Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20160224

Guantanamo to close or is he just relocated to a new zip code here in the United States . Then to nevada. We won the evangelicals, we won with the young, we won with the old, we won with highly educated, we won with poorly educated i love the poorly educated. Amy winning 45 of the Republican Caucus vote in nevada , donald trump usually wins the caucus in his third victory in a row. We will go to reno. Then we remember black lives matter activist Marshawn Mccarrel, who shot himself to death at the entrance of the ohio statehouse in columbus earlier this month. He was a young man that could see all of the our precious oppression and injustice, committed himself to working for, and still bring light. Even if he was angry at the system, he managed to somehow bring a positive energy to the work he did. He was remarkable. Amy we will speak with one of Marshawn Mccarrels former teachers as well as the highs will students who worked with him closely. All of that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President obama submitted a plan to close Guantanamo Military prison, despite his pledge to close the facility as one of his first acts after taking office in 2009. There are still 91 prisoners there, 35 of whom have been cleared for release. Obama wants to transfer all prisoners to their home countries or to u. S. Military or civilian prisons. In an address tuesday, obama said guantanamo must close. For many years it has been clear the death detention facility at Guantanamo Bay does not advance our National Security. It undermines it. This is not just my opinion, this is the own opinion of experts, many in our military. Is cap productive counterproductive against terrorists because they use it as propaganda in their efforts to recruit. Amy more on the president s plan to close guantanamo and republican plans to block him after headlines. In his third consecutive victory, billionaire Businessman Donald Trump easily won the nevada Republican Caucuses last night capturing 46 of the vote. Florida senator marco rubio placed second with 24 , texas senator ted cruz had third with 21 . Speaking to the nevada voters that of the caucus, donald trump opposed obamas plan to close guantanamo prison. This morng i watched president obama talking about gitmo, guantanambay. Whh, by thay, we a keeping en. Which we are keeping open. And we are going to load it up with some bad dudes, believe me. And because Senate Republicans about to not hold as he did a courtesy meeting with president plastic president obamas pick for the supreme court. Thi is he uque ciumstance and youd have to go back to 1888 when Grover Cleveland was president to find the last time a vacancy created in our president ial elected year was approved by a senate of a different party. Amy italian Authorities Say they have rescued more than 700 people from boats off the coast of libya, and recovered the bodies of four others. More than 400 people have died in the mediterranean this year, attempting to reach europe. Meanwhile along the , greekmacedonian border, Greek Riot Police forcibly removed afghan refugees from train tracks as they protested policies that have stranded them in northern greece. Macedonia closed its border to afghans, reclassifying the refugees as economic migrants, meaning they cannot obtain political asylum. A spokesperson for the u. N. Refugee agency expressed concern over how macedonia and other countries are profiling refugees at the border. In general, we are concerned about the profiling of refugees at the borders. Andeel we think refugees asylumseekers, their claim should be looked at individually through sign in systems of people should not be selected on the basis of their nationality. They should be selected on whether they are in need of International Protection or not. And you cannot do that by selecting a setting up a selecting mechanism by nationality. Amy the International Organization for migration says more than 110,000 people have arrived in greece and italy this year, a sharp uptick over last year. In rhode island, hundreds of protesters flooded an antirefugee News Conference at the state house. Speakers at the event included former michigan representative peter hoekstra, rhode island republican congressional candidate russell taub, and charles jacobs, president of a group called americans for peace and tolerance, who was shouted down by protesters as he described the supposed dangers posed by syrian refugees. The protesters chanted, say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here. [chanting] amy privacy advocates rallied at apple Stores Across the United States tuesday to praise the company for refusing to provide a backdoor allowing the government to break into its iphone. Apple has said it will resist a court order to help the fbi penetrate an iphone recovered from one of the san beardino shooters. The rallies came amid reports the Justice Department is now demanding apple help it unlock at least nine other iphones. In peru, the state oil company has acknowledged at least 3000 barrels of crude oil have spilled in the Amazon Region after ruptures in perus main oil pipeline. The oil spills contaminated two rivers used as a water source by at least eight indigenous achuar communities. There were reports petroperu was using children to clean up the oil. Panama has begun flying more than 1000 u. S. Down cubans u. S. Bound cubans to northern mexico. The cubans were trapped after Central American countries closed their borde to them. They are trying to reach the United States amid fears thawing relations between the u. S. And cuba could end u. S. Asylum rights for cubans. Costa rica has launched similar flights for some 8000 Cuban Migrants trapped there. President obama plans to visit cuba for the first sitting president since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Italy has summoned its u. S. Ambassador after reports the National Security agency tapped the phones of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his aides in 2011. Italy said it wanted specific clarifications after italian news media, citing wikileaks, reported on the spying. An Advocacy Group says a palestinian prisoner has entered unknown territory with his more than 89day Hunger Strike. Physicians for human rightsisrael says journalist mohammed alqeq has been on Hunger Strike longer than any other palestinian prisoner, and longer than any of the irish repuican Army Prisoners held by britain in northern ireland, 10 of whom died after their fast. Israeli authorities have accused him of terrorist activities tied to the group hamas. He is in Critical Condition in a hospital. Alqeq is one of nearly 600 prisoners being held under administrative detention, which lets israel incarcerate people without charge or trial. In mexico, a federal court has ruled criminal charges against zapatista leader subcomandate marcos are no longer valid more than two decades after they were first lodged. The zapatistas launched an uprising on the day the north American Free trade agreement went into effect, january 1, 1994, declaring that nafta meant death to indigenous people. Subcomandante marcos was charged with rebellion, terrorism and other crimes. But under mexican law, such charges expire when half the possible prison term for the most serious charge has lapsed. The court said that makes marcos charges invalid. Pope francis is a socialist. Thats according to democratic president ial candidate vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who made the remarks in an interview with reverend thomas rosica. People say you are a socialist. Do you think the pope is a socialist . Yes. What does it mean to be a socialist . What im talking about this to say we have got to do our way and live our lives in a that it alleviates human suffering. That does not accelerate the disparities of income and wealth. Amy in new york, workers in the basement warehouse of b h photo videos Flagship Retail store in manhattan have voted 46 to 14 to join the united steelworkers union. The move comes after b h warehouse workers in brooklyn voted to join the same union in november. The workers say they have faced rampant discrimination and abusive and dangerous working conditions. The Hospital Center that dispatched paramedics and treated eric werner the , africanamerican man who died after Police Chokehold in Staten Island has agreed to pay , garners family 1 million. The settlement with Richmond University Medical Center was revealed in Court Records obtained by the associated press. Video Footage Shows Police officer Daniel Pantaleo wrestling garner to the ground by his neck. Officers then pile on top of garner, who said, i cant breathe, 11 times. Video also shows emt workers taking garners pulse but doing little else to assist him as he lies unresponsive on the ground. Three of the four emts are back at work. A remains on modified duty. Fourth Court Documents accused the emts of failing to adequately examine garner or provide him with the necessary lifesaving procedures. Meanwhile the man who filmed the , fatal chokehold of eric garner has been arrested again. Ramsey orta says he has faced Constant Police harassment and surveillance by officers who at one point told him, you filmed us, so now were filming you. Ramsey orta was arrested friday after police said he assaulted his wife and her twoyearold son. But ortas wife, jessica, has come to ortas defense, saying police have retaliated against orta for filming the garner video. To see our interview with ramsey orta and eric garners daughter erica, go to democracynow. Org. , protesters gathered at New York City Hall tuesday to call for shutting down the Rikers Island jail complex. The rally came after new york city mayor bill de blasio dismissed the idea of shutting down rikers as impractical. Among those who attended was akeem browder, whose brother, kalief browder, spent three years at rikers without charge after he was accused at the age of 16 of stealing a backpack. He maintained his innocence and requested a trial. After enduring abuses, including a beating by gardens guards and nearly 800 days in solitary confinement, browder was finally released when the charges were dismissed. Last yeahe committed suicide at the age of 22. His brother spoke out tuesday. My name is akeem browder. Im here with a campaign to shut down rikers along with other coalitions to demand justice for khalifa browder, to see that writers island is shut down from the torturous state that it is to nothing. We dont want to reform. We dont want to build new jails. We want our voices heard. If everyone compare attention to the facts of what happened with Kaleif Browder and understanding can happen to their loved ones and to themselves as well, if they can understand what happened, then they should be out here as a people to voice their opinion. Amy an africanamerican transgender woman has killed in philadelphia, less than two days after another africanamerican transgender woman was found dead in a motel room in san antonio, texas. Maya young was pronounced dead early sunday after being repeatedly stabbed. Less than 48 hours earlier, veronica banks cano was found dead in a bathtub, fully clothed. The cause of her death remains unknown. Last year, more than 20 transgender women were murdered, the highest number on record. And while the oscars are being handed out this weekend, a starstudded cast of African American actors, musicians and filmmakers will throw a free event in flint, michigan. Flint has been in the National Spotlight over lead poisoning in its water, which stemmed from an unelected Emergency Managers decision to switch the citys water to the corrosive flint river. The oscars have also been the center of media scrutiny over the whiteness of the nominees. Afr no acrs of cor were minated r a seco year in row. While vies abo African Americanlike stight out comptonnd creed received nominations, they went to the white writers of Straight Outta Compton and white Actor Sylvester Stallone for creed. The africanamerican directors and nonwhite actors were excluded. Creed director and cowriter ryan coogler will attend the justiceforflint event on oscar night, as will selma director ava duvarney who was passed over for a best director nomination last year. Other attendees will include grey anatomy star jesse williams, musician janello monae and comedian hannibal buress. , and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. President obama has submitted a plan to congress to close Guantanamo Bay military prison. Despite obamas pledge to close the facility as one of his first acts after taking office in there are still 91 prisoners 2009, there, 35 of whom have been cleared for release. Republicans in congress have repeatedly obstructed his attempts to close the prison. On tuesday, obama announced to transfer all detainees to their home countries or to u. S. Military or civilian prisons. During his address, the president explained why the prison must be shuttered. For many years it is thing clear the Detention Center at Guantanamo Bay does not advance our National Security. It undermines it. Not just my opinion, this is the opinion of experts, many in our military. It is counterproductive to our fight against terrorist because they use it as propaganda in their efforts to recruit. Keeping this facility open is contrary to our values. It undermines our standing in the world and viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law. Amy Congress Remains strongly opposed to detainees being moved to u. S. Soil and is expected to block obamas plan. President obama said he hoped his plan would receive a fair hearing. In congress, i recognize in part because of some of the fears of the public that have comes byed often misinformation, there continues to be a fair amount of opposition to closing guantanamo. If it were easy, it would have happened years ago, as i wanted, as i have been working to try to get done. But there remains bipartisan support for closing it. Stakes involved for our security, this plane deserves a fair hearing. Amy to find out more about the significance of this move, were joined now by two guests. Baher azmy is legal director of the center for constitutional rights, which has been representing guantanamo detainees since 2002. Ken gude is a senior fellow with the National Security team at the center for american progress. Katie respond to president obamas proposal yesterday . First, i want to thank you very much for being on your program. It is a great honor to be here. I think president obamas plan that he put out represents the best and most secure way to close guantanamo. It is that particularly new from what he is been trying to do over the course of the last seven years, but i am hopeful that with about 11 months to go in his administration, this will be a renewed push to finally get the prison closed. I think we have to be realistic about the prospects of at least one element of his claim that he put forward yesterday, which was to try and bring some detainees into the United States to stand trial in federal court or to be held as law of war detainees. Congress is just not going to change the law to allow that to happen, especially given the amount of opposition that this congress is thrown at the president on every issue. So the notion that they are going to be detainees here in the United States from guantanamo in anything like the nearterm is just not going to happen. I am hopeful the Obama Administration has some alternative plans for what to do with detainees that they were intending to bring to the United States so that they can actually close the prison under his administration. Juan baher azmy, you have been engaged with the administration for years on this issue. What is your reaction to the president latest plan . We appreciate the vigor with which he delivered his condemnation about guantanamo, but ultimately, think the plan is both too late and too little. It is too late because some of the most obvious features of the plan transferring cleared detainees, couldve been accomplished long ago. There are 35 detainees, including the number of our clients, have been cleared for release, some of that since 2009, yet that language. It is too late because in addition to the sort of political reality, the plan embraces a broken military Commission System as a way to try charge and try the 9 11 conspirators, as they are called, and simply transfer guantanamo duets soil. The president condemnation of guantanamo as being illegitimate doesnt have to do with its physical space, it has to do with its legal and political space and its embrace of indefinite detention, which you would simply import into the United States and make it a more normalized feature of our legal landscape to be abused by future president s. Juan what about those detainees who have been cleared . What has been the difficulty in getting them moved out and into either home countries or other countries . So congress has placed some barriers to transfer, which the administration fights repeatedly. But ultimately, it has been a lack of political will because he is always have the authority he currently has the either repatriate individuals to home countries or resettlement in third countries. Between 2010 until about 2014, there was a blanket ban on repatriating anyone to yemen. And the majority of prisoners work yemeni, regardless of individual circumstances or family circumstances. And that was selfimposed. So we are really pleased to hear that he is going to expedite the process of getting cleared detainees out comedy 35 out immediately, but he is to speed up clearing others and consider a fair trial system in article three courts. Amy ken gude, who are these prisoners . On the networks there talking about bringing terrorists to u. S. Soil. More than one network had gone back to fight when they were released. Who are the people who are held at guantanamo . Will now, it is a much Different Group than the original about 700 that were brought to guantanamo by the bush administration. The Obama Administration inherited about 240 detainees and now theyre down to just 91. There is a core group that are facing military commissions charges. Only seven that are facing military commissions charges, the 9 11 coconspirators and two others. There is another group of detainees that the Obama Administration does not want to release, and then theres a larger group that is going to be transferred out of the base to either their home countries or third countries. Now, some of these guys are bad guys. I dont think theres any question about that. But a lot of them have been in guantanamo for 15 years, and it is high pass on their transferred or resettled to third countries. I am hopeful the Obama Administration can get that done at least before they leave office. I think it is important for your viewers to realize that there is legitimate criticism of the pace the pentagon has been working through some of these cases to get them transferred and resettled. But it isnt just a case of the Obama Administration being slow or the Obama Administration not been committed to closing guantanamo. This is a difficult challenge because a lot of these detainees simply cannot be sent back to their native countries for variety of reasons. Some of which is related to International Law prohibitions on sending individuals back to a country in which they face the likelihood of torture. Its a process to try to find countries to accept them and resettled them, and a long bureaucratic process, when the Obama Administration has not managed particularly well, but hopefully, in his last 11 months, the president and secretary of defense carter will be able to light a fire under the people in the pentagon who are responsible for doing this and we can get it done. Amy baher azmy, the prisoners you have represented, i mean, how they end up like guantanamo, for example, those that were given money to bring in people. Overwhelming majority of prisoners brought to Guantanamo Bay were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, fleeing the americanled bombing in afghanistan, picked up in pakistan through pakistani dustnment raids, sold the for bounties. A study in 2006 revealed even under the governments own evidence, taking that as true, only 8 were guantanamo were al qaeda members or fighters of al qaeda. Some of the individuals currently detained there like one of our clients, is in the socalled too dangerous to release category for a long time, even though the worst that could be said about him is that he was an assistant cook to a group that was affiliated with the televangelist, but that no longer taliban, but no longer exists. Amy we are going to take a break and come back to this discussion. We are talking with baher azmy and ken gude. Back in a minute. [music break] amy roger waters performing we shall overcome. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. As we talk about president obamas announcement yesterday about his plans to close guantanamo. Juan i want to ask about some of the comments made about guantanamo during this election season. Speaking tuesday before the nevada caucus, republican president ial contender and florida senator marco rubio criticized obamas plan and repeated what hes said on the campaign trail about guantanamo. Not only are we not going to close guantanamo, when im president , if we capture a terrorist alive, theyre not getting a Court Hearing in manhattan, not going to be sent to nevada, theyre going to guantanamo and were going to find out everything they know. Juan rubio speaking tuesday. At a gop debate earlier this month, rubio said he would put more people in guantanamo. Heres the bigger part problem with this, were not interrogating anybody right now. Guantanamo is being in dubai this president. We should be cooked putting people in, not releasing these killers who are rejoining the battlefield against the United States. Juan meanwhile, speaking tuesday, front runner republican president ial candidate donald trump vowed to load up guantanamo with some bad dudes. This morning i watched president obama talking about gitmo, autonomous a. Which, by the way, we are keeping open. Which we are keeping open. And were going to load it up with some bad dudes, believe me. , what you think of the way the debate has gone among the republican candidates about guantanamo . Well, i think it is sort of a craven grandstanding that we have seen with a lot of issues from the Republican Party, including deportation of 11 Million Immigrants or the exclusion of muslims. It is all of a piece. Donald trump in britain waterboarding, has basically admitted embracing waterboarding, has made an admission of war crimes that he would commit. Amy he said he would bring back waterboarding and a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding. Which is a war crime, so you might need to get Legal Counsel to advise him about that. It is important remember as obama first said, there was a political consensus around when obama was elected, including from president bush and john mccain at the facility should be closed. Obama, of course, is facing and reasonable obstruction unreasonable obstruction in this ugly political environment. Amy ken gude, i want to ask about this letter that was signed by 40 sheriffs in colorful white roe to the white house that any plan to move the detainees from guantanamo to presenting quality two prisons in colorado. That though sheriffs are probably not aware of is theres more than a dozen very high Profile International terrorists already in colorado prisons, some of the most the u. S. Terrorists has ever captured. The man responsible for the First World Trade Center bombing attempt in 1993, one former guantanamo detainee who was convicted in a new york courtroom of his role in the 1998 east Africa Embassy bombings. Four of his conspirators in that attack. The man captured before 9 11 and at the time was five to be the 20 hijack or. Richard reid, tried to blowup and about airliner into the United States with a bomb in his shoes. These guys are are ready in prisons in colorado, or at least in one prison in colorado, the penitentiary of florence. So the notion that bringing into theo detainees United States and locating them in either maximumsecurity u. S. Prisons or inside secure military bases is somehow a threat to the american people, just doesnt hold water. It is not something i have ever understood and nobody who is a critic of this has ever actually explained why it is dangerous to have dangerous people in prison. Because if that is true, we have got a real problem because there a lot of dangerous people in prison. The bottom line, your sense is that no matter what the week, at thed this end of this year, we are still going to have prisoners in guantanamo because of the continued obstruction of congress or refusal of congress to change the law. I dont think that its necessarily true. What i think is definitely true, congress is not going to change the law and the likelihood of anyone coming to the u. S. Is extremely low. But that doesnt mean guantanamo has to stay open. I do think there are other options than his preferred plan, with the president has laid out, for closing guantanamo. And that is using more of the process of trying to find other countries to take some of these detainees either in resettlement or trying for their country prosecutions are looking at some of the detainees that were actually captured in connection with the afghan war, which as was said earlier, was certainly not the majority of the detainees, but there are some detainees that were captured in connection with that conflict. Probably about a dozen that were connected captured trying to flee the were boris situation and probably another 10 or so at guantanamo who were actually enemy fighters in that conflict. It is possible those detainees could be sent back to afghanistan in a similar process to what the u. S. Did when it turned over the bagram detention facility to afghan control. I am saying going into the u. S. , detainees are probably not going there because of the legal and political restrictions right now, but that does not mean we have to give up. There are other options out there. Amy military tribunals and the minute that we have left. You mentioned military tribunals, but what is your problem with them . They are secondclass system beenstice that has largely created in a preordained way to secure convictions. In some proof of that is why they are unjust. There also unworkable in so far as they had been in existence since the bush and administration in multiple forms. And because they are so novel and because they are kind of made up as they go along, are not a valid system of justice. The system is toppling sort of yearbyyear as courts are reviewing kind of a nonInternational Law charges that theyre trying to bring, and as the president said, it has been 15 years and there has not been any trial amy the president criticized when they said they would continue. Thats right. You should more fully embrace fair article three trials. Amy we are going to leave it there and we thank you so much for being with us. Baher azmy, center for constitutional rights, and ken gude, senior fellow at the cter for american progress. We move onto the elections. Juan in third consecutive victory, billionaire Businessman Donald Trump easily won the nevada caucus last night. He captured 46 of the vote. Florida senator marco rubio placed second with 24 . Texas senator ted cruz came in third with 21 . Record turnouts were reported across the state, causing long lines and at times chaotic scenes at caucus sites. After four contests, trump has become the clear front runner, having secured 79 delegates while cruz has 16 and rubio has 15. Now the focus turns to super tuesday on march 1 when 13 states across the country will vote in nine primaries and four caucuses. In a victory speech, trump thanked his supporters in nevada. Urts we won t evangelals. We won with the young, we won with the old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated. We are the most loyal people. He you know what im really happy about . With the hispanics. 46 . Number one with hispanics. [applause] i am really happy about that. So trump amy we go to reno, nevada where , we are joined by a nicky woolf, a reporter for the guardian who covered the republican and democratic caucus. Welcome to democracy now talk about what happened last night. Trump are typically called out his latino support. You do the math, tremendous ever of people came out for the republicans in terms of the Record Number of people who came out. The numbers of hispanics, he said he got Something Like 46 of the vote. They came to under 3000, is that right, voters, because hispanics make up Something Like 8 of the republicans in nevada who vote . Yeah, good morning, and thank you for having me. So my understanding is that statistic, comes from an nbc exit poll of 139 total hispanics. So it has a margin of error of 10 points on that. He is still, even with a margin of error, won a majority of hispanics in the state. Nevada how you slice it, is pretty incredible. But it is worth taking that step with a penchant salt, i think. Juan nic wolff, what about the situation in the caucuses . These are caucuses, not actual primaries was of people have to have a higher level of dissipation the normally would in a selection process. Exactly. The difference between this one and the democratic caucuses on saturday, previous saturday, is the democratic caucuses, they both have the meetings in the local precincts and the democratic caucuses have been open visible vote, people essentially stand in corners on behalf of the candidate they choose. For the republican one, it is a secret ballot. Which during the democrat won, a lot of people said the open nature of the vote made it slightly less democratic, so that is one interesting difference, but certainly, despite that, the republican ones are very chaotic, huge lines at polling stations, people were not ready for the enormous turnout. There was a lot of slightly shady stuff going on, a lot of precinct volunteers, the people are counting the votes, wearing donald trump are familiar. The state gop amy can you explain that . Can you expand what you mean when you say people counting the vote who are wearing donald trump paraphernalia . At each precinct, there are some volunteers come at the people who give out the ballots, people who take in the ballots and count them are supposed to not supposed to show a preference to one candidate or the other. But there was a lot of people, dozens of precincts, who were tweeting pictures of them wearing the sort of famous make America Great had again, from tshirts, and sort of showing a visible preference. Rubio campaign, were campaigning, this was against the rules. It turned out is not technically against the rules. These caucuses are governed by party by law. Any kind of federal laws. Rtainly,t was noa great lo. Therwas sortfots of pple whwere coued twice lotof timewhen balts were ipping the floor. The y the rests get st in, d i founis complely unlievablethey cou the baot that ch precit, write down the numbe on the ck of eelope, te a picturef the ck of th envele, in an email that picture into the gop. Which seems like an immensely cumbersome way of doing it and risks all kinds of issues, maybe some emails got lost. Again, donald trump won the state with such an enormous margin that im not sure any of that really matters. E for bit of a crazy evening. Growers wantoca them to be out for the political establishment. Donald trump took those voters by 70 , six in 10 also described themselves as angry as a way the federal government is working and trump won half of those angry voters in nevada. Can you talk about the pronunciation of the word . I think a lot of people are surprised. Vahda or nevada . Ive been corrected a lot. I think it is my accent. I say nevahda and it is technically nevada. Juan since nevada made a snowfall in spanish, and that is the name of the city, it should be nevahda. I guess the anglos who settled nevada decided to change the pronunciation. I would like to ask you, as we head into super tuesday, obviously, while trump is a front runner, the states that he has been winning in, with the exception of south carolina, are small states. Now we are going to get into some really big states. Ted cruz obviously is expect them to rack up a whole bunch of delegates in his home state of texas bank, nothing marcorubio is expecting the same in florida. Shifter tuesday could some of this, even though it is clear that trump has won the dust has fired the imagination of many of the disenchanted members of the Republican Party. I think theres a chance of that. I think theres also a lot of wishful settlement in the republican establishment hoping against hope that something, that the trump phenomenon is small state phenomenon. I do not think that is the case, especially ahead in the polls and almost all of the states. If we think about what trump really means, the obsolescence, the kind of big money advertising politics and a lot of ways, the obsolescence of tv advertising by social media because trump has barely had to spend any money in any of these states on any advertising, because he is such an enormous following on twitter, on social media, and because everything he says is so inflammatory that it gets reported by the media pretty much for free. He just does not need to be spending the kind of money that usually stops in certain candidates in the larger states. I think that is what really tripped up the jeb campaign. He found however much money they put in average rising, he wasnt making a dent. And also there is a hunger for Something Different in the Republican Party and in the republican primaries and i dont think that is justices fairly small retail politics state. Amy you also cover the democrats. Bernie sanders and Hillary Clinton. What happened with Hillary Clinton winning. It was extremely close. The thing i found interesting the margin on saturday and the democrat caucuses was almost exactly the same as it was in 2008 between Hillary Clinton and barack obama. Now, after that, obama went into centerline and won a large percentage of the black vote there and the mission is, can Bernie Sanders pull up the same thing . That remains to be seen. In a lot of ways that are the democratic primary is looking a lot more like an ordinary would be expected to particular case. Bernie sanders does not have the tvd of donald trump level coverage which will allow him to carolinaough and south and beyond. Maybe im wrong about that, he remains to be seen, but that was the establishment of the Democratic Party reasserting itself in some ways. Although, by not as much of accountable margin as it clinton would have liked. Cky, i want to go back to this whole issue of what is driving the trump phenomenon. Basicallyned this is the Republican Voters rejecting the big money advertising campaign, but we have had in american history, numerous examples of similar type candidacies. A lot of us remember Jesse Ventura who became who want a governorship as a supposed independent riding the wave of angry voters. A lot of us remember Arnold Schwarzenegger. These folks had become major celebrity figures before they ran for office and then actually rode that wave of there being celebrities, to actually then whiche office, neither of Jesse Ventura were Arnold Schwarzenegger will go down as a memorable political leaders of their states. How much is the trump celebrity affecting his ability to garner support . Trump theres comparisons to be made between those two in terms of the practice you get in creating a media persona for yourself by having been a celebrity first. He did also argue that even Ronald Reagan may have been an example of that. But i think trump is also a uniquely 21st entry social media phenomenon, too. , to paraphrase him on twitter. Yes this enormous following. He can reach more people with a tweet than almost every tv ad market in the country. That is something that schwarzenegger never had an Jesse Ventura never had, that Ronald Reagan never had. I think that changes the arithmetic a bit. This just so able to build brand. It is difficult to not see him as a pretty unique phenomenon now. It is amazing to watch. It is absolutely spectacular how theas is playing with Republican Party look a cat and mouse. Amy nicky woolf, thank you for joining us from reno, nevada. They are guardian has been covering the caucuses for the paper. When we come back, we will remember a young bck activt. Stayith us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan we and today show remembering black lives activistr. On figure eight, he shot himself to death in clubs, ohio. He was just 23 result. Marshawn organized against the Police Shooting of Michael Brown of ferguson and work to aid the homeless and launched a program fee the streets after he himself was homeless for three months. Amy hours before he shot himself, he wrote on his Facebook Page demons won today, im sorry. Just before his death, he was honored as a Hometown Hero the Naacp Image Awards for his Committee Project pursuing our dreams. When i was a knowhow yesterday in columbus, i spoke to a group of High School Students and their teacher who knew marcel marshawn well. High School Humanities program that draw students from across columbus, ohio. It is for creative young people from across franklin county. Marshawn was not only an amazing kid as a student, but he can back many years as a guest eager for us and spoke not only about activism and strategies for making social change, but spoke about White Privilege and about racial questions. He was a brilliant, brilliant guy and someone our kids fell in love with every time they saw him. Amy youre the head of the program . Program director. Amy how did you meet marshawn . Going up in recruiting and sharing information about this program. A reallye saw it as unique opportunity, but also recognizing himself as being not like many of the other kids you came from privileged suburbs. I think he wondered, is this the right place for me . Mi outside my comfort zone . It was an act of courage to come to mosaic because as he said, i am one of the home use, but there are many and he stood out. It was a risk but he found quickly he was in a culture of people really valued and carried about him. Amy he started a program with his brother . He and his brother started see the streets, a program on the west side in the bottoms near where they came up. Basically a program where they were feeding people in their community but it wasnt a community service, not a charity act, basically a Building Community act. He believed yet to build community to move community what he has brother did was organize people, usually as many as 40, 50 people would show up once a month, to pass out lunches. Not so much as charity, but to connect with neighbors. People go doortodoor, say hello to people, just build a positive relationship between strangers in the community to make the notion of people can be safe and be together and that people of all different types of people are welcome in the bottoms. Amy it must have come as a terrible shock to you. How did you hear marshawn had died . Of course on Facebook Like year everything, it is the first time i saw it. I was really in a pretty deep state of denial the night it happened. I thought maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was misreported. Amy what did it say on his Facebook Page . He said demons won today, im sorry. Which was ominous, but, you know , the reality that the reason was so socking is that he was full of life. He had a great smile, a flash in his eyes. She could light up a room. He always seemed to be positive. He was a young man that could see all of the operation and injustice, commit himself to working fort, still bring light and life. He wasnt even if he was angry at the system, he managed tobring a positive energy the work you did. He was remarkable. Amy can you tell me how you knew . Marshawn . I am jacob and i learned about him through the Mosaic Program. Amy argue in it . Yes, i am a senior. D he got senior in high school. Yes. How did you know him . Here, multiple times to talk to the Mosaic Program about the importance of activism and getting out in your community. I kind of learned about him through that and he personally, r me, inired me be an activist. Ive held rallies a local planned parenthoods against antichoice groups, and you just inspired me to really go out and kind of help my community. When a my favorite quotes he said, he always wished he had a gun that shot hope because he would light up the hood, which i think epitomizes him for me. Amy there was an unfortunate incident after he died with the Police Officer. Can you explain what happened . A Police Officer, i believe it was near dayton, reposted an article he found about marshawn with a comment, you have to love a happy ending [captioning made possible by democracy now ] which just said a lot of people off. It was really upsetting to see Law Enforcement treat someone who is so he was so afraid of Juan Forstmann because of where he grew up. He grew up on the west side of columbus which has been notorious for not good treatment of people by the police. It was really sad for a lot of people to see mistreatment like that. Amy t he wrote it after marshawn had committed suicide. Yes, he reposted one of the articles on facebook talking about marshawn who had committed suicide on the state steps. Amy what happened to him . He was put on paid leave. I would like to think if he wasnt unionized, there wouldve been stricter actions. He was put on paid leave by the Police Department of that city. Amy have there been protests . There have not. I think marshawns family is asking people to focus on how he lived his life, rather than how he died. Amy can you tell me how you knew marshawn . Mosaic and iior in knew him from coming in and speaking to us multiple times, going after class and speaking to him oneonone and actually going to one of his feet the streets events and going and going of passing out food to people. Amy what is feed the streets . Basically, what some of people come together and they have brown paper bags filled with sandwiches, water, snacks. They go around and in the west side and just offer people a meal. If people decline it, we let them be. If they accepted, we give it to them. One of the things about marshawn would say before we went out there that really spoke to me was, the wood doesnt need heroes, they need heroes. Neighbors. Were not their saviors, were not better than them, were just trying to build a community, come together as one. I try to do many Charity Events and nothing that ive been through or gone to has been anything like that and what marshawn headset. Amy marshawn was being honored by the naacp as a Hometown Hero . Yes, just days before his passing, marshawn was in los angeles to be recognized as a Hometown Hero. Again, that was part of the surprise of the whole thing as is work was so impactful, he was being recognized and making a difference. Marshawn just cared so much, i dont know if it was anything he could do was ever enough to solve the things that were so important to him. Amy are you part of the High School Program . I am kathy, firstyear student in mosaic. Amy how did you know marshawn . Marshawn came in and would talk to us about privileges, male privilege, White Privilege. I think he taught me more about privilege than anyone ive ever met. I met him originally at eight black lives matter protest. He spoke there, but only after he had been asked. When i met him in mosaic, he was speaking on privilege. You would say, show up and shut up. Everyone talks about it now, you show up to these things and you are a number and you are there and that of the movement, but if it is not your place if it is not your place, you dont speak on it. You dont speak to people who are running the movement because they are the leaders. You know what i mean . I think that was the main thing i really have held onto. Id. Protesting more lately and i think things like feed the streets, we went to that and it was just amazing to see what he did for our community, the people he helped everyone, remembered him, had such an impact on everyone who met him. My name is chloe. I first met marshawn when he came into a White Privilege panel to speak at a mosaic event for class. Amy what did he teach you . He told this story about that really, really opened my eyes for White Privilege. He talked about how he was at a Football Game one night and it was really relatable. I remember running around Football Games myself. He talked about how he was causing some trouble and a Police Officer pulled him aside and kind of called him out on it. He drove him home. He had to tell his mom. His mom started crying. She was not mad at him or anything, she was just crying and sobbing. She said to him, son, these white people will kill you. That was something that just really resonated with the group and people are still repeating it to this day. I can just hear it. I can hear it in his voice. It silenced the room. Amy tell me your name. Jess, im a junior in high school with the program. I am 17. I met marshawn at our first Privilege Panel in our very first project, which was White Privilege. He spoke about everything he is been through just as chloe had mentioned. What really struck and was at the very end, i had gone up to talk to him about being white passing, because i am biracial, and how i never really went to black lives matter evens because i felt as if i did not belong there. I was not valid in my identity, the people would look at me weird and just think, oh, why is this white girl here . My favorite memory is just how he looked me in the eye and he was grinning ear to year and he said, youre just as valid as me. It doesnt matter about the color of your skin. To have someone say that to me for the first time in my life, it meant a lot to me. Amy and what about this issue of marshawn plus suicide . How are you dealing with this . You all knew him. He was your age. Can you talk about his death, e steps the state house in columbus, ohio . I will turn to the teacher steve shapiro. Honestly, trade does honestly, it was a political statement. I think most people are remembering marshawn for what he did and what his work was. In all of the memorials afterwards, everyones committal was to carry on his work, to take what he was passionate about and what he was committed to and each of us rededicate ourselves to creating a more just, more fair, more equitable world and i think that is what we have all taken. How do we live marshawns passions in his absence. I think our teacher can are other teacher said that everyone was saying rest in power, the people typically say when activists that, but she said, dont let his power die and let it live in you and continue the movement. He met so much to everyone. Amy High School Students in columbus, ohio, remembering their mentor and friend black lives matter activist Marshawn Mccarrel who committed suicide on the steps of the state house february 8. That does it for our broadcast. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ]