1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: On that Friday morning, were you like, you know, it's 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: going to be an intense day. 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. 4 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 3: So we're staying in a hotel in downtown Minneapolis, and 5 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 3: so we basically meet in the lobby of the hotel 6 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 3: and then caravan out to this site. 7 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 2: We parked a few blocks away. 8 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 3: We put on hard hat ball caps, you know that 9 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 3: have just a layer of protection beneath that. We bring 10 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 3: some goggles just in case. Our photographer make sure that 11 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 3: he's bringing a light load so he can be mobile 12 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 3: with this camera and we're not necessarily planted in one spot. 13 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 2: We minimize the lights that we bring. 14 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 3: We just want to make sure we're watching out for 15 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 3: ourselves as much as trying to report what was going 16 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 3: on around us. 17 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:45,480 Speaker 1: But you weren't feeling like, man, something's not good here, 18 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: or did you didn't have like this present dement or anything, 19 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: or did you. 20 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 3: Well, even on that Thursday when we got there at 21 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 3: three am, half the buildings that we saw were on 22 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 3: fire and people were running through the streets. And I 23 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 3: mean these weren't just little flames. I mean buildings, multiple 24 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 3: story buildings were completely on fire. So when we got 25 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 3: to the scene Friday morning, it was the same deal. 26 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 3: This huge building. I think this was a six maybe 27 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 3: even seven story building was completely engulfed in flames, flame 28 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 3: shooting out every single opening you had in the building. 29 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 3: A piece of the building had collapsed while we were 30 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 3: on air, and. 31 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 4: It just collapsed. There you go, the building just collapsed 32 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 4: in the mid section. 33 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 3: I think I already sort of could see how the 34 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 3: day was going to go. 35 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: Were you thinking? And you know, I really have to 36 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: make sure that we protect our crew and myself from 37 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: the police at that point, No from Futuro media. It's Latino, USA. 38 00:01:51,120 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: I'm Maria Inojosa. 39 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 4: You see them pulling out to this intersection here again, 40 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 4: this is the first form of law enforcement we have 41 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 4: seen this entire morning, at least the last two hours. 42 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: Most of the country was fast asleep on the morning 43 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: of May twenty ninth. When Omar he Mintz was reporting 44 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: live on television. 45 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 4: I'm lost for words. Really at this point, it is 46 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 4: like something out of a movie. 47 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: Omar was covering the mass protests sparked by the murder 48 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: of George Floyd. 49 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 3: Protests intensifying overnight in Minneapolis for police. 50 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,679 Speaker 1: At around five am Omar, who is Afro Latino, went 51 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: from being a reporter of the story to a subject himself. 52 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 3: CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was arrested live on air Friday 53 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 3: morning for me. 54 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 4: Yep, we're gonna be yep, I got you. 55 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 2: I got you. 56 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: As people woke up and picked up their phones and computers, 57 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: Omar's story would be viewed millions of times as it 58 00:02:59,440 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: went viral. 59 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 4: They had us here, they had us here. 60 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: His unwarranted arrest became yet another example of a black 61 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: man just trying to do his job and the racist 62 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: comportment of the police. 63 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 4: The police asked his wife colleague what he was doing, and. 64 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 2: He said, I worked for CNN. He said fine, and 65 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 2: you see the difference in the result. 66 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: I mean, the contrast is. 67 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 4: So stark it almost feels like a caricature of reality. 68 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: But it is back. 69 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 2: He is reality. 70 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: I sat down with Omar to talk about that incident 71 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: and what he was thinking while it all unfolded. But 72 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: first we talked about his path into journalism and how 73 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: as a twenty six year old news correspondent he still 74 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: continues to think about his role bringing the audience to 75 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: his stories. Omar he Menez. Welcome to let you Know USA. 76 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 2: Thank you, thanks for having me, So you're. 77 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: Like, from where you grow up? Where you know? Like, 78 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: what's the short story of omer? He menaced his background. 79 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, the short story for me is I grew up 80 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 3: in a suburb of Atlanta, Kennesaw, Georgia, and my mom's 81 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 3: side of the family is generations from Atlanta. My dad's 82 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 3: side of the family is from Columbia. He was born 83 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 3: there in Ghati, and then he came over when he 84 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 3: was a kid, and then our family sort of grew 85 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 3: here in the United States. And I guess I went 86 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 3: to Northwestern University for college where I played basketball, studied journalism, 87 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 3: and then next thing I knew, I was at working 88 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 3: local news and making my way to CNN. 89 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: Do you remember the first black man you saw reporting? 90 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 3: I don't remember the exact first person I ever saw, 91 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 3: but I do remember one of the earliest people that 92 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:45,840 Speaker 3: had an impact on me about wanting to get in 93 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 3: TV was watching Stuart Scott again SportsCenter, bringing it alongside 94 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 3: Rich Eisen. I'm Stuart's I'm Sports Center. May he rests 95 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 3: in peace, but just watching him do Sports Center and 96 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 3: talk the way he did, which was super. 97 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 2: It was very casual. It wasn't like. 98 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:10,040 Speaker 3: The the you know, the proper, welcome to the evening news. Hey, 99 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 3: tonight on right, yeah, tonight new controversy. No, he was 100 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 3: sort of like boo boo, yeah, cooler than the other 101 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 3: side of the pillow ladies. Yeah, like things, little things 102 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 3: that obviously were very natural for him, but all of 103 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 3: a sudden, I think drew me in. Whether I was 104 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 3: conscious of the fact as a as a seventh grader, 105 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 3: I remember when I was watching him, of Wow, that's 106 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 3: another black guy on TV, and I could be that. 107 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 3: I don't want to give myself that much intellectual credit 108 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 3: at seventh grade, but I think there was something inherent 109 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 3: in seeing someone who looked like me be themselves and 110 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 3: to do it so well and to be liked by 111 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 3: basically everybody. I was a little too nerdy at the 112 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 3: time to maybe pull off the exact things that Suet 113 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,159 Speaker 3: Scott was doing, but just get paid to talk about 114 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 3: sports on and I could be on TV and all 115 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 3: my friends could watch me. That was the seventh grade 116 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 3: mentality in me that I think was playing off that 117 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 3: initial spark. 118 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: You know, was there a part of you that was like, 119 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,279 Speaker 1: I also want to make my immigrant dad proud, and 120 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: being on television and talking sports did that enter into 121 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:18,479 Speaker 1: it at all. 122 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 3: So again I don't want to give my seventh grader 123 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 3: self too much intellectual credit. But later on, when you know, 124 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 3: offers started to get serious about what I was going 125 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 3: to do in college and what I was going to 126 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 3: pursue after that. I mean, I come from a doctor family. 127 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,359 Speaker 3: My dad came to the US, he's a neurosurgeon. My 128 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 3: uncles are all doctors too, and so in my mom's 129 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 3: side of the family. 130 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 2: They're all doctors too. So there was a pressure. 131 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 3: Coming from both sides of the family that you want 132 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 3: to do what you want to get into what you know. 133 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 3: You know how difficult that is, right, Look at what 134 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,280 Speaker 3: the starting salary is. No, no, no, you need to go 135 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 3: to school. You can become a doctor, and then from 136 00:06:57,640 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 3: there you can decide what you want to do. 137 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: You could just become a neurosurgeon. I'm a neurosurgeon. I mean, 138 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: you know that's it. 139 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 3: Just knock it out, knock it out real quick. They 140 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 3: would always say, oh, no, do what makes me feel comfortable. 141 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 3: But and so I think that but motivated me to say, well, Okay, 142 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 3: if I am going to pursue this, I need and 143 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 3: I owe it to my parents to succeed as much 144 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 3: as I can, to push as hard as I can, 145 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 3: and to really give it my all, because if they 146 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 3: really want me in one path, I need to show 147 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 3: them why the path that I chose is the one 148 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 3: that works for me. And even going to a Northwestern 149 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 3: Middle School of journalism, the best in the country, that 150 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 3: was one stepping stone that I said, look, hey, look 151 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 3: where we are, Look where we're starting. They're like, oh, 152 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 3: that's fine, Well you can still take the m CAT 153 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 3: while you're there. I'm like, okay, all right, just give me, 154 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 3: give me, give me some time, and I started looking 155 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 3: for local jobs. I got Baltimore, which is an amazing 156 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 3: market to start in coming out of college. I I'm 157 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 3: still surprised to this day, but it was like, hey, 158 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 3: look look I'm starting starting in Baltimore. And even then 159 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 3: they said, well, what are the criteria to come back 160 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 3: to grad school for medicine. 161 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: So they're like, you know, Johns Hopkins is in Baltimore, 162 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: could you do some night classes in. 163 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 3: Euro search exactly. I was still getting sent things to 164 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 3: study for the MCAT. And then it wasn't until I 165 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 3: got the CNN job that I think they finally said okay. 166 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: When you start working in Baltimore, you did stories where 167 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: you went with FBI agents to try to save young 168 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: people who were being sex. 169 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 3: Trafficked alongside local and state law enforcement. This is the 170 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 3: FBI's Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force in action. 171 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,679 Speaker 1: You wrote along with FBI agents into the Dark Web 172 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,079 Speaker 1: to follow the sale of fentanyl. 173 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 3: Well, it's now become a few clicks on a computer 174 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 3: can mean drugs from anywhere in the world to a 175 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 3: doorstep here and Maryland. 176 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: You even did a segment where you actually got into 177 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: a plane and flew with the Blue Angels. 178 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 2: Don't pass out. 179 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 3: I like that pre you squeeze, don't pass out. 180 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, obviously you don't suffer from nausea. So anyway, the 181 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: point is, it seems like you're okay with inserting yourself 182 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: into particular kind of action packed situations. And for any 183 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,199 Speaker 1: of these stories, what role do you think that your 184 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: identity played well? 185 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 3: From a reporter standpoint, I like to be the window 186 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 3: into these into uncommon scenarios that we're familiar with on 187 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 3: a surface level, but maybe don't quite see the intricacies 188 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 3: of how it works. For example, you see and arrests 189 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 3: in a sex trafficking from a sex Trafficking Task Force 190 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 3: and the FBI, but you don't know what goes into that. 191 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:08,080 Speaker 3: You may see the Blue Angel show as it flies 192 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 3: over your city, but you don't know what goes into that. 193 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 3: So I really do appreciate the fact of being a 194 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 3: window and in some ways as a reporter, you get 195 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 3: an excuse to do some cool stuff, and that's that's 196 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 3: part of it. But again, it's that window that really 197 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,200 Speaker 3: that really plays into it. As far as a my 198 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 3: personal what do I feel my personal identity plays into things, 199 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 3: It's kind of hard to answer because for those stories 200 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:38,760 Speaker 3: in particular, they weren't ones that that identified. 201 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 2: With you know, how I grew up personally. 202 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: So you did do a lot of stories with the police, like, 203 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 1: for example, the one with human trafficking and kind of 204 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: uncovering that. So what do you think that a journalist, 205 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: but specifically your relationship to the police is. 206 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 3: Police and reporters work together all the time, make no 207 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 3: mistake about it. Every day police are in communication with 208 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 3: the reporters, especially at the local level and then at 209 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 3: the national level. Whenever there's an incident that happens, police 210 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 3: are in communication with reporters every day. There is a 211 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 3: working relationship there, and so when I was doing those stories, 212 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,559 Speaker 3: it was kind of an evolvement of that, an evolution 213 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 3: of that. Now, what I recall, based on my experience 214 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 3: in Minneapolis, was that when an incident happens, it's a 215 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 3: lot of the times you default to that working relationship 216 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 3: and they say, well, police say that a man came 217 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 3: up the street on the eight hundred block of so, 218 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,160 Speaker 3: so and so. But it's always police say, and this 219 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 3: the information that's being fed to you by police. Well, 220 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 3: in Baltimore, I learned from just people in the community 221 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 3: there that the police accounts weren't always quite accurate, or 222 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 3: the police would give you an account and you talk 223 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 3: to a witness and they're like, no, no, that's not 224 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 3: how it happened. 225 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 2: This is how it happened. 226 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 4: Everybody's running as police seem to be pulling in with sirens. 227 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: So on that Friday morning, take us to the moment 228 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: when you're in the middle of that live shot. 229 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,679 Speaker 3: We had moved out of the way of police and 230 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:15,079 Speaker 3: we were standing basically to the side of the intersection 231 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 3: that they sort of decided to form a perimeter around, 232 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 3: and we start our live shot right after the top 233 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:20,880 Speaker 3: of the hour. 234 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,439 Speaker 2: What I want to make sure is not lost in 235 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 2: this as we're seeing these. 236 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 3: Forms, and honestly, everything started out completely normally. 237 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 2: Is taking place. There is some action behind you. 238 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 3: Hang on, and there's one thing that happened over the 239 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 3: course of that report. Yep, we've got one person being 240 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 3: arrested here. The report I was doing is now out 241 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 3: the window. Let's talk about what's happening right here. 242 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:42,559 Speaker 1: We've got for me. 243 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, we're good. 244 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 3: So as I'm talking and doing that, I feel a 245 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 3: Minnesota State Patrol person come up behind me and they've 246 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 3: got their arm on the back of my arm. 247 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 4: They had us here, they had us here. We're speaking 248 00:12:57,840 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 4: with State Patrol right now. 249 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:01,680 Speaker 3: Give us a second, guys, no reason to be suspicious. 250 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,119 Speaker 3: In my head, even at this point, I just assumed 251 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 3: as I kept talking, that they're handling the situation with 252 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 3: this woman and they want to make sure that we 253 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 3: don't run in the way and get in the way. 254 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 2: So I continue talking. 255 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 4: We are live on the air at the moments. 256 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 2: Put us back where you want us. 257 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 4: We were getting out of your way, So just let 258 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 4: us know wherever you want us we will go. We 259 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 4: were just getting out of your way when you were 260 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 4: advancing through the intersection, So just let. 261 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 2: Us know, and we got you. 262 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:30,440 Speaker 3: You can't even see me at that point, but this 263 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 3: person already has their hand again on my tricep and 264 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 3: I continue talking, continue talking, continue talking. 265 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 4: And this is a scene here playing out in Minneapolis. 266 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,440 Speaker 4: This is part of the advanced police presence that we 267 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 4: saw come over the course of early minutes. 268 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,559 Speaker 2: When the local police showed. 269 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 3: Up, and then eventually that person's arrested, the camera swings 270 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 3: back around. I keep going and now you can see 271 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:01,680 Speaker 3: the person's now I think it's it's escalated a little 272 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 3: from a hand resting to I would say a grab. 273 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 3: And the only words that we're ever spoken from that 274 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 3: point were you're under arrest I'm. 275 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 4: Sorry, okay, do you mind tell me why I'm under arrestler? 276 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 4: Why why am I under arrestler? 277 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 3: Even as we had been showing our credentials, even as 278 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 3: we had our full camera crew there, even as we 279 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 3: are live on TV, as my producer, photographer and myself 280 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 3: were telling them, they took the microphone out of my hands. 281 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 3: I made sure to try and show the fact that 282 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 3: I was cuffed to the camera, and they walked me away. 283 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 3: As again the city was burning in that particular area, 284 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,280 Speaker 3: and the live report, at least from my contribution, was over. 285 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 2: If you're just tuning in, you. 286 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 4: Are watching our car respondent Omakamenez being arrested by state 287 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 4: police in Minnesota. 288 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 2: We're not sure why. 289 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: I mean, it really is extraordinary, especially because he never 290 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: once said why you were being placed under arrest. 291 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 3: I never even got an explanation as I was being 292 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 3: led away because I asked the officer that was leading 293 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 3: me away and said, hey, look, we're going to be 294 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 3: out here every single day. I got more teammates coming 295 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,440 Speaker 3: this afternoon. What did we do? Because I want to 296 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 3: make sure that's communicated to other people that are coming in. 297 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 3: And the guy said, look, man, I'm sorry, I don't know. 298 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 3: I'm just following orders. 299 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,359 Speaker 1: Coming up on Latino Usay, what happened in the aftermath 300 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 1: of Omar being arrested and how he has processed the 301 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: experience stay with us, not about yes, hey, we're back. 302 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: When we left off, Omar Hi Menez, correspondent for CNN, 303 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: was telling us about his experience and being arrested by 304 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:06,440 Speaker 1: Minnesota State Patrol officers while covering the protests. In the aftermath, 305 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: of the George Floyd murder. We're going to continue that 306 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:15,680 Speaker 1: conversation now with Omar khumenis. Were you afraid? 307 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,480 Speaker 3: I think in the immediacy of it, I wasn't, But 308 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 3: there was a moment where I did feel especially uneasy. 309 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 3: When I was on camera. There was a sense of 310 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,159 Speaker 3: comfort knowing that we're live on TV, people are watching me, 311 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 3: I'm being as respectful as they can be, and anything 312 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 3: that they do to me will be almost immediately accountable 313 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 3: by people watching across the world. For that particular broadcast 314 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 3: where things did get a little uneasy was there was 315 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,200 Speaker 3: a delay between when the rest of my crew is arrested. 316 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 3: So for a while I thought I was the only 317 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 3: person that was under arrest. I had been led completely away. 318 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 3: I was now surrounded by a bunch of Minnesota State 319 00:17:56,320 --> 00:18:02,360 Speaker 3: Police without my crew, and I truly was like, okay, 320 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 3: what's happening now, I'm now off camera. Nobody can see 321 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 3: what's about to may or may not happen to me, 322 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 3: and so in my head there was a brief moment 323 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 3: of like, Okay, I think I snapped out of professional 324 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:17,440 Speaker 3: mode there. 325 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 1: At that moment. Did you also when you were like, uh, oh, 326 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: I'm alone here was there also a realization that said, 327 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: and I am a black. 328 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 3: Man in that moment, I wasn't even there yet. Now 329 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 3: that I've had time to reflect, of course, it adds 330 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 3: an even scarier context and even more mind boggling context 331 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 3: of not just being a black man, but also being 332 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 3: a microcosm of the story that I was already covering 333 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:50,880 Speaker 3: at this point. 334 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,919 Speaker 1: You are part of this story. Yeah, And you have 335 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 1: said that you were kind of all professional up until 336 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 1: a certain point, and I'm wondering when you say that 337 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: you got out of professional mode, is like, is that 338 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 1: the difference between professional mode is one thing being a 339 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:16,479 Speaker 1: black man who is being cuffed by police with you know, 340 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,359 Speaker 1: and again do process being violated, et cetera, et cetera. 341 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,200 Speaker 1: That's something else. 342 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 3: Well, And that was one of the major lessons I 343 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 3: think I took away from from this whole experience was 344 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 3: that I think I had been viewing it as two 345 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 3: separate things. And this was the first story, even before 346 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 3: that arrest. This was the first story where the human 347 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 3: side of me and the work side of me seemed 348 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,919 Speaker 3: to be bridged or get closer to being bridged. And 349 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 3: then the arrest happened, and then it was unavoidable. And 350 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 3: I think the biggest shift that I now had was 351 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 3: that I had been trying. 352 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 2: To keep these two worlds separate. 353 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,880 Speaker 3: That Oh, I step into this story and I tell 354 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 3: what's going on, and I use maybe my experience to 355 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 3: help guide me. But then I step back out and 356 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 3: I go home, or I leave the story, and boom, 357 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 3: that's it. This story. There was no stepping in one. 358 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 3: I was being pulled in, and then once I was in, 359 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,200 Speaker 3: there was no escaping it. Because this was the reality 360 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,959 Speaker 3: of my experience, whether I was a reporter or not. 361 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: Your mom comes from many generations of Atlanta African American family, 362 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:30,160 Speaker 1: am I right? 363 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 2: Yep? 364 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 3: Correct? 365 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: I hear. Your mom was not happy when she saw 366 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,639 Speaker 1: her son, who she loves in Adoors being arrested live 367 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:39,399 Speaker 1: on television. 368 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 3: So the night before, my mom had texted me saying, hey, 369 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,160 Speaker 3: I haven't really seen you on this much, even though 370 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 3: I'd been on a lot. But she had just had 371 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 3: a really busy week, so she said, when's the next 372 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 3: time you'll be on. I said, oh, tomorrow morning, six am, 373 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 3: and she's like, okay, I'll wake up. So she woke 374 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,680 Speaker 3: up early and was watching it live sitting in bed 375 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 3: as the whole situation unfolded right before her eyes. So 376 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 3: if she wasn't awake before, she was definitely awake. Then 377 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 3: she was on the phone maybe forty seconds into me 378 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:16,120 Speaker 3: being in cuffs, calling everybody that she could. Throughout all 379 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 3: of this, she's in tears, just trying to process the 380 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 3: personal side of things, but then also that motherly instinct 381 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,920 Speaker 3: of trying to do something. She went through a lot 382 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 3: that morning. She was the first one to sort of 383 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 3: contextualize things a little more for me and a little 384 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 3: seriously in her head. She didn't want to be another 385 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 3: mother who had had a black son die in police custody, 386 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 3: another mother who had a son transported by police and 387 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 3: then somehow end up in the hospital. 388 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: So Omar, your story has clearly struck a nerve. Your 389 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:14,919 Speaker 1: video of you getting arrested has nine million views. But 390 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: you know, there's an article in The New Yorker that 391 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 1: suggests that your story got so much attention partially because 392 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 1: it's centered on you, you know, a good looking graduate from 393 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,880 Speaker 1: Northwestern who works at an elite media institution like CNN, 394 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:35,120 Speaker 1: And there's this notion of you know, respectability politics. It's complicated, right, 395 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 1: but I'm wondering whether or not you've thought about if 396 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,920 Speaker 1: it has played a role in your life as a journalist. 397 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 3: Well, it's a reality of growing up as a black 398 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 3: man after Latino, all of that, because it's what you're 399 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:56,480 Speaker 3: taught in those households. With my when I got my 400 00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 3: driver's license, I explicitly remember the talk. Here's how you 401 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,160 Speaker 3: interact with police when you're pulled over. Here's what you do. 402 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 3: You always are polite. That's not a conversation that's happening 403 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 3: in white households. 404 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 2: It's just not. 405 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:14,359 Speaker 3: And so that is beat so much into you over 406 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 3: the years that it's now a part of who I am. 407 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 3: And a part of that, too is in some ways 408 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 3: you're so thankful to be where you are because there 409 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 3: may not be as much to fall back onto that 410 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 3: you are always going to be the submissive one. You're 411 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 3: always going to defer off to someone else. You're always 412 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:40,720 Speaker 3: going to, uh, you're right, you're right, let's do it 413 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 3: this way, because these are habits that have been beat 414 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:49,160 Speaker 3: into our community for decades. And so as far as 415 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 3: having that being pointed out, I don't take offense to that. 416 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 3: I say, yeah, I'm glad you're pointing that out everything 417 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 3: that happened in that moment wasn't an on the fly thing. 418 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 3: It came from years of unconsciously picking up different things 419 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:13,640 Speaker 3: from here and there, here and there, tell me where 420 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:15,119 Speaker 3: you want to stand. Oh well you don't want us 421 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 3: to stand here? Okay, well we'll go over here. Here's 422 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 3: my press credential. I'm trying to polite my way out 423 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 3: of an interaction that seemed to be predetermined. Did come 424 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 3: from years of that mentality when it comes to interactions 425 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 3: with police, make it out of the situation alive. 426 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: All mat Hei Mann is thank you so much for 427 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: joining me on Latino USA. 428 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:52,160 Speaker 2: Of course, thanks for having me. 429 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: This episode was produced by Antonio Serrjuido and edited by 430 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 1: Sophia Palisaka. The Latino USA team includes Niel Massiez, Luis 431 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: Rees Gamoca, Julieta Martinelli, Gini Montalbo, alisaes Garcin, and Alejandra Salasa, 432 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: with Hope from Raul Verees. Our engineers are Stephanie Lebou 433 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,800 Speaker 1: and Julia Caruso. Additional engineering this week by Lea Shaw. 434 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: Our director of programming and Operations is Natalia Fidelhotz. Our 435 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,880 Speaker 1: digital editor is Amandel Cantra. Our New York Women's Foundation 436 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: Ignite fellow is Julia Roja. Our interns are Sophia Sanchez 437 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:49,880 Speaker 1: and Marie Mendosa. Our theme music was composed by ze Ronos. 438 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: If you like the music you heard on this episode, 439 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,320 Speaker 1: stop by Latino Usa dot org and check out our 440 00:25:55,359 --> 00:25:59,439 Speaker 1: weekly Spotify playlist. I'm your host and executive producer Marieno Posa. 441 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,119 Speaker 1: Join again on our next episode, and in the meantime, 442 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 1: you can find us on all of your social media. 443 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: Remember stay safe, Joe. 444 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 5: Latino USA is made possible in part by the New 445 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,440 Speaker 5: York Women's Foundation, funding women leaders that build solutions in 446 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:21,360 Speaker 5: their communities and celebrating thirty years of radical generosity. Carnegie 447 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 5: Corporation promoting the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding, 448 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 5: and the Annie Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for 449 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:36,560 Speaker 5: the nation's children by strengthening families, building greater economic opportunity, 450 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:38,200 Speaker 5: and transforming communities. 451 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,200 Speaker 3: Dark on Netflix US Unbelievable 452 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:48,640 Speaker 1: Nad Too, Scary Man, Nah