1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Every day a week ago picks up the Breakfast Club. 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 2: You don't finish for y'all done morning. 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 3: Everybody is DJ en Vy just hilarious. Charlamagne the guy. 4 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 3: We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest 5 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 3: in the building, indeed, Attorney Benjamin Crumb. 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: Welcome, brother, How you feeling the morning and birthday King Queen? 7 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 4: How are you kiddy Man? Happy to catch you out 8 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 4: doing black history much? 9 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:26,639 Speaker 5: Yes, sir, Yes, sir, I feel like you've been keeping 10 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 5: more with a low profile lately, Brother Crump. 11 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 4: You know, I've worked on this novel and I was 12 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 4: really trying to inspire the next generation of civil rights 13 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 4: lawyers social justice warriors, because it has always be building 14 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 4: for the future. We're gonna pass this torch, and we 15 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 4: got to make sure the next generation go even further 16 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 4: than us. And so Bett Man, I've been working by 17 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 4: But if I just ain't been in the public so. 18 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 2: Much, is there a reason for that? 19 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: No, it's just that. 20 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 4: We put we got the me for how to suit 21 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 4: the clan that was in the media. We've been fighting 22 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 4: on these environmental racism cases. I'm battling in Altera Dina 23 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 4: the wildfires while everybody moved on. Those black people are 24 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 4: still this place, still homeless, and we're still fighting the 25 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 4: whole the company accountable and the county because they gave 26 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 4: it the evacuation notices to the people on the east side, 27 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 4: the more affluent white people, and then the black people 28 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:34,839 Speaker 4: got their evacuation notices late, and nineteen black people died 29 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 4: and nobody's talking about it. And if we're not careful, 30 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 4: Charlemagne man alter Dina, which was the predominantly black historic 31 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 4: distraction of Los Angeles, will become California's Katrina. And that's 32 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 4: what we cannot afford, for black people to lose their land, 33 00:01:54,000 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 4: their generational wealth. And we sometimes with this administration, we 34 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 4: forget the trouble, I mean just the craziness they're doing. 35 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 4: They didn't even allow FEMA to come in and build 36 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 4: the infrastructure because this president was opposed to California and 37 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 4: it's democratic leadership, so they said, we're not going to 38 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 4: help them. So now we're having to hold the state 39 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 4: and the county and the City of Los Angeles accountable 40 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 4: to do infrastructure. So the black people, if it would 41 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 4: have took a year a year and a half to 42 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 4: get back in your home, now it's going to take 43 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 4: two years, two years and a half. Can you imagine, 44 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 4: you know, can you imagine Charlotte Maine, y'all, just one day, 45 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 4: you minding your business and then a fire comes from 46 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 4: the transform and just in a matter of minutes burning 47 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 4: everything everything you. 48 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: Had is gone. 49 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 4: Your children are not being able to go to school, 50 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 4: your cars were burnt, so you can't go to work. 51 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 4: And then the theme of the emergency management system that 52 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 4: was built for this exact moment then says, for political reasons, 53 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 4: we're not going to do anything. 54 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 2: Please please, I'm glad to know that you on that case. 55 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 4: Man. 56 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 2: Memi Browna does off Front page News. 57 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 5: She did a whole special on Alter Dina call from 58 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 5: Altadina with Love and she and she talks about that 59 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 5: a lot, and the people she talked to talk about 60 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 5: that a lot. And people call up here all the 61 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 5: time just looking for help. It's in assistance and feel 62 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 5: like they can't get it. And people aren't remember what happened. 63 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: What about this show. 64 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 4: We're suing the hell out on Charlamagne so they ever 65 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 4: know that we if they ain't got nobody at least advocating, 66 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 4: call us and we'll keep fighting the insurance companies. You know, 67 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 4: Governor knew, some of the Attorney General and them. They 68 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 4: did a mortgage moratorium for a year, and then we 69 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 4: got to extended another year because think about it, envy 70 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 4: and just yeah, you're paying a mortgage on a house 71 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 4: that you can't even live in. I mean, and a 72 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 4: lot of people just ain't doing it. And so you 73 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 4: got the whether the disaster capitalists the opportunitist because you know, 74 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,119 Speaker 4: the Olympics coming into la they got World Cup coming. Man, 75 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 4: they've been trying to bop these black people land forever anyway, 76 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 4: and now with this tragedy, they're taking the opportunity to 77 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 4: throw pennies on the dollar. And still our land, still 78 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:25,159 Speaker 4: our generational wealth. And so the inshurance companies, you know, 79 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 4: have been doing what they do. I believe all of them, 80 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 4: State farm, all state, everybody. They try to get your premiums, 81 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 4: no matter how many times you pay. 82 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: The first time you make a claim, they come. 83 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:43,559 Speaker 4: Over every single reason to say, well, we're not gonna 84 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 4: deny that, we're gonna deny this claim, or we don't 85 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 4: think this land is that valuable. Lauren and Charlamaine because 86 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 4: it's in a black neighborhood. 87 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 5: Yeah, but once they get all black people out, then 88 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 5: they didn't bring the white people in not land increase tripletye. 89 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: Ten times with the Olympics. 90 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 4: Man, they gonna be building high rises and this is 91 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 4: prime land Los Angeles already is what they said, five 92 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 4: times more than any of the property in America price wise, 93 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 4: and so this is going to go up even more. 94 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 4: It's so many things that don't make the media Charlemagne 95 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 4: that we work on and fight on, you know, banking 96 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 4: while black, and right now, all the black women who 97 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,599 Speaker 4: are being fired and terminated, the coust this attack on 98 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 4: DEI and diversity equit inclusion. We're suing all these corporations 99 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 4: for these black people who are losing their jobs with 100 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 4: no rhyme or reason, just that you know, this administration 101 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 4: gave us an excuse now that we don't have to 102 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 4: tolerate you all. 103 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: I mean. 104 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 4: And it's funny as funny as our test figuring. I 105 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 4: always laughed when we were representing lower people at the 106 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 4: corporation and they bought discrimination claims. You would these black 107 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,919 Speaker 4: people sitting at the table helping to defend the corporation's 108 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 4: actions justifications to fire them. 109 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: But now you got a lot of those people calling 110 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: me in. I'm like, wow, ain't this interesting? 111 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 4: The tables have turned now it's you on this side 112 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 4: while you are helping protect them. So it just says 113 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 4: to us, especially during Black History Mark, the future of 114 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 4: black people won't be determined by how white people treat us. 115 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 4: The future of black people won't be determined how white 116 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 4: people support us. The future of black people won't be 117 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 4: determined how white people invest in us. But the future 118 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 4: of black people will be determined how we treat each other. 119 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 4: The future of black people will be how we support 120 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 4: each other. The future of black people, Charlamagne, will be 121 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:54,359 Speaker 4: how we invest in each other. 122 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: And that's the God's honest. 123 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 4: Truth when you really think about it, man, we need 124 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:04,160 Speaker 4: to be supporting black businesses, black lawyers, black doctors, black restaurants, 125 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 4: black dry cleaners, black mechanics, black insurance agent. I mean, 126 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 4: we got that every week have dinner or at least 127 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 4: every month, have dinner, lunch with our colleagues and so forth. 128 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: And we got to hold each other accountable. 129 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 4: But like jes you know, the fifty percent of your money, 130 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 4: at least forty percent go to black businesses. 131 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: Okay, Well, who let's talk about it. And I try 132 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: to be honest with myself. 133 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 4: God bless me immensely, and I'm like, I don't want 134 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 4: to be a hypocrite. I want to be true. And 135 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 4: I got to look in the mirror first and foremost 136 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 4: and hold myself accountable. And so I say to myself, 137 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 4: when I really think about it, Our Aging sisters and 138 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 4: brother brothers, their dollar in their community stays in their 139 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 4: community twenty one days before it leaves Our Jewish sisters 140 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 4: and brothers, their dollar stays in their community, seventeen days 141 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 4: before it leaves their community. Black Americans, our dollars stay 142 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 4: in our community seventeen minutes before it leaves our community. 143 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: And it's sad shall the man because I love how. 144 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 4: Leeby Armstrong out of Minneapolis and Jamal Bryant when we 145 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 4: boycotted Target and those things. Because it's such a philosophical decision, 146 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 4: it's a mindset. They say, I'm going to be intentional 147 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 4: about supporting black businesses, and you gotta be intentional. And 148 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,320 Speaker 4: with the Internet we can find black businesses. They say, no, no, 149 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 4: I'm going to find a black Dennis. I'm going to 150 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 4: find a black you know, insurance agent. Now and it's 151 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 4: intentional because now we're building a strong black economic base 152 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:55,320 Speaker 4: and we can then tell this administration that, hey, like 153 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 4: how new Jack City cash many brothers are self contained unit. 154 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: We will be okay with or without you. We don't 155 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: need you to say. 156 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 5: But it's crazy though, because these conversations have been going 157 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 5: on since the beginning of the time, Like, you're not 158 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 5: saying nothing that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad didn't say that, 159 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:11,439 Speaker 5: Martin Garvey didn't say that, Martin Luther King Junior didn't 160 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 5: say like. It's just like, at what point are people 161 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 5: going to realize unity and group operation is the way. 162 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 4: You know, Charlomagne, we have to keep saying it though, 163 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 4: you know, as my grandmother and them, you say, I 164 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,319 Speaker 4: know we're singing to the choir, but the choir gotta 165 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 4: sing louder. 166 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:26,719 Speaker 1: And it just got to be something that. 167 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 4: We remind each other, like you, Lauren, just Envy, y'all 168 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 4: every month say hey, how many black businesses do y'all support? 169 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 4: Because it's easy to just spend money. I know my 170 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,680 Speaker 4: family they spend it quick. But what when you stop 171 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 4: and take account and you really try to be honest 172 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 4: with yourself and you start writing down, Well, did I 173 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 4: at least give twenty five percent of my money? I 174 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 4: know I paid all these white people. I bought this stuff. 175 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 4: I went to corporate America, you know, to. 176 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:00,079 Speaker 2: A Mexican. 177 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 4: And with this book, we've done so much to try 178 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 4: to push people to independent black bookstores, even though I 179 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 4: know Amazon, you know, it's so easy, so convenient, and 180 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 4: so forth. But I was so proud of sh'all the 181 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 4: main when they wrote that article saying that being Crump's 182 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 4: worse than a lie drove a surge in book sells 183 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 4: at black bookstores. I mean, that's what it's about, if 184 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 4: we're being honest with ourself. It's one thing for you 185 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 4: to come up, but how do you help bring everybody 186 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 4: else up with you? That's what I love about you, man, 187 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 4: with the black effect. You're bringing a lot of people up. 188 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 2: I appreciate you. 189 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 5: Why did you choose fiction as the vehicle for the 190 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 5: story instead of like nonfiction? 191 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:47,559 Speaker 4: Yeah, you know it's interesting because my personal hero, third 192 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 4: Good Marshall. He once said that most people will never 193 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 4: know what really happens in a courtroom when you're fighting 194 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:04,439 Speaker 4: for liberty and justice for marginalized people. And he said 195 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 4: That's why Charlamagne he would write his legal memorandums and 196 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 4: his pleadings and his briefs to be very engaging, because 197 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 4: he wanted to entice people to read those pleadings so 198 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 4: they could be educated on what really happens during due 199 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 4: process and court proceedings and so forth. 200 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: And so I said to myself, well, what could be 201 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: more engaging than a legal thriller? 202 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 4: I mean John Grisham with The Rainmaker, Michael Conley with 203 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 4: the Lincoln Lawyer. They say, millions of books every year 204 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:42,319 Speaker 4: because legal thrillers are intriguing, you know, you excited trying 205 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 4: to figure my page turners and so forth. And I said, 206 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 4: you know, man, I grew up with my grandmother watching Perry. 207 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: Mason, you know, the old TV show. 208 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 4: You know he figured it out his brilliance, his resources. 209 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 4: And then when college, you know, you got the Grisham 210 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:03,880 Speaker 4: and there. But I kept saying, man, when are they 211 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 4: gonna make a superhero black trial lawyer and everything? And 212 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 4: I kept trying to figure out that they're ever gonna 213 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 4: do it. And so when I said lawd God said, Negro, 214 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 4: that ain't their lane. You know what they know about 215 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 4: being a black lawyer understanding the coach and fighting the 216 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 4: civil rights struggle. 217 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: Said that's your lane. 218 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 4: And so that's what inspired me to write Worse Than 219 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 4: a Lot and create this superhero trial lawyer named Bolie Cooper. 220 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 4: This person with his team of social justice warriors, they 221 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:41,679 Speaker 4: go in and they exalt the brilliance of our community. 222 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 4: We have returning citizens, we have a Puerto Rican sister 223 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 4: who's a lawyer, all working on the team, saying that 224 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 4: you know, we are just as brilliant as anything they 225 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 4: can create. And I want the next generation of people 226 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,320 Speaker 4: who look like us to have heroes that they can 227 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 4: count on and say, na, nah, you get your Lincoln Lawyer, 228 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 4: we'll take Body Cooper. 229 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 6: So in Bullie's journey through the book, right, there's a 230 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,079 Speaker 6: lot of messaging that people will pick up on as 231 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,559 Speaker 6: a followed the story. How did you choose which messages 232 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 6: you wanted people to pick up on? Because I'm sure 233 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 6: you experienced so much stuff that we need to know 234 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 6: and that we should be learning. 235 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,959 Speaker 4: You know, absolutely, Lawyer, and what you do as a writer, 236 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,800 Speaker 4: especially a fiction writer, you're intentional with what you're trying 237 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 4: to convey, but you don't want to come across to preaching. 238 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:31,559 Speaker 4: And so forth, and so even you know, I've been 239 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 4: getting very good reviews, and I'm thankful for it, but 240 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,679 Speaker 4: it doesn't matter because I knew the audience I was 241 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 4: writing for. I was trying to do dis generations, to 242 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 4: kill a mocking bird that inspires so many young people 243 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 4: to say, I want to go be a lawyer and 244 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,360 Speaker 4: try to make the law be an instrument for good. 245 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 4: And so I was intentional the lawyer. Even from the 246 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:58,280 Speaker 4: beginning of the book, people keep saying it's a civil 247 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 4: rights legal thriller and it's wrapped in black culture, but 248 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 4: it's also a historical reference point because what I did 249 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 4: are Hollis Montrose, this black police officer who shot by 250 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 4: four white police officers on the night of two thousand 251 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 4: and eight, the historic election of President Barack Obama becoming 252 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 4: the first black president. Because I was trying to create 253 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 4: an allegory where we took symbolic characters and events and 254 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 4: settings to try to create abstract ideas, like the idea, 255 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 4: if you have the election of the first black president, 256 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 4: as many people believe Charlemagne in two thousand and eight, 257 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 4: we were now going to have a post racial America. 258 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 4: And even in the book, the chapter before Hollis is 259 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 4: shot ten times. On that night, Boli Cooper is talking 260 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 4: to his wife. He was on an airport when the 261 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 4: election results came, and he told his wife when he landed, 262 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 4: he said, you know, there was a white gentleman on 263 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 4: the plane who said to me, well, buddy, looked like 264 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 4: you're gonna have to find a new career now that 265 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 4: we've elected a black president. There won't be a need 266 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 4: for civil rights anymore. And I was intentional about those 267 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 4: things because really it was for shouting, because in fiction 268 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 4: you can do that because envy the way we were 269 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 4: all proud and happy and had this feeling of hope 270 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 4: and optimism when for Barack Obama was elected the first 271 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 4: black president. 272 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like society. I did. 273 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 4: And then but what we did not fathom was that 274 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 4: there was a whole lot of people who had a 275 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 4: different reaction to us, and they were also going to 276 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 4: be able to express their ways and their actions and 277 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 4: even when they shoot. Two things that's been pointed out 278 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 4: by a lot of the literary people read the book. 279 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 4: When Hollis Montrose, this black po police officer, you can't 280 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 4: find nobody better. Because we wanted to intentionally do that 281 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 4: because when they killed George Floyd, when they killed Mike Brown, 282 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 4: when they kill Stefan Clarke, all these brothers, if they're 283 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 4: not an angel, if they've ever been arrested, if they've 284 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 4: ever been a convicted felon, if they are undocumented, they 285 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 4: come up and they say, oh, well, you know they 286 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 4: really were criminals. 287 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 1: They not worthy of your consideration. 288 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 4: I wanted to say, no, no, we got a person 289 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 4: who was a model citizen. And it didn't matter Charlamagne, 290 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 4: because when those police officers saw Hollis Montrose, they didn't 291 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 4: see him. They saw what they projected on him. And 292 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 4: so when they are down there, Hollis is saying, I'm 293 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 4: an officer, I got my idea and everything they tell him, 294 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 4: shut up, just comply. We don't care if that boy's 295 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 4: in the White House. We're still in control because I 296 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 4: am trying to create the setting for the book. 297 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: And the second thing. 298 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 4: That they point out when they shot him ten times 299 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 4: and that hot metal was going into his body, I wrote, 300 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:15,959 Speaker 4: he cried an ancestral cry out to God, and I 301 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 4: tried to paint that picture for all the black people 302 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,679 Speaker 4: who had been brutalized and killed unjustly by police, the 303 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 4: cries that they must have had, thinking that this was 304 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 4: it for them. 305 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:33,679 Speaker 1: And I wrote this and during the pandemic with. 306 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 4: Breonna, George Floyd, Ahmad Arbery, Andre Hill, and I was 307 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 4: very emotional at that time because this was therapeutic in 308 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:49,199 Speaker 4: many ways. But I thought about looking at Brianna's picture 309 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 4: with eight bullet holes in her body and her nightgown 310 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 4: lying in the hallway of her apartment when I was 311 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 4: writing a Hollis And so it is hopefully one of 312 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:10,160 Speaker 4: those things that is enticing and engaging, entertaining. But I'm 313 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,960 Speaker 4: really trying to teach people about how hard it is 314 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 4: to fight for civil rights in America. 315 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,199 Speaker 5: When you talk about that title worse than a lie, right, like, like, 316 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 5: what in your view is actually. 317 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 2: Worse than lying? 318 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 5: And do you think America understands how often that shows 319 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 5: up in the courtroom. 320 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 4: I certainly think they don't. My grandmother who helped raise me. 321 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 4: My mom worked two jobs to raise me and my 322 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 4: two little brothers, so oftentimes we stay with my grandmother, 323 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:41,440 Speaker 4: And you know, black grandmothers are brilliant. My grandmother, I 324 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 4: think was the wisest person I ever met in the world. 325 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,720 Speaker 4: And I remember her saying, Charli Man on occasion, what's 326 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:52,199 Speaker 4: worse than a lie? To tell the truth and have 327 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 4: nobody believe you? I mean, that's and then in this 328 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 4: book it really goes so much deeper, where when you 329 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 4: are seeing where hollis, who's been shot ten times, survived 330 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 4: and now he's charged with four counts of attempted murder, 331 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 4: is really life imitating art when you think about what's 332 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 4: going on in Minneapolis with ice and stuff. 333 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: But to answer your question directly. 334 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 4: Charlemagne Man, I don't think many people understand how many 335 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:32,360 Speaker 4: sisters and brothers have to go in courtrooms all across 336 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 4: America every day and lie on themselves and except trumped 337 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 4: up felony convictions and trumped up felony plea agreements, because 338 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 4: they understand that the alternative of going to trial well 339 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,880 Speaker 4: for jury of peers that have nothing in common with them, 340 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 4: the likelihood that they would be convicted and sentenced for 341 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,359 Speaker 4: decades and have to be wrongfully convicted for a crime 342 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 4: they didn't even commit. That's worse than a lie. And 343 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:11,400 Speaker 4: it happens every day, man, every day. 344 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,879 Speaker 3: How do you deal with stepping from the beside from 345 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 3: the book for a second, but how do you deal 346 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 3: with that, right, because I feel like even on social 347 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 3: media now, people are lying more and more and more. 348 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:29,119 Speaker 3: But the problem with the line is I feel like journalists, newscasters, papers, 349 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,160 Speaker 3: they're taking what these people are saying and making it factual, 350 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 3: you know what I mean. So now when people hear it, 351 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 3: they think they're hearing it from Channel four, but it's. 352 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:38,120 Speaker 2: Really a lot that they heard online. 353 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:39,440 Speaker 3: How do you deal with that when you go into 354 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 3: those courtrooms? 355 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:42,199 Speaker 1: Oh, it's getting so much worse already. 356 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:48,119 Speaker 4: You have two battles when you're representing people of color, 357 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 4: especially in America, because there's a credibility factor. Every time 358 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,439 Speaker 4: we're fighting the police off, we're fighting these large banks 359 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 4: of a banking while black discrimination cases are we're fighting 360 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 4: these corporations like Elon Mussen thew' about poisoning our community 361 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:08,520 Speaker 4: with these data centers. There's this credibility gap where they 362 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 4: want to believe what white people say over black people. 363 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 4: And the worst part about it, envy, is our people 364 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 4: want to believe it too. Our people are so quick 365 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,440 Speaker 4: to attack one another. I mean, every day I pray 366 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 4: to God and say God, help me love our people 367 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 4: more than they hate themselves. You know, I really believe, 368 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:32,200 Speaker 4: because when you've been blessed, you gotta try to do 369 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 4: better to help other people. And you got to even 370 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 4: make allowances for their criticisms too, because slavery, I mean, 371 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,879 Speaker 4: they have such a psychological effect on our people, and 372 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 4: we got so many haters out there on us when 373 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 4: we got so much. We're fighting against white people. I 374 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 4: don't care what black people do. Try to get them 375 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 4: some grace, you know. And so the line is so 376 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 4: real now with social media, I mean, it's being proliferated 377 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,560 Speaker 4: hundred times than what we were used to before social media. 378 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 4: But that's why in the novel, you know, early on 379 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 4: Boli Cooper realizes why he's fighting the Chicago machine and stuff. 380 00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:15,400 Speaker 4: To beat the broken system, He's gonna need more than 381 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 4: just the truth. What we're gonna need is our whole 382 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 4: community being gavnized, with our resources, with our brilliance, with 383 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 4: our connections that come together just to get justice. And 384 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 4: it's never about one person. That's the other thing I 385 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 4: tried to emphasize in the book. It's always a team effort. 386 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 4: The fact that we I was intentional about having returning 387 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 4: citizens brothers who were convicted of drug dealing and you know, 388 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 4: being street wise and so forth. It was like Malcolm 389 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:51,320 Speaker 4: X said, some of our most brilliant minds in America 390 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 4: are locked up in five by seven cells, never given 391 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 4: the opportunity to expose their intelligence and so forth. 392 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: And this new series I wanted to. 393 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 4: Give those brothers opportunity to say, what would it be 394 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 4: like if they got to expose themselves using their street 395 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 4: smarts and their intellect and brilliance to help solve cases. 396 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 4: And so that's how you try to overcome the truth. 397 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 4: But it's hard, man. They was those saying a lot 398 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 4: of goals around the world. 399 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 2: Around the world, what the truth is putting on the 400 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 2: shoe exactly. 401 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 6: I saw the press conference you did about you, but 402 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 6: YouTube and the targeting of like people like falsely on 403 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 6: the YouTube and foreign people. 404 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:34,920 Speaker 1: Len who's doing it? 405 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,920 Speaker 4: I mean, you got these foreign actors in country like 406 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:44,359 Speaker 4: India and uh Career and so forth coming up with accounsel. 407 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,880 Speaker 4: That's why we're looking at Google and YouTube and them saying, well, 408 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 4: you all are pailing them even though it's being shown 409 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:55,199 Speaker 4: to be false. With Judge Faith and Judge Mathis and 410 00:23:55,600 --> 00:24:00,439 Speaker 4: I mean all these lives, uh, Margie har Stevie wonder. 411 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 4: I mean, just putting out lines and our people believe 412 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:05,760 Speaker 4: it so quickly. Jes, I don't know why it is 413 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 4: we are so prone to be leave negative versus positive. 414 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,600 Speaker 2: You want to you want to think the worst of people. 415 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,040 Speaker 5: I feel like, mister Crump, that's why I think you 416 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:15,959 Speaker 5: got a little profile. 417 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 2: I think you got overwhelmed. 418 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 5: By all the negativity because you all wanted the people 419 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 5: that's really out here on the front lines helping our people. 420 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,440 Speaker 5: But for whatever reason, people wanted to villainize you, especially. 421 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 2: A lot of our own. 422 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:27,680 Speaker 1: Yeah. 423 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 4: And you know it's so interesting, Charlemagne, because Man, the 424 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 4: more good you try to do, God just keep blessing you. 425 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:43,680 Speaker 4: So I don't even think about any negativity criticism. Ts Lawrence, 426 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 4: the British soldier known as Launch of Arabia. He said 427 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,119 Speaker 4: something so profound. He said, the most dangerous person in 428 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 4: the world is the person who dreams with their eyes open. 429 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,120 Speaker 4: They're so focused on their objective that they have very 430 00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:01,679 Speaker 4: little time to focus on any other distractions. That's how 431 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,959 Speaker 4: I run my life. We're now twenty one cities. You know, 432 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 4: we have sixty over sixty member staff, two hundred lawyers 433 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 4: working with us, and I'm just focused on my mission 434 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,160 Speaker 4: in life that God put on my calling. I can't 435 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,240 Speaker 4: worry about what you're saying. Man, We too busy trying 436 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:19,960 Speaker 4: to help liberate black people. 437 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: I'm too busy now trying to do stuff. 438 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 4: Globally with Africa and so forth, because we if we 439 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 4: learned anything from this administration, it's not enough to think nationally. 440 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 4: We really got to think globally and the African diaspora, 441 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:36,119 Speaker 4: Like Marcus Garbin said, that's what's gonna save our people. 442 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 5: Is there a constitutional crisis when the president repeatedly attacks judges, prosecutors, 443 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:47,160 Speaker 5: and juries. Are that I guess protected under some type 444 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 5: of First Amendment? 445 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,679 Speaker 4: You know again, schaw Man, That's why I wrote this 446 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,960 Speaker 4: legal thriller because I want so many people to go 447 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 4: out hopefully independent bookstores are Amazon bars and or whatever. 448 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,760 Speaker 1: You can start reading this book learning. 449 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 4: Because we talk a lot about civil procedure and criminal procedure. 450 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,000 Speaker 4: It's funny because my cousin Vinny, you remember that movie. 451 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 4: It was funny and entertaining, but you watch it, you 452 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 4: learn a lot. And so like a few good men 453 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,240 Speaker 4: and Lincoln lawyer rain Maker when they read this book 454 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,440 Speaker 4: about black superhero lawyers. I want people to be learning 455 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 4: a lot because they need to understand about the Constitution. 456 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 4: I was talking about this is art imitating life and 457 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,199 Speaker 4: life imitating art Charlamagne. When I wrote this book, you 458 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,439 Speaker 4: know it was in twenty twenty, twenty twenty one. Hollis 459 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 4: Montrose gets shot ten times by four white officers, and 460 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:46,240 Speaker 4: there's a sister who records it on video from her apartment. Wonder, 461 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,120 Speaker 4: but none of that is enough when the system starts 462 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 4: to conspire to oppress the truth. And then we think 463 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 4: about what happened two months ago with Alex Peretti, four 464 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 4: or five officers around him, he gets shot ten times. 465 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:03,679 Speaker 4: Like Hollis, he was licensed to care gun had it 466 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,159 Speaker 4: on him. Hollis licensed care gun had it on him. 467 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 4: Both arguments said that even though there's video, we felt 468 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 4: them fear of our life and that's why we killed them. 469 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,600 Speaker 4: And then you saw the powers that become and start 470 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 4: saying it was justified. I mean, even with video, it's 471 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 4: no guarantee that you're gonna get the truth in justice out. 472 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,880 Speaker 4: And so when we think about the constitution crisis, I 473 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,639 Speaker 4: immediately think about the actions of ice and what's going on, 474 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 4: how it is a complete assault on the Constitution of 475 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 4: the United States. 476 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:37,120 Speaker 1: I mean it's an assault on. 477 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 4: The First Amendment right to free speech, freedom of assembly, 478 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 4: freedom of press. When they're arrested at Georgia Fort and 479 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:48,719 Speaker 4: don Lemon. The second Amendment, right, I mean the attack 480 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 4: on it. When you think about Alex Parade, they said 481 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,560 Speaker 4: that he wasn't can bring his farm to this protest. 482 00:27:55,840 --> 00:28:01,360 Speaker 4: Even you have western young Kyle Rittenhouse, they let him 483 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 4: march right up there, made him a hero for having 484 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,880 Speaker 4: the gun at the rally for Jacob Blake. But then 485 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:12,199 Speaker 4: the third, the fourth Amendment, assault against the prohibition of 486 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 4: unlawful searches and seizures. My god, I mean they're kicking 487 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 4: in people front doors with warrants based on racial profile 488 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:25,640 Speaker 4: and nothing else. I mean busting people card windows when 489 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 4: they're driving in the street. I mean, no warrant, no 490 00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 4: probable cause, just that now you look Spanish, or you 491 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 4: look Samarian, or you look Haitian. So black people don't 492 00:28:36,119 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 4: take it lightly that they ain't coming for you next, 493 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 4: because they're gonna say, oh, you look like our Haitian cousins. 494 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,360 Speaker 4: You look like our Samalian cousins. The Fifth Amendment right 495 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 4: to do process of the law. How they just turned 496 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 4: that on its head, Charlamagne. The fact that it was 497 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 4: one of the most cherished principles in America to say 498 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 4: that you're innocent into proven guilty. 499 00:28:58,160 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: Well not with ice, not not. 500 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 4: You have guilty, and you got to prove your innocent, 501 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,760 Speaker 4: You got to prove that you're an American citizen, that 502 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,120 Speaker 4: you got your papers, and so forth. It reminds you 503 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:10,360 Speaker 4: of South Africa doing apartheid. 504 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:13,440 Speaker 1: And then you think about the sixth Amendment right to counsel. 505 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 4: The fact that you got people and ICE detention centers 506 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,720 Speaker 4: and their lawyers are trying to go meet with them 507 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 4: and have consultations with them, and they're being denied access. 508 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 1: And then worst of all, y'all, worst. 509 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 4: Of all is the attack on the Eighth Amendment rights 510 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 4: against Cruel and Unusual punishment, Charlemagne. The fact that, man, 511 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 4: you got people in these detention facilities who are American 512 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 4: citizens too, and they need their insulin, they need their 513 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 4: heart medicine, and they're not being given that reasonable medical. 514 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:56,160 Speaker 1: Attention. 515 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 4: That it's clear from medical records and everything, and people 516 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 4: are dying and nobody's saying anything about it. And you 517 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 4: got these private corporations with these contracts to keep. 518 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: Building these detention facilities, to keep building these prisons. 519 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 4: Y'all, we need to stop attacking each other because they're 520 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 4: attacking us, and they. 521 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,800 Speaker 1: Mean for our people, your children. 522 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 4: Your cousins, your spouses to end up in those prisons. 523 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,479 Speaker 4: Trump certainly don't mean for his kind to end up 524 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 4: in those prisons. 525 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 5: Does it ever get overwhelming for you being that you 526 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 5: are to go to you know, civil rights attorneys, Like 527 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 5: when people think, and especially the generation you're like somebody 528 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 5: called Ben Crump, did it ever get old woman for you? 529 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:35,880 Speaker 6: You know? 530 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 4: I try to always thank God and be humble, never 531 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 4: get the big hair, you know, black American's Attorney general. 532 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 4: I say, well, I'm proud that people would think that 533 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:55,640 Speaker 4: of me. But what I also know Charlemagne, it can 534 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 4: never be about one person. We can't have one leader 535 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:02,440 Speaker 4: because they'll take them out and then where will we be. 536 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: So I'm all. 537 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:08,160 Speaker 4: About community and building the bench we gotta keep. I'm 538 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:10,479 Speaker 4: so happy that Tess is in law school. I'm so 539 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,760 Speaker 4: happy that other people are going to law school because 540 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:15,080 Speaker 4: we need like third Good March, she said, we need 541 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 4: an army of civil rights lawyers to be able to 542 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:21,360 Speaker 4: deal with all the injustices we have. And so I 543 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:25,440 Speaker 4: try never ever to say old woe is me, because 544 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 4: you know, Charlamagne, if I did not choose to go 545 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 4: take on these big fights, then I wouldn't have to 546 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:37,120 Speaker 4: worry about people calling me. But I choose because I say, 547 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 4: God bless me, and shame on me if I don't 548 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 4: use the influence that God gave me to go try 549 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:45,080 Speaker 4: to help others. 550 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:46,320 Speaker 1: And that's what. 551 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:55,000 Speaker 4: It was, Jamie Fox and I and oh at Harry Bellefonte. 552 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 4: Harry Belafonte said, what good is having influence if you 553 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:01,600 Speaker 4: don't use it when it matters most? And I worry 554 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 4: so much about other sisters and brothers who got the 555 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 4: influence who just stay silent. 556 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 7: Man. 557 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:09,440 Speaker 4: I'm like, you got all this money, all this power, 558 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 4: you see what's happening to our people, and you ain't 559 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 4: gonna say nothing. I mean it, and again I shot 560 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 4: you out the breast. I love how you use your 561 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:22,920 Speaker 4: platform to speak truth to power. And we all got 562 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 4: to do it, y'all because God is watching it. One 563 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 4: day he gonna say, but what did you do with 564 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 4: the blessings Eye bestowed upon you? 565 00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:33,640 Speaker 1: What did you do with the influence. Did you just 566 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,400 Speaker 1: use it for yourself or did you try to help others? 567 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: Did Boosy reach out to you? Boosy said he was 568 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 1: gonna reach out here. He did, he did. 569 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 3: Well, what happened with Booty case, I know that Boosy said, 570 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:44,360 Speaker 3: Louisiana is kicking his ass, kicking his butt. 571 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:48,600 Speaker 4: Well, you know, I do think there are times when 572 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 4: people try to use their authority to come after people 573 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 4: who are in our community, who have high profiles, and 574 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:03,760 Speaker 4: they do an intention and so I know they did 575 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 4: it with NBA young boy. We were able to get 576 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 4: him a bell and that was Louisanna. I think they're 577 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:11,440 Speaker 4: doing it with Boots. I think they do it to 578 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:15,080 Speaker 4: a lot of us envy. So in short order, we've 579 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:17,040 Speaker 4: broke down Boots's case. 580 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 1: We think he's gonna be fine. 581 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:23,800 Speaker 4: I've worked with great lawyers and Louisana like attorney James 582 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 4: Williams Tez and Sue Anne Robinson helped me on that case. 583 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 4: And it was really one of those things, just doing 584 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 4: the legal research and so forth, saying this is where 585 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 4: I believe their bark is worse than their bike. And 586 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 4: so I said, if they come for you, we'll have 587 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,120 Speaker 4: the community ready, and that's why it's good to work 588 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 4: for the lawyers around the country. So it ain't just 589 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 4: Ben Crump. But when you call Ben Crump, he's calling 590 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 4: his network of attorneys saying, Hey, how do we help Bootsy, 591 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:54,360 Speaker 4: how do we help you know, I'm gonna look at 592 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 4: Tod Dollar signed brother. He believes in a lot believe 593 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:03,080 Speaker 4: or wrongfully in California. So we're gonna look at those 594 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:07,040 Speaker 4: cases because that's what we have to do, Envy. We 595 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:09,840 Speaker 4: have to be there to answer to bell fire people. 596 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:14,280 Speaker 4: And I smile when you say, Boots, just call the office. 597 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 4: When you put it on social media, I got a 598 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 4: hundred calls. 599 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:19,280 Speaker 1: Boots are trying to get you crumped. 600 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:24,960 Speaker 2: Had the Trump administration targeted you anyway? 601 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:27,520 Speaker 4: I'm sure I'm on some enemy lists, but I try 602 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 4: not to think about it, because you know, I have 603 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,400 Speaker 4: the honor of representing the family of Malcolm X. You know, 604 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:38,000 Speaker 4: and this was sixty one years ago. They were targeting 605 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 4: our people, and I don't think nothing has changed with 606 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 4: the CIA or the FBI. Tell them I think you 607 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 4: and me both on this enemy's list. Brother, h you know, 608 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:51,400 Speaker 4: come with me. We know who we are, whose we 609 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 4: are and I refuse to be afraid. I tell my 610 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:02,160 Speaker 4: security and everybody all, I refuse to let them make 611 00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:05,920 Speaker 4: us live in fear, standing up, fighting for our children's future. 612 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:07,960 Speaker 1: And you know. 613 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 4: God has ordered our steps, and whatever happens, I want 614 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 4: my daughter, I want our children to know we believed 615 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,960 Speaker 4: in them so much we were willing to fight for them, 616 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:24,080 Speaker 4: sacrifice for them, and if need be, die for our children. 617 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:24,239 Speaker 1: Man. 618 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 4: I Lyn really got to see that black people believe 619 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:32,320 Speaker 4: in black liberation. And just like and I mean this 620 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 4: from the heart, just like they are unapologetic in their 621 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:42,640 Speaker 4: white supremacist beliefs, we have to be unapologetic defenders of 622 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:45,920 Speaker 4: black life, black liberty, and black culture. 623 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:47,799 Speaker 1: I mean now more than ever, y'all. 624 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:50,759 Speaker 4: They they saying it, well, they chest how they think 625 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 4: we're inferior. We got to say it with our chest. 626 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 4: Now we think black is the greatest thing and we 627 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:57,880 Speaker 4: don't care. And we got to say it a hundred 628 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,920 Speaker 4: times over, Like Jesse just saying, you know, we got 629 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,680 Speaker 4: to talk about I am somebody because everybody in society 630 00:36:04,719 --> 00:36:06,839 Speaker 4: try to tell a little black boys and girls you 631 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:07,839 Speaker 4: ain't nobody. 632 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:09,719 Speaker 3: Now, what did Jesse you mention? 633 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:11,359 Speaker 1: Jesse Jackson rest in peace. Jesse Jackson. 634 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:12,799 Speaker 2: What did Jesse Jackson mean to you? 635 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:13,520 Speaker 1: Man? 636 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 4: You know, for the greater part of my life. I'm 637 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:21,799 Speaker 4: in the fifties. You know, Jesse was the standard bear 638 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:24,880 Speaker 4: for civil rights that we knew. And the thing I 639 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:29,839 Speaker 4: remember the be specific I remember. You know, you fight 640 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:34,480 Speaker 4: the campaigns, you get people who show up for the cameras, 641 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:37,760 Speaker 4: and then when the cameras go, you see people showing 642 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,839 Speaker 4: up on a consistent Bacey Jesse, even the old age, 643 00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:42,120 Speaker 4: was still trying to show up. 644 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:44,080 Speaker 1: And I have to salute that. 645 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,719 Speaker 4: I'll never forget we were and I won't call the corporation, 646 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:51,960 Speaker 4: but we were representing agents of a certain insurance company 647 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:54,839 Speaker 4: where they were ran lining in the black agents where 648 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,000 Speaker 4: they could never make as much as the young white 649 00:36:58,040 --> 00:36:58,800 Speaker 4: boys and girls. 650 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:01,040 Speaker 1: Who was twenty years there, junior. 651 00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:04,480 Speaker 4: And we were in federal court in Chicago, and you know, 652 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:06,400 Speaker 4: I believe, like third good. We got to fight in 653 00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:08,399 Speaker 4: the court of public opinion, in the court of law, 654 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:12,200 Speaker 4: and one of the states. One of the agents was 655 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:15,800 Speaker 4: Jesse Jackson's insurance agent, who was one of the class 656 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:19,000 Speaker 4: action representatives. So I asked Reverend Jackson to come to court, 657 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:21,439 Speaker 4: and we were in court envy. And we were there 658 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:25,279 Speaker 4: for about four or five hours at this federal here, 659 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 4: and the judge was really giving it to me, man 660 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:28,920 Speaker 4: and my team. 661 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:31,239 Speaker 1: I mean, he was coming. 662 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,840 Speaker 4: At us left and right, and you know you're like, man, 663 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,320 Speaker 4: this ain't gonna go well for us, and so forth, 664 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,800 Speaker 4: and you know you had a defeat. This mentality stunting 665 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 4: to set in a little bit, and we went on break. Man. 666 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 4: Reverend Jackson got me in the corner and he said, 667 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:52,840 Speaker 4: he said, Attorney Crump Man, you gotta remember, you don't 668 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:56,840 Speaker 4: drown because the water is deep. He said, you drown 669 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:01,439 Speaker 4: because you stopped kicking. He said, our people can never 670 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:04,760 Speaker 4: see our leaders or people they believe in, stop kicking. 671 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 4: He said, you just always gotta keep kicking. 672 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:07,399 Speaker 1: Man. 673 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:09,640 Speaker 4: He said, you keep kicking, you will make it to 674 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:12,480 Speaker 4: the shore. You keep kicking, you'll overcome. 675 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:14,320 Speaker 1: But you just gotta keep kicking. 676 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:16,479 Speaker 4: I don't care what the ours are, I don't care 677 00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:21,120 Speaker 4: how the cars are stacked against you. You just keep kicking. 678 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,400 Speaker 4: And I was like, wow, you know, all right, just 679 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:27,759 Speaker 4: let's go. And as fate would have it, man, we 680 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,680 Speaker 4: went back in court for another hour or so, and 681 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:33,440 Speaker 4: the judge, even though he berated us and talked down 682 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,520 Speaker 4: to us, like Thirdgod Marsha got talked down to And 683 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:40,719 Speaker 4: that's part of it. You know, you gotta understand that 684 00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:46,160 Speaker 4: the system really doesn't think black people supposed. 685 00:38:45,719 --> 00:38:46,840 Speaker 1: To get equal justice. 686 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:49,520 Speaker 4: Every bit of justice we get, every ounce we get, 687 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:52,120 Speaker 4: we gotta fight for it. We been making that court 688 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:55,400 Speaker 4: room and the judge denied. They motion to dismiss, and 689 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:58,040 Speaker 4: I said, man, what a legacy to jessep We just 690 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:00,920 Speaker 4: writing now more than ever in this here black people. 691 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:02,920 Speaker 1: We just got to keep kicking. 692 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 7: Is a very important piece of literature, especially for the 693 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:10,919 Speaker 7: youth right. I heard that it's gonna be a book 694 00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 7: of series. This is the first book, yes writing more. Yes, 695 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,560 Speaker 7: is it gonna be You're gonna change it up. It's 696 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:19,680 Speaker 7: gonna be the same storyline like a continuous story, or it's. 697 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:23,280 Speaker 4: Gonna be the same main characters like Bowleie Cooper as 698 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:25,280 Speaker 4: our black version of Perry Mason. 699 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,279 Speaker 1: And what people don't realize Jess is man. 700 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:32,960 Speaker 4: Perry Mason was written by Aaron Stanley in the nineteen 701 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 4: twenties and nineteen thirties. So one hundred years later, we 702 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:42,560 Speaker 4: are still talking about Perry Mason. They're still making movies 703 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:45,759 Speaker 4: based on that character. So I would hope that you 704 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:50,240 Speaker 4: know we were our children children will be talking about 705 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:54,839 Speaker 4: Bollie Cooper and his investigator Cape saying, you know, Princess Avarez, 706 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:59,560 Speaker 4: the smart Hispanic sister from Puerto Rico, who's on his team, 707 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,360 Speaker 4: who a lawyer, and all that kind of stuff, because 708 00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:05,200 Speaker 4: we want to have our heroes people look like us. 709 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:09,160 Speaker 4: And so we are cautiously optimistic that the book is 710 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 4: selling great. 711 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:14,200 Speaker 1: I want you know about books, keep going and keep 712 00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:14,600 Speaker 1: buying them. 713 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:17,920 Speaker 4: Tell everybody who's listening, go right now and go to 714 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:22,200 Speaker 4: Amazon barsing over your black bookstores. Are they audit because 715 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:26,040 Speaker 4: the more people buy, the more opportunity we have to 716 00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 4: keep writing books about our cases, our stories. 717 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:31,000 Speaker 2: This is my last question. 718 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:34,160 Speaker 5: At this stage in your life and career, what does 719 00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:36,640 Speaker 5: this book represent for you personally? 720 00:40:36,719 --> 00:40:39,160 Speaker 2: Is it a warning? Is it a release or or 721 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:39,960 Speaker 2: a legacy move? 722 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:45,600 Speaker 4: I think it's a combination of warning and legacy. And 723 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:50,880 Speaker 4: the reason it's a warning, Charlemagne, is that Bolie Cooper, 724 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:56,800 Speaker 4: even though they got so many things pointing to the truth, 725 00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:02,520 Speaker 4: the point where this black man should get justice, his 726 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:09,239 Speaker 4: family should get justice. It doesn't matter. The system doesn't 727 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 4: care about the truth. The system cares about the system, 728 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:20,520 Speaker 4: and what we have to understand is that we have 729 00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:25,399 Speaker 4: to make sure our young people are more intelligent than 730 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:28,160 Speaker 4: those who will seek to oppress them. That's what this 731 00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:31,279 Speaker 4: book is about. The warning in the legacy because you 732 00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:34,320 Speaker 4: hear how bro Lee in them. Even though they denying 733 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:36,960 Speaker 4: the man bail, even though he's paralyzed, they want to 734 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:39,440 Speaker 4: put him in prison because not only are they trying 735 00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:41,719 Speaker 4: to kill him, they trying to kill the truth and 736 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,319 Speaker 4: everything about it. Just like with George Floyd when they 737 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:47,240 Speaker 4: assassinated him, they had to assassinate his character. 738 00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:49,640 Speaker 1: And so that's the one piece. 739 00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:53,279 Speaker 4: But the legacy piece of it is this man I love, 740 00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:58,320 Speaker 4: and please write reviews black people. A lot of writers said, 741 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:02,160 Speaker 4: publishing company, you know, they part of American coaching. I 742 00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:08,359 Speaker 4: remember the movie where Philadelphia, where Denzel Washington says that 743 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:12,480 Speaker 4: famous line he said, in this court room everything is colorblind, 744 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:17,719 Speaker 4: and he said, jeedge regrettably, we don't live in this 745 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:18,880 Speaker 4: courtroom in America. 746 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:21,319 Speaker 1: Publishing companies everything. 747 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:26,799 Speaker 4: They go by what they see happening, and so we 748 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:31,080 Speaker 4: need people writing reviews on good Reads and Amazon. And 749 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,960 Speaker 4: one of the best things this lady said to me 750 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:35,640 Speaker 4: after reading the book, and I don't want to give 751 00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:37,960 Speaker 4: it away because it got a legal a lot of 752 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:43,880 Speaker 4: twisting turns, plots and everything changes, she said, and she 753 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:46,520 Speaker 4: was crying. We've been having these this worse than a 754 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:48,880 Speaker 4: lot of Book two. We've been going to all these cities. 755 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:51,560 Speaker 4: We were at Howard Law School last night. We're gonna 756 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:54,879 Speaker 4: be at Newark, New Jersey Symphony Hall tonight with Mayor 757 00:42:54,960 --> 00:43:01,200 Speaker 4: Rod's Baraka. But she said, Attorney Crump is so happy 758 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:05,160 Speaker 4: to read your book into where we can find black 759 00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:09,600 Speaker 4: joy in each other. She said, that's where she took 760 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:13,960 Speaker 4: away from it, and that made me feel like it 761 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 4: is why we do this. The fact that there was 762 00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:22,520 Speaker 4: one reviewer who said this was a great legal thriller 763 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:28,960 Speaker 4: novel written by us for us, about us, our struggles, 764 00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:35,360 Speaker 4: our community, and our victories and our gods. 765 00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:36,800 Speaker 1: And I said, wow. 766 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:40,480 Speaker 4: I mean people are writing their reviews on their own, 767 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,520 Speaker 4: and that's what heartens me. But we got to write 768 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:46,399 Speaker 4: those reviews, as Charlemagne knows, and everybody wrote a book 769 00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:50,799 Speaker 4: because you can't trust their numbers and stuff always. But 770 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:53,480 Speaker 4: when you see the reviews keep coming in, you're like, no, Na, 771 00:43:53,760 --> 00:44:03,280 Speaker 4: somebody somebody reading the book, and so I thank you all, Charlemagne, Lauren, Envy, Jess, Queen, 772 00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 4: y'all were in this together. 773 00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:05,879 Speaker 1: Thank you so much. 774 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:09,600 Speaker 3: Absolutely appreciate you always into the phone. 775 00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:11,080 Speaker 6: I'm just seeing her thinking like you've been doing a 776 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:12,799 Speaker 6: lot of things, but you always enter the phone for us, 777 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:14,680 Speaker 6: right hey, Lauren. 778 00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:17,799 Speaker 4: And I appreciate the cause when we're trying to use 779 00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:21,360 Speaker 4: our platforms to help our people tell our stories. 780 00:44:21,440 --> 00:44:22,920 Speaker 1: So you keep doing what you do. 781 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:26,839 Speaker 3: Queen Attorney Benjamin Crump, It's the Breakfast Club. 782 00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:28,320 Speaker 2: Good morning, thank you, yes. 783 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:33,600 Speaker 1: Sir, every day a week ago up the Breakfast Club. 784 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:35,040 Speaker 1: Finished for y'all. Done,