WEBVTT - Civic Cipher 040321 ft. Patrick C. Brown 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.680 Welcome to another episode of Civic Cipher. I'm your host, 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:03.480 rams is Jah. 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:06.920 They call me q Ward, but my name is Quentin, 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:10.960 but Quentin is you know, not easy to say. People 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:13.840 call me Quentin and Quincy, so I just go with Q. 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:16.760 So when you hear q Ward, it's not the stage name, 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:20.640 it's my actual initial and last name. I just want 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:23.439 the people to know that I wasn't trying to be cool. 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:27.840 And uh, you know, today we're back to talk to you, 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:35.600 hopefully about some some things that we can do to 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:37.160 make the world a little bit. 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:41.960 Better, safer, more equitable. You know, in true to form, 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:44.639 We're going to have our conversations about things that are 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:49.040 going on in the world, as we typically do here 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:53.159 on Civic Cipher. But the thing is today we have 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:55.720 a special guest in the building with us. This is 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:59.760 somebody that I've really wanted to come up on the 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:01.840 show for a long time, and he's such a busy person. 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:08.080 I've heard him speak a handful of times, enough times 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:10.039 to make me wish i've heard him. I was able 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:12.839 to hear him speak more, and it just so happens 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:15.040 to be the case that we both are on the 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:21.120 NAACP's Political Action Committee. And so this is a person 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:23.520 that's been it's been a long time coming being able 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.920 to plug in with such a profound thinker and speaker. 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:29.800 And I'm sure there's a whole list of accolades. I 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:33.200 would love to hear all about him. But Patrick C. 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:36.880 Brown is with us today, So welcome to the show. 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:38.120 Yo, thanks for having me. 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:40.120 I mean, you make me sound like, you know, I 0:01:40.160 --> 0:01:44.360 need a book deal, a publicist or something. I'm just 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:46.320 like I like to keep thinking. So well, I was 0:01:46.560 --> 0:01:49.120 trying and roll in silence. I try and you know, 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:51.200 you know, speak my truth and you know, get people 0:01:51.200 --> 0:01:52.040 to think about stuff. 0:01:52.040 --> 0:01:53.040 So thank you for having me. 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:56.320 Absolutely absolutely, Well, this is the place to have the 0:01:56.400 --> 0:01:59.880 types of conversations that we are going to have to 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:03.800 and so I appreciate you. And then a little later 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:06.760 on in the show, we're gonna have to talk a 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:11.400 little bit about some of the voters suppression initiatives that 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:16.640 have taken center stage and you know, the the legislature 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:19.400 and so forth, and I think that you're perhaps a 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:22.640 bit more familiar with the goings on in that arena 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:25.400 than either me or Q, and so we would love 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:27.880 to hear your thoughts on that and uh, of course 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:31.160 educate folks on what we can do to empower ourselves 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:35.880 and fight against those voter suppression initiatives. But first order 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:42.120 of business, you know, big news this week is the 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:46.640 trial of His name doesn't even deserve to be said, 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:47.760 but I have to say it, so you know what 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:53.359 I'm talking about. His name is Derek Shaven, Shaven something 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:58.840 like something like that. This is the officer who has 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:06.600 uh been tried, uh try, he's being tried for murder, right, 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:14.880 and the person who was responsible for for snuffing the 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:20.240 life of George Floyd out. Now, be honest, you you 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:22.440 probably know a little bit more about what's going on 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:25.160 with the trial. Q. So how about you? Unfortunately? Yeah, 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:27.080 so so talk talk me through what's happened. 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:28.400 So can we break down the charges? 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:31.200 I know that's I think that that really sends the 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:33.760 message home to like, you know, what, what what this 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:34.320 man did? 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:35.000 I mean? 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:38.160 Yeah, absolutely, And before we get to the specific charger, 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:42.240 I want people to understand why I said unfortunately, because 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:45.760 that might seem obvious, right, it's a trial of a 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:47.720 black man that was murdered. You know, maybe that's what 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:51.600 people thought I meant, But unfortunately, because watching the trial 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:57.680 causes you to relive and re experience the trauma that 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:01.320 all of us, I think across the world collectively experienced 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:09.000 last year when George Floyd was murdered, and voluntary trauma 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:13.280 is not really I don't really subscribe except because of 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:17.920 what we do. My professional responsibility means you have to. 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:20.800 One of us needs to be paying attention specifically to 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:25.320 what's going on with this trial. And I have to 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:30.560 be honest, I wish it was Ramses because Ramses is 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:34.279 the hopeful, optimistic side of this coin that we are 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:42.760 and unfortunately, the more progress we make, the more we 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:48.200 realize that we have so much further to go. And 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:53.320 part of this trial for the murder of George Floyd 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:59.159 with Officer Derek Chauvin, and I'm not sure that I'm 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:04.640 pronouncing his name incorrectly as you listen to the defense, 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:08.880 and you think that they were trying to prove the 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:13.880 guilt of George Floyd instead of the innocence of their 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:20.839 own client. And far too often in this country that's 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:31.760 the case. There's a black victim of violence by far 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:38.919 too often a white officer, and the defense spends most 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:42.919 of their resources on shining the light on the worst 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:48.719 parts of this victim's life, an effort to justify and 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:56.000 or sway emotionally the jury of quote unquote peers. So 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:00.320 it's a hard trial to experience, to watch, to pay 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:06.920 attention to, because there's this lingering feeling of mistrust with 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:10.360 me personally, where I'm like, justice won't be served here, 0:06:12.320 --> 0:06:14.480 and I really don't like that. That's how I feel. 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:19.359 But I've seen this movie a lot of times, and 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:21.279 I sit and wait for the post credit scene, like 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:24.599 a Marvel movie, waiting for the waiting for the good 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:29.560 part to happen or that can't be it, And far 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:34.520 too often there's no post credit scene. The movie goes 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:39.640 off the credits roll, this over another person that wasn't 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:43.920 found guilty or even when found guilty, right, because even 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:47.560 once a person is convicted, they have to be sentenced. 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:52.120 The sentences are really liked relatively, you know what I mean. 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:57.159 And sometimes you know, the state or the city or 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:02.680 the government even find just reason to press causes, I mean, 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:08.640 to press to press charges even when we have video evidence. 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:16.560 I want to say something. You know, there's a you 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:22.480 know when when in Ferguson a few years ago, there 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:26.200 was this similar to what you said. There was this 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:32.600 almost this effort to make Mike Brown seem like he 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:37.800 was this thug gang member whatever, as though that warrants 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:42.480 his death or that justifies the office, the fear that 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:45.480 the officer experiences, and these are supposed to be the 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:49.240 brave even you know, and so forth, and far too often, 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:53.400 especially coming from an environment like you know, the one 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:57.640 that I was born into again, which is Compton, California, 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:03.760 I'm able to recognize that, you know, people are these 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:06.720 are most of the time, they're just normal people, and 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:13.000 it's just very unfortunate to see that. You know. The 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:18.960 the defense is, well, let's let's make the the person 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:21.000 who can't say their piece, that the person who's lost 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:25.320 their life look like they deserve to die, you know, 0:08:25.560 --> 0:08:29.840 or that that that the the the murder was was justified. 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:38.400 And I think that further reinforces this idea that black 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:43.560 lives don't matter, which has kind of been a part 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:48.559 of the conversations or really a part of the tapestry 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:53.800 of this country since inception. You know, we're just disposable, 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.440 and you know, that's just kind of what happens. It's sad, 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:58.480 but you know, probably deserved. 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:02.400 And what's what's sickening about about this this trial? And 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:03.960 I mean we could we could we go down the list. 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:05.480 I mean, I mean I'm not I'm not gonna ask 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:07.600 anybody pull out any IDs. I think I'm probably maybe 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:10.880 the older of the three of us here. And I 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:15.080 mean for me, you know, I clearly remember the Rodney 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.080 King beating. And I mean I was I was what 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:22.880 as high school and watching that on TV and it 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:25.720 was crazy about that is we were supposed to play 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:29.480 in a basketball tournament in California and I got canceled 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.200 because of the LA riots and so you know, it 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:37.160 was kind of really interesting seeing just the different attitudes. 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:40.680 You know, my my my Caucasian teammates were mad because 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:42.520 our California trip was done. And why you know why 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:44.640 these be like burning down California. We're supposed to go 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:45.720 to Disneyland, but play. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:47.160 Ball and all this kind of stuff. We're going to 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:47.680 re Forum. 0:09:47.880 --> 0:09:50.280 You know, it was a pre stable center and everything. 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:54.680 But all my black teammates and myself and our parents, 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.880 we just had this look of like, you know this 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:01.160 it's like it's a another day in America. 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:03.600 Sure, but we had we. 0:10:03.480 --> 0:10:08.319 Were hopeful because this stuff has been happening since, you know, 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:11.760 before any of us were here for our grandparents, for 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:14.640 our grandparent grandparents. But we were like, we were hopeful 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:17.880 because we got a video. We're not making this up. 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:22.840 We've got proof. And then they all got off. You know. 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:25.520 Now they did a federal trial and everything, but ultimately 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:29.880 they never they never really saw the punishment. And what 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:34.360 really just hurts my heart and angers me is the 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:39.719 fact that it's a viable defense to play to all 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:44.079 the racial, racist, white supremacist stereotypes of blout black men 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:47.280 and when you look at some of the stuff for 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:49.880 the witness, because I saw the video of the one, 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.480 the one guy that I believe he's the MT, the brother, 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:55.480 and he was and they were playing like, were you angry? 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:59.439 You know, we're you know, you know you you called 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:01.000 you know, I don't know, I don't know what the 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:02.959 rules are for what I can you know about the 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:06.440 language I'm gonna play. I'm gonna go generated, but but 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:10.160 you know you called him all these derogatory terms and whatnot. 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:15.520 And my thing is, if you're watching somebody die, you 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:19.840 gotta be a dead human being inside not to be angry. Sure, 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:22.480 I mean, I watched that video because I said, you know, 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:24.320 I had I had to. I watched it because I said, 0:11:24.320 --> 0:11:27.560 I had to be a witness, a witness to this 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:33.960 man's death, you know. And I was just angry. So 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:39.280 I can imagine being there live seeing it happen. 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:42.000 Yeah, and you it's your present for right. 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:45.480 And seeing yourself in that And and I think, you 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:48.120 know what, what I've tried to explain to I think, 0:11:48.440 --> 0:11:51.200 you know, white people, folks who are not less, are 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.160 less likely to experience this type of violence, is that 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:57.280 you have to understand that when this happens for Freddie Gray, 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:02.200 for you know, you know, Oscar Grant, for George Floyd, 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:06.360 we see that could easily be us. The three of 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:10.720 us sitting here could easily be George Floyd. And then 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:12.440 you take it a step further. I think of you know, 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:17.400 of you know, the young kids like Tamir Rice. I've 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:22.520 got eleven year old son, and you know, I see, 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:25.120 you know, Trayvon Martin. I see my son's eyes. I 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:28.520 have two sons, you know, I see you know, Tamir 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:31.960 Rice's eyes. I think you know, if my boys go 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:33.600 down just down to the end of the block, we'll 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.560 play basketball. Is somebody gonna not see an eleven year 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:38.720 old and an eight year old? Are they gonna see 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:39.720 grown men? 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:41.680 Yeah, and grown black men. 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.520 Grown black men, and take their lives. 0:12:46.840 --> 0:12:48.520 Or put them in a position to where they have 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:52.680 to justify their existence or face death, you know, because 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:55.679 some folks they might not engage directly, but they'll call 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:57.680 the police. Hey, I saw someone walking down the street. 0:12:57.760 --> 0:12:59.200 He looks like he doesn't belong here. And then the 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:03.439 police show up. And history has shown us that oftentimes 0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:06.160 it's the police that escalate the situation. The police show 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.320 up with the weapons. The police show up, you know, 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:11.080 with the capacity to kill. And this is critical. 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:15.640 I'm sorry because you're you're you're on the right path 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:19.480 of this, but let me throw this in. The police 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.760 are capable of not doing that because we see it 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:27.199 happen when the individual is it's not black. 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:30.079 Let's let's go. Let's go to Wisconsin. 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:38.040 Dude had a semi semi automatic weapon in a highly 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:41.200 charged environment, lots of stuff. You know, you can say, 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:43.840 every indicator of a policeman should be on you know, 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:48.319 read alert. Yet they let him walk by, first of all, 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:50.600 and then when there was you know, somebody got shot 0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:55.400 or whatnot, they were able to control themselves. I've witnessed, 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:57.160 you know, especially when I go back to my you know, 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:58.559 my days when I used to go to clubs and 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:00.319 you know when I lived that life and whatnot. Sure, 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:05.959 I've witnessed white dudes say all sorts of stuff to 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.880 cops under the influence, call them everything but their name, 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:16.600 and they can show self control. But then, officer, this 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:19.680 is my house. I'm the I'm the homeowner. Why I 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:21.560 need to see somebody? Could you step out, make sure 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:23.240 you show your hands, move slowly. 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:25.640 And we're going to talk about that. I want you 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:27.200 to keep keep that in mind. We're going to talk 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:30.080 about that when we talk about So there was an 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:33.640 incident that happened in I want to say it was Arkansas. 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:38.000 About how the interactions with police are. They tend to 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:41.720 be very aggressive with when it comes to black males specifically, 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:44.760 but black people and then to a larger extent, all 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:47.640 people of color. I don't want to look past our 0:14:47.720 --> 0:14:49.800 Hispanic brothers and sisters in this moment, because I do 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.640 recognize that it happens to them as well. Yes, but 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:54.160 before we get there, and I do want to talk 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:58.000 about that at length. You mentioned something, uh and I 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.320 thought that it was it was really important to mention 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:10.840 this or to discuss this right now, there's this narrative 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.600 that exists on the other side for people that say, well, 0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:17.160 this is one person that died at the hands of 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.720 a police officer. Of course, there's some bad apples, there's 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:22.120 some people that take it too far, but for the 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:25.480 most part, the policing works. It keeps us safe, right 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:29.360 And I understand that in their reality, that is their truth, 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:31.440 and we have to allow for that. You know, we 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:33.480 have to challenge it, but we have to allow for 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:35.200 it to exist in the first place. And so we 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:40.560 want to establish that first. These people, oftentimes will then 0:15:40.640 --> 0:15:43.360 take it a step further, which you know, we will 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:48.000 all agree is pretty flagrant on their part, and they'll say, well, 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:52.640 why aren't you as upset with what's going on in 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:54.920 Chicago where people are murdered all the time, or what 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:57.840 about black on black crime that takes more black lives 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:02.960 quote unquote than police violence, and so forth. And I 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:05.560 think that a lot of times people miss that what 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:09.560 we're trying to do is reshape the narrative, reshape the 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:12.800 value of black life. Because of images were shown on 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:16.640 television and the culture at large, and there's something and 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:19.800 when you were talking about the Rodney King riots in 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:25.920 Los Angeles, which I was there for, that there's something 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:30.280 that a lot of folks don't mention or they don't 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:36.320 really consider, and that's that if there is a quote 0:16:36.320 --> 0:16:39.600 black on black crime that takes place, black on black 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.280 crime is not a real thing any more than white 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:46.160 on white crime that doesn't exist. You know that you you, 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:48.600 you're around people that look like you. For the most part, 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:50.200 your family members look like you. 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:51.840 And so you know what I mean, Most crimes in 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.440 general are based on proximity. That's it. Color, that's it. 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:56.680 And you're you're not going to go You're not going 0:16:56.760 --> 0:16:59.760 to go clear across town, rob somebody if you can. 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:02.760 Rob's closer to if you need, you know, you need 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:04.840 some convenience and in those situations. 0:17:04.880 --> 0:17:08.800 But you know, this narrative has been established and allowed 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.920 to exist and grow and fester to where folks can 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:14.119 kind of hide behind this and say, well, listen, I 0:17:14.119 --> 0:17:16.440 don't need to support black lives matter. Of course, all 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:19.600 lives matter, and black people need to figure out what 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:22.720 their values are before they come for our police. We 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:28.919 support our police again, which again is a sensible thing 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:30.920 when you don't know any better. So I don't want 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:33.679 to attack a vacuum right in a vacuum absent all 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:38.320 the rest of the facts. But the thing that I 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:41.640 like to bring up in situations like that is that 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.800 if there is a quote black on black crime that happens, 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:52.959 we demand justice, We demand a trial. Usually the person 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:55.359 is found, if the police are doing their job, the 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.960 person goes to court as a day in court, and 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:03.159 if there's a conviction, the person has put away. And 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:06.119 all too often what we see with these police shootings 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:10.240 is that they're a high profile so again shaping the 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:16.479 national narrative one way or the other. And what is 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:19.680 infinitely more important is that there is no justice. They're 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:22.200 not even ever really on trial, as you mentioned in 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:23.800 Los Angeles in ninety two. 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:25.440 Sometimes they don't even bring charges. 0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:27.480 I mean, it's rare, it's rare. Do we even get 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:28.480 to the stage many times. 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:32.199 Sure, we've got we've got incidences happened in Americapa County 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:35.000 that never saw the inside of court. 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:36.840 Word, yeah, I know, you know the Americopa County. 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:41.280 You know, attorney's office decline to even pursue any charges. 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:43.680 Absolutely, I mean and it's not even recently. 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:48.760 This has happened over years of police misconduct, violence, death, 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:49.600 things of that nature. 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:50.200 Yeah. 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:55.719 Absolutely, And so you know what happens is just sticking 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:59.600 with the example that we used earlier in Los Angeles, 0:18:59.600 --> 0:19:09.920 where there's video evidence of gross police misconduct, a blatant 0:19:09.920 --> 0:19:14.119 disregard for human life. And I would challenge anybody listening 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:17.840 to my voice to reimagine Rodney King as a dog. 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:23.080 See all these police officers beating a dog. How upset 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:25.560 does that make you? And does that make you more 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:28.720 upset if it's a dog, because then you need to 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:32.240 search inside yourself if it's a dog, do you demand 0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:36.480 or do you understand why there were riots because these 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:40.080 police officers got off or now you know, do you 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:43.840 does it make sense? Because I would I would bet 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:46.200 that that is the truth. And that's all we want 0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:49.880 is just when these high profile cases happen. I'm gonna 0:19:49.880 --> 0:19:52.520 get you cue, when these high profile cases happen where 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:54.080 all the cameras are on and we're able to kind 0:19:54.119 --> 0:19:57.040 of contribute to the storyline of black people in America, 0:19:57.680 --> 0:20:01.119 that what we're doing is we're we're taking advantage of 0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:04.680 or there's potentially an opportunity to say black lives do matter, 0:20:04.880 --> 0:20:08.000 there is justice in the world, Our lives are worth something, 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:12.000 and when they're taken from us needlessly and senselessly, that 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:20.240 there are consequences. And that's that's really it. So you 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:22.000 can pay out and say, yeah, it was a wrongful debt, 0:20:22.040 --> 0:20:26.640 You can do all that sort of stuff. No consequences, justice, justice, 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:29.360 And this is why this cry has been so lowed. Now, 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:31.119 I'm so sorry I had to get that off, but you. 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:33.160 Know, I'm glad you got that off because that was important. 0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:36.320 It was actually what you said that woke up something 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:38.680 in me. Sure, Before I move on, I want to 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:42.879 say this man's name, Donald Williams, was the gentleman that 0:20:43.000 --> 0:20:49.040 the defense attorney tried to paint as this angry black man, okay, right, 0:20:49.200 --> 0:20:52.600 so that the jury and the people watching couldn't lose 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:56.600 sympathy for him. Yeah, the cop was so uncomfortable with 0:20:56.680 --> 0:20:59.560 this guy screaming at him that he couldn't pay attention 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:03.080 to the that he was murdering at the time. But 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:05.639 the thing about the dog and the thing about even 0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:08.720 him and the trial in general, that sparked something very 0:21:08.840 --> 0:21:12.760 very personal for me. And I've not ever shared this 0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:19.119 outside of a very small circle. My little brother, Vincent 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:21.600 Barry is here with us, been in my life for 0:21:21.760 --> 0:21:25.480 thirty seven thirty thirty five to thirty seven of my 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:29.400 thirty nine years. One of the rare people who were 0:21:29.440 --> 0:21:31.760 in my life. We were in each other's lives when 0:21:31.760 --> 0:21:36.879 our fathers passed. And I've not shared this part of 0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:41.560 my story out loud before, but when my father passed 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:44.280 away after not being in my life for most of 0:21:44.280 --> 0:21:47.040 my life, and my mom divorced when I was about 0:21:47.040 --> 0:21:51.720 three years old, and that's why Vincent's father meant so 0:21:51.840 --> 0:21:54.040 much to me, because he took up some of that 0:21:54.080 --> 0:22:00.600 responsibility along with you know, William Reverie and John Reese. 0:22:00.760 --> 0:22:09.240 I wept like as aggressively as you can cry, with 0:22:09.320 --> 0:22:16.840 as much emotion, with as much feeling for loss, and 0:22:16.960 --> 0:22:19.800 my older brother came home and didn't understand why I 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:23.160 was crying, and when he found out, he was angry 0:22:25.280 --> 0:22:29.400 because my older brother watched my mom be abused about 0:22:29.400 --> 0:22:33.240 my father, and in his mind, my father did not 0:22:33.400 --> 0:22:37.200 deserve for me to be hurt, for me to weep, 0:22:37.720 --> 0:22:41.800 for me to feel his absence, so an effort to 0:22:41.920 --> 0:22:45.320 make me not feel that way, my brother told me 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:50.240 every bad thing that he could possibly think about my father. 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:54.560 And when you were talking about how people will respond 0:22:54.560 --> 0:22:58.119 if it was a dog, and you were talking about 0:22:58.240 --> 0:23:01.879 the way that they criminally lies and the way they 0:23:01.880 --> 0:23:08.280 want to make George Floyd look like he doesn't deserve justice. 0:23:08.480 --> 0:23:13.040 He does not deserve for you to feel sorry for him. 0:23:13.400 --> 0:23:18.000 He's not your martyr, as Candice Owns so proudly proclaimed 0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:24.520 on the internet, you have to make him seem less worth, 0:23:25.720 --> 0:23:31.919 less worthy, rather of sympathy and justice and fair, sound 0:23:31.960 --> 0:23:36.680 minded people to think something wrong happened. So let's paint 0:23:36.720 --> 0:23:40.280 the worst possible picture of him. Because the whole world 0:23:40.320 --> 0:23:42.800 is crying, the whole world is angry, and people are 0:23:42.840 --> 0:23:46.440 in the streets. Oh my god. We have to stop this. 0:23:47.080 --> 0:23:50.439 We have to show these people that the man that 0:23:50.640 --> 0:23:55.760 was murdered must be less than that, less than a dog. 0:23:55.840 --> 0:24:01.439 Even so, he doesn't deserve your anger and your tears. 0:24:02.080 --> 0:24:08.359 There's I'm gonna get the quote wrong, but there's something 0:24:08.400 --> 0:24:13.200 that once upon a time Malcolm X said, and it 0:24:13.280 --> 0:24:15.719 had to do with so I'm gonna paraphrase, but it 0:24:15.760 --> 0:24:19.159 had to do with having to keep your composure as 0:24:19.200 --> 0:24:25.040 a black man while fighting for an equitable go at 0:24:25.119 --> 0:24:28.240 life in the United States of America, because at the 0:24:28.240 --> 0:24:34.040 moment at which you lose your composure, you lose your support, 0:24:34.080 --> 0:24:37.159 your sympathy, you know, everything like that empathy from other folks. 0:24:37.720 --> 0:24:41.639 And I think that it illuminates just how tricky it 0:24:41.760 --> 0:24:47.560 is to just have an even playing field, no advantages, 0:24:47.680 --> 0:24:52.040 nothing like that. And that's it's just so interesting, how like, 0:24:52.200 --> 0:24:54.479 why in the world will be born into this world. 0:24:54.520 --> 0:24:57.639 It's such a weird thing, isn't it. Anyway, that's just 0:24:57.720 --> 0:25:00.720 me if you're just tuning in the civic side around 0:25:00.720 --> 0:25:02.520