Community leaders and talked with federal investigators. Working on the ground. And a restaurant just four miles away from where Michael Brown was shot, he told ferguson restaurants, he is keeping a close eye on their time. I need to be here, you know. I was a little disturbed to see certain people questioning why i was here. Why would i be any place other than right here right now to talk to the people in this area who are deserving of our attention and we want to help as best we can. We also want to listen. That the main part of this trip. Listen to the main issues that you all are dealing with. Are there ways in which we can help. Just moments later, captain ron johnson, man charged with keeping the peace in ferguson, stopped by. My man. How you doing, sir. The attorney general of the United States telling captain johnson hes making a difference. But this isnt about photo ops. The attorney generals pushing a very real, very aggressive investigation in ferguson. Right now, about 40 fbi agents and federal prosecutors are working in ferguson. They conducted more than 200 interviews about the shooting. And conducted an independent autopsy. This attorney general isnt waiting around for the results of the local investigation. He is doing what he can to get justice for a family thats grieving. And today in ferguson, he plans to let them know it in person. Joining me now from ferguson, msnbc. Coms trimane lee, st. Louis alderman and frank, jr who represents a friend of Michael Brown and a witness in the shooting. Thanks for being here. A pleasure. Trimane, youve been covering the attorney general, what was it like on the ground . What was it like for this visit . People want to be heard. They feel like now that attorney general is here, they are not only being heard, but they are getting assurances that the investigation running parallel with the state investigation will be clear and transparent and that the federal government is here. The department of justice is watching. Now you know, alderman french said, and captain johnson, both were asked today about the impact of the attorney generals visit. I want to play you the answer. I think itll be a great impact. I think it will show that people of ferguson, people of st. Louis, people of our nation, this their voices are heard. That the highest office in this land is listening to their voices. And taking a look into the incident that happened. Do you agree with that, mr. Bosley . Oh, i agree. I think one of the things we are thankful for, is that attorney general is here because there is a lot of misinformation, insination and innuendo swirling around this case and it will take the federal government to come in here and sort this stuff out. What about you, alderman french, what is your view . I also think its a good thing for him to be here. The folks here have lost so much faith in their local prosecutor and local Police Department, that it really is going to take the federal government to step in and restore the faith. The attorney general arrived in ferguson to date but he is following the incident very closely. Its been reported that he wanted officers identity released earlier. He was opposed to releasing Surveillance Video of Michael Brown. Allegedly stealing from a convenience store. And he told his deputies quote, tell them to remove the damn tanks in ferguson last week. How big is the sense that the attorney generals invested in what happens there . Let me he ask you that, trimane. Oh, i think it is clear that he is invested. But one thing he did do and he has done in the past, he related his own experience as a black man. Not just as highest prosecutor in the land but as a black man about being stopped and stereotyped. For him and the people, he understands the whats being said. When you see a take rolling up in a city street and see a crowd of black folk being gassed and Police Officers with dogs. He understands their experiences. So i think that goes a long way. Now let me go back to you alderman french. You have been out there with the protesters. And theres been a lot of concern about the local prosecutors, local authorities. How important is the attorney general coming in, given the concerns in the community. Im not talking about those of us observing or coming in from the outside. But in the community, what does it mean to them that have expressed this concern about how local authorities might handle this investigation. Yeah, you know, there is almost no faith here in this local community that there is going to be a fair investigation and fair result from the county prosecutor. So having the attorney general come here personally is a strong statement that the federal government is looking to make sure the justice is served in this case. Whatever that may be. But also, we are still calling on the governor to reconsider and the point of special prosecutor. Because even comments made as soon as within the last 24 hours, it really endangered peoples faith that county prosecutor can actually try this case fairly. Now, let me go to you a minute, again, mr. Bosley. According to a published reports in the New York Times, your client, darian johnson, who was with Michael Brown when he was killed, was interviewed by the fbi and u. S. Attorney for four hours. Does that mean to you that this is a serious federal investigation or serious inquiry by the federal government . Oh, absolutely, reverend, al. Here is the other thing, it wasnt really four, it was closer to three. They took him over the accounts over and over again. They asked him the questions one way. Then came back and asked them to him another way. He still was consistent in terms of what it is that they saw. And so, as of a week ago, my client is a federal witness and people are now saying he recanted his story. He has not changed. He hasnt made any comments since last wednesday. It shows there is a lot of misinformation being spewed about. Help me with that misinformation, attorney bosley. Okay. Your client is saying what . What has he said happened that night . Just repeat quickly for our viewers. Okay. Real briefly. They are walking in the middle of the street. An officer is coming from the opposite direction. He slows. They stop. He tells them to get the f on the sidewalk. My client says, well, were a short distance from home. Were going to keep on walking. And big Mike Mike Brown says nothing at that point. They keep walking. The officer throws his car in reverse. Catches up with them rapidly. Then said something to the effect, what did you say . And attempted to get aught of the car. He is so close on them, he cant open the car door. So he and mike have conversation, real words. He reaches out and grabs mike by the throat. Mike is a big guy. He is moving away from the officer then the officer latches on to his shirt. He pulls him closer to the car. At that time, mike is continuing to try to get away from him. The officer pulls out his weapon and said, ill shoot you. And before he could get the next ill shoot pow, hes shot. And he lets him go and he runs. That three cars are already stacked up behind the Police Officers car because he is blocking the street. Dorian get behind the car and the first car, big mike, mike brown, as he runs by, he says keep running bro. So dorian pays attention to that, but the officer is right behind. As mike passes by, the officer passes the car, dorian is able to get a full view of what is going on. He says there are more there are shots fired and he is thinking that one hit mike in the back. The autopsy says that it was one that hit him in the arm that could have come from the back. Mike then puts his hands up, turns around and officer closes the gap and continues to shoot him and he falls on his face. And thats the story. Alderman french, there or two other witnesses that tell very similar stories, two other eyewitnesss, very similar stories. The only one ive heard that contradicts this is a lady who called into a radio show that says what she says. She was not there. She says is the policemans story. Is there anything you heard or saw from the autopsy reports released by the familys private pathologist or federal autopsy, to the degree you know, that is inconsistent story weve been told by Dorian Johnson and two other eyewitnesss. I think the autopsy report is more evidence that shows that an indictment should come and that this thing should go to trial. That what community wants. They want this thing to move on. They are waiting for the wheels of justice to spin faster. When the county prosecutor comes out today and says that his process wont be done until october, that worries me. Were trying to keep the peace here. And it is a fragile peace. I dont know if we can keep it until october. Trymaine, what is the mood now on the streets where we saw ten days of violence . I tell you what, i think people are quite frankly tired. Night after night of being gassed. Night after night of facing police rubber bullets, police are worn down. Last night we saw a strategy by the Police Department. Rather tan throwing tear gas, they circle had crowd, went in and aggressively physically removed people. Maced people. Last week there is still a very tin uous balance. Things change at night. So we will wait until tonight to determine how cool peoples heads are. One thing thats amazing to me, and ive been involved in civil rights and cases like this all my life, i have never seen what we saw today. An attorney general actually on the ground and in a city that has been torn around a legal case, to really let the people know that they have a handson inquiry. Freeman bosley, youve been a mayor, youve been a lawyer. This is unprecedented. I cant remember a sitting attorney general coming into a scene like this. Thats right. And reverend al, thats what is so refreshing about this. And this is what you get when you get an africanamerican president. This is what you get when you get an africanamerican u. S. Attorney. These are the things that these people are concerned about. As you know, in the past, nobody was really interested in that. Thats why this thing is mushroomed into such a big problem because people have said it over and over again, what happened to mike brown, just really underscores what allowed to go on here in this community for so long. Weve got cases where a man was tazed 13 times by the Police Officer, antonio johnson, with his hands cuffed behind his back. They killed him. He kid to the next day. Another situation with a man in columbus square, shot 27 times by police. Nobody paid attention to those stories. It has taken mike browns situation and the National Media to pull the cover off of what is going on here in st. Louis. Thats why people are so excited and so glad to have you. All right, trymaine lee. Freeman bosley, and antonio french, let me thank all of you for your time tonight. And thank you. Coming up, protesters outside the grand jury began looking at this case today. And started to gather evidence. But the prosecutor in charge is raising all kind of questions from the community on whether this can be a fair investigation. Plus, new details emerge on where the investigation is going and who is talking. And out of the chaos comes stories of inspiration. Yes, inspiration. How ferguson teachers and residents are coming together for the community. Stay with us. The grand jury convenes today amid controversy surrounding the prosecutor. Thats next. Ing . R. Breaking news, attorney general eric holder is meeting in ferguson. Grand jury testimony began today in the Michael Brown case. The proceedings of that testimony are secret but theres a fire storm of controversy surrounding the prosecutor whose presenting evidence to that jury. Protesters gathered around the courthouse today demanding st. Louis county prosecutor Robin Mccullough recuse himself from the case. Questioning whether he can remain impartial in the case. Today mccullough said his investigation would be full and fair, and gave us a hint at how long the grand jury hearings might continue. The aspirational team is mid october to have everything completed. We arent going to rush anything in or rush anything through but as things are completed, they will be presented to the grand jury. But i understand the public want to know whats going on and needs to know. So there will be no decision by anybody made at end of today or next week or any time soon but we want to get the process started. No decision any time soon. So how might this all play out and what can happen to convince the community that investigation will be fair and impartial . Thanks to both of you for being here tonight. Thank you for having us. Thachk you, reverend al. Reverend bines. Let me go to you now. What do you think of the grand jury convening for next two months. It sounds good, we want to get things started, but we want it get things done right. The best way for things to be done right is for prosecutor Bob Mcculloch to recuse himself. We want things right and transparent. We dont want any bias whatsoever in the process. We want justice. And this isnt political. This is just about being correct. You know, areba, last night, the governor addressed those calls to remove Robert Mcculloch from the case in a statement saying quote, im not asking st. Louis county prosecutor Bob Mcculloch to recuse himself from this case. There is a process by which a prosecutor can recuse them self and a prosecutor be appointed. This morning prosecutor mcculloch fired back. Listen to this. Im not walking way from this. Ive been entrusted with these responsibilities. But i understand declaring a state of emergency, governor mixon has the authority to say, mcculloch is out of this case. We will proceed, as we lay out to people, until im told, if im told, by the governor, that i cant. And the most devastating thing that can happen is if a week from now, a month from now, he decides he has taken me off this case. You know, everyone is starting over. So stand up, you know, man up. Stand up and say, i am not removing mcculloch or i am removing mcculloch. The family deserves no less than this. Man up. Stand up, governor. Sounds like he is throwing the gauntlet down to the governor who has the Legal Authority to remove him. Not that he has it recuse himself. Areba . You know, reverend al. I think this political posturing is embarrassing and it goes to the frustration that Ferguson Community is feeling. If the governor wants to remove mcculloch he has the Legal Authority to do so. Rather than take little snippets at him or dig at him through the press, he needs do that if thats what he believes is the right thing to do. The st. Louis community, fefrgson community, believes that mcculloch is incapable of being unbias in this case. They site a case where two africanamerican men were shot by two white Police Officers in a vehicle. Those officers were not indicted or prosecuted. There is a long list of cases that i think has caused the ferguson commune it to have no faith in mcculloch. The governor knows that and i agree with mcculloch that the governor needs to man up, step up, and take some decisive action. Committee woman bines, lets go through what a grand jury involves in missouri. Jurors will consider whether theres probable cause a crime was committed. The votes of 9 of 12 jurors are required for an excitement and the proceedings are kept secret. How likely is that that there will be an indictment in a given this grand jury in your opinion . Well, you know, i dont i dont know. We need to start the process. There are so many unknowns going on with this case right now. So many things being, you know, leaked out to the press. That you know, should not be. But we need to start the process. Because from where the community is standing, theres an unarmed young man that was shot six times, twice in the head. The idea that there may or may not be an excitement is crazy. It sounds like there should be an indictment because this stop from walking in the middle of the street should never ended like this. Never from a trained officer. Areba, let me get your Legal Expertise here. The new republic reported today that grand jury might not deliver the justice that protesters are calling for. They wrote, while and im quoting them, while grand juries have a lot of power in theory, in reality, few use it. Instead most just follow the lead of prosecutors. Not only do the prosecutors get to decide what charges to seek, they also end up choosing what evidence to bring forward and how to present it. Now, areba, the prosecutors in there by himself. No attorney representing any opposing view. He decides what evidence is put in front of the grand jury or not. He decides the charges. And he doesnt need an indictment to make an arrest. He can do that tonight on probable cause. Absolutely, reverend al. Somably ef that this prosecutor punted this to the grand jury to take the pressure off of himself. Very few cases are decided at the grand jury level. Most cases involve a criminal complaint being filed and an open preliminary hearing being held. A hearing where a judge is presiding. Thats open to the public. Where the evidence and witnesses presented are all open. Theres absolute disclosure. Where as in contrast, grand jury proceedings, as youve said, are done in secret. And they really are about what the prosecutor wants to happen. If the prosecutors goes in there with the strong case, he can pretty much guarantee an indictment. To the contrary, if the case is presented in an alternative way, there may not be an indictment. But in any event the prosecutor gets to stand there and say, hey, look, i gave it to the grand jury and they didnt come back with an indictment. Taking the pressure off of him. Again, another point of contention. Another reason that community is so uncomfortable and so frustrated with mcculloch staying on this case. All right, thank you both for your time this evening. Thank you. Thank you. Coming up, inside the investigation. New details emerging from witnesses. But first, out of chaos. Weve seen in ferguson come some beautiful acts of kindness. Thats next. My motheits delicious. Toffee in the world. So now weve turned her toffee into a business. My goal was to take an idea and make it happen. Im janet long and i formed my Toffee Company through legalzoom. I never really thought i would make money doing what i love. We created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. Go to legalzoom. Com today and make your business dream a reality. At legalzoom. Com we put the law on your side. The summer of this. Mmer. The summer that summers from here on will be compared to. Where memories will be forged into the sand. And then hung on a wall for years to come. Get out there, with over 50,000 hotels at 150 dollars or less. Expedia. Find yours. [ male announcer ] during the cadillac summers best event, lease this 2014 ats for around 299 a month. Hurry in this exceptional offer ends soon. Hurry in this exceptional offer ends soon. Having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pickup truck slams into your brand new car. One second it wasnt there and the next second. Boom youve had your first accident. Now you have to make your first claim. So you talk to your Insurance Company and. Boom youre blindsided for a second time. They wont give you enough money to replace your brand new car. Dont those people know youre already shaken up . Liberty mutuals new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. Call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Switch to Liberty Mutual insurance and you could save up to 423 dollars. Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. In the midst of unrest and certainty in ferguson comes remarkable and Inspiring Stories of generosity. Keith griffin is a ferguson native who decided that he needed to get involved. So he made his mission to pass out pizzas and care packages to people on the street. The Washington Post spent the day with him. Feed the Community Every night. Yall want it eat . Eat up. You want cheese . Tomorrow, i buy tomorrow too. I appreciate it, though. Help out with the cause, though. Keep the people off the streets. Im not the leader. Im just a guy that trying to spark the mind and idea of that leader to come out and fix it. You know, me doing this part. Just pretty much anything that the people need that they cant get their hands on. Stuff at the drugstore thats no longer open. Keep up that great work, keith. In another part of town ferguson teachers are involved. School has been postponed several times. Teachers were out on the street helping clean up trash. Were out here to clean up the community. To show how we build up the community, not take it down. So all of our teachers thought it would be wonderful to kick off the day with cleaning up the community. Other teachers were holding makeshift classes at ferguson public library, encouraging parents to drop off their kids for the day. Parents dropped off more than 40 kids today for activity like science and art projects. These teachers hope its a little bit of normalcy during these chaotic times. At left to be here, doing these sort of fun quasi educational activities, and socially it is a good thing for kids who have been bummed out to be here with friends they know and they are meeting new people too. So its been a good thing for everybody involved. Over 40 kids showed up. This is what i call a teachable moment in ferguson. Local residents giving the world a lesson on inspiration. Way to go. And startup ny companies will be investing hundreds of millions of dollars in jobs and infrastructure. Thanks to startup ny, businesses can operate tax free for 10 years. No property tax. No business tax. And no sales tax. Which means more growth for your business, and more jobs. Its not just business as usual. See how new york can help your business grow, at startup. Ny. Gov wouldnt it be great if hiring plumbers, shopping online is as easy as it gets. Carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple . Thanks to angies list, now it is. Start shopping online from a list of toprated providers. Visit angieslist. Com today. And cialis for daily use helps you be Ready Anytime the moment is right. Cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in Blood Pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30tablet trial. [ male announcer ] when you see everyone in america almost every day, you notice a few things. Like the fact that youre pretty attached to these. Ok, really attached. And thats alright. Because well text you when your package is on the way. Were even expanding sunday package delivery. Yes, sunday. At the u. S. Postal service, our priority is. Was. And always will be. You. In the nation, the safest feature in your car is you. Add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get 100 off for every year of safe driving. Which for you, shouldnt be a problem. Just another way we put members first, because we dont have shareholders. Join the nation. Nationwide is on your side. Now to new details about what led to the shooting of Michael Brown. Today the New York Times report it talked directly to witnesses as well as officials who have interviewed the witnesses. And it found accounts that differ on some important points. So far, the three eyewitnesss, whove told their story on camera, all say Michael Brown stopp st stoppedi movement issinged ands armed in the air. The police continued to shoot until he went down. He put his arms up to let them know he was compliant and he was unarmed. A similar account from three witnesses. But today the times has details on what officer wilson is saying. Quote, according to his account to the ferguson police, officer wilson said that mr. Brown lowered his arms and moved toward him. Law enforcement officials said that the times goes on to report, this is a quote, some witnesses say that mr. Brown moved toward mr. Wilson possibly in a threatening answer when the officer shot him dead. But others say that mr. Brown was not moving. And may have even had his hands up when he was killed. These conflicting accounts will be at the heart of this investigation. Of why Michael Brown was shot to death. For more on the investigation, lets bring in former u. S. Attorney kendel coffee and john burriss. Thank you both for being here. Thank you. John burriss, different accounts. But the only eyewitnesss said Michael Brown gave up and had his arms raised. In every case you will have conflicting witnesses and testimony. Particularly you have to look to see what is their motive and where they are at the time they made the observations. Three people say he had his hands up. Other people said something totally different. At the end of the day, the question is, how far away was the Police Officer from mr. Brown when he shot and i think also more importantly, what happened before. I think what happened at that car plays a huge role in assessing the overall fact pattern. But at the same time, if mr. Brown turned around, had his hands up, even if he was bent over slightly, thats an basis to shoot him if you are some distance away. The question is whether or not the officer perceived and had reasonableness to perceive what mr. Brown was doing. I think on balance, the defendant has got to overcome these three witnesses, assuming the three witnesses did not have an axe to grind in that part of any kind of biasness. You have to deal with the question of who are the other witnesses. I hope it didnt come down to a black witness saying this and white witness saying Something Else because thats not going to advance the situation for a jury to understand. Kendel . I think that first of all, we can expect that Police Community is going to continue to rally behind officer Darren Wilson and they are mighty smart and mighty good at what they do. And that includes working the press and getting their message out through the media. So we are hearing that message. We havent seen witnesses that actually say it on camera. We dont know what they are say together fbi. But at this point, we can assume that there is going to be an active effort of on only police rallying behind the cause of this officer but also Police Department and Police Officials trying to get his message out through the court of Public Opinion. Fortunately weve got an attorney general who sent 40 fbi agents. When the fbi interviews you, they know how to ask questions. And if you lie to the fbi, it is a federal crime. I think whatever we are hearing, of what the Public Opinion is right now, the fbi are getting some interviews and information thats going to be a reliable basis as to what the eyewitnesss have to say. There will be conflicts. But tle are going to do what they can to match up the most reliable accounts with the forensic evidence. And thats why one of the first things the attorney general did was decide lets get our own autopsy here. Now, john, let me ask you something. Will the fbi be looking at how the police are handling this . And give me the law here. If Michael Brown was dressed in a tshirt, short pants and plip flo flipflops, the officer knew he wasnt armed, is it enough to say that lunged at him and that is a threaten to kill him . I dont think so. Especially if they were some distance away. Making a movement, falling down or not, thats not a basis with which to shoot someone, speperi. And if they have their hands up, and the officer is in safety in his car. So if they evaluate the District Attorneys conduct here and if the District Attorney doesnt indict then the u. S. Attorney is in a position to take that evidence themselves and file a federal civil rights criminal violation which is basically the same evidence but Fourth Amendment violation that you can utilize to prosecute. Kendall, you worked as u. S. Attorney. The fbi, federal government, are they looking at how the police are conducting themselves . They certainly are. And they come in with an independence which is very, very important here. The local prosecutor, local police part of a very close knit family, thats going to rally behind and support each other. The feds come in largely from outside the community, can be much more objective. And they are going to examine a lot of things but one of them they will look at closely, is whether theres any evidence of obstruction. Lie together fbi is a crime. And if in the efforts to create a story to support this officer, there is some kind of fabrication occurring, thats going to get a lot of attention too. Sometimes not what you did, its what you fed that gets you in jail. What knowledge, if any, did the officer have of the alleged strong arm robbery that occurred before the shooting p thap could be part of the defense for the officer if he actually knew. But did he know . And whos going to join him in perhaps saying that they told him about it, told him to look for the suspects. Thats an item to watch out for, reverend, as this case unfolds. Kendall, even if he knew, and even if he heard it on the radio, there was not a report of an armed robbery. Wont he need according to the federal law, a Police Officer can use deadly force if the officer has quote probable cause to believe that suspect poses a threat or serious physical harm to the officer or to others. If he had knowledge that he shoplifted some cigar webs there was no claim of a gun or any violence that took life or threatened life. Would that be enough to justify every bullet he shot at Michael Brown . Reverend, youre exactly right. You cant shoot and kill a shoplifter. No matter what they say or how fast they run. But what they may do is try to morph this into a story that he heard it was some kind of violent crime, a quote strongarm robbery. And look, he is going to definitely work the selfdefense angle. But there is a separate angle if the officer reasonably believed this was a suspect who committed a violent crime. Thats the second thing we will watch. The other point i would be careful about here is, was there a conflict or fight and tussle at the car. Because if the officer says he got hit upside of his head and he was reaching for his gun, that will then have provocation for him to use deadly force at car. Once the boy runs away, the question is, is he now a fleeing felon, having commit a felony by hitting a an officer. Or is it a misdemeanor. Even so, once he stops and turns around, regardless of what happened at the car, you cannot shoot the person, the person put their hand up. Kendall coffey and burriss, thank you. Thank you. A new report emerges on the dysfunctional court system in ferguson. And attorney general eric hold ares visit to ferguson. Stay with us. Get ready to crack, dunk, dip. Its crabfest at red lobster the years largest variety of crab like new crab lovers trio or try new jumbo lump crab over woodgrilled salmon. Crabfest is now. But ends soon so hurry in and sea food differently im dave and i have copd. Im kate and i have copd, but i dont want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. Thats why i asked my doctor about breo. Oncedaily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. And breo helps reduce symptom flareups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. Breo is not for asthma. Breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. It is not known if this risk is increased in copd. Breo wont replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. Breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high Blood Pressure before taking breo. Ask your doctor about breo for copd. First prescription free at mybreo. Com so factors like diet can negatively impact good bacteria . Even if youre healthy and active. Phillips Digestive Health support is a duoprobiotic that helps supplement good bacteria found in two parts of your digestive tract. Im doubly impressed phillips Digestive Health. A daily probiotic. Many of us are looking at the the situation in ferguson and asking, how did we get here. Michael browns killing engages more questions about policing in ferguson and around the country. There is a pattern of unequal treatment thats been brewing for a long time. A group of local public defenders just put out a report revealing how dysfunctional the court system is in ferguson. And how the criminal Justice System violate the fundamental rights of the poor. It highlights how the courts impose heavy Financial Burdens on the poor, that poor defendants are quote ordered it pay fines that are frequently triple their monthly income. As a result, defendants are incarcerated for their poverty. Jailed for being poor. But its not just jail time. Its traffic stops. Court appearances. And searches this appear to disproportionately target poor black residents. Quote, Municipal Courts of Police Departments inflict a kind of lower level harassment. This tracks with annual reports on blacks in ferguson being targeted by police. 63 of fergusons population is black. And yet they account for 86 of police stops. 92 of police searches. And nearly 93 of arrests. It is the kind of unfair and unjust treatment that so many in the Community Say is fuelling th the anger on the streets of ferguson. Joining me now is one of the authors of that report. Thomas harvey, executive director and cofounder of art city defenders. His group represents low income residents of st. Louis county in Municipal Court proceedings. Thank you for being here tonight, thomas. Thank you very much for having me, reverend sharpton. What prompted to you write this report . Were a nonprofit that been around since 2009. We primarily represent the homeless in the city of st. Louis. And what we do is we work with social Service Agencies to remove the legal barriers that our client have, that prevent them from getting access to services they need to get off the streets and into the housing or jobs and treatment they need to get on with their lives. And when we began this work in 2009, we kept seeing these municipal ordinance violations and warrants for arrest as a problem from preventing folks from getting off the streets. Go ahead. No, go ahead. No, go ahead. Our clients told stories about being locked up and being pro filed and stories about their children not able to get into court. And this there were things, as brand new lawyers at a new nonprofit, frankly, we didnt believe that. So we conducted a courtwatching experiment, a courtwatching program. We went out to about 60 Municipal Courts. There are 90 in our region. What we saw supported what they were saying. And let me get this right. What you were hearing was surprising, even shocking, to you. So you went out to see if in fact what was being said is true. Because you couldnt believe this. Thats right. Thats exactly right. We were surprised what the they were saying. One thing is not being able to afford child care. 73 koufrts unconstitutionally close their door to nondefendants. So defendants who cant afford child care could be denied entry into the court or their forced to leave their kids in the parking lot. One defendant who left his kid with the friend was charged then with child endangerment. You cant win either way with this. It is a catch 22. And that was not a client of ours but one of the stories with heard from folks in the court. And it was shocking to us. Owe he are we went out and observed courts. Bell ridge, ferguson and floorson and we have been working to finalize it over the summer and when this happens, we published the findings. And see, this is some of the simmering anger that we are hearing in the community. Your report also shows how Municipal Courts can target poor people for failing it pay afine. They can be arrested an pay fines or court might not be held on a daily basis or it could be held once, once now per month. Which means a person could spend three weeks in jail just waiting to see a judge. I mean, somebody with money would never have to endure Something Like this, thomas . That is true. The way this court works is, if you had the money to make the bond, you would be out of the jail immediately. If you dont have the money to make the bond, the bond is frequently the unpaid fines and court costs that are associated with your plea. I want to be clear, our report does not say that people are targeted. Our report says that our client tell us they feel they are targeted. They feel they are pro filed. And they feel in addition that they are being exploited financially. And that it is not just because of the color of their skin they are being pulled over. It is in order to generate revenue for the municipality. I cant tell what is in the mind of the Police Officer or judge. I know. Of the judges and prosecutors and i would tell you they are good people. One of the things im very concerned about is a systemic racism or structural inequality that produces this. It doesnt matter sometimes it doesnt matter who is in those positions p. That system has been in place a long time. It existed before some of the individual actors, it will exist after them. It is important to note that it is a structural issue. And were hopeful that our report will give some context to some of the things going on that are create smfgt tensions in the reasoningon that were seeing here. We dont pretend like traffic tickets are the reason folks are on the street and upset. No. We are not never experienced if Michael Brown never encountered that officer tshsorry. We are not justifying the voi lens. We are saying the underlying anger is a result of some of the systemic problems, you say, and thats why i say we need change in policies, not just people. Thomas harvey, thank you for your time tonight. Thank you very much, reverend sharpton. Coming up, the parents of james foley. The american journalist behead bid a terrorist group, remembers their son. Next. When you run a business, you cant settle for slow. Thats why i always choose the fastest intern. The fastest printer. The fastest lunch. Turkey club. The fastest pencil sharpener. The fastest elevator. The fastest speed dial. The Fastest Office plant. So why wouldnt i choose the fastest wifi . I would. Switch to comcast Business Internet and get the fastest wifi included. Comcast business. Built for business. An american photot journalist taken almost two years ago. Today james foley remembered for being in conflict zones and his parents express how proud they are. Lets come together as a country, please. Dont criticize one another. We believe in our country. We are a great country. Jim was a great american. And he believed in the very best of our country. To i just i just pray that as a country, we can come together and help there be peace on earth. Just pray for that. We just had no idea, you know how much he affected the world. In such a positive way. So were truly humbled and jim was our son. Were so, so proud of jim. The country, this country, is proud of jim foley own our thoughts and prayers good out to his family. What if there was a credit card where the reward was that new car smell and the freedom of the open road . A card that gave you that im 16 and just got my first car feeling. Presenting the buypower card from capital one. Redeem earnings toward part or even all of a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac with no limits. So every time you use it, youre not just shopping for goods. Youre shopping for something great. Learn more at buypowercard. Com the summer that summers from here on will be compared to. So get out there, and get the best price guaranteed. Find it for less and well match it and give you 50 toward your next trip. Expedia. Find yours. [ woman ] if you have moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis like me, and youre talking to your rheumatologist about a biologic. This is humira. This is humira helping to relieve my pain. This is humira helping me lay the groundwork. This is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. Doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. Humira works by targeting and helping to block that contributes to r. A. Symptoms. Humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage in many adults. [ male announcer ] humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. [ woman ] take the next step. Talk to your doctor and visit humira. Com. This is humira at work. Today attorney general eric holdinger made his way around ferguson meeting with ferguson residents and vowing to carry out a thorough investigation. Moments ago he arrived at eagleton federal courthouse meeting with local officials. And less than one mile away from that meet sgt old st. Louis courthouse where the scott case was first heard. The case stated that africanamericans free our slaves, could not be american citizens and therefore american property. Today near na courthouse the countrys first africanamerican attorney general was fighting for justice. There is some critical of it. But if you really believe in america, you want it improve it. I was raised by a strict disciplinarian mother. I asked her when i became an adult, why she was so hard on me. She said, because i loved you. I loved you enough to see what you could be if i kept forcing and prodding for you to reach and be better than you thought you could. Those of us that stand up, those of us that prod america. Those of us that march and do what we do peacefully do it because we rae really believe in america. We love america. We want it to be all it can be. Thanks for watching. Im al sharpton. Hardball starts right now. Hard in the desert. Lets play hardball. Good evening. Im Chris Matthews in washington. We are headed to ferguson tonight but im compelled with start with the president s powerful reaction to the beheading of american james foley by the Islamist Group torturing and killing the way through syria and iraq. Lets be clear about isil. They have rampaged acro