Transcripts For ALJAZAM America Tonight 20140818

We look at the week that was in ferguson missouri. Consider a history of tensions that simmered over decades. Its not just me, its life, times of bad dealing with the police. Militarized forces that lit a spark. This is part of the culture of american policing. We look ahead will police keep the peace . America tonights special report flashpoint ferguson. Good evening, thanks for joining us for the special edation of america tonight. Im julie chen. Our america tonight team returned from ferguson outside of st louis, after several days of reporting a story that gripped the nation and surprised us. We consider what led the community to explode with pentup anger and how it was sparked by the death of unarmed 18yearold Michael Brown, shot and killed by a Police Officer outside the street of his grandmothers apartment. Civil right leaders and the missouri Highway Patrol captain ron johnson spoke to a standing room only crowd at greater grace church. Ron johnson reminded the community no one is perfect and compared his own children to Michael Brown. Because when this is over im going to go in my sons room. My black son. [ cheering and applause ] who wears his pants sagging, wears his hat cocked to the side, got tattoos on his arms. But thats my baby. [ cheering and applause ] todays rally follows another round of protests. Ferguson will be under curfew. There was more demands for justice as more National Activists arrive to support the demonstrate junioo demonstrators, and attention from the federal government. Attorney general eric holder announcing a second autopsy by a second medical officer as requested by browns family. There are new tensions and fears that things may spin further out of control. This is the Police Department. You are violating the stateimposed curfew. The warning came loud and clearing echoing across the asphalt as police in riot gear moved in again. The curfew, midnight to 5 0am imposed after reports of looting the night before. The attempt at security and preventing another night of unrest did little more than inflame some demonstrators. Dont shoot. More than 100 stepped into the street. The stretch here where Michael Brown walked moments before he was killed. Following up on the warning the police advanced, dressed in fatigues, helmets and gas masks, armed with billy clubs and militarystyle weapons, a rogue armoured vehicle stood by idling, after mid night a ky otic chaotic scope. Smoke, some reported tear gas, filled the streets, looking like a repeat earlier in the week when a military crackdown ipp cited an angry response from the crowd, and sharp criticism from leader. This time the new man on security in ferguson, state Highway Patrol officer ron johnson said it was appropriate, an emergency required officers to clear the crowd, to reach a man that was shot mere the protest area. We had a shooting victim that may lose his listen. A subject in the middle of the road with a handgun and a police car shot at. Yes, outh it was an appropriate response. The governors decision was to impose the curfew. We cant allow the ilwill of the few to undermine the goodwill of the many. The governors move followed not only the outbreak of looters, but tensions after some information about browns death was released. After a week of refusing to do it, claiming reports of death threats, the police chief Thomas Jackson disclosed the name of the officer, 28yearold dar ep wilson, but only the darren wilson, but on the barest out lyles. He has been a Police Officer for six years, no disciplinary action taken against him and treated for injuries. Disclosing the name was a demand, knowing it offered little sfags. At the same time the Police Released a surveillance video, showing Michael Brown allegedly stealing sig areas from a Convenience Store and roughing up the clerk. Local resident hung on to each statement and expressed doubt about the Police Chiefs timing and motivation for putting out the surveillance video, and concern a local Police Investigation would go anywhere. Its trumped up. Thats what it is, thats the bottom line. It was a rough moment for the community that had, less than a day earlier, begun to embrace the man obvious seeing security. Captain ron johnson urged patience with the process much. I can tell you this, in our anger we have to make sure we dont burn down our own house. That plea calmed demonstrators, but the video released reiing nated anger reignitted anger, accusing the police from victim blaming, averting attention from the officers action to browns behaviour before they met on the streets. The chiefs statement added to frustration and confusion. First he said the officer was searching for suspects in the Convenience Store rob which when coming upon brown, hours later thee contradicted the statement saying brown and his friend came under scrutiny, stopped in the middle of the week. Nothing to do with the theft. Nothing to do with the theft. Why release the videos . At this point why did he stop Michael Brown . They were walking down the street, blocking travelling. That matched what browns friend, eyewitness dorrien johnson said. It was 1 40, 2 oclock, we were walking down a street, empty street, minding our own business. We were heading home. The officer approached us. As he pulled up on the side he did not say freeze, halt, nothing like we were committing a crime. He said get the eff on the sidewalk. The police didnt clarify more of what they know. The Department Released a report about the convenience for robbery, but not the report about the shooting. The robbery report makes a passing reference to brown. It is worth mentioning johnson said it was a situation that escalated when the officer grabbed his friend. He pulled my friend into the window. Hes pulling away from the officer. He never attempted to grab for the officers weapon. Hes holding my friend with one arm and with the other pointing his weapon. The second time he says ill shoot, it wasnt a second later before the gun went off, the officer let go, we ran. Im looking, watching the officer. Hes pursuing my friend, fired a shot, striking him in the back. My friend stopped running, his hands in the air, turned to the officer face to face and started to tell the officer that he was unarmed and you should stop shooting me. Before the second sentence was out the officer fired several shots to the head and neck area. A preliminary investigation found brown pushed wilson when he tried to get out of the car, and there was a struggle for the service weapon, and a shot was fired inside the car. No further details were released. Federal investigators pledged to conduct an independent probe. Demonstrators, and Michael Browns family came to their own conclusions. The event that took place on cannes field had nothing to do with the Grocery Store michael may have been in or the person on the video was in, we dont know that that was michael. Whatever took place there had nothing to do with an individual getting down on his hands and knees, raising his hand in the air and saying dont shoot. This is a universal call for i surrender, i can here my cousins voice saying dont shoot. Still the officer stepped to him and shot him. That is wrong. Its already been announced the curfew will be imposed again tonight. Al jazeeras natasha is at ferguson now, and is out of the very emotional, very raw Church Service that was held about mike brown. I think we were struck by the incredible emotion that captain johnson brought to the service when he talked about mike brown. Lets listen. We need to think mike for his life, and thank him for the thaping that he will make to make us better. Really, an emotional reaction to app an emotional comment from captain johnson. Keep in mind, hes a native son of ferguson, a missouri Highway Patrol captain brought in to restore peace and calm to the streets of ferguson. There has been many speakers, but captain johnson rousing the crowd by connecting with them. Telling them that hes their neighbour, family, friend. Its words noting that he said he respects their rite to protest and believes that something good from the death of Michael Brown will come and make our sons better people. Certainly there was a lot of emotion in the streets. We saw some images, disturbing, almost returned to earlier in the week when they were fierce. Is there a sense they cap bring things under better control that will not result in a display of this strong force from the police . Thats the hope. When the governor jay nixon imposed the midnight to five curfew, he acknowledged that one night could not restore peace and bring calm. He hoped it would be a start. That was not the start that officials would hope for. I spoke to people out this morning, despite the rain, with brooms, garbage bags, cleaning up the mess that the protesters left behind. One man said he found it disappointing that people are trying to tear down what we need to build up. Al jazeera correspondent in ferguson, ssmissouri, thank you for buying with us. Looking forward, what will bring an end to the crisis in ferguson. Al jazeera contributor and analyst joins us. Dr johnson, is there a sign we are looking towards an end. It didnt appear that way today. No, i dont think this is close to being over. One of the clearest indicators was not just the rioting and the violence, it was a statement by the department of justice today. Attorney general eric holders department of justice came out saying basically we dont trust the Ferguson Police to conduct an autopsy, so theyll conduct their own second autopsy. That means trust has broken down, this will not calm down soap. This is a community that has had tensions over time. Do you see a resson ans outside the community. There you are in atlanta, do you see in other places people are getting in and seeing reflections in their own community . Definitely, you had rallies in atlanta, d. C. , cleveland, big and small cities. There has been a moment of silence last thursday. Everyone recognises some problem in ferguson, reflective of their community, whether its African American men and women who feel constantly under threat and their lives are not valued. Those concerned about militarization of the local police force. You cant give a bunch of guns and tear gas to a bunch of guys playing war craft. Everyone finds something going wrong in ferguson. I think the story resonated nationally. Im struck by the fact that i was in ferguson. We saw a number of figures from the national team. Jesse jackson was there, congressman john lewis has been speaking out and others. I wonder if it struck a nerve with a different generation of the Civil Rights Movement as well. Yes. The pictures, the images that we see from ferguson are reminisce ept of things you see in gaza, from the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. You have men and women walking down the street, and they are being gassed and shot at. You have young men without their shirts on trying to defend stores from looters, and they are not helped by police. This brings up painful memories to the civil rights generation, and is par for the course from many gen xors who have seen violence from people of colour. And particularly over the last couple of weeks. We are seeing incidents of questions about Law Enforcement. Use of force. And whether it is appropriate in different communities. I was speaking about the choke hold situation, and the woman who was video taped in a beating situation with officers in l axe. The woman in l. A. We had the gentleman just shot in a walmart carrying a plastic gun. In ohio, the rann eesha mcbride case. Its an epidemic of public violence. Thats why many are concerned. Its not an issue of the militarization and race. Its structural problems. If you look at the way the Ferguson Police department handled the situation, its a violation of trust between the community and the officers. Hiding the name of a Police Officer who shot someone. Leaving a body out for four hours. Not releasing an incident report, defying the suggestions of the department of justice. No one believes the rights are represented. Its a problem resonating throughout the country. Therell be massive discussions about reform not just in missouri, but across the nation. Al jazeera contributor and analyst dr jason johnson. Thank you for being here. Ahead after the break on this special edition of america tonight flashpoint ferguson. Its intimidating to the people when you have helicopters in the sky, tank. A North Country native takes us to the heart of his community, helping to understand how neighbourhoods that grew up here, lie in waste and help to shape the conflict and the final moments of Michael Browns life. Cl did you know a tensecond test could help your business avoid hours of delay caused by slow internet from the phone company . Thats enough time to record a memo. Idea for sales giveaway. Return a call. Sign a contract. Pick a tie. Take a break with mr. Duck. Practice up for the business trip. Fly to florida. Win an award. Close a deal. Hire an intern. And still have time to spare. Go to comcastbusiness. Com checkyourspeed if we cant offer faster speeds or save you money well give you 150. Comcast business. Built for business. Saturday on tech know. I cannot imagine being trapped in ruble like this. A miraculous new invention. This if finder. Its a victim detection radar. That could save your life. As long as your heart is beating, we can detect you. Tech know. Every saturday, go where science meets humanity. This is some of the best driving ive ever done. Even though i cant see tech know. Were here in the vortex. Saturday, 7 30 eastern. Only on Al Jazeera America. Beyond the protests in the community where dustin brown dice, there are talks about what happens when the controversy dies down, Will Ferguson be remembered for more. We join another native of north county, leading the way into the heart of ferguson. Pass this is basically how it is every night. When the people are out, Police Become aggressive. We found this man on west floricent in the heart of a nonviolent demonstration. A night that saw more dancing and chants. Signs of protest, but ferguson and this area known as north county might be ready to turn a corner and look forward. It doesnt take much to trigger anti. Its intimidating when you have helicopters in the sky, police, tanks. A parking lot full of Police Officers. Its basically on occupation. This man understands the community, north county is his hotel. Hes a native, an observer, columnist and cab driver, and a man who believes the clashes and anger has not changed the relationship Law Enforcement has with the people. You know, the heavyhanded Police Tactics increase, making the situation worse. Theres no doubt about it. If it made things better it would have got better in a few days. They are adding fuel to the fire. A fire sparked decades ago. This part of st louis county, outside the city of st louis was home to missouris first allblack city, kim lock, settled before the turn of the last century, it remained separated from ferguson and the rest of the North Country, with barricades on the streets until 1970. Development around the International Airport gradually forced residents out. Today, much of kim lock is literally barren, a waste land, a dumping ground. The community that was here, shoved into neighbouring ferguson, and other towns in north county. In 1980, 14 of ferguson was africanamerican. In 2010, the black population reached 63 . Made up of families like Michael Browns, and those are the young people who took to the streets night after night. Those are the streets that we were driven through, telling me theres a link between what happened to North Country and the life and death of Michael Brown. It connects with the anger on the streets. Theres a lot of displaced youth, they came from kim lock or their families, a lot of them are transient, moving from one apartment complex to another, constantly moving, no sense of place or direction. Those areas where mike brown was killed is a major recipient of the old residence. Mike brown had a future. Mike brown had a future, thats right. He had a future. But he had to put it within the cultural contents that he might have had a future, but a lot of youths dont have a future, they dont feel connected to society or anything else. And they dont feel they have anything to live for or anything to lose. Against all that, a Police Department that remains nearly all white in ferguson, and Law Enforcement, equipped with militarygrade gear. It is all enough to ignite the powder keg. Antii. E. D. Vehicles. Tanks, aircraft. Guys dressing like villains from batman. It was so absurd why people dress like they are ready to fight the taliban. It was a bizarre situation. It doesnt mess with reality, i had never seen the stuff in the hands of Law Enforcement. I realised it existed. I have never seen it, that that was a tool for policing. Is suburban community much. Its a new day between Law Enforcement and security, there are signs it has not been received down to the patrol car level. As we focussed on a welcome site. Far from the demonstrators, two local officers initiated an aggressive demand that our cameraman get off a public highway. Dont resist. Ill bust your areas, your head. Are you filming this . I dont give a shit. Ill confiscate the film for evidence. Im asking you to leave. Thats it. This remains the way many in north county expect to be treated by the police here. Harassed even when doing nothing illegal. When any encounter is likely to end as it did for Michael Brown badly. Its not just Michael Brown, its life, times, bad dealings with the police, seeing the family dealt with. Its so many things its not just Michael Brown. A note about the connections and coincidences of history. Its wellknown in the community that many of the families moving out of kim lock as the airport expanded and developers lived in lived at cannes field greens, the apartment complex where Michael Browns grandmother lived, the community Michael Brown was headed into when he clashed and died. Another representative is missouri representative Courtenay Curtis and he joins us outside the Church Service. Talk to us about the emotions there, raw, mr curtis. The emotions in the situation today are high. Its been that way in the last week. People are looking for things. Answers are not coming quick enough. They are as high as they were last saturday. I dont see it going down soon. What do you think would solve it, bringing quiet to the community, a sense that things are Going Forward . For the most part they are asking for the arrest and the charging of the officer. That will be the most immediate thing, you know, that can be done. Outside of that, we need to show support for the individuals that are on the ground, that are protesting by having the Community Leaders out there, as well as the captain. We have been out there with him several days this week, walking in. Some things quietened down. We have a large contingency of people coming from out of the city to protest. Thats where the last part of the tension lies. Yes, i think people, as i found, they are looking for greater answers, and more longterm, and as we saw in the report about kim lock, this is a situation that has grown up over decades of transition within north county. How do you resolve that with some rallies, and the resolution of a case, how do you resolve it after one case like that . Right. So kinlocks problems are deeper. It goes to a number of reasons. We need a full community. Basically the airport came in and bought out a lot of property with hops of expanding it, but they went the other way. That decimated the kinlock community. I represent the area, and i have been working and filed legislation to try to change the situation. There hasnt been the appetite to do that at the county level and other place. Well continue. We have two communities to focus on to improve things. I understand that there is a big effort to involve more people in the electoral process, that voting was low in the last elections, and there is a need, something that the people have become aware of that there is a need to be more active in the political process to get more representatives in place to represent the community. It has always been a challenge in the election that i won. We had about 15 participation, and in the host recent municipal election, it was around 15. The mayor won with about 1500 vote. That was the key issue because the superintendent had been let go. The Community Came to rally around him. Hes a great leader, but no longer with the distribute. Its been a challenge. The issue helped in a different representative district, but the challenge with the Voter Participation is a north county problem in general. In north county, do you see that people have become activated. That people are ready to do more to be in the streets, to make this more vocal, to have this beyond Michael Browns death . Definitely. To give you a little context, last week we had the county executive race. Our africanamerican American County executive lost, because there wasnt a lot of Voter Participation from the Africanamerican Community and an outpouring from the republican side to defeat them. Since then we have seen a sea change in the activity because of the mike brown situation, and most people are talking about it didnt involvement, and they are talking about improving relations between ourself and taking about as much representation as possible so we can trialy be represented. It will be more than Michael Brown when this is over. State representative, Courtenay Curtis, thank you for talking to us. After the break, america tonights special report flashpoint ferguson. And the images that raised new questions about the new force of even suburban Police Department across the nation, and their militarystyle training. They are not trained to deal with people with constitutional rights, people protected by the constitution of the United States. Their missions overseas is to find the enemy force and destroy them. Michael oku on the force behind americas new police force. The striking images of police in military gear, focussing tension on the militarization of Police Departments all across the country, it raised questions about why Small Town Police picked up military grade gear, and what that means for the future of american Law Enforcement. An examination of what is out there from america tonight joe hockey. Michael oku. A sight sparking alarm and out rage. Scenes that in the words of some leaders belong in a war zone, not on suburban american streets. For four nights the St Louis Police came out in force to confront protesters in military vehicles and in combat gear, firing tear gas and rubber bullets, as the confrontations wore on, so, too, criticisms of the heavyhanded police response, president obama cautioning against force. Theres no excuse for police to sues excessive use Excessive Force against a peace of protest or throw protesters in gaol for exercising First Amendment rites. Governor jay nixon announce the on thursday that the state Highway Patrol would take over the scene. The scene last night was different, no escalation of violence, and no sign of the intimidating equipment and brandished rifles, as Highway Patrol officers stood passively by. S demonstrators approved. It struck a conversation about mill tarisation police, like how a Police Department like this gets their hand on militarygear and why it was used in missouri. I dont know the training that the officers in ferguson received. But given the way they acted,ize would say they received poor training tore ignored the good string received some time ago, or they were given no training at all. The trend of militarization has been studied. It wass its not just the equipment, but the nature of some training that is worrying. One expect that alarms us about the militarization of policing is that we know that some civilian police units, swat units, special response fames we know that they some of them have been training with units of our special forces. And this is very disturbing because our special forces operate overseas. They are not trained to deal with people with constitutional rights. People protected by the constitution of the United States. The missions overseas are to find the enemy force and destroy them. We dont want them explaining to our civilian units how they conduct themselves overseas. That is inappropriate for civilian policing. A recent study by the American Civil Liberties union, the aclu entitled war comes home, the excessive militarization of policing found that of 800, 7 were for the original purpose, like the hostage situation. 80 were to exercise police units. Swat was established in 1967, here in loss los angeles. The unit was comprised of volunteers from within the l. A. Md. An l. A. P. D. Inspector named the Platoon Special weapons assault team. That name was rented for sounding rejected for sounding like a military unit. Military culture seeped into Police Departments. A culture celebrated in videos like this one, produced by a company that markets equipment to s. W. A. T. Teams. When you look at the culture of the Police Departments, when you see some of their recruiting videos, their officers conduct themselves in an aimpressive fashion, acting and dressinglike soldiers. This is part of the culture of american policing. A culture under scrutiny. We are joined by david harris, Law Enforcement expert at the university of pittsburgh, where he is a professor of law. Lets talk about how it got to be this way. What was the intention of equipping suburban Law Enforcement with this kind of equipment . Pash two things run in parallel. The federal government put out grant applications, getting the money flowing to the local jurisdictions to get them the equipment they thought they might need for a terrorist incident. The other thing is that the pentagon has a programme, an organised programme, to get rid of surplus military equipment that they do not want. Its no longer useful for war efforts in iraq and afghanistan. They have two things happening at once, the result is every little Police Department. At every level in the United States has access to top grade military weapons, vehicles and other equipment. That is an issue of concern. The thing that strikes me is the expression if your only tool is a hammer, us see every problem as a nail. Is there evidence of abuse . I dont know if theres evidence of abuse, but what i see, and ferguson is an example. When you have the tools, you want to use them. Theres a small chance that you would need an armoured personnel carrier or a heavier weaponry for a terrorist attack. Thank god we havent had many of those, we had something in boston that qualified. Its not necessary for the run of the mill Law Enforcement work to do day in, day out quite successfully with regular Law Enforcement. What we saw in ferguson is having the equipment and the armament on site was not just equipment, it was a message, and the people around there took the message. We should be afraid, they feel threatened, we got more tense. It escalated the problem, instead of deescalating. I think that is a problem. We are talking about mraps, armoured vehicles, assault weapons used by suburban Police Department. I wonder once you open the pandoras box, how do you close it . Its difficult to get the toothpaste back in the tube. Here, what we saw is good enough to start the conversation. We have seen military equipment used against demonstrators. Everywhere cap see that its overkill. If you tried can see that its overkill. If you try it out and use it, therell be a reaction. Theres a conversation long overdue. And a conversation that reached capitol hill. A number of senators and congress men are talking about reviewing the program. Appreciate your being here. If the system will not be changed quickly, what monitoring could be used to prevent abuse. 3500 Police Departments use recording devices tracking officers and the people and situations they face everything from dash cams to cameras worn on the officers clothing. Fergusons Police Department has some, but not the money to install them. Techknow contributor lindsay got a look at how they work for some departments on a ride along in oakland california. Reporter officer Brian Hernandez was one of several units responding to a call about a spec, wanted in a robbery suspect, wanted in a robbery and attempted murder. Our cameras were not the only ones catching the action. Each wore one of these, another set of eyes, recording everything that happened. [ siren ]. Give us a second. Then well talk. Reporter oakland is one of more than 3500 Police Departments nationwide. They have been taking the place of dashboard cameras. They go, where the officer goes. We were able to capture individuals discarding firearms, making incriminating statements. That would have been the officers word against the subject word. The lapel camera made this clear. Our policies that are in relation to investigating a crime. It was supposed to be activated. Reporter how has the lapel camera affected your job at all. We have the video to back up our word. Its great. How are you doing, man . Can i have your drivers licence and registration. Licence is suspended. Reporter what happens to the video after its recorded by the lapel camera. At the end of the officers shift, he or she plugs it into a terminal, its uploaded on to a network server. The officers cant delete it or anything along those lines. Having an opportunity to track trouble. Al jazeera techknow correspondent Lindsay Moran with that report. When we return to america tonight special look at flashpoint ferguson beyond the gateway arch. The people of st louis, and the communities known as north county, and how rapid change set the stage for what is happening in ferguson today. Ghteen only on Al Jazeera America as we noted earlier, stark racial contrasts played out in the community when Michael Brown died. Ferguson, missouri, is twothirds black, yet the Police Department has three africanamerican officers, and theres more to the divide in the Community Split further by Michael Browns death. Ferguson lies to the north of the city of st louis, a Bedroom Community that sits in st louis county, a collection of more than 90 municipalities, and in the part known to locals a north county, the northern part of the st louis county. Like other urban areas, its part of greater st louis cut off from the city center by interstate highways much the close neighbour, the airport, a center of aviation in the u. S. Despite what you might have thought based on tv pictures, ferguson is not an impoverished community, much is lower middle income. It has a brew pub, Farmers Market and signs that the Community Wants more. It is proud of native sons, not just captain johnson supported to oversee security, but congress woman, maxine waters, dubai brothers singer michael mcdonald, cedric, the entertainer. Saying you are from north county and st louis defines who they are, and gives us some background into what this crisis is all about. Another st louis native is attorney and commentators lisa boner, joining us to talk about st louis. I want to note that you live in new york, but you came back for the rally. Why was it important to you . Because whats happening in my home town need to be brought into the broader perspective of the racism that is inflicted upon many of the black boys in america. St louis is a polarized city. I had a history of racial segregation. And its apparent to bring this to the forefront. Of the american and national attention. We can keep the spotlight focussed on the issue. I note there has been a lot of rabed change in north rapid challenge in north county. Note theres a history in segregation. Rapid changes that left the imbalance, the situation where so much of the police and the mayor and county administration in the hands of white folks when the population is becoming predominantly black. This is what is happening in the major city in america. St louis has nine fortune 500 companies here. Imogen electric is in ferguson, and the wealth has not trickled down to the major city of the black community, its been causing tensions and bubbling beneath the surface for years. Lisa bonner, st louis attorney and commentator. Thank you. The chaos in ferguson created so many inyourface moments. Images that inspired support for the hundreds of protesters from around the country and a Digital Community around the world. Searing and unforgettable, the images from ferguson, resonating around the world. In washington d. C. , Howard University students on campus sent a signal of support. Harvard law students mirrored the same gesture dont shoot. The protest looked oddly festive. Media covering the story including al jazeera enforced by the police to leave the area, creating a scene filled with tear gas, rather than lurking journalists. Palestinians protesting the Israeli Occupation posted tweets and tips on how to deal with tear gas. One twitter post also on twitter a posted photo of children with solidarity messages of their own. For these economic in ferguson, the streets of their home are now a battle ground, and those whose job it is to protect them are the ones they come to fear. At this hour vim isles from around vim isles from around the country honouring lies lost, making it clear that the fallout from the crisis in ferguson is far from over. And ahead in the final segment of our special report, flashpoint ferguson, a father, son and community in mourning. A final thought on what my friends death will mean to his on what Michael Browns death will mean to the future. And the place where it begins. Its a big stage, microphone, its iowa. People will cover it. If they are thinking about running, a potential candidate. Theyll show up. America tonight heads for the iowa state fair on monday. We are not talking fried food and corn dogs. We are talking candidates. Correspondent Sheila Macvicar poses a question is it possible to become president without going through iowa. Thats monday on america tonight. Ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et 2pm pt only on Al Jazeera America what i admire so much about Al Jazeera America is that it is solely committed to journalism. Youre not just giving the headlines, youre also not getting fluff. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing faster in san francisco. Youre going to get something youre not going to get anywhere else, and youre going to get these in depth stories about real people. As an Unsecured Creditor could receive just cents on the dollar. Chronic homelessness has always been a challenge here in new orleans. We recently did a story about a mother who was worried about the air her children were breathing. This is not standard household dust. Florida is an amazing place to work as a journalist. The Rocky Mountain west is really an Extraordinary Part of this country. I worked in nashville for six years, i know the stories that are important to people there. Overcrowding is such a big issue at this school. People in the Outer Islands of alaska picking up tsunami trash, really committed to what they are doing, and they have a lot more work to do. If you really want to tell peoples stories, youve got to go talk to the people. Real reporting. Real news. This. This. This, is what we do. Al jazeera america. And finally from us the time to heal and pray. Hundreds gathered to remember Michael Brown, the young man whose death led to an explosion of emotions in ferguson, missouri. The man charged with bringing security, captain ron johnson spoke at the service not just as a Law Enforcement official, but as a father, about a son. I want to start off by talking to Michael Browns family. I want you to know my heart goes out to you. And i say that im sorry. This is my neighbourhood. You are my family. You are my friends. And i am you. [ clapping ] and i will stand and protect you, i will protect your rite to protest. Because when this is over im going to go in my sons room, my black son. [ cheering and applause ] who wears his pants sagging. Wears his hat cocked to the side. Got tattoos on his arms. But thats my baby. [ cheering and applause ] and we all ought to be thanking the browns for michael. Because michaels going to make it better for our sons, so they can be better black men. They can be better for our daughters, so they can be better black women. Better for me so i can be a better black father, and we know theyre going to make our mommas even better than they are today. We need to thank mike for his life. And thank him for the change he will make to make us better. I love you. I stand tall with you and i see you out there. Thank you. Captain ron johnson with the final word on our special edition of america tonight, flashpoint ferguson. Well continue to watch for development. Make sure you stay with Al Jazeera America for continuing coverage. If you would like to see the coverage tonight, log on to the website. Join the conversation on twitter or facebook. Goodnight, well have more of america tonight tomorrow. A global perspective wherever you are. The major headlines in context. Mashable says. Youll never miss the latest news they will continue looking for survivors. The potential for Energy Production is huge. No noise, no clutter, just real reporting. The new Al Jazeera America mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. Download it now Police Fire Tear gas at protesters in ferguson, missouri, once again as anger remains high over the death of a black teenager. Youre with al jazeera live from doha. Also coming up, battle for iraq, u. S. Forces help Kurdish Forces retake areas captured by Islamic State fighters. Homes demolished