Equity and lgbtq plus equality. World wherer is a i use the term same gender loving and day is often used as a political identifier for white gay men. So much of our work is about grassroots organizations throughout the country that are working with the unique and often overlooked needs a black square people. Host who is involved with this organization . Guest we are not a membershipbased organization. We are republic policy focused organization. A lot of our work is working with members of congress, numbers of the Congressional Black Caucus, state elected officials throughout the country where there are significant proportions of black square people. We do a lot of work and Community Around health and health, hiv and mental acknowledging a lot of increased needs in the africanamerican community, and also work in partnership to provide cultural competence with hbcus, k12 schools that the country, and organizations looking to be better at making space for like people. Host the Congressional Black Caucus led the effort on the house side for democrats to come up with the justice and police act of 2020. It is good to get marked up in a little less than an hour by the House Judiciary Committee. What do you think of the legislation . Guest i think it is an incredibly important piece of legislation that is responsive to the point at which we are in the movement for social justice. Related conversations managing state strengthen state sanctioned violence that black people, queer people, black where people have experienced from state sanctioned actors has been happening since africanamericans have been brought into this country as enslaved people. It is important not only for the house to continue to do the work, but for members of the senate who have not yet considered supporting this piece of legislation to act responsibly and make sure they meet the needs of the constituents who elected them to do the jobs they are sometimes not doing. Host the Senate Republicans are being led by senator tim scott, republican of south carolina. His legislation restricts chokehold use by restricting federal funds to the apartment that have not banned the tactic, requires investigation of uses of force that cause death or injury, and adds new crimes of conspiracy to commit a hate crime to criminal codes. What do you like of what they are proposing and would you agree with what he has said there . Fairlyi think it is comprehensive in acknowledging a lot of the challenges that black people have seen in the pursuit of justice after they have been murdered by a cop, quite frankly. Ensuring there are no not warnings is a response what we saw happen to breonna taylor, and ensuring that police are wearing body cams is a way to address some of what happened around her murder, for example. There are Police Departments that continue to engage in types of behaviors and using maneuvers that should not be using that have been banned. A lot of Police Departments across the country it is incredibly important and it relates to a larger conversation people are having about devasting resources from Police Departments and Police Officers who are often charged with doing things they should not have been called for because theyre not experts in. There are Community Led interventions and responses to the needs that are often not met by experts, but are often met by unnecessary police force. Able our viewers will be to watch the markup in the House Judiciary Committee of the democratic proposal here on cspan, starting at 10 00 a. M. Eastern time. Also on the website. And listen with the free cspan radio app. On cspan 2 at 9 30 a. M. Eastern and majority scott leader Mitch Mcconnell will unveil their legislation for republicans and take questions from reporters. You can watch that on cspan two cspan 2 in about 20 minutes. I want to get your reaction to President Trump talking about americas need to support the police and not dismantle Police Departments. Pres. Trump today is about pursuing common sense and fighting for a cause like we seldom get the chance to fight for. We have to find common ground. I strongly oppose the radical and dangerous efforts to dismantle and dissolve our Police Departments, especially now, when we have achieved the lowest recorded crime rates in recent history. Americans know the truth. Without police, there is chaos. Without law, there is anarchy. That safety, there is catastrophe. We need leaders at every level of government who have the moral clarity to state these obvious facts. Americans believe we must support the brave men and women in blue who police our streets and keep us safe. Americans also believe we must improve accountability, increased transparency, and invest more resources in police training, recruiting, and community engagement, because reducing crime and raising standards are not opposite goals. They are not mutually exclusive. They work together. They all work together. Host david johns . Guest i really there are a number of things that come to mind. One in particular is that this administration has been clear and consistent at one thing, and it is wanton disregard for doing things that are in the best interest of our country. To be clear, the chaos, the lack of safety, the catastrophe that he is imagining is a lived reality for many people throughout the country, sometimes on a daily basis. I spent time just yesterday talking to a group of students, arek students, children who dealing with vestiges of the problems that adults have created. What they talk about is knowing that they fear for their lives, that they dont believe that police are designed to or often show up to protect and serve them. They understand that in the history of black peoples experience in america, the police have been developed intentionally to police black bodies, to cause terror in black communities, and otherwise try to control the way we show up in the places we are allowed to inhabit. It is incredibly important for us to acknowledge that the common sense thing to do is to understand and appreciate the police are not experts in providing Mental Health services or support. Theyre not experts in providing Critical Social Services support. Theyre not experts in often responding for the needs individuals have when they are calling for emergency assistance. As such, they should not be responsible for showing up in those roles and trying to meet those needs. Instead, those funds should be devasting from Police Departments and invested in competent providers, individuals who can escalate situations, reduce the rate at which Police Officers kill people who are black, kill people with disabilities, kill people who are white to a lesser extent than they do black people, and show up with communities. So many of the words he used are dog whistles. , harkeningtentional back to a time when people used the rule of law to identify the need to control black bodies. We should be clear about that and we should be consistent in ensuring that communities have the supports they need to be well. That has not happened heretofore. That is the reason there are so many people literally risking their lives to protest and demand we shift so our communities are safe and protected. Were going to a color in louisville, kentucky. Go ahead. We can hear you. I wanted to state green wanted toohns, but i do separate happened to rayshard brooks. When they were handcuffing him, he realized he may die, and this man was fighting for his life. Again,tched the video you saw his adrenaline was pumping so hard, because he was on the ground. He got that Police Officer up on him. He was literally a black man fighting for his life. So he was fighting with everything he could. He realizede ran, he was running for his life. Remember, everything was calm until they wanted to put handcuffs on him. They wanted to handcuff him. It was fight or flight. Ago an saw two weeks africanamerican with handcuffs on. They killed him. Also i wanted to say all of the police who want to quit if they cap have qualified immunity, please quit. We dont need you. That is the issue. They think they are above the law, and they are not. They are here to serve us. I have to train my children if anything was happening where they were in a place of danger, the first thing you do is find the police. I cant do that no more, because that is who may kill them. Also, we have too many white police. Their tuning White Supremacists on the police force. I will say that every day. They should defund the police and put that money back into communities where they belong. If the police dont want to live in those communities, they dont need to be the police. Also, greta, the police, they are the only people in this country that can take a life with impunity. The doctor cant take your life. The judge cant take your life. The senator cant take your life. The president can take your life. Something said by a 68 euro man i know. Every time i come in the presence of a white Police Officer, my life might be in danger. I said enough. Thank you very much. Guest i appreciate that. What he said is accurate. We know based on data, quantitative data, that what he talked about is real. There are statistics that confirm what you just described. They are highly credentialed a black man who worked in the white house who has done all things wellintentioned white people will say like people should do to demonstrate they are worthy of the things white people should take for granted, and i still have a visceral response in the presence of not only Police Officers, but officers who act like they are agents of the state. I think about how reflective these moments are. There is a body of evidence that continues to grow to to confirm the experiences africanamericans have in this regard all too often. And i wasking thinking about the experience of knowing a young man who was choked at sativa waffle house restaurant in North Carolina years ago. Anthony talked about having baird witness just a week prior to a young man who was tased and shot by a Police Officer handcuffed. We have to be clear about the connections that exist in these moments. The last thing i will say about this is that a police in minnesota, anthony mireles, made the point clear as day for anybody willing to listen that policing in our country is rooted in racism and antiblackness, and anyone who is unclear about how that shows should watch the central park caller who weaponized the police against a black man who simply asked her to leave her dog. Is the firstohns executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational InitiativeEducational Excellence for africanamericans. We will go to suzanne in vancouver, washington. Say i i just want to dont understand where you are coming from, because statistics are coming up different. But i have a suggestion maybe you did not think of. All the people of color, if you want to say it that way, why dont you apply to the Police Department and become cops . You know,lling and you walk a mile in the shoes, thats all im saying. About check that out, change it from within . How about that . Guest appreciate the question. Would love to know what statistics you are referencing, since those i referenced a been published at my website. It is too often the case that people make statements like that without actually having statistics to back it up. The second thing is that there are africanamerican people, Asian American people, people with disabilities who show up and serve, or Police Officers. Theres also data that shows that the training that Police Officers are forced to go through changes the way that they interact with black people, so this is not a people of color issue. What people like to use people of color and they dont want to talk about what supremacy, antiblackness, things that make them uncomfortable. They should make you uncomfortable. They arent comfortable things, especially if you have to experience them daily. Who are black Police Officers will talk about the ways in which they feel profiled themselves because of the way they are trained to think about black people. Anthony, albany, georgia. I have been listening to cspan for over 30 years and my question is with the president doing the investigation of , he complained about the leadership in the fbi being so quick to accuse them, but now the police are at the africanamerican community, they are complaining and he said it is a very tiny group of corrupt officers. He laid the blame on the whole department of the fbi. He was a georgia Police Officer for my lifetime, and i will be 55 in a couple of weeks. They use an image of black men to keep them out of the fulfillment in their life. You had an arrest record, you were no longer qualified for jobs, benefits, and all. They ran through the community. Society looked at this and never addressed it. It is so sad that we are now addressing it and you have got senators and congressmen still , because it protects them in their wealth, and they do not want to share the wealth of this country. Thank you, greta, for taking my call, and brother johns, you are doing a great job and you got my support, and we are praying for you. Have a good day. Guest i appreciate that. I thought about two things as he was talking. One is that antilynching legislation was first introduced in congress after the death of emmett till. That was quite some time ago. And it is still the reality that there are states in this country, primarily in the south, primarily occupied disproportionately by like people, that still do not have antilynching laws. That is why there are so many people that are marching in georgia. And we have to be clear about this, right . We live in a country where justice is applied to people based on their zip code. It is literally a reality now that white people who have access to the privileged associate with whiteness can call the police and know that they will be protected. They know they will be protected. Expectow that they can that justice will be served whenever they need it to be served. It is also the reality that for black people, we can be killed by somebody who has a badge or a blue uniform, and justice is the hope that the person might be arrested. Justice is the hope that if they are arrested, they are convicted. Justice is the hope that they might serve some time for taking a life. But we also know there has been evidence that that seldom happens. And in the event that there is a judgment rendered against the Police Officer has taken ones life, it is the community that pays the debt. The officer does not. The officer gets to continue to collect the pension. They continue to benefit from the privileges they might otherwise have taken for granted. And it is the community who has to pay that debt. That is wrong. That is not justice. It is also not american. John in dearborn heights, michigan. Your question or comment. Caller thank you. I want to go over some fbi Crime Statistics and make a quick comment. Is black on white crime rate four times its inverse. That is the fbi Crime Statistics since i believe 1980. Some years it has been higher and some years it has been low. The average has been 40 times the inverse. Like men represent about 5 of the population, yet they commit over 50 of the Violent Crime rate. Out of all interracial crime between blacks and whites, whites and hispanics, asians and blacks, black people commit over 90 of the Violent Crime. And if you are a white person and you go into detroit or st. Louis, you take your life into your own hands. So i was wondering if the person who the person could comment on that and the black privilege that he has. Thank you. Guest like privilege does not exist. Not in a world where whiteness is the default. They also have to be clear about two things. One, crime is localized. People commit crimes where they live. That is where the term black on black crime came from. What people now are talking about black on white crime. It is a distraction. The reality is that Police Departments as they are designed operate in ways that penalize black people for being black. There also statistics that confirm that black and white youth commit the same crimes at the same rate and black youth are disproportionately arrested and penalized and otherwise criminalized. Are very early. We can look at Public Education throughout this country, where data that came out of the department of justice and the department of education confirms that black male students are disproportionately disciplined and expelled at more than twice the rate of their white male counterparts. One thing that is often not discussed because people like to talk about statistics around black men who have been targeted through the history of our country is that the rate is six times higher for black girls. There are policies that have been designed, often by white people, by elected officials, principals, who designed policies that penalize black girls for having braids and not looking at teachers in the classroom. These are intentional systems that have been designed by people who want to control black bodies and profit of black labor, period, full stop. Host tim in lakeview, arkansas. Welcome to the conversation. Caller greta, thank you for taking michael. You have got the statistics in the washington post. When there were nine unarmed white people shot, there were 19 unarmed white people shot. This guy has able full of lies. He needs to wake up and flush the bull and get rid of them. If he was worried about black lives, why isnt he marching in chicago . How any people die in chicago every year . Guest why do you question that we are not marching in chicago . To say to people who are doing work i do this work daily, sir. I dont know what it is that you do, but to be clear, we are in communities. We have been before this was trending. We will be after this conversation. The audacity of privileged white people to parrot back statistics that benefit them. This is a systemic problem. It happens in communities throughout the country, not just cities like chicago, but in rural and isolated communities across the country as well. Who isext, to mitchell, in , georgia. Rex, georgia. Caller thanks for taking this call. I am a navy veteran. Retired officer. A lot of the problem is racism. And you can change the legislation, but you cant change a persons heart. When i was a young boy, my father told me that she said, when you grow up, you start to drive, if the police pull you over, if you can, get your lessons out. Do not get out of the car. Do not be looking around. Give them your license. Morning, early in the they stopped me, and no reason at all to stop me. Follow me. Stopped me. I gave them my license. He said, you been drinking . I said, yes. I was raised in alabama, in tuskegee. Out and let me see how you walk. I got out and walked to the back of the car, and his partner was standing on the curb was standing on the hood of the car with a 357 pointed dead at my chest, what we used to call center man. Says, you had anything . Have you had a little bit of anything . I said, i dont mess with that. But that is what they expect from blacks. They are supposed to be violent drug users and stuff. And i dont see it has changed since then, and i dont think it is going to change. The Senate Legislative persons heart. You can speak on that for me, please. First, i want to say thank you for your service, and i also know it is challenging, as evidenced by some of the conversations we have had today. Thank you, greta, for the space to change peoples minds and to encourage them to be more compassionate. And it is the work i have committed to. I think it is important for us to not only tell our stories, as you did, because of qualitative data and storytelling is important, acknowledging the way that White Supremacists often use quantitative data to defend their privilege and to maintain oppression. And there is still a lot of work that we have to do, right . I think it important, to the callers points, to make this connection. According to the bureau of justice statistics, People Living in households with incomes below the federal policy threshold are twice as likely to commit a Violent Crime. So there is a connection between poverty and crime. It is also the reality in part because of White Supremacy and antiblackness that we live in a country where the poverty rate is more than twice as high among black americans as white. That is a result of laws that deny black people access to housing. That is a result of laws that deny black people access to loans or the resources to start businesses. And we should acknowledge that it was just this week that the Supreme Court of the United States the Civil Rights Act to ensure that people understand you should not discriminate against someone based on their actual or perceived identity. This is important because employment is one of the ways in which people are not impoverished. It is one of the ways in which likely to commit crimes, often out of necessity. And because that is now the law of the land, there is still more work to be done, because people can still be discriminated against based on actual and perceived identity, particularly on gender expression, with your guard Public Housing in the country, as well as public accommodation accessing things like hospitals and restaurants, think that most white people take for granted having access to and that white people that most black people continue to struggle to show up in and have her humanity honored. Black lives have to matter for all to matter. To richmond, virginia. Caller i just wanted to tell everyone thanks for the platform and thanks for this conversation. I do believe that we do have a lot of good Police Officers out there. But we do have to look at the history of our country and why the police were formed. I am a 40yearold black man. Have aa black son and i mixed son. And i have to have the same conversation with both of my children when they leave at the house. We have most of america realizing they dont know what is going on when a generation ahead commit just my parents, they experienced it. America, theyf just refuse to see the truth. They want to act like, ok, you know what . Black people just doing craziness. You do have a group of black people doing craziness, like you having all races, but if you put us all down and only one of us is going to succeed, it is going to be chaos trying to get out, crabs in a barrel. And everybody act like they dont understand that point. Everybody act like they have not been living in the United States. You can go look at thanksgiving and just look at that holiday and see the true reality of america, but people act like they dont get it. And im sorry that the coronavirus took a bunch of lives, but that was the only thing that had people in their homes to see that murder. We have had black men being killed for centuries. Nobody knows about the tulsa, oklahoma massacre. Why is that not in the schoolbooks . It is whitewashing of everything. Everybody act like they dont see it. I agree. I appreciate the caller being intentional. He was clear in describing that this is an act. It is a form of privilege to deny the reality, the reality that has caused many people to risk their lives to protest, to be engaged in demanding change. I think it is important to also lift up that it is not just black people who have been doing this work. We carry a disproportionate share of the burden. There are white people who have been talking about the realities of racism, antiblackness, and oppression in america. Jane elliott and Robin Dangelo talk often about the contradiction and problem of race in america. There is a powerful video i sure often where jane asks a bunch of white people if they are aware of the things that are happening to black people in the world, and they all say yes. And she asks, with a volunteer in cells to experience the things that black people experience in our country, and the answer is no. She calls out the hypocrisy of people acknowledging these things as problems and choosing to do nothing about it. I also want to complicate this, because we are having a conversation about race, about likeness. There are also black people like myself who are also clear, who face hate crimes because people are homophobic or trans phobic or by phobic, or other stigmas and misinformation that they believe allows them to hurt other people. So we are talking publicly about it, and we should. Fewer people are talking about breonna taylor, and we should. Few people are talking about tony mcdade, the black trans man who was murdered by the tallahassee Police Department less than 18 hours after having been the victim of a hate crime, because tony is a black trans man. Few people are talking about the fact that just last week, on friday, around the anniversary of the pulse nightclub massacre, on the same day that the current occupant of the oval Office Issued an order attacking Critical Health care for trans two blackere were trans women who were recently murdered. What i am highlighting is that the many ways in which White Supremacy and antiblackness, and the systems have been designed to control our bodies and profit from our labor. It is important for us to have these conversations, especially because they make people uncomfortable. Is theavid johns director of the National Black justice coalition. We thank you for having this conversation with her viewers. Appreciate it. Guest my pleasure. Thank you for making space. Encourage everyone to do the actualork of finding studies, of being a student of our history, and appreciating that we have an opportunity to ensure there is protracted struggle for social justice we can all enjoy. What we know is that our communities work better together. Everyone wins. My hope is that we will all dig in together and have more conversations with like this, learn how to argue better, so that more people can be safe and not fear being discriminated against or otherwise harmed or killed. I encourage people who both agree and disagree to learn more about our work in the ways in which we have been doing this and will continue to be doing iend is right. Its vital we get our children back to school. My right honorable for the education secretary working hard on this. We are doing what we can to make it happen. We now come to the questions for the Prime Minister and we start with martin dockery