Transcripts For CNNW Wolf 20141204

Daughter of Martin Luther king, jr. Hello. Im wolf blitzer, 1 00 p. M. In washington, 6 00 p. M. In london, 8 00 p. M. In jerusalem, 9 00 p. M. In moscow, wherever youre watching interest around the world, thanks very much for joining usp. Up first, the fallout over another grand jury decision in the death of an unarmed black man. At the hands of a white Police Officer. A judge is expected to rule today on whether to release portions of the evidence presented to the grand jury in Staten Island, new york. The decision not to indict the officer in the chokehold death of eric garner set off protests in new york and elsewhere around the country. It has added to the debate over Race Relations in the United States. The president of the National Urban league announced a march for jobs and justice next week right here in washington. Marc morial saying recent events should shock the nations conscience. Yesterdays decision by the Staten Island grand jury defied common sense. One can engage in lots of discussions about the law and discretion and standards, but the plain eyes of the world got an opportunity to see that interaction and now a man, a father of six, is dead. The attorney general of the United States, eric holder, says the Justice Department is investigating the circumstances of eric garners death. Today holder visits cleveland, ohio, its part of his focus on trying to improve relations between Law Enforcement and the africanamerican communities across the country. Also, new york, city police are in the process of retraining officers of the use of force. The department prohibits the chokehold used by officer Daniel Pantaleo. The officer faces an internal police investigation. Once again the grand jury did not indict him. No violence, no vandalism. The new York Police Commissioner says protests over the grand jury decision have been mostly peaceful. Our National Correspondent Jason Carroll is joining us from times square. Jason, give us a sense of how the demonstrations unfolded across new york city. Well, those protesters marched throughout the city, including right here in times square. New york citys mayor sharing some of the same feelings of some of the demonstrators this morning, wolf. He spoke a local Radio Station telling the deejay there that eric garner did not have to die. Cant breathe. I cant breathe. I cant breathe. Reporter protesters pouring into the streets of new york last night after a grand jury did not indict new York City Police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the chokehold death of 43yearold eric garner. I cans breathe. Its a very painful day for so many new yorkers. Reporter arrests made throughout the night as outrage pulsed throughout the city streets for more than nine hours. Most chanting garners last words. I cant breathe. Reporter before dying on this Staten Island street. I cant breathe. I cant breathe. I cant breathe. Reporter police, some in riot gear, blocking intersections, as protesters began shutting down the citys most iconic landmarks. Stopping the flow of traffic into and out of the island of manhattan for hours. Some lying down right in the middle of the road. In the same inside Grand Central station. I cant breathe. Reporter where other protesters staged a massive diein as evening rush hour hit its peak. Police heavily guarding the rockefeller Tree Lighting ceremony. Three, two, one. Reporter as protesters tried to disrupt the show. The citys public outcry reaching a feevor pitch nationwide. From los angeles. I am eric garner. Reporter to philadelphia. Where protesters took to city hall during their Tree Lighting ceremony holding up signs reading black lives matter. The demonstrations across the country disruptive, but peaceful, fulfilling garners family wish. Yeah, we want you to rally, but rally in peace. No violence. Thats all i ask. Reporter officer pantaleo said in a statement, it is never my intention to harm anyone and i feel very bad about the death of mr. Garner, but garners wife says its too late. Hell no. The time for remorse would have been when my husband was yelling to breathe. That would have been the time for him to show some type of remorse or some type of care for another human beings life. Reporter new york citys mayor as well as the Police Commissioner met today to talk about this idea of retraining the citys police force. Also, wolf, the nypd is moving forward with its internal investigation it into this incident, ultimately it will be the Police Commissioner who will decide what, if any, be punishment this officer will face. Wolf . And were standing by later this hour, were going to be hearing from the mayor of new york, the Police Commissioner of new york. Despite the no indictment by the grand jury, jason, they concede that changes need to be made within the Police Department. Yeah. In new york, right . Yeah. Absolutely. And in terms of retraining the officers and in terms of how they deal with physical situations, so that is one of the things that theyre going to be talking about. Also, just readdressing the idea of dealing with Excessive Force and the policies on how they use force. So there is this acknowledgement that some retraining needs to be done, but that doesnt mean that the Police Commissioner is not Still Standing by his officers. Once we see mayor bill de blasio and the Police Commissioner bill bratton well have live Coverage Later this hour of their remarks. Theyre taking questions from reporters as well. Jason, thank you. Eric garners mother says shes pleased that the protests have been peaceful. She says shes hopeful the Justice Departments investigation into her sons death will be productive. Im very optimistic. At least well get fair and just decision this time because that grand jurys decision outrageous. Thats all i can say. As for the use of body cameras by police, garners mother says she doubts that will make much of a difference. They had a live i mean they had a video that represents a body camerap. It did nothing. Try something else. Eric garners father is also pinning his hopes on the federal Justice Department investigation. Joe johns caught up with him last night after the Staten Island grand jurys decision was released. What went through your mind when you heard about what the grand jury decided . I was hurt by it. I was hurt by it. Still, i dont want no reason for nobody to get locked out here, go through the same [ bleep ] were going through all the time. What do you think happens next . Have you talked to the lawyers a little bit . The fed is going to take over. And youre hopeful that the federal government theyll give us the right decision. President obama says there needs to be more trust, more accountability when it comes to dealing between communities and Law Enforcement. We heard more from the president just a little while ago talking about the fallout from whats going on in new york as well as ferguson, missouri. Listen to this. When it comes, as weve seen unfortunately in recent days, to our criminal Justice System, too Many Americans feel deep unfairness when it comes to the gap between our professed ideals and how laws are applied on a daytoday basis. Beyond the specific issue that has to be addressed making sure that people have confidence, that police and Law Enforcement and prosecutors are serving everybody equally, theres the larger question of restoring a sense of common purpose. The attorney general, eric holder, also addressed the case the department of justice is launching a federal investigation into the killing of eric garner, looking into whether garners civil rights were violated. He also spoke about the larger issues. Mr. Garners death is one of several recent incidents across our great country that have tested the sense of trust that must ekist between Law Enforcement and the communities they are charged to serve and to protect. This is mot a new york issue nor a ferguson issue alone. He says its not necessarily just the problem ins those communities. Its a problem from coast to coast. After the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case, we saw protests across the country, similar protests to what we saw last night after the decision on eric garners death. Joining us now is dr. Berniece king, the daughter of the civil rights icon, dr. Martin luther king, jr. Thanks very much for joining us. If your father had thank you. Had been alive today and we all wish he would have been alive today, what would he have how would he have reacted to whats going on . Well, we have to remember, my father talked about, shortly before his death, the need for reordering priorities in america, a radical reordering of priorities, and that if we did not do that, we would see some of the results were seeing today. So i think the first thing is, he would still call for a radical reordering of priorities and value systems in our nation. He would feel, obviously, that what happened in this instance was just morally reprehensible. Its incomprehensible there was no indictment in this case at all. And we have to do something to radically change policing in this nation. As going to have to happen unfortunately, i believe, from the federal level. We cant we cant merely just do this state by state. There are too many states. Definitely Police Officers need training, but we need to add some other provisions in the Civil Rights Act to protect citizens in these kinds of instances because police cant police themselves and prosecutors have a very difficult time prosecuting Police Officers who have who they later have to work with and prosecuting other individuals. We have to find way to have special prosecutors in these kinds of instances. Even after that happens, our work at the king center is devoted to transforming peoples hearts and lives and understanding the interconnectedness of life, and theres only one race, the human race, we have different hues and experiences but we have to realize we are a part of a human family and we have to see each other and treat each other as such. There are some who are now saying the country is really divided into two systems, one system for africanamericans, a Justice System, a legal system, another for whites. Are you among those who think the country is divided into those two separate, unequal categories . I do. I do believe that system is separate and unequal. Invariably, africanamericans oftentimes are sentenced at a higher rate. They are, obviously, charged at a higher rate. Arrested at a higher rate than others for similar crimes. You know, and so we have to its not even i dont call it a system failure. We have to do a whole reset of our Justice System in america and start from scratch because its not working for all people. And there are others who go a step further and say theres a different Justice System for civilians as opposed to Law Enforcement. Do you agree with that . Well, i would certainly say it appears that theres immunity for impunity, they can do whatever they want according to their own personal discretion and take lives and so if theyre hiding behind the cloak of any kind of bias, they can use that in making the decisions and judgments that they make and thats really unfortunate. And so again, you know, we need a serious rehaul of our Justice System and finding a way that theres a separate system to deal with Police Officers when there is Excessive Force involved. I mean, i was just totally troubled and deeply disturbed, you know, that this happened. When we had the equivalent of body cameras, the video, its on tape, and justs the humanity of this gentleman who says, i cant breathe, just releasing that chokehold, probably would have ended up with a different result. Very quickly, dr. King, is there a simple way, something we can do to fix this problem . I mean, its i dont think its simple. I do think, though, that we have to do it, take a bite at the apple at a time. Its important that all of us in every industry, every arena, that we begin to do selfintrospection and looking at our own biases and we have to make this a priority in america. It cant happen just when we haves these incidents. We have to on a daily basis in our institutions and cooperations and our arenas, in our faithbased institutions, we have to daily deal with the Race Relations issues that we have and be committed to changing attitudes and practices that still exist in our institutional structures. Dr. Ber niece king, the daughter of dr. Martin luther king, jr. , the ceo of the king center in atlanta, thanks very much for joining us. Thank you, wolf. We have live pictures. I want to show you whats going on in pittsburgh, pennsylvania, right now. This is called a deadin. Not a sitin. A deadin. Folks on the ground in pittsburgh protesting the decision in Staten Island, new york, not to it diet Daniel Pantaleo. The Police Officer in the killing of eric garner. Similar protests occurring around the United States. Up next, why so many people are questioning the fairness of the u. S. Justice system. We just heard from dr. Ber niece king. Are the courts and the Nations Police departments truly colorblind . The growing debate here in the United States when we return. In a race, its about getting to the finish line. In life, its how you get there that matters most. Like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. My doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. So he talked to me about xarelto®. Xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesnt require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. For a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. Not this time. While i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didnt have to deal with that blood monitoring routine. Dont stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. While taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. Xarelto® can cause serious bleeding, and in rare cases, may be fatal. Get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. If you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. Do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. Tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. Xarelto® is proven to reduce the risk of dvt and pe, with no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. Treatment with xarelto® was the right move for me. Ask your doctor about xarelto® today. In taste, freshness, and nutrition . Easy. Its eb. Egglands best. Better eggs. The attorney general eric holder is in cleveland now, about to make a major announcement on Police Practices in cleveland, which he says have been excessive. Lets listen in. As well as obviously a great u. S. Attorney, steve denback, the mayor, and the chief, its good to have you all here as well. In repeat days, millions of people throughout our nation have come together, bound by grief and bound by anguish in response to the tragic deaths of Michael Brown in ferguson, missouri, and ear ris eric gar in new york city. The United States department of justice is currently conducting an independent, thorough, fair and expeditious federal civil rights investigation into each of these incidents. As president obama and i have indicated the time has come we think to do even more. The tragic losses of these and far too many other americans, including just last month, the shooting death of 12yearold tamir rice here in cleveland, have really raised Urgent National questions. And they have sparked an important conversation about the sense of trust that must exist between Law Enforcement and the communities that they serve and protect. Earlier this week i traveled to atlanta to begin a series of interactions with Law Enforcement, civic, community and faith leaders aimed at restoring trust, rebuilding, understanding and fostering renewed cooperation between Law Enforcement and community members. Today we convene the second in that series of vital discussions with leaders here in cleveland with the intention of building a constructive and Inclusive National conversation. And we kick off this conversation, i believe, with an important announcement regarding a significant step forward in our effort to ensure the highest standards of policing and to foster broad outreach and engagement between Police Officials and cleveland residents. After a thorough and independent review, the department of justices has completed its civil pattern of practice investigation into the Cleveland Division of police. Now that investigation spanned more than a year and a half and it was launched in response to a series of troubling, highprofile use of force incidents as well as by numerous public calls for a federal investigation by civilic leaders, congressman marshal fudge and by mayor jackson. Since march of 2013, the Justice Department has closely examined nearly 600 use of force incidents that occurred between 2010 and 2013, including the incidents involving the use of lethal and less than lethal force. We have determined that there is reasonable cause to believe that the Cleveland Division of Public Police engages in a pattern and practice of using Excessive Force and as a result of insufficient accountability, inadequate training, ineffective policies and inadequate engagement in the community. Fortunately today i can announce the department of justice and the city of cleveland have come together, have come together to set in motion a process that will remedy these issues in a cpre hencive and in a Court Enforceable manner. Under mayor jacksons leadership, the city has acknowledged that the departments findings raise issues of importance to people, really throughout this community. Together, we have agreed to a statement of principles that will lead to a Court Enforceable Consent Decree including an independent monitor who will oversee the implementation of sustainable reforms, assess compliance based on objective measures, and ensure that robust new policies and practices will result in more effective and constitutional policing. Now, we recognize, of course, that this process will be both difficult and it will be complex. It will demand engagement and input from the brave Law Enforcement officers who serve on the front lines. Cleveland residents, Civic Leaders and other community stakeholders. It will require sustained and collaborative effort toward clear, concrete objectives to build trust, to close gaps, and to forge stronger relationships. Now, we understand that the progress we seek will not come overnight. But i am confident that the city of cleveland and the United States department of justice will move Forward Together as committed partners. And this joint statement of principle and the eventual Consent Decree provide what i believe is a Solid Foundation for meaningful steps forward so that we can enable all of the residents of cleveland to have full confidence in the courageous Public Servants who work every day, every day, to keep them safe and so that we can empower these dedicated women and men in blue to address persistent challenges, to obtain the training and other resources that they need in order to do the jobs safely and effectively, and ultimately to become the outstanding worldclass police force that this great city deserves. Now this process continues today. With this important announcement, and with the round table discussion that i will convene this afternoon. All of the leaders here who will be a part of that conversation understand that accountability and legitimacy are essential for communities to trust their Police Departments and for there to be genuine collaboration between policed and the citizens that they serve. As the brother of a retired Police Officer, i know on a very personal way how brave these Public Servants are. It is for their sake as well that we must seek to heal the breakdowns we have seen. And although these issues are as i said complex, and the problems long standing, we have seen in city after city, where we have engaged, that meaningful change is possible. Meaningful, positive change is possible. There are real, practical and concrete measures that can be taken to ensure not only that Police Services are delivered in a constitutional manner, but that we can promote Public Safety. Officer safety, confidence, and collaboration, transparency, and legitimacy. Now as you know earlier this week, president obama announced a series of constructive steps to help bolster the trust in and the effectiveness of the policing of our communities. These include convening a new task force to develop ways to reduce crime while Building Community trust. Reforming how the federal government equips local Law Enforcement, particularly with regard to militarystyle equipment, and advancing the use of body worn cameras and promoting Community Policing initiatives. Now these are to my mind exactly the kinds of pragmatic and inclusive actions that will bring the right people together to engage in constructive, national conversation. And they will complement the reinvigorated Police Reform work that Justice Departments cops office, Civil Rights Division, and United States attorneys offices throughout the nation have been leading. Over the last five fiscal years, our Civil Rights Division has opened more than 20 investigations in Police Departments across the country. More than twice as many as were opened in the previous five fiscal years. We are currently enforcing no fewer than 15 agreements with Law Enforcement agencies, including eight Consent Decrees to correct unconstitutional Police Practices and we have seen many times over that this model can work. Reform is under way in new orleans, seattle, albuquerque, portland, oregon, east haven, connecticut, puerto rico and warren, ohio. We are committed to moving Forward Together. Here in cleveland and throughout the nation to spur renewed engagement, renewed trust and momentum to really translate coordinated action into meaningful results. Now we have a great develop work to do, but this announcement, i think, marks an important first step. I want to thank everyone who worked really so hard to make this announcement possible, including the dedicated men and women of the Civil Rights Division special litigation section, our great u. S. Attorney, steve dellback and his office. All right. So there you have the attorney general of the United States, eric holder, hes in cleveland, ohio, announcing a study which unfortunately for cleveland points to what is described in this Justice Department study as a pattern or practice of unreasonable and unnecessary use of force by the Cleveland Division of police. You also heard him speaking out about the grand jury decision, Staten Island, new york, not to indict the white Police Officer in the choking death of eric garner, as well as whats going on in ferguson. Were going to have a full discussion on whats going on, but theres some other breaking news i want to report right now. The white house just moments ago announceds the president of the United States will announce tomorrow he is nominating the new secretary of defense. They didnt say who its going to be, but everyone knows its going to be this man right here, his picture on the screen, ash carter, the former deputy secretary of defense. Hes a physicist. He worked in the Defense Department during the Obama Administration. Tomorrow morning at the white house, a formal ceremony announcing this defense secretary nominee to replace chuck hagel who announced his resignation a few days ago. Chuck hagel under pressure to give up that position. Ash carter, if confirmed by the United States senate, he is expected to be confirmed, if confirmed he will be the fourth defense secretary in the Obama Administration and thats what were going to be watching for tomorrow. But lets get back to the other news were watching today. Many people across the country, they are incensed by the grand jurys decision in Staten Island, new york, and point to the videotape of the july confrontation as proof that an indictment should have come forward and the medical examiners conclusion that chokehold contributed to eric garners death. Today the president of the National Urban league, marc morial, called the grand jurys decision a travesty. People who love the nation and are committed to its principles, are outraged at what we see. And we cannot stand and we cannot sit and we refuse to watch and we are committed to action that will bring about meaningful change. Lots to discuss. Joining us from new york, the Staten Island councilman debbie rose, her home district where the confrontation between ear rishg garner and the eric garner and the police took place. Joining us the former federal prosecutor lori levston, joining us from los angeles, in washington, cnn Law Enforcement analyst tom fuentes, a form fbi assistant director. Councilwoman rose, let me start with you. Youve said very bluntly, repeatedly, that the juses tis system here in the United States shows in your words that black life is valueless. Explain what you mean by that. Those are powerful, strong words. Well, once again, wolf, we saw that where the value of a black life had less meaning than other parts other people in our communities. This community had held on to hope for an indictment, an indictment that would say that yes, there is value to a life thats from the community of color and yes, that they saw what we saw. We are in shock. We are angry. And we are profoundly disappointed that the District Attorney and the grand juries did not see fit to convict officer pantaleo. Does it make any difference to you, council woman, there were 23 members of the grand jury, 14 white people, 9 nonwhite people on that grand jury . You know, we were concerned about the demographics of Staten Island and what the grand jury would look like, but we believe that with the visual evidence that was presented, a videotape where a man said, 11 times, i cant breathe, that they could not possibly think that this was not overpolicing and an unwarranted death. Tom fuentes, are there two sets of rules here in the United States when it comes to law and order and justice . One for blacks, one for whites . You know, wolf, when i was a Police Officer, six years in cook county, illinois, spent probably three to five days minimum a month in the Cook County Court system and i saw we had a des part Justice System, it wasnt white and black, it was rich and poor. We knew as Police Officers, my fellow officers and i would talk and they came into court and had a high priced attorney white or black they would get much less severe treatment or sentencing or no sentencing at all and the people that had to rely on the public defenders office, which was so overworked, so understaffed they didnt get the same representation. So whether youre a celebrity like o. J. With the dream team, or, you know, poor defendants in cook county and im sure courtrooms around the country, what i saw was if youre poor, youre not going to get the same treatment as if you have a good attorney and go into court. You say its more socioeconomic as opposed to to race. Thats what i say. Lori you studied this and youre a scholar. What do you think some. I think its all of the above. Wolf, i think that race still does make a difference. It also makes a difference whether its a Police Officer or a civilian. We give Police Officers this permission to use force, but then when they overuse it we want them to be held accountable. From the grand jurors perspective its not that easy because things are happening so fast. What i have seen is that people see other people differently thp they see them differently because of their race, their socioeconomic level and also because whether theyre a Police Officer or not. All right. Im going to have all three of you standby. A lot more to discuss. So much distrust right now here in the United States between minorities, local police forces, and so many communities all across the country. How to move forward, how to bridge the divide . Well talk about some possible solutions, whats going on, and a lot more when we come back. [ male announcer ] if youre on medicare, remember, the open Enrollment Period is here. The time to choose your Medicare Coverage begins october 15th and ends december 7th. So call to enroll in a plan that could give you the benefits and stability youre looking for, an aarp medicarecomplete plan insured through unitedhealthcare. What makes it complete . It can combine medicare parts a and b, which is your hospital and doctor coverage with part d Prescription Drug coverage, and more, all in one simple plan. For a low monthly premium or in some areas, no plan premium at all. An aarp medicarecomplete plan offers you benefits like an annual physical, preventive screenings, and immunizations for a 0 copay. Youll also have access to a local network of doctors and much more. When you enroll in an aarp medicarecomplete plan insured through unitedhealthcare, your benefits could also include routine vision and hearing coverage, and Prescription Drug coverage accepted nationwide. And with the pharmacy saver program, you can get prescriptions for as little as 1. 50 at thousands of pharmacies in Retail Locations like these. Now is the time to look at your options. Start getting the benefits of an aarp medicarecomplete plan insured through unitedhealthcare. Weve been helping Medicare Beneficiaries for over 30 years. Well connect you with the right people and programs, offer smart ways to save, and give you the tools to help make your Healthcare Experience a positive one. Remember, open enrollment ends december 7th. Call unitedhealthcare today about an aarp medicarecomplete plan. You can even enroll right over the phone. Or visit us online. Dont wait. Call now. Were standing by to hear from the mayor of new york city, bill de blasio, and the Police Commissioner of new york, bill bratton. Theyre about to hold a News Conference in new york. You see the reporters. Theyre already there. They should be walking in momentarily. Were going to get the latest developments in the aftermath of this grand jury decision in new york yesterday, not to go ahead and indict this white Police Officer in the death, the choking death, of a black man on Staten Island in new york. Well have live coverage of that coming up. Standby. Meanwhile, city officials, members of congress here in washington, theyre continuing to deal with all the fallout from the grand jury decision. The 43yearold unarmed black man was placed in a fatal chokehold by a white nypd Police Officer. Lets bring back our panel, the Staten Island councilwoman debbie rose, former prosecutor Lori Levenson and cnns Law Enforcement analyst tom fuentes. Debbie rose, let me play for you this clip. I interviewed dr. Ben carson, hes now thinking of running for the republican president ial nomination, hes a famed pediatric neurosurgeon from Johns Hopkins university, we spoke about whats going on in ferguson, missouri, before the grand jury decision in Staten Island, but listen to what he said about police in america. I challenge people all the time, imagine living for 24 hours with no police. People will be walking into your house saying, hey, i think i like that television, im it taking that. It would be total chaos. So the police are our friends. Are they perfect in all cases . Of course not. You want to react to that, debbie rose . Yes. This is not an issue of police and what they endure. This is about treatment, a different standard applied in communities of color as opposed to a standard that they use in other communities. And so with ben carsons remark, he does a disservice to this community when he tries to triv vallize how the what we know the reality is and how those services are delivered. Is one of the problems, tom fuentes, you were a cop before you became an fbi agent, former assistant director of the fbi, racial profiling in the United States . You know, there probably is some cases of profiling. No question about it. But i think in this case, when the Police Officers arrive, i would like to see the whole videotape from the beginning. Because to make such a minor arrest of selling illegal cigarettes legal but not having a business license to do it, you dont have six cops show up to do that arrest. This escalated gradually over time with probably the first officer asking for assistance and more assistance and more, plain clothed guys arrived and we constantly hear, white Police Officers killed eric garner the black man. We dont hear anything about the fact ha in the video you see there is a black female new York City Police sergeant at the scene. She could have called this off, told the Police Officers this is a minor charge, let him go, dont arrest him. He doesnt want to be arrested we wons arrest him. When garner is on the ground after the hold is released waiting for the paramedics to take him, you see in the background other black female Police Officers. This was not rodney king with a bunch of ferocious white cops beating on somebody. This is a group of officers who are trying to take a large human being into custody who just doesnt want to comply. The big problem here, lori, and youve studied this from various angles, is that a lot of people in the United States are losing confidence in the entire legal system, the Justice System, in the country. They think its unfair to which you say . Well, thats the biggest problem, because frankly, as was said before, we need our police, but we need them to do their job right. And part of that is seeing people for who they are as opposed to the color of their skin. I think officers do tend to see people as large or dangerous in part based on what theyre wearing and the color of their skin. On the other hand, if we are too quick to go after Police Officers, people will not become Police Officers or theyll stop doing the policing. And weve actually seen this in some of the pattern and practices cases that have been brought. There have been some situations where theres Consent Decrees and the officers say you know what w neerpts going to do arrests because if we do them we can get in trouble. Leave things alone were not going to be under the scrutiny of civil rights. Thats not a good option either. All right. Lori levinson, stand by. Debbie rose, tom fuentes. We will take another break. I think the mayor of new york, bill de blasio, the police chief in new york, bill bratton, theyre going to be speaking momentarily taking reporters questions on these developments. Our special coverage resumes after this. How much money do you have in your pocket right now . I have 40, 21. Could something that small make an impact on something as big as your retirement . I dont think so. Well if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time, for twenty to thirty years, that retirement challenge might not seem so big after all. Uh, and i know my iq. Okay. Uh, and i knowuhi know what blood type i have. Oh, wow uh huh, yeah. I dont know my credit score. You dont know your credit score . I dont know my credit score. Thats really important. I mean i dont know my credit score. Dont you want to buy a house. Like, ever . You should probably check out credit karma, its free. Credit . Karma . Free . So, thats. How much . Thats how much its free. Credit karma really free credit scores. No credit card needed. Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. The mayor of new york city, bill de blasio, the Police Commissioner in new york, bill bratton, they will be holding a News Conference speaking out on the latest developments, the protests that erupted in new york city overnight after that grand jury on Staten Island in new york did not indict the why is Police Officer in the choking death of a black man, eric garner. Joining us to help us in this conversation as we await the News Conference, cedric alexander, a police chief, Dekalb County, in georgia. Hes joining us from atlanta. Chief, thanks very much for joining us. Tom fuentes still with us, as is debbie rose, the Staten Island, new york, city council member. And let me quickly get your thought, debbie rose, you and i were talking about what eric garner was doing that resulted in this takedown and the attempted arrest on the streets of Staten Island that caused this uproar. You say he was not trying to sell cigarettes on that day . Wolf, i think its very important that we clarify at this point, eric garner was not engaged in any activity, he was not selling loose cigarettes at that moment. He was not engaged in any criminality. He had just crossed the street from breaking up a fight with two young people. And when the police approached him, he was not selling loose cigarettes. He had a history and they knew him and a record of selling loose cigarettes, but he was not at that time engaged in that activity. Because he did have, what, 30 arrests over several years, right . Yes. Yes, he did. And so relatively minor charges, selling cigarettes without taxes, stuff like that. Its certainly not it doesnt warrant being killed over selling loose cigarettes even if he was engaged in that activity at that moment, which he was not. And this is just another example of overzealous enforcement of the broken windows policy that nypd has adopted. Let me get chief alexander to responds to that. Cedric alexander. Im really anxious to get your thoughts on whats going on right now in our country. Well, you know, the decision around this case an the case in missouri has already been made, wolf, so were at a point right now, quite frankly, where we have a country and a number of people in this country, both black and white, americans, period, i must say, who are questioning the criminal Justice System and with the type of protests that were seeing across the country, the concerns that people have about these incidents and others that have occurred, what comes to me is the fact, i think, that around this entire criminal Justice System in this country and in particular the whole grand jury process in and of itself. Now, that being said, i have to say this as well too. We have to move forward and figure out how Community Relations in policing in this country are going to join ranks so that as a nation, we can secure ourselves with good Public Safety because that is going to be paramount as we move together as a nation. Do you believe there are two Justice Systems in the United States, one for blacks and one for whites . Thats been a long standing question for many people in this country and depending on where you live and economic status and your race and gender, that certainly can be a reality for a lot of people. Its an issue the fact that question is still being raised today in 2014, that in and of itself is a problem and we have to figure out a way to resolve that so americans across this country, all of us, can feel that we have a fair voice and a fair place in the criminal Justice System. Is there one system for civilians, Justice System for civilians and separate very different system for Law Enforcement, for Police Officers, who may be suspected of some sort of crime . The system is the same for all people. The difference is here to me, wolf, and ive been in this business for a very long time, police are in a unique position. They get called to a location to investigate and at that point decisions that they make in the time that they have to make them in regardless because in every case they are all different, timing is different, circumstances are different, players involved are different, its not that theres a different judicial system for police, its just what i think is taken into consideration is what they are confronted with, which is very different than the general population but what we have to figure out and what we have to find Going Forward is that we got to have community that trusts that when Police Officers arrive to the scene, they are doing so with a great deal of diligence and without bias. People all over the world are watching us on cnn right now and they are looking at the United States of america saying what is going on . A guy even if he were selling illegal cigarettes on the street, hes taken down by six Police Officers and effectively choked to death, if you will, for that. They say how could that happen in the United States of am erer . In europe i hear from Police Officers who say our police dont carry guns. In china, our police dont carry guns. When a Police Officer says youre under arrest, you better comply. They dont see street arguments and debates and wrestling matches on the street like we do. If somebody wrestles with the police in those countries, the punishment is severe. These countries in europe still use Water Cannons . I witnessed this myself once when a riot broke out after a soccer match in denmark. I feel the hotel shaking. A big tank comes up and it was a manmade tsunami. We abolished the use of fire hoses in 1963 during the civil rights movement. There are Police Agencies that still use it whenever we need it. Youre a new York Council Member that represents Staten Island and Staten Island is very different demographics are very different, that presumably a grand jury considering the facts in this case have they met in brooklyn or queens or manhattan may have come up with a different decision because of the unique character, shall we say, of Staten Island . Thats in fact the thinking that has propelled the Garner Family to request a federal investigation because it would then be tried in the Brooklyn Federal court and the demographics would be much different and so thats why they have asked for a federal prosecutor to intervene. Chief alexander, what do we need to do to fix these problems right now . We know the president is obviously focusing on whats going on, outgoing attorney general eric holder is traveling it around the country, hes focusing in on whats going on, but youre there in atlanta and Dekalb County, you have a daytoday issue you have to deal with. What do we all need to focus on and do . One thing weve been fortunate about in dekalb and across Metro Atlanta is we have great working relationships with our communities both our elected officials and appointed officials such as myself. Were in Constant Contact with them. We problem solve the small problems together so when we have larger issues, were not coming to the table together for the first time. And we all have made a commitment to the community and the community has made a commitment to Dekalb County and to its policing. So for us as it relates to Public Safety, what i would say to the rest of the country is this. Were not perfect. We do have our challenges as well too. What is going to be paramount is that communities across this country, the leadership in those communities whether they are elected leaderships, appointed and a Business Community as well, we have to start engaging in conversations thats going to move our communities forward and in a way that Public Safety is at the top of everything that we do. Were just not talking about an issue that affects us locally in our respective communities, we also leave ourselves open up to other global issues that may try to infiltrate because because were distressed with these issues around race. We have to solve this problem ourselves as American People and the commitment by all of us has to be made to do that in our own respective communities. Debi rose, what do you want to hear from the mayor of new york and the Police Commissioner . Whats the most important thing you would like to hear them say . I want to hear the Police Commissioner and the mayor of new york say that theyre going to do something to ensure that the disparities in enforcement that communities of color see will be eradicated. I want them to say that bad acting Police Officers, which are not the majority, but bad actors will be taken off of the streets. We have in my district, seven out of ten of the worst bad actors in new york city are in one precinct. I want those officers off of the streets. They can be inside, but they should not be interacting with the community where they have established a pattern of overly aggressive policing. The points shes making, tom, these are powerfully emotional points people are making all over the country right now. Theres a real problem that local Law Enforcement departments have in regaining confidence in the aftermath of whats happened in ferguson, what happened to that 12yearold little boy in cleveland, whats happened in Staten Island. This is part of a bigger problem. She raises a very good point. You have Police Officers that have demonstrated that they dont belong on the street. They dont belong in uniform. There arent enough office jobs to hide these people. They dont belong on the Police Department. The only way to avoid that since you cant get rid of them easily is not to hire them in the first place. Departments need to look at what is their election process and promotion process and how much training are they given and whats internal discipline for officers that behave badly . One problem we saw in ferguson, chief alexander, is a small town, maybe 50 or 60 Law Enforcement, Police Officers in ferguson, all but three of them white. Even though the community itself was about 70 black. Thats a problem right there, right . Well, we know that certainly diversity has great benefits in government in particular when it comes to public service. So, yes, that does play a role and we all should be in that community hopefully start moving toward diversifying that department there in ferguson itself. Debi rose, give me a final thought right now as we await the mayor, you still have confidence in the system here in the United States, the legal system, the Justice System . I believe that the Justice System was set up with a purpose of establishing equality and justice for all. I think the system is broken when it comes to certain communities and that we need to now indulge in getting accountability to be what is to hold them to the fire. We need accountability. We need for the Police Department to recognize that they need to use their own process that they put in place. Courtesy, professionalism, and respect in all communities. Debi rose from Staten Island, thank you for joining us. Cedrick alexander, police chief, from dekalb, georgia, thank you. For viewers in north america, newsroom with Brooke Baldwin starts right now. Ill take it from here. Youre watching cnn. Im Brooke Baldwin. Both new yorks mayor bill de blasio and attorney general eric holder speaking any moment now on frustration and anger and tense times sweeping the nation right now. Police violence against minorities. I cant breathe