Appreciate your time. Of course were waiting to hear from president obama. He should speak momentarily. Scheduled to speak momentarily here in chicago. Thats the ed show. Politicsnation with reverend al sharpton starts right now. Good evening, rev. Good evening, ed. And thanks to you for tuning in. Im live tonight in st. Louis, and we begin with breaking news in ferguson, and a city bracing for nightfall. After the chaos and destruction in the streets last night, governor jay nixon today announcing hundreds of Additional National guardsmen will be deployed tonight. Altogether, there will be more than 2,200 National Guardsmen in the region. Lives and property must be protected. This community deserves to have peace. And it comes after a night of violent rioting. Buildings and cars set on fire. Businesses looted. Over 100 gun shots fired. 82 people were arrested in the area. And as i said at a press conference with the family today, those wro were violent are not on Michael Browns side. But many in ferguson, and around the country are feeling profoundly disappointed in the process that got us here. We are awaiting remarks that we will hear from the president. Joining me now, lisa bloom, attorney and legal analyst of avvo. Com. And msnbcs tremayne lee. Thank you for joining me. Thank you. Lisa, one day after the announcement from mcculloch, theres still so much unhappiness about the grand jurys decision. How far did the prosecutor
depart from grand jury standards . Well, reverend al, i spent most of the night reading the transcripts and i was so disappointed. I started with Darren Wilsons testimony, to see whether any tough questions were asked of him. And in fact, they werent. He was allowed to just tell his story, the story he was allowed to come up with, with his attorneys, after he was able to review all of the other evidence, without any tough questions being asked of him. For example, he says that mike brown punched him squarely in the face, full force, he said, twice. And yet his physical the photos of his face at the hospital that day dont reflect any such thing. They reflect a tiny bit of pinkness or redness if you squint your eyes and hold the photo the right way. He wasnt asked any difficult questions about that. He was allowed to say that that community where mike brown lives is not well liked. Boy, does that cry out for a followup question. Are you saying, you dislike the very people you are sworn to protect and serve . What the heck does that mean . Thats fertile grounds for crossexamination right at that point where he said the community where Michael Brown lives and was is not well liked. He also said it was an area of a lot of Gang Activity and other things. Does that not set does it not in many ways reflect that he has a reconceived notion about that area absolutely. Which could lead to his state of mind . Absolutely. And when youre supposed to be talking about mike brown and what happened with mike brown. What difference does it make if other people in the community are in gangs . Mike brown was not in a gang. Thats who he was supposed to be talking about, and its very clear from that comment that he was painting mike brown with the sort of broad brush as to how he saw the community at large. And this, all in response to softball questions from the
prosecutors who wanted the grand jury, for some reason, to dislike the community. Theres a lot of questions they asked of a number of witnesses about the community being anxious and agitated, as mike brown lay in the street for four hours. Of course they were. Isnt that appropriate . How should they feel when a young man is literally bleeding in the street for four hours before hes taken away. But theres this real slam on the community that comes through the transcripts thats very disturbing. Now, tremayne, youre there in ferguson. Youve been there all day. You were at the press conference of the father of Michael Brown, as well as the attorneys and National Civil rights leader, it seems that what i hear all of the time, everywhere in ferguson, is let me come back, tremayne and ask that question. The president is about to speak. Lets go live to illinois and hear president barack obama. Thank you. Hello, chicago. [ cheers and applause ] thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Everybody have a seat. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Happy early thanksgiving, everybody. It is good to be home. Although it [ cheers and applause ] although its cold in chicago. It was 60 degrees in washington. Its not 60 degrees here. Let me begin by thanking the coppern cuss center, gin dob ray, to everybody. [ applause ] we appreciate you. Thank you so much. I hope you dont mind, because obviously theres a lot of stuff in the news, i actually need to begin by saying a few words about what happened over the past day. Not just in ferguson, missouri, our neighbor to the south, but all across america. As many of you know, a verdict came down or a grand jury made a decision yesterday that upset a lot of people. And as i said last night, the frustrations that weve seen are not just about a particular incident. They have deep roots in many communities of color, who have a sense that our laws are not always being enforced uniformaluniform lly or fairly. That may not be true everywhere, and its certainly not true for the vast majority of Law Enforcement everywhere, but its an impression folks have, and its not made up. Its rooted in realities that have existed in this country for a long time. Now, as i said last night, there are productive ways of responding, and expressing those frustrations and there are destructive ways of responding. Burning buildings, torching cars, destroying property, putting people at risk, thats destructive, and theres no excuse for it. Those are criminal acts. And people should be prosecuted if they engage in criminal acts. But what we also saw, although it didnt get as much attention in the media, was people gathering in overwhelmingly peaceful protests, here in chicago, in new york, in los
angeles, other cities. Weve seen young people who are organizing and people beginning to have real conversations about, how do we change the situation so that theres more trust between Law Enforcement and some of these communities. And those are necessary conversations to have. Were here to talk about immigration, but part of what makes america this remarkable place is being american doesnt mean you have to look a certain way or have a certain last name, or come from a certain place. It has to do with a commitment to ideals, a belief in certain values, and if any part of the American Community doesnt feel welcomed or treated fairly, thats something that puts all of us at risk. And we all have to be concerned
about it. So my message to those people who are constructively moving forward, trying to organize, mobilize, and ask hard, important questions about how we improve the situation, i want all those folks to know that their president is going to work with them. I think youll find a lot of [ applause ] separate and apart from the particular circumstances in ferguson, which i am careful not to speak to, because its not my job as president to comment on ongoing investigations in specific cases, but the frustrations people have generally, those are rooted in some hard truths that have to be addressed. So, those who are prepared to
work constructively, your president will work with you. And a lot of folks, i believe, in Law Enforcement, and a lot of folks in city halls and governors offices across the country, want to work with you as well. So as part of that, ive instructed attorney general eric holder not just to investigate what happened in ferguson, but also identify specific steps we can take together to set up a series of regional meetings focused on Building Trust in our communities. Next week, well bring together state and local officials and Law Enforcement and Community Leaders and faith leaders to start identifying very specific steps that we can take to make sure that Law Enforcement is fair and is being applied equally every person in this country. And we know certain things work. We know that if we train police
properly, that that improves policing and makes people feel that the systems fair. We know that when we have a police force that is representative of the communities its serving, that makes a difference. [ applause ] we know that we know that when theres clear accountability and transparency when something happens, that makes a difference. So theres specific things we can do, and the key now is for us to lift up the best practices and work, city by city, state by city, county by county, all across this country, because the problem is not just a ferguson problem, it is an american problem [ applause ] and weve got to make sure that we are actually bringing about change. The bottom line is, nothing of significance, nothing of benefit results from destructive acts. Ive never seen a civil rights law or a Health Care Bill or an immigration bill result because of car got burned. It happened because people vote, it happened because people mobilize, it happens because people organize. It happens because people look at what are the best policies to solve the problem. Thats how you actually move something forward. [ applause ] so dont dont take the shortterm, easy route and just engage in destructive behavior. Take the longterm, hard but lasting route of working with me and governors, officials, to
bring about some real change. And to those who think that what happened in ferguson is an excuse for violence, i do not have any sympathy for that. [ applause ] i have no sympathy at all for destroying your own communities. But for the overwhelming majority of people who just feel frustrated and pained because they get a sense that maybe some communities arent treated fairly or some individuals arent seen as worthy as others. I understand that. And i want to work with you. And i want to move forward with you. Your president will be right there with you. So thats what we need to focus on. [ applause ] lets be constructive. Now, i appreciate your patience because i know you came here to talk about immigration. But this is relevant. Because part of what america is about the president directly addressing ferguson and making a very pointed statement, saying that we must deal in a constructive way with some hard truths. He also challenged people to deal with constructive ways to deal with three elements in Law Enforcement. Whether they are representative, first of all. Whether theres transparency and accountability. As well as whether or not they are operating in a way that is fair. Those are the three things that seemed to resonate with a lot of citizens about the Ferguson Police department. And he challenged people. He says i have no sympathy with people who burn cars and burn property. But if you want to work constructively, and he says he will convene people, their
president will work with them. I think thats the right thing. I think that many of us that have been involved in these questions want to do it in a constructive way. Theyre going to be those that will criticize you no matter what. But let us be constructive. Its hard work. It means youre going to be called names. But it also means we move the nation forward to live up to what the creed of the nation states. I want to go quickly to tremayne lee whos been listening to the president from ferguson. Tremayne, those who are prepared to work constructively, i will work with you. Will that be hard for some to hear tonight, tremayne . I dont think so at all. Every single day i speak with protesters on the ground who have been working intensely to make this more than about ferguson. Its about american cities, about black and browne
communities that are so disaffected. So when they hear the president talk about the concerns about Law Enforcement, its not just a ferguson issue, its an american issue. He wants to work city by city. Hes directed the department of justice not just to look at ferguson, but to look at every city. Those who have been preparing for these planned actions around that announcement, those folks on the ground, not those we saw last night who were disaffected youth that were talking about here, those who took to the streets in an angry way. But those who are planning in a meticulous manner, it will definitely be heralded and definitely be applauded. Tremayne lee, thank you for your time tonight. And lisa bloom, please stay with us. I will. Coming up, Michael Browns father breaks his silence tonight. My exclusive interview with him
about his son, the decision, and fighting for justice. Thats next. vo nourished. Rescued. Protected. Given new hope. During the subaru share the love event, subaru owners feel it, too. Because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. Well have given 50 Million Dollars over seven years. Love. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. Because i make the best chicken noodle soup. Because i make the best chicken noodle soup. Because i make the best chicken noodle soup. For every way you make chicken noodle soup, make it delicious with swanson®. Alright, so this tylenol arthritis lasts 8 hours, but aleve can last 12 hours. And aleve is proven to work better on pain than tylenol arthritis. So why am i still thinking about this . How are you . Aleve, proven better on pain. From San Francisco to silicon valley, Boston Private Bank works with all kinds of people who are innovating, building, contributing individuals, business owners, private partnerships, nonprofits, families planning their financial futures. People like you. If you want the individual attention and expertise your financial needs deserve, this is your time. This is your private bank. Up next, my exclusive interview with Michael Brown sr, his first Public Comments since the grand jury decision. Stay with us. Um to power their game day communication. Abort abort hes keeping it duracell quantum. Lasts up to 35 longer than the competition. Hey so im looking at my bill, and my fico® Credit Scores on here. We give you your fico® score each month for free awesomesauce wow the only person i know that says that is. Lisa . Julie . at discover, we treat you like youd treat you. Get the it card and see your fico® credit score. Earlier today, i sat down with the brown family attorneys and Michael Browns father, Michael Brown sr. A started by asking him how he felt last night when he heard the decision. When you heard it, how did
you feel . I know we expected it, but how did you what was your reaction when you heard the decision . I was upset. I didnt understand. It just let me know that where we live is not where we thought or what i thought. What people been saying all the time, for a nice little minute, that this was a waste of space. As you listen to the prosecutor, in many ways try to disparage and put in a negative light your son, what were you thinking then . I mean, as i said in the press conference, ive been around a long time. Ive never heard a prosecutor attack the character of the victim. As a father, this is your blood. All of us just want to see a trial. This is your blood. How did you feel while you sitting there watching this man
do this to your son who cant defend himself . Thats why i was there. I was just going to say that the only person that can really talk for him and me and his mom. And at this point, youre right, he cant defend himself. Hes buried. They crucified his character. For people that dont even know my son, they probably wish they did, because the things that theyre saying is just terrible. Its terrible. How are you feeling now . Everyone wants to know how you feel. Like i say, my emotions are all over the place. I dont know what to feel. You know, im just im just hurt. Im empty. Off what happened with the whole the whole thing, you
know, with the death of my son and the verdict. So im just crushed. Attorney crump, the process of a grand jury seems to have been totally missed in this situation. You were explaining that earlier. Would you recount that . You know from dealing with many situations, the grand jury is supposed to be a process where the prosecutor actually recommends charges. He doesnt have a dump of everything. These are the relevant facts and this is why were recommending these charges. But this prosecutor, i have said over and over again, changed all the rules. He said were going to give all the information out there. Were not going to recommend any charges and were just going to let the jurors figure it out on their own, which i suggest, if you do that to lay people and dont give them any direction,
you can predict the result. Theyre not going to be able to agree on anything. So he said this was fair. So is that to mean, 28 years of him presenting stuff to grand juries was unfair. Which is it . But dont change the rules on Michael Brown jr when hes laying dead on the ground. Dont change the rules on our children. We want equal justice. We want due process for Michael Brown jr. Whatever you would have did for the Police Officer, we want you to do that for Michael Brown jr, and i just dont believe, reverend al, that he would have attacked the Police Officer if the shoe was on the other foot and Michael Brown would have been the shooter. We got to, as americans, ask ourselves, what arguments would he have made if the facts were reversed . Attorney gray was also
striking. As he seemed to go out of his way in the Statement Last night, the d. A. , to discredit the witnesses. Doesnt that have a bearing on the fact that the federal government still has cases going that may call some of these witnesses . And if theres a civil proceeding, now they have the burden of a jury feeling that the witnesses, unnamed, have been discredited by the d. A. , and he wasnt even obligated to comment on the witnesses . Absolutely. I think it compromises the federal investigation to some extent. I also think its a misnomer and a mischaracterization to call some of the individuals witnesses, when clearly through their testimony they said they didnt see anything. I question the decision to have those individuals to appear before the grand jury. I guess there was supposed to be some transfer of discredit from this person to all of the witnesses by saying this guy didnt see or whatever the person was, didnt see anything, yet theyre testifying. So does that mean that all of those who came before who said they saw stuff really didnt . I mean, thats kind of the implication of it. But i do think that these are his statement about these witnesses clearly can have some detrimental impact on the federal investigation. The fact that he called witnesses in front of grand jth jury that said they didnt see anything. Why would he call them . Is there a legal reason for it . I cant think of any logical reason why you would do that. As attorney crump said earlier and pamela means, the president of our national bar association, have put out there, made it very clear, you put on your best case. You put on the evidence that you would put on in a trial. Im sure this prosecutor wasnt going to call a socalled witness who didnt witness anything had this case gone to trial. So why would you do it in a grand jury process to determine if youre going to have a trial . So, no, it doesnt make good nonsense. So i question that, and it just paints the whole situation, in my opinion. Attorney crump, when he says he felt like hulk, this is officer Darren Wilson saying he felt like hulk against a 5yearold boy. You address that. A firstyear law student, reverend al, would have done a better job of crossexamining the killer of an unarmed person than the Prosecutors Office did. He was, the Police Officer, 64, 210 pounds, and michael was 66, 292 pounds. They both were big guys, but he said he felt like a 5yearold child having to fight hulk hogan, and nobody challenged him on that. When you think about hes saying his injuries, these terrible injuries, and you remember initially it was leaked he had a blowout orbital fracture to his eye socket. And then we see these pictures and attorney gray and i, we couldnt believe the pictures, because we said theres nothing wrong with him. It looks like its just blush on him. And the prosecutor never addressed that, reverend al. Never said one word about this isnt consistent, the physical evidence isnt consistent with the beatdown you say you got. You have to question, what was the prosecutors prerogative here. The standard in the federal courts is different than state courts, the bar that you have to reach for indictment. So when he says that he and attorney general holder and the fbi were investigating together, the implications are not true, because they would be looking at
a different bar, would have a different grand jury, is that right . Absolutely. And as attorney gray said, you know, these witnesses now that hes attacked their credibility, theyre part of an ongoing investigation. Why would you do that . It just seems completely unfair to Michael Brown jrs family and their due process. Michael, there was a lot of coverage about a lot of the violence, even though for 103 days there have been peaceful protests and even went and cut a Public Service announcement calling for peace. And even when others were youve always stood for peace. The president of the United States quoted you last night in his statement to the world about michaels father. How important is it for you that your son be remembered for peace and for change . Its very important. The things thats going on, thats not my son. You know, my son was a good guy. A quiet guy. So, in his name, i want to keep it on a positive note. And those are the issues that im just trying to keep pushing forward. So the world will know that were going to stay positive through all of this, you know. As you have now seen the report, in going forward, youre determined youre going to follow this through no matter what . Im not stopping, reverend al. Cant stop. Cant stop. At the end of the day, this is an International Issue to many of us, but its this mans son,
its the mothers son. They were the ones that reached out. And when they reached out, they had no idea it would be an international story. They only wanted due process for their son. More from ferguson and the issues of ferguson when we come back. Look, i love the way he controls abthe lightsbutler. And unlocks the door when i forget my keys. Its just that. I feel like hes always watching us. Yes, that is why we should use wink. Look, it can monitor and manage our house but it wont start to develop human emotions. Hey buddy. Control your entire home with one simple app introducing wink its like a robot butler, but not as awkward. Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. Yyou think it smellspet fine, but your guests smell this. Eliminate odors youve gone noseblind to with febreze fabric refresher. Smells good. So you and your guests can breathe happy. Having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pickup truck slams into your brand new car. One second it wasnt there and the next second. Boom youve had your first accident. Now you have to make your first claim. So you talk to your Insurance Company and. Boom youre blindsided for a second time. They wont give you enough money to replace your brand new car. Dont those people know youre already shaken up . Liberty mutuals new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. Call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Switch to Liberty Mutual insurance and you could save up to 423 dollars. Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Tonight, so many questions about the prosecutor and the grand jury. Its purpose is to find out if there is probable cause for a trial. Not to determine guilt or innocence. But that was exactly what happened in this case. Joining me now are lisa bloom, attorney and legal analyst for avvo. Com, and prosecutor paul henderson. Thank you both for joining me. Thanks, rev. Thanks for having us. Paul, how far did the
prosecutor depart from grand jury standards . Well, this is something that i think everybody is really upset about, even from the beginning when the prosecution took such an intransgent position about how he was going to proceed in this case. He really abdicated his position, his responsibility, by turning this over to the grand jury. Now, it does happen in some states that when theres an officerinvolved shooting, they convene a grand jury to do an investigation. But most of the time, when you have a grand jury, they have a purpose. They have a direction. But you only get to that decision after independently deciding not to file charge and proceed by way of preliminary hearing, which in a case like this, with the facts and circumstances like this, with suchoriety and controversy,
would have done a lot to eampt alleviate the distrust the community had, in turning over whether or not a case like this was charged at all to a grand jury. It just does not address the concern that many people in the community have about what evidence was going to be presented and what the motivation would be with the singular singular prosecutor that was in the room with that audience of the grand jury. Because you dont have a defense attorney. You dont have a judiciary advocate in there determining what evidence is going to come in or out. It really is singularly determined by that one prosecutor who is handling the case, and how they present evidence to the grand jury to make a determination. Thats where a lot of this frustration, i think, is coming from. And i know its somewhat complicated understanding the legal process. But in my opinion, thats the decision that could have been made to address this. Lisa, the New York Times wrote that the way this prosecutor questioned witnesses,
quote, prosecutors do not seem to shy from pointing out discrepancies or pointing out the past criminal history of some witnesses. Does that seem like a strange way for prosecutors to handle witnesses for the states case in a grand jury . Right. They did it for the witnesses who essentially said that Darren Wilson had done something wrong, but they didnt do it for Darren Wilson himself. They didnt point out discrepancies in his own story, that his story doesnt match up with the physical evidence. When i got to the end of Darren Wilsons testimony, theres this moment that just really struck me, which was the prosecutor saying to him, is there anything else you want to say to the grand jury . And Darren Wilson himself said, well, nobodys asked me how i was in fear when mike brown was running away. Darren wilson himself raised that, because the prosecutors did not do that in the grand
jury room. And then he essentially says, he assaulted me in the car so Darren Wilson himself raised what was not questioned about how he felt, when in fact, the victim Michael Brown was running away . He raised this . Yes, he raised it. Presumably he thought maybe somebody in the grand jury is thinking this and not asking, and this is my own and only chance, so im going to raise it myself and answer it myself. He said, well, because i was assaulted at the car and if he would do that to me, maybe he would do that with someone else. So hes essentially raising a defense of others defense, which is different than what he said previously that he killed mike brown in defense of his own life. That conflict also was not pointed out by the prosecutors. So, paul, couldnt the prosecutor have pointed out the discrepancy in that statement as opposed to what he had said before, that lisa points out . Absolutely. And the issue that lisa raised
is, in my opinion, the linchpin on this entire case. Its not so much what happened at the car and the fight that occurred at the car. Whatever that transgression was, but once mr. Brown had removed himself from that situation, and or was running, what really turns this whole case is the determination of when and how those kill shots occurred, how far away Michael Brown was, when and if he had turned around, had raised his hands. All of these issues matter specifically if he had turned around and was charging. The officer would only have a justified right to use deadly force if he were in fear from himself, or for someone else in the 20 feet of distance and those are the issues that lisa just raised that actually make a determination as to what this jury should have been focusing on to make a determination about charging. Lisa bloom and paul henderson, thank you both for your time tonight. Thank you so much for having
us, rev. Thank you, rev. Ahead, growing calls for the federal government to step in. Will officer wilson face civil rights charges . We are live from ferguson next. Soft holiday music ]
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all the way until. The am. New aleve pm the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. vo rescued. Ed. Protected. Given new hope. During the subaru share the love event, subaru owners feel it, too. Because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. Well have given 50 Million Dollars over seven years. Love. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. Because i make the best chicken noodle soup. Because i make the best chicken noodle soup. Because i make the best chicken noodle soup. For every way you make chicken noodle soup, make it delicious with swanson®. The grand jurys refusal to indict officer Darren Wilson is not the end of the push for justice in the Michael Brown case. Today attorney general eric holder made it clear hell continue his investigation into whether officer wilson violated Michael Browns civil rights and into whether the Ferguson Police department has used Excessive Force. The departments investigations will continue to be thorough. They will continue to be independent. And they remain ongoing. They will be conducted rigorously and in a timely manner so that we can move forward as expeditiously as we can to restore trust, to rebuild understanding and to foster cooperation between Law Enforcement and community members. Joining me now is trial
attorney seema iyer and eric guster. Thank you both for being here this evening. Thanks, rev. Seema, how important is it that these Justice Department investigations remain totally separate from local prosecutors case . It is crucial, rev. And it is hope. It is not over. The feds are going to continue to investigate both criminally and civilly. Department of justice, they investigate the entire Ferguson Department and see how they have instilled their practices and their patterns and have they done so appropriately. So if they have not, they can now remedy the situation civilly, perhaps take some officers down, demote them, maybe some new training is involved. And maybe theyll discover Excessive Force. Now at the same time, the department of justice is investigating federal, criminal
civil rights charges against specifically officer wilson. Eric, the question of the federal government, the Justice Department has two investigations going on in ferguson right now. Investigators are looking into weather Ferguson Police have a history of using Excessive Force against suspects and the Justice Department is also looking at the treatment of detainees in the Ferguson City jail. If they find a history of Excessive Force with the Police Department, what can happen . A lot can happen, reverend al. The Justice Department can come in and literally shut down their Police Department and put another Police Department over that region. Thats true. Because the department of justice has a lot of leeway. Especially when peoples civil rights have been violated. Right. Because of a certain segment of people have been violated, such as police brutality, overpolicing, stops
that are disproportionate to racial lines, Police Barricades set up in different places based upon a neighborhood, or the race of people in neighborhoods, that can cause the department of justice to come in, make changes and wipe out everyone on that Police Department and start over from scratch. And rev, could i just jump in and point out that this investigation could also show thfficer wilson used Excessive Force against somebody else somebody else besides Michael Brown, and then new charges could be brought against officer wilson, against an entirely different victim. Because thats what they start doing. They can look at a case, start interviewing witnesses and find patterns of abuse. Thats how civil Rights Violations can be charged a lot easier, especially when they see a pattern of abuse along racial lines or based on sex, or some other reason. Now, seema, there has been prominent cases where the Justice Department has come in and theyve been able to bring civil rights violation charges against Police Officers. In the beating of rodney king, four officers were charged and convicted. Right. In the death of anthony baez, one officer was charged and convicted. In the post katrina shootings, five officers were charge. And in the death of chaney, sch westerner, and goodman, two officers were convicted. The doj investigate is continuing. Couldnt they turn up evidence that wilson did violate Michael Browns civil rights . Of course that is the hope, rev. But still the bar is so high, because they have to show that officer wilson at the moment in time that he was under combat or engaged in combat with michael
brown, that he had this willful intention to deprive Michael Brown of his constitutional rights, that protected class being that Michael Brown is a black man. So it would be very difficult for any of us to show that at that moment in time, he was thinking, i want to kill this guy because hes black, as opposed to just i want to shoot him because hes a nuisance. All right, well, let me go to that, eric, because in an interview with abc news that aired just moments ago, officer wilson defended shooting Michael Brown, saying his conscience is clear. Listen to this. Is there anything you could have done differently that would have prevented that killing from taking place . No. Nothing . No. And youre absolutely convinced, when you look through your heart and your mind that if
Michael Brown were white, this would have gone down in exactly the same way . No. No question . No question. Hes lying. Hes lying. Go, eric, hes lying. I have a problem with that. I have defended people in murder cases. Most of them will say, i wish i did things differently. I wish i didnt drive down that street. I wish i didnt encounter that person. He had zero remorse for what happened, and that shows where his heart is, that he wanted to kill Michael Brown and did not care about it. And i have a problem with that. Seema . Hes lying, rev. Ive been saying this over and over again, that we coach our clients to say what fits the narrative that we want to sell, and thats exactly what hes saying. Of course he could have done something different. He took a life. Why didnt see try to do anything else but kill this kid . Why does he want to even be going through this himself . Exactly. Its a horrible situation. Seema and eric, thank you both for your time this evening. Thanks, rev. Coming up, president obama speaks about the situation in ferguson, and the, quote, hard truths our country must face. Next. Turning a private tragedy
into a spark for public change, thats what we all need to focus on now in ferguson. And across the country. Ill talk about that next. You got the bargain kind . You would need like a bunch of those to clean this mess. Then ill use a bunch of them. What are you doing . Dish issues . Get cascade complete. One pac cleans better than six pacs of the bargain brand combined. Cascade. Now thats clean. Soft holiday music ] can you help me up . [ snow intensifies ] [ sleighbells ring in the distance ] aleve. All day pain relief with just 2 pills. Get back to being you. Tonight, we need peace on the streets of ferguson. And we also need to focus on the deeper issues of this crisis. Because the policing issues exposed in ferguson are not isolated concerns. Its part of a National Problem we all need to address. The frustrations people have generally, those are rooted in some hard truths that have to be addressed. And so those who are prepared to work constructively, your president will work with you. The problem is not just a ferguson problem, it is an american problem. Its an american problem. And now we must talk about how we as a country move forward in the right way. We need to honor Michael Browns memory through positive change, not through violence. I talked to Michael Brown sr about that earlier. How important is it to you that your son be remembered for peace and for change . Its the things thats its the things thats going on, thats not my son. You know, my son was a good guy. A quiet guy. So, in his name, i want to keep it on a positive note, you know. And those are the issues that im just trying to keep pushing forward, so the world will know, you know, that were going to stay positive through all of this. Michael brown sr and Michael Browns mom want their son to be
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