Held a town hall meeting in oakland, california to discuss a range of issues including health care and daca program. Sen. Harris i am so proud of you. Started at thousand oaks, so look where you will end up. It was so wonderful. You have been a longstanding friend and such an issue in oakland. Thank you for everything you do. Keith comes to d. C. , pounding the pavement, always fighting for oakland. Thank you. Haynes. Dear reverend we have been friends for a long time. Our friendship is based on an ongoing conversation. View how each of us can the pulpit to figure out how we can lift folks up and do that way in a way that is about an on justice. S harris it is so wonderful to be home. I cannot even tell you guys, it is wonderful to be home i am a proud daughter of oakland, california. A proud daughter [applause] so thank you all for being here. You have taken out time from your busy lives and days to be here, to have this conversation. I thank you for that. There is a lot to talk about, so i will share with you a few of my thoughts. The real purpose of this is so that we can have a conversation, so the bulk of the first time the mike will be pursed around the microphone will be passed around for questions. This moment inth time in which we live. Many of you know my background, my parents met when they were graduate students at the university of california, berkeley in the 1960s. They met when they were active in the civil rights movement. Times, myed many sister and i have joked that we grew up surrounded by a bunch of adults who spent fulltime marching and shouting about this thing called justice. When we look at what has been happening in the last eight months alone in our country, we know we are living in a truly challenging moment in time. And inflection moment, i would say. Somewhat like the moment in time in which met moment in which my parents met. A moment in time that is challenging our country to look at itself in the mirror, and answer the question which is who are we . Folks, i believe the answer is a good one. Countrye we are a great , but this is a moment in time that is challenging us despite of who we are, and the ideals on which this country was founded. And achieved though maybe of them may be. This is a moment in time that is challenging us to fight, to notd up, to be heard, to turn a blind eye, but to face and confront the truth that our challenging the truths that are challenging this country. When we look at what happened in charlottesville, man really . It was devastating all of us, i know, to are really raw poor to a really raw core. When we had to look at footage of people marching with torches and swastikas. And then have the president of the United States talk about both sides. So, i believe that we all should keep an open mind, this is what we teach our children. Look at both sides, there are perspectives, we should always think of other perspectives, be open to different opinions. There was no question about that. On most issues, there is a rational and reasonable debate that encourages and invites consideration of both sides. And it line gets drawn becomes clear that there are not both sides to consider when there is so clearly is a right side and a wrong side. For those confused about the wrong side, there are a couple of simple times. The wrong side is the side with the torches and the swastikas [applause] senator Kamala Harris that is the wrong side have the leader of our country, or those who profess to be leaders, in any way, condoning or being complicit with the kind of behavior that is dividing our country. [applause] it is wrong. It is wrong. And when we look at the history of our country, we know that we have had those moments before. You know, some of you in here, you knew my mother. We would have this long going debate and she would say she was marching. Back in the day, and i would say to her mommy, you are a bit of a pessimist on this. And she would say it well you are an idealist. And i would say no i am an optimist and she would say it know i am a realist to read [laughter] time, ia moment in arrived back home from washington dc summer in between being an optimist and a realist. But on this subject, let us be clear, we have had these moments in time when people would suggest that there is a right side and a wrong side in terms of separate but equal. Or jim crow. Or all of these issues that alle had, equal marriage, of the issues we have had in our distant or recent future. And on some of these issues, it is just not debatable. This is a challenging moment in time. Which is requiring us to stand fight, but iand believe strongly and still do that with a sense of optimism we can do it. And let us not retired, let us not be overwhelmed. Let us not throw up our hands when it comes to rolling up our sleeves. Lets look at where we are in terms of this moment in time and the specific challenges and a fight that we have in front of us. Let us do it in a way that as we go forward, it is also reflected on us in terms of our success. I wanted to thank you this afternoon, to thank you. Folks have been saying, what does it matter . What can we do . Will we make a difference . What you all did, with communities like this community, what you all did, fighting against the repeal of the Affordable Care act was phenomenal [raucous applause] senator Kamala Harris you all stood up and those who could not be here this afternoon but were out there, whether they were marching on the streets, whether they were writing emails or texting or calling, they made a difference. Let us put this thing in perspective, for seven years they were saying over youre going to get rid of this thing. They had politicized something so fundamental, the fundamental right of health care. They politicized it, they slapped the name obamacare on it and decided it would be about anybody who wanted to defeat the president. And for seven years they said they would get rid of it. Then they came in office and said this will be the first thing they would do. The first priority. Truth be told, i think all of us, and i certainly were a bit worried. We did not have a majority in the house, or in the senate and you know about the white house. And we were worried. But the thing that happened was, i think it became very clear that although we may not have the power in the house, or the senate, or power in the white house, we have the power. The people have the power [applause] senator Kamala Harris and that is what happened. People were marching, and they were shouting and showing up at town hall meetings. It was funny to watch sometimes in the town hall meetings, the red states, people were showing up there and youve got a love i, some of them were saying dont love obamacare but i do want their formal care act [applause] i will go with that. I will go with that. But the people spoke. And it was an interesting experience, because the night of the vote, i am sure many of you saw, it was early in the morning at the time it happened. Afterward, there were a group of and im sure someone here was probably there, lots of people came from all over the country and were Holding Vigil of ed capito outside the l. One of the things that occurred to me was that and again, Silver Lining point about what we do makes a difference and so we cannot give up it was a travesty, the motivation behind trying to repeal the Affordable Care act. It was all about tax cuts for the most rich. A travesty because it was about saying health care is a privilege and not a right. Awful that we had to have that battle. But the beauty about what happened, is in spite of everything that is going on, it shouldered our democracy it showed that our democracy can work [applause] that is the beauty of what happened, our democracy worked the people spoke and the people won so when i come home to share my thoughts with you, i do that from a perspective of here, and a perspective of the experiences i have had in d. C. I just want to leave everyone, as we go through this next phase of the fight, remembering that the voices, the marching, the shouting, it does matter. Lets think about the battle ahead. I will start with something that tuesday,nt, meaning september 5. That is the issue of daca. Daca is an acronym. Policy thatfor a was initiated by the previous president , and the policy relates to the young people we call dreamers. Who are dreamers. It is the name we have given to a population in california of in california alone and many, many more around the country. Young people brought into the United States, many of them for they could walk or talk. Brought into the United States with their parents. They have only known this as their only home. They are undocumented immigrants. Dreamers we set up a policy that said, let us are, andt who they depending on whether they fit criteria, and fear letting,lear that in clear vetting we would do further deportation. And that was daca did. We asked these children a bunch of personal questions about their background, their circumstances, surrounding their arrival, who their parents were, had they committed any crimes, are they living a productive life. We asked them to give up all disinformation ambience was at least that, if you give us this information, we will determine if you qualify we asked them to give up all of this information. And we explicitly said, if you give us this information i will step back for a moment to give you the recent history of this, before september 5. I serve on many communities committees. One of them is the Homeland Security committee of the United States senate. In the various committees that i thee on, we, early on in process, months ago had the responsibility for reviewing the nomination the president made to feel the cabinet. One of them was for the secretary of the department of Homeland Security, the agency with the most authority and responsibility for dealing with immigration in our country. Camecandidate, john kelly before us, general john kelly. And senatorsolks asked questions and when it came to me, i asked him about daca. And i held up a piece of u. S. Government printed paper which had a list of frequently asked questions which we give to these kids. They had asked if we give you this information, would you share it with i. C. E. . If you giveaid no, us information we would not i. C. E. With ic will you keep americas commitments to these kids . I asked him that. He would not say that he would commit to keeping our promise. I asked him and private, will you keep the promise that you made . He would not make a commitment. I asked him a question for the record, a qfr . And he said he would not keep the commitment. Wetforward back to today, are looking at a situation where 10 attorneys general, state attorneys general, all republicans are threatening to sue the United States government, if the president does not rescind daca. Threatening, it is not a test if there is no indication daca bydacca tuesday, they will sue the United States government. Lets be clear about what this means. 220,000ornia, we have dreamers, kids who right now are living in utter terror. Right now they dont know what will happen. Frankly, none of us know what will happen. We have an attorney general of the United States who said, if those attorneys generals sue us, he is not going to defend the country against the lawsuit you know, jeff sessions. We have a fight on our hands. Regardless of what happens on tuesday, this issue about dreamers, this issue about daca, this issue about their parents, a, this issue about passing cup Immigration Reform is present and we cannot lose any steam on marching and shouting about the need to recognize the truth. Unless you are a native american , your people were immigrants [raucous applause] senator Kamala Harris we are a nation of immigrants and we have to stop vilifying and criminalizing whole populations of people. Because they came and arrived here from south of the border this fight israel and it is present. And we have to speak truth about the issue that is at play. Let us look at what is happening in terms of this ban on our transgender brothers and sisters who have up and said they are willing to sacrifice their lives in defense of our country, by serving in our military this a, they have issued ministration has, a ban on their ability to serve and protect our freedoms. Fundamentally a violation of peoples civil rights, which is to treat them differently under the law based on [applause] senator Kamala Harris based on, in this case, their gender. We have to fight we have to fight [applause] we have so many fights ahead of us let us talk about the ongoing fight against land parenthood. Against planned parenthood and a womans right to make a decision about her own Reproductive Health [applause] dont make women suffer, because our bodies were created to perpetuate the human species [laughter] but we have a fight. We have a fight as we know, it relates to what we need to do around the reality of climate change. I have sat in hearings, guys, wait, let me tell you [applause] let me tell you what is going on, another committee i am on is environmental and public works and weve had earrings that are essentially questioned whether science should be the basis of public policy. [applause] [laughter] senator Kamala Harris meanwhile, here is the underlining the underlying issue in terms of the irresponsibility of it all. Guess what . , at the heightre of what is most important, on the issue of climate change, is about the need we have to have clean air and drink clean water. [applause] that is an issue that impacted flint, michigan, alabama, mississippi, florida, california and anywhere in between. For are playing politics the benefit of big oil. So, lets be clear about that and we have to fight we have got to fight on the issue of criminal justice. Inhave an attorney general the United States wants to bring back the war on drugs which was an abject failure [applause] and abject failure he wants to bring back mandatory minimums. They are talking about private prisons we have to fight however,n opportunity, we also know again, with the understanding that so many of the issues we all, regardless of where we leave as americans, have more in common than what separates us, let us talk about though. Crisis. Last talkcareer about the opioid crisis. I started my career during the height of the crack epidemic. One of the things i know, is how serious we criminalized what is essentially a Public Health matter. We criminalized the Public Health matter. [applause] i see anamala harris opportunity, perhaps now, in the way that we did not have been, we know what is going on, the lets look at the opportunity we have now, without forgetting our history. This might be a moment in time where collectively we could reach out to our brothers and sisters, including our own that are suffering from this opioid epidemic. And join hands together and say, we have to deal with this as a Public Health matter. I see an opportunity in this crisis, even though we havent attorney general who is once again trying to invoke the war on drugs. Icn opportunity in terms of what we are doing and one of the first tells ive had is to deal with the cash bail system in our country. [applause] do, towardd to getting rid of what is prisonally a debtors system where we are punishing people and keeping them incarcerated because they cannot afford to get out. We have to fight to change that and we are working to do that. Understanding that this is not just a criminal justice matter, this is an economic matter. [applause] so, i am just sharing with you a few of my thoughts. I will close my comments for now and then we can have a discussion, by saying, there was a lot to be concerned about. There is a lot to be troubled about, and i am trying to figure figure out a new word for trouble, because i find myself saying that is troubling a lot. I friend of mine said just call it a hot mess. [laughter] this, there are two things that have happened in recent history that again, leave me with a sense of optimism and realism and optimism. A situation, tragically that happened many months ago in kansas. You all may remember this, what happened was essentially there were two indianamerican men in a bar in kansas and other patrons in the bar and a fella came that kind of thing. Patriot rons in the bar, jerk and you are a jerk. Killed one of the independentianamericans and their defense and one of hem was shot in the arm. Why are you talking about that . The people who are n that bar and that tragic scene and kansas voted for the resident by doubledigit numbers. Im willing to wager that the rons in that bar, maybe maybe all of them voted for the president. With a e confronted moment that they have to make a decision about the right thing do. They did the right thing. , people have been on their ting helping the people in houston. Half of their population, but a significant population who have been very, very impacted by the storm. Bringing they arent you voted for. Rengsterd. Ou can frome away what we these moments to remind urselves about how we are as a country and when we see whats wrong, ee lets stand up and fight. Away those moments where re reminded of our better selves. I thank you. Any m happy to answer questions. Cheers and applause] these re we take questions, i would like to acknowledge several individuals. Upervisor, keith carson. [applause] and oakland fire color depaurd. [applause] ma lea corn from San Francisco. District malley, and lets oakland. Partment of safety [cheers and applause] and last and lets honor our. Ayor cheers and applause] e will take questions from inperson participants. Loflte and one ill be up front. And one on this sigh and make sure its equal. Well take more than two questions. Hink that yeah, i think indiscernible] hi, senator harris, im a Year Medical Student at the university of california at you so cisco and tharpg much for taking the time to come here at a and be public town hall. And the question is the role of federal depoft. 2013 report produced by the commission for the department of education found three facts. While our und that desegregated and it is wealth gree grated by and race. Ap continues to persist today ap third, it found that the local school fine s, the nce.