Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20140904 : comparemela.co

Scalia once pointed to their case as an example of why the Death Penalty is just. Today, they are free men. We will speak with an attorney for one of the exonerates as well as the former legal director of the center on wrongful convictions. The new York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo is being challenged in his own partys primary. We will speak to all professor Zephyr Teachout and political activist randy credico, who are both running against cuomo, as well as the tuna governor candidate tim wu who coined the concept of Net Neutrality. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Violence continues in Eastern Ukraine putting Government Forces and russianbacked separatists following a day of confusion over ceasefire. Ukraine initially claimed it had reached a ceasefire with russia, only to retract the claim after russian president Vladimir Putin said his government isnt a party to the conflict. His ownen unveiled sevenpoint peace plan, which ukraine intern dismissed as a ruse. Speaking during a visit to estonia, president obama squarely blamed russia for the fighting and vowed to defend Baltic States is adjusted are threatened by moscow. It is going to take time for us to be able to roll them back, and it is gone to take time for us to be up to form the Regional Coalition that will be required so that we can reach out to sunni tribes in some of the areas that isis has occupied. And make sure that we have allies on the ground in common nation with the airstrikes that we have already conducted. So the bottom line is this. Our objective is clear. And that is to degrade and destroy isil so it is not just a threat to iraq, but the region and to the in the states. President obama was speaking ahead of todays nato summit in wales, where Member States are expected to approve new sanctions against russia and the creation of a 4000strong force corrupt deployment and eastern europe. France has announced the suspension of a warship delivery to the russian military. At the nato summit beginning today, president obama and other foreign leaders are expected to discuss an International Coalition against the military Group Islamic state. Speaking during his visit to estonia, obama said the u. S. Objective is to degrade and destroy isil. President obamas comments were echoed more forcefully by Vice President joe biden, who told a crowd in New Hampshire the u. S. Will follow isil to the gates of hell. As a nation, we are united and when people hire americans, we dont retreat. We dont forget. We take care of those who are grieving, and when that is finished, they should know we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice. Because hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside. The death toll from the Ebola Outbreak in west africa has topped 1900, including around for 400 people of the past week. 35 hundredround confirmed cases in liberia, sierra leone, guinea, and a giraffe, and senegal. Margaret chan of the World Health Organization said the scale of the outbreak is unprecedented. This evil epidemic this ebola epidemic is the largest and most complex we have ever seen. In the nearly 40 year history of this disease. No one comes even outbreak responders, would experience dating back to back in 76 to 1995, people that were directly involved with those outbreaks, none of them have ever seen anything like it. The Justice Department is launching a civil rights probe of the Police Department in ferguson, missouri. Where the unarmed african immigrant teenager Michael Brown was killed last month. The investigation is separate from another civil rights investigation specifically into browns killing at the hands of Ferguson Police officer darren wilson. The announcement follows weeks of protests sparked by browns death that brought to light allegations of racial profiling and other Police Abuses against africanamerican residents. The probe could expand to other areas surrounding ferguson. Area resident convicted in the killing of unarmed africanamerican 19yearold Renisha Mcbride has been sentenced to a minimum of 17 years in prison. Wafer was found guilty of seconddegree murder and manslaughter for shooting mcbride on the porch of his home last november. Mcbride was apparently seeking help after a car crash when he shot her in the face through his screen door. He claimed he feared for his life. The killing sparked mass protest as prosecutors took about two weeks to file charges. At his sentencing on wednesday, wafer apologized to mcbrides family, saying he will carry tilt and sorrow forever. Seeseral program that local Police Forces hand over immigrant detainees for potential deportation has been found to have no effect on lowering crime rates. Under secure communities, local police share detainees fingerprints with the department of homeland security, which can then order immigration holds that result in deportation. A new study from two law professors shows the program has had no meaningful reduction in the overall crime rate of communities involved. The authors say their study a top palestinian lawmaker says palestinians will ask the united toions Security Council impose a threeyear deadline for israel to end the occupation of the west bank and gaza. Speaking at the united nations, Hanan Ashrawi said the Palestinian Authority will push for an end to the occupation as well as for International Criminal court jurisdiction. Hanan ashrawi dismissed the threat of losing u. S. Support. We would be seeking a Security Council resolution on ending the occupation within the specified date, and any solution must be based on International Law. They cannot violate International Law and you and conventions and agreement. If the u. S. Was to isolate itself as a reaction to palestinians joining the international community, then they are welcome to do that. Is not that funding essential to palestinian survival. Quite often, having protection of the law is much more important than getting some funding from congress. , Hanan Ashrawi went on to say enough is enough, and what has the u. S. Done for us . Her comments appear to mark the most forceful public repudiation to date of the Obama Administrations policy by Palestinian Leader tied to president abbas. Shows hamashis week has surged in palestinian Public Opinion since the israeli assault on gaza. According to the Palestinian Center for policy and survey research, hamas would defeat abb marginah party by what if National Elections were held today. Comments come days after israel approved its largest seizure of Palestinian Land in three decades, nearly 1000 acres in the occupied west bank. At a news briefing, the u. S. Ambassador to the u. N. Samantha power criticized israels decision. The u. S. Position on settlement activity is very wellknown. We have long made clear our opposition to settlement activity. Were deeply concerned by the reports of expanded settlement activity over the last few days. We call on the government of israel to reverse its decision. I think these actions are contrary to israels stated goal of achieving a permanent Status Agreement with the palestinians. Despite saying it opposes israeli settlements, the Obama Administration has previously vetoed a u. N. Security counsel resolution decrying them illegal. A Columbia University senior who says he is raped on campus two years ago has launched a novel protest and Performance Art piece to call for the expulsion of the alleged perpetrator. For her senior thesis project, Emma Sulkowicz will carry around a twin size dormer mattress with her everywhere she goes on campus until her rapist is expelled. She calls her piece carry that weight. Will be carrying this mattress with me everywhere i go for as long as i attend the same school as my rapist. And it could take a day or it could go on. That clip is from the columbia spectator. Emma sulkowicz says the perpetrator has sexually assaulted two other female students. She was part of a federal columbia challenging universitys handling of rape cases earlier this year. Fast food workers across the country are holding the latest mass strike today to call for higher wages and improved workplace conditions. Strikes incidents are taking place of fast food chains in and around 150 cities to demand a 15 minimum wage, the right to organize, and and and to wage theft. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. With thetodays show case of two africanamerican halfbrothers who have been exonerated of rape and murder convictions in North Carolina after over 30 years behind bars. Henry lee mccollum and leon brown were found guilty in 1984 of the rape and murder of an 11yearold girl. There was no physical evidence tying them to the crime, but police obtained confessions that mccollum and brown have always said were coerced. In fact, during his trial, mccollum recanted his confession 226 times. Police at the time failed to investigate another man,a, who lived your the crime scene and had admitted to similar rape and murder around the same time. After 30 years, the case saw a major breakthrough last month when testing by North Carolinas Innocence Inquiry Commission tied roscoe artiss dna to the time seemed. After hearing presenting the new evidence tuesday, the two brothers were declared innocent and ordered freed. This is mccollum speaking wednesday after he was released from death row. Im happy. God. T to thank i have been through a long journey. I came here with my brother leon brown. At times i thought i giving up. I said, i cant do that. I was goingay that to be blessed and get out of prison. I just did not know when that time was going to be. My god kept be going strong. A lot of rejoicing, happiness and everything. I was very anxious when they told me this news and stuff. I wanted to get away from this place. Last night, i only had a couple of hours of sleep and stuff. It is wonderful. I just think god. Both Henry Mccollum and his brother leon brown have mental disabilities. Mccollum plus iq is between 60 and 69 and brown has scored as low as 49. Both were originally sentenced to death. After second trial, brown was convicted of rape and sentenced to life in prison while mccollum remained on death row. In a recent interview with the news and observer after the dna testing pointed to a likely exoneration, he said he never lost hope that he would one day see freedom. Since i have been here, i have never stopped believing that one day i would be able to walk out that door. I never stopped believing it. Ago, i a long time wanted to find me a good wife. I wanted to raise a family. I wanted to have my own business and everything. Chance tot the fulfill those dreams. Never got the chance because people took 30 years away from me. They destroyed my life. Now, i believe that god is going to bless me to get back out there. Over the years, Death Penalty supporters have cited a brothers case in order to back Capital Punishment. In 2010, the North Carolina Republican Party pasted mccollum plus mugshots on campaign mailers. In 1994, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia pointed to mccollum as an example of why the Death Penalty is just. For more we go to raleigh, North Carolina where we are joined by Vernetta Alston, one of the lawyers representing Henry Mccollum and a staff attorney with the center for Death Penalty litigation. Welcome to democracy now can you describe the scene yesterday, Vernetta Alston, when Henry Mccollum and leon brown were freed . Well, i was there for henrys release. I unfortunately wasnt able to go to see leons. For henry, it was exciting. He was happy, clearly relieved. His dad and stepmother i think were nervous and very excited for their son to come home. Henry and a handful of other supporters, including myself and another member of his legal team, it was a relief. Vernetta alston, could you talk a little bit about the origins of the case, when they were originally arrested and the issue of the confessions and how confessions were gotten from them . Sure. Henrytember 1983, both who was 19 and leon who was 15, as you mentioned, both intellectually disabled, or taken to the police or henry was taken to the Police Station by Law Enforcement officials and questioned between four to five hours. Shortlye to the station after henry, just to see what was happening. Once he got there, he was brought into a room by two other Law Enforcement officials. Both boys were question into the early hours of the morning. They were manipulated and threatened and told if they just signed these statements, they could go home. And so around 2 00 in the morning, both boys signed these statements that were filled with details that were only known to Law Enforcement officials at the time. They thought they could go home. They quickly learned that wasnt the case and they were arrested. Their you talk about protests of innocence in prison, particularly, Henry Mccollum . Henry has maintained his innocence since the day he was first detained at the Police Department. He has been steadfast in that claim ever since. In every meeting ive had with henry over the last 2. 5 years, the only thing that he wants or has wanted to talk about is his innocence. Into prison officials, he is maintain the same refrain, that he was completely innocent of this crime. And his brother leonas as well. I wanted to ask you about the 1994 debate were Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia pointed to Henry Mccollum as an example of why the Death Penalty is just. He wrote scalia has long been a vocal supporter of Capital Punishment, and has adjusted that an innocent man has never been put to death, at least in recent years. Vernetta alston, what would you say to Justice Scalia now . Withs having a debate Justice Blackmun at the time. He was wrong. In this case and cases like it, prove he is been wrong then and is wrong now. Innocent people are on death row. Innocent people likely happen put to death. And that should be a huge problem. I think it illustrates how the irredeemable the Death Penalty is as a punishment. In his interview, Henry Mccollum said he made up the story about attacking a girl so he could just go home after he been interrogated for several hours. In this clip, he describes the detectives behavior and questioning and his response. I was sitting in a chair and he got in my face, hollering at me. It kind of shook me. It scared me up a little bit. Been a no Police Station before, being questioned by a police. He said, you know you kill that girl. I said, man, i did not kill nobody, man. Back in when i come your, you better tell me the truth, and all that. I said, i told you the truth, where i was that night. He said, no, you said you and home. I said, i was at home. I was there from 12 30 at night. He came back in like five minutes later. I had made up my mind, right, because i had never been under this message this much pressure with a person hollering at me and all that crazy stuff. What i did i gave him a false name. I made up the story that this is the way the crime happened, when the crime really didnt happen that way. I was trying to go home. I gave a fulls confession. False co