only do we have to organize, but we have to close the gap between how government functions and how people participate in it and what they participate in. Frankly, we have an unprecedented opportunity to transform the direction of this country but it is not going to happen overnight, it will not happen on november 3, but it will happen with Clear Strategy that ourientation mandate from this moment forward is to add and multiply rather than subtract and divide. Juan speaking out the upcoming election, apparently, about 50 Million People have already voted. That is about 40 of the total vote back in 2016. We are still several days away from the main voting day on election day itself. I am wondering your sense of everyone is predicting possibly historic turnouts, for the question is, who wl turn out . Will it be because there are so few people that are undecided right now, the question is, will each side what will be t ability of each side to mobilize its base of voters . What is your sins right now of the enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm within the africanamerican and Latino Community in terms of the selection when it comes to biden or trump . I think it is an important question and i want to start off by saying absolutely prediction say this will be the largest turnout election in history in this country. Ani do think that does say some things. What we are seeing in black communities and latinx communitys is people are being activated and motivated and not because of what is happening right in this minute but because our communities have been organized over the last four years or more. And our communities have been engaged over the last fo years or more. These are lessons that i think are important for Political Parties to really invest in. The trust communitybased organizations that are in our communities have taken at the lion share of the work in making sure our communities know what is at stake, that our communities know how to protect their vote, and that our communities understand that the real work happens on november 4. With that being said, i also think it is important to say that the outcome here is not assured. It is not assured because it is not really just about turnout. It is not just about people casting votes. It is certainly also about making sure this president performs a peaceful transfer of power and also upholds the integrity of the election itself. We have already heard from this president that he does not plan to do that. It is also important for everybody who is casting votes to make a planter protector about and make a plan to protect your right to vote. I will say who is turning out is black folks, latinx folks, and women. Women are an incredible constituency that are turning out. Across the nation, particularly in communities in the south, we are seeing lines of 3, 5, 6 hours. I dont know about you, but i dont stand anywhere for six hours unless i really want to make sure that i get what i need. I think what were saying is because of the Voter Suppression efforts where voting is not a protected and expanded right . We are seeing these long lines, but i think even within that, it is important for us to understand there is a real commitment that folks are showing to have their voices heard. Lastly, i will just say that one of the things i feel is so, so important in this upcoming cycle is that we do start to think about what happens next. Honestly and truly, i think what happens on november 3 is just the beginning of a cycle that we all have to continue to Pay Attention to. I have been saying to folks, dont expect to have the Election Results on election day because of the influx in mailin voting but also because of some of the machinations that this administration in particular has been trying to enact and administer. It may be a couple of days were even a few weeks before we actually understand what is happening here. It is important for people to stay vigilant, to not turn away or disengage, but to make sure that we see this thing through all the way to the n. Amy i wanted to ask you, alicia garza, about the latest news, federal prosecutors have arrested a selfdescribed leader of the far right Boogaloo Movement in connection with the burning of a Minneapolis Police precinct in may. The u. S. Attorneys office in minnesota says 26yearold Ivan Harrison hunter fired 13 rounds from a semiautomatic Assault Rifle into the 3rd precinct during protests against the Police Killing of george floyd. The boogaloo bois promote violent acts aimed at sparking civil war in the United States. And they have been linked to more than two dozen arrests and five deaths this year. Meanwhile, your name has come up in connection with, well, being a target. You recently tweeted that you were approached by the fbi after agents found your name on a list in the home of a white supremacist in idaho who was arrested on weapons charges. You tweeted this is why this president is so dangerous. He is stoking fires he has no intention of controlling. Can you tell us what happened . This was just this past week. Yes. I want to start off by saying this is not atypical for this president. In fact, it is only the result, the likely result in the inevitable result of the racist flames that this president is stoking and has been stoking, not just for the last four years, but for a very long time. We all remember what happened with the sun rated five where this president actually used his resources to encourage the Death Penalty for five innocent people. I will say one of the things that feels important to me to keep liftingp here is the conversation about racial terror doesnt necessarily go far enough. We saw similar incidents in oakland during the george floyd protests. There is so much rhetoric this president uses about black lives matter and riots and violence. But in each case, what were finding is thesare white militias, White Nationalist groups, white supremacist groups tot are going to protests cause chaos, star violence, and create disturbances. And who gets blamed for that is people who are protesting to raise the issues of justice, to raise the issues of dignity, and to fight back against Police Violence in our communities. And there is not enough conversation about this. The guy has said unequivocally the fbi has said unequivocally White Nationalism is the greatest threat to american democracy. And that was just recently. Over and over again too many people continue to advance these narratives that just are not true. Even vice news did a story recently that said 97 of protests from black lives matters have been peaceful. In the 3 that it was not an issue of protesters becoming violent, it was an issue of people with guns showing up at protests and creating chaos and starting violence. I want to make sure that everybody understands the consequences and implications. Certnly, im not the first person and i wont be the last person to be bound on a list in the home of a white supremacist. We saw this just a year or two ago when there was a guy i believe in florida who had planned to send mail bombs to several activists and reporters at cnn, yet this administration continues to nor and, frankly, to give a platform to these dangerous, dangerous groups for people were not paying attention , racial terror has always been used as a form of control, particularly during periods of people fighting for social change. All the way from the Voting Rights fight of the 1950s where the klan certainly would be weaponized to terrorize activists, show up to peoples houses and burn crosses and shoot guns through their ndows, all the way up to today. Those scourges on our country are not gone. Now we have a president that is giving them a platform and essentially saying operate how you need to. That is dangerous, not just for people like me, but everyone was watching this morning. Amy you have not only this guy was been arrested, charged with setting fires, taking advantage of the george floyd peaceful protest after he was killed by Police Officers, but back in july, a Minneapolis Police arrested a man known as the umbrella man who was filmed smashing the windows of any auto parts dealership, 27, two days after the Police Killing of floyd. Investigator said the man is a white supremacist who sought to provoke violence against protesters. Inarson investigator wrote an affidavit, this was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city. And then i want to go to Vice President mike pence at the Republican Convention echoing trumps vow to enforce law and order, and mentioned the killing of a Security Officer during a black lives matter protest in oakland. This is what he said. Vice pres. Pence people like day patrick underwood, an officer in the department of homeland securitys protective service, who was shot and killed during the riots in oakland, california. His heroism is emblematic of the heroes that serve in blue every day. We are privileged tonight to be joined by his sister angela. Amy what the Vice President left out was a key part of the story. The man charged with underwoods death was not a black lives matter protester but a man with ties to the farright boogaloo moveme, which has used protests against Police Brutality as cover to carry out violence. This took place in oakland. If you could further talk about this and your concerns about what could happen in the postelection period. I mean, it is very clear that november 3 may not be the end of the count, that there are millions of people who legally their votes can be counted in the days to come that may be received by election day, and what this could mean in the streets as President Trump stokes concerned that if the vote is not in that night, that it is a fraudulent election. This president has been trafficking in lies, misinformation, and disinformation even before he took office. So it is no surprise that would be his stance right now. Is egregious, it actually, that the Vice President and the president dont tell the america people the truth. In fact, instead of telling the American People the truth, theyre using black lives matter as a scapegoat for their own lack of will to protect every american citizen in this nation, their own lack of will and purpose in terms of addressing the challenges that are facing this country right now from the pandemic to an economic recession to the climate crisis. Again, this president and this Vice President traffic in lies as a way to distract from the fact theyre not actually ading inhis country. And i think [indiscernible] it is important to be able to trust the information that comes from the leader of your country. And we have found time and again you cannot do that. We have also found both of these leaders lack a level of integrity. There have been of times to correct these stories and these lies they have told and yet they have continued to double down. It is a weird feeling to be watching television and watching the president telling lies about you and the things you have done in this movement. I want people to really undersnd the implications of this. Been stokingt has fears about the illegitimacy of an election for months now. That has been for the purposes of trying to consolidate his power. If President Trump does not recognize legitimacy of the election, i think the implications here are that there may not be full and fair and free elections moving forward. Right, theyre not a lot of people out here who are undecided but i think it is possible there are folks who are watching who think we are going back to these for your cycles and i think we should be very concerned that this president and his administration seem bent on changing the structure of government. And that has been an agenda item for the conservative movement for the last 30 years and it is only now they are able to try and deliver on those promises. So there is a lot at stake this time and it is not just which party takes power. It is also very much about the structe in the process of government. Lastly, i think we should be concerned that this president has shown no moral leadership to try and bring people together during very turlent times. In fact, again, he is stokg violence. Way that doing so in a is relatively flippant, but i think he also understands there are a small group of people who will take violence to the extreme and who suffers from that is the American People. Who suffers from that our people who are fighting for justice and fighting to actually make this country great. And that should concern us all. We are in the year 2020, not the year 1956, not the year 1965, not even 1972. What we should have learned by andis that racial terror racial violence has no place in this country, and yet n we have a leader in the white house who is stoking it and resurrecting it when, frankly, it belgs in history books and not in our present and certainly not in our future. Amy alicia garza is the principal of black futures lab and cofounder of supermajority. Cofounder of the black lives Matter Global Network. We will continue with her about her new book called the purpose of power how we come together when we fall apart. Also the role of movements in the future and what that all means. Stay with us. [music break] amy the president sang Amazing Grace performed by Kronos Quartet and meklit. The song recalls president obamas eulogy for the Charleston Church shooting victims and pays homage to the moment he sang Amazing Grace during the Memorial Service of state senator and pastor clementa pinckney, who was killed during the massacre along with eight parishioners. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman with Juan Gonzalez. Withe spending the hour alicia garza, the principal of black futures lab and cofounder of supermajority. Cofounder of the black lives Matter Global Network and director for the National Domestic workers alliance. Her new book is just out called the purpose of power how we come together when we fall apart. Would like toi begin on your book. Could you talk about you title . Explain to our listeners and our audience what you mean to say in the book. This book really does a few things. It is about how we build the kinds of movements that last, the kinds of movements that are able to win the changes that we seek come and how it is that we transform the way that our lives are organized. And how we come together when we fall apart is a pithy way of talking about movement building. One of the things that i like to remind people is that movements are not just about protests. Movements are absolutely about how we get more power into the hands of more people. Offering int im this book is a reflection not from an outside perspective, but certainly as somebody who has been building movements and has been organizing, campaigning all throughout this country for the last 20 years. I place myself and my experience inside of a Historical Context and talk out the powerful movements that have shaped my life. And i talked about how those movement have inspired me to build different movements that are actually bent toward justice, not away from it. But i also talk about what it actually takes for us to come together. So often when we talk about building movements, we try to reduce ourselves to the most common denominator and wash away all of the things that make us who we are. In fact, i make a different argument in the book. I say we have to Pay Attention not just to dignity and survival, but we have to Pay Attention to the ways that race and class and gender and 70 other ways of organizing us have impacted our ability to get more power into t hands of more people. Juan one othe things that struck me most in the book i think it is in chapter 10 where you try to me the distinction betwn the rise and development or the evolution of the occupy wall Street Movement and of the black lives matter movement. U say that occupy wall street was a decentralized, Leaderless Movement whereas black lives matter s itself a decentralized leaderfull movement. Could you talk about that . First and foremost, i talk a lot in the book about how it is hard to compare movement but yet every time we talk about black lives matter, think occupy wall street tends to be a Reference Point that people use. They will say things like, black lives matter is centralized. I think that is not necessarily a term that weve used to describe ourselves but what i do here is an talk about the importance and the role of leadership. I talked about the fact it i important that leadership is happening everywhere important we recognize leadership is happening everywhere. Leadership can be predatory and corrosive. Leadershipn and of itself does those tendencies. What we try to interrogate in this chapter, what does leadership look like and what are the functions and roles that we need to play in movements for them to be successful . Again, how do we put more power into the hands of more people . I talk in the chapter also about the utility of not consolidating leadership inside of 1, 2, or five people. One of the lessons we can learn from movements that predated us are that when movements have been consolidated inside of one person, when people have been thrust to the front and told to represent the movement, the leaders have often been the subject of attacks and assassination. It meant is sent those movements reeling and took them a long time to rebuild. Rebuild they did, but it took a long time to restabilize. With black lives mter, we have an emphasis on developing many leaders. And that has proven to be successful. I think it is one of the core factors to how this movement has been able to spread globally. Amy i am wondering if you can talk about the beginning of the black lives matter movement. 2012, the 2013, murder of trayvon martin, the acquittal of the white vigilante George Zimmerman and how you and the other women came together. That happened in sanford. I could not help but notice when President Trump resumed his campaigning, what was the first place he went to . It reminded me of reagan in philadelphia, mississippi. He went to sanford, florida. To have that Purse Campaign rally after he was sick. That coming about together of the three of you and how you coined that term black lives matter those quote . We have told the story and million times. So i want to actually talk about what are the implications of the movement that we have been so honored to be the smallest component of. Number one, here we are seven years ter and we are seeing a second eruption all across the globe of black lives matter. But what were seeing this time, which i think is different than the first time around, is a couple of things. Number one, we are still seeing the presence of vigilantes in addition to police and acting violence in our communities. But i think what were seeing is the spreading of this movement, not just amongst people of color or black folks, but really across demographics. Meant actually black lives matter has become a part of the muscle memory of this nation and also of the globe. It is inspiring people to fight back from nigeria all the way to the u. K. To germany to australia. This truly is a global movement. I think that is something for us to feel proud of. I think the thing for us to also feel product is this movement is proud of is this movement is maturing. As in the book initially i thought this was going to be the story of black lives matter, how you come together and what we have been able to impact. I thought it would be doing a lot of myths and facts. But that is not what this book became. I am glad it did. Our story is still being written. Is being written by hundreds of thousands of activists who are working on the breathe act, which i think and be considered our generations version of the civil rights act. We are working hard to mobilize and activate our communities to be able to impact the decisions that are impacting our lives every single day. And we are reaching out yonder we normal circle of folks can always count on to show up. This is a moment calling us to grow our movement besides a outside usual fire. And im so proud this movement is doing that. At the same time, this book is an opportunity for people to figure out what is your role in this upcoming period in history . Number one, how are you shaved . What influences have helped you see theorld tt you do . And given that, given your experiences, what is the role you can play in helping to move this Movement Forward . I hope what people get from this book are two things. Number one, that it is deeply important for us to not be ravaged by cynicism. I talked about how in this book hope is not the absence of despair. I feel hopeful and devastated at the same time. But part of how im able to generate that hope over and over again is by coming back to my purpose. And my purpose is to build power for my communities and i want to help activate and inspire other people to do the same. Juan i am wondering, in terms of reaching other sectors that previously had not been reached, would you see things like the National Basketball association printing black lives matter on the Hardwood Floor of the nba championship game, when you see other corporations at the same time adopting black lives tter as a slogan, do you have any concerns about thepossible cooptation of capitalist america of this movement that only a few years ago was regarded by most of the establishment as a Fringe Movement . I think it is important for us to remembe that change is not linear. One of the things that i have been privy to ov this last year is that there are real reckonings happening in every sector across this nation and throughout the globe. Of course when this movement breaks into the mainstream, it absolutely has the potential to be symbolized and in some ways coopted by corporations who want to use the language of black lives matter but dont ask and want to make black lives matter. I think we have also seen ways in which peoplhave pushed it a lot further. In the case of the nba in the wnba, these players use their platform to educate millions and millions of people who watch them for entertainment on the politics that were happening around them. That is significant. These players have organized themselves to turn arenas into voting areas for people to go, knowing in their communities, rights, that the places where people can access their vote are shrinking. So they have expended that. That is important. I think we have both sides to this. Theres the symbolism and the substance and what im seeing more and more of our people with large platforms that there ,sually using for products useless platforms for politics. And i think that represents a concrete shift we should be celebrating and applying. Amy alicia, we are speaking to you one week before election day. The election actually is a whole season as weve heard Something Like 63 Million People have voted, maybe to say the least, smashed every record in terms of Voter Participation in every different group. Im wondering in these last minutes we have if you can talk about the significance of people voting, participating, in a time when people in the past may have chosen not to, they dont feel candidates represent all of their views. But also what happens next when you have if joe biden wins, continually saying he wont end fracking, has not endorsed the green deal, putting down defining the police. Play thereovements and have tried President Trump continues in office whether he wins or not . A few thingare necessary. Number one, i get it. For people who are disappointed in the ways this democracy is failing us and has failed us, youre absolutely right. Coming from black unities, what i know is, frankly, even though black people are the strongest base of the democratic party, that time and time again black people concerns and needs have not been addressed. But the only way that shift is by black people and other communities. Right . Getting organized and using their vote as a form of protest. Using their vote as a form of being able to exercise power. Rishaad robinson from color of change always says, you know you powered people are afraid to disappoint you. Right now people are not afraid to disappoint us but i think that could actually shift in this election cycle. With the massive turnout, shows what the mandates are for the future of this nation. Andertainly, our work does not end there. We have to work to transform how this system functions. Impact of thethe clear and strong and focused movement who has been focused on building power for the last read decades. Now here they are and their forting for themselves the house, for the senate, one third of statehouses throughout the country, and also fighting for the Supreme Court and fighting for the white house. They are not all aligned on every thing. Not all of their elected officials represent everything that they care about most of it because they have come together with a clear goal, we are seeing the impact of their level of organization. We are seeing the impact of their ability to build the kind of infrastructure that is needed to take the power that they want. So i think for us, moving forward, there are some questions laying in front of us. Certainly, i have been disappointed by positions that joe biden has taken on and he was not my first choice, my second choice, my third choice, not even really my eighth choice, but here we are. The contest is now between Joe Biden Kamala harris and donald trump and mike pence. But much bigger than that, the contest is about whether or not we are able to have free and Fair Elections in this country and this contest is about what is going to be the future of this country. And frankly, that doesnt just play out at the ballot box. That will be played out by movements. That is why this book is so important. It helps give us tips and tools about how to build the kind of movement that can last and when. Amy alicia garza, thank you for being with us, principal of black futures lab and cofounder of supermajority and black lives natasha del toro Asian Americans are the countrys fasttgrowin ethnic group. Now thre findg their ices the pol. Lae chen mandari detoro inmericas battlee how ll theseoterchoose . Fan zhan in mandin del ro fir vote on ericreframed