Police officers, two were acquitted and one had a mistrial. Our first guest writes, its not just Police Officers who are on trial, america is on trial. Either these deaths are justified and therefore america is just or these deaths are unjustified and america is unjust. Well speak with historian ibram x. Kendi. A shocking lawsuit accuses washington, d. C. Police of using sexual abuse as a form of punishment targeting people arrested while protesting Donald Trumps inauguration. Today were filing suit on ehalf of courageous people who stand up and say enough. Temer has been charged with corruption a year after he backed the souther of rousseff from office. All that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report, im amy goodman. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell postponed a vote on the Health Care Plan after facing a revolt from members of his own party. Good afternoon, everyone. As you may have heard, were going to continue discussions within our conference on differences that we have that well continue to try and litigate. Consequently, we will not be on the bill this week but were still working towards getting at least 50 people in a comfortable place. Amy the Congressional Budget Office says 22 million americans would lose their Health Insurance under the Senate RepublicansHealth Care Bill over the next decade. The legislation now faces opposition from nine Senate Republicans, all Senate Democrats and a slew of governors from both parties, the majority of the health care industry, the american medical association, hospitals, doctors, nurses, Patient Advocacy groups, the u. S. Conference of catholic bishops and even members of the far right brothers network. Mcconnells announcement of the delay came as activists staged multiple protests against the Health Care Bill. In washington, d. C. , planned parenthood staged a peoples filibuster against the legislation. The protest included dozens of women dressing in red cloaks and white bonnets inspired by the novel and tv series handmaids tale about a totalitarian theocracy that overthrows the u. S. Government and imposes power by subject debating women and taking over their rights. The Disability Rights Group adapt held a sitin in the office of colorado republican Senator Cory Gardner demanding he oppose the legislation. As senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell was forced to delay a vote on the g. O. P. Bill because of infighting within the republican party, America First policies, a protrump group sanctioned by the white house launched a 1 million tv and radio ad campaign attacking republican senator dean heller of nevada over his opposition to the Health Care Bill. Strong leadership and a real chance to repeal and replace obamacare with patientcentered care that protects american families, senator dean heller is saying no. Call senator heller and tell him America Needs him to keep his promise. Amy reportedly senator heller raised the issue with President Trump himself and as well, Mitch Mcconnell raised it with the white house. The attack ad offers further evidence of infighting with the republican party. Meanwhile on the Democratic Party side massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren has become the latest politician to back a single high Payer Health Care system. In an interview with the wall street journal tuesday said, quote, president obama tried to move us forward with Health Care Coverage by using a conservative model that came from one of the conservative think tanks that had been advanced by a republican governor in massachusetts. Now its time for the next step and the next step is single payer. Senator warren told the wall street journal. The white house has issued Additional Information about its claim that the Syrian Government was preparing for a possible chemical weapons attack. On tuesday pentagon spokesperson captain jeff davis said the u. S. Had recently observed activity at shayrat airfield, the same wear base from which the u. S. And human rights say the Syrian Government allegedly carried out a chemical weapons atack in april that killed 86 people in the town of khan sheikoun. It involves specific aircraft in a specific hangar both we d with chemical weapons, end quote. However, the white house faced continued skepticism from the Intelligence Community tuesday about the claims as well as about the release of the white house statement monday warning syrian president assad of retaliation in the event of a chemical weapons attack. Five unnamed military officials told buzzfeed they did not know about the intelligence before the statements release or that the white house was even preparing to release a statement. The statement appears to be aimed at drumming up American Public support for an upcoming u. S. Military strike against the Syrian Government. Both the syrian and russian governments have rejected the white house claims. Meanwhile in syria, a u. S. Led Coalition Air strike has reportedly killed at least 40 civilians who were being imprisoned by isis in the of rn syrian town almayadeen on monday. It was reported by the local news outlet deirezzor24. The u. S. Led coalition did strike isis controlled buildings and infrastructure. The Coalition Says its investigating the reports of civilian casualties. In yemen more than 2,000 people died from a massive cholera outbreak as the ongoing u. S. Backed saudi Led Bombing Campaign has devastated yemens health, water and sanitation systems. On tuesday the World Health Organization said, quote, weve never seen something so explosive as yemen, unquote. This is doctor ismail al mansoury. The influx of patients to the hospital is huge. The amount of suspected cases has reached 200,000. With more than 2,000 deathss. Amy mansoury was speaking from a hospital in yemen. In venezuela, members of the Police Attacked multiple government buildings using a stolen Police Helicopter tuesday throwing grenades at the Venezuelan Supreme Court building and firing shots at the interior Ministry Headquarters in the latest escalation of venezuela political crisis. This is the police pilot oscar pedez standing in front of armed men in a video Statement Released tuesday. Venezuelans, dear brothers, we do not speak for the state and are a group of military officials, police and civilians in the search for balance and against the transitory criminal government. We do not belong to nor do we have a part in the political leaning. We are nationalists, patriots, institutionalists. This combat is not with the rest of the Security Forces of the state and is agnst the imposed impunity of this government. Amy venezuelan president medoro called tuesdays attack terrorism and attempted coup and activated forces. It came out after the attack of Venezuelan National guardsmen and the Supreme Court has been the argument of fierce criticism from the right wing opposition after recent rulings ended parliamentary immunity and granted the judiciary temporary legislative powers though the court later annulled both rulings. Tuesdays attack comes amid monds of massive antigovernment protests. In colombia the farc celebrated the disarmament tuesday in hoot historic step in the end of colombias 52year civil war. His is the farc leader dim leon jimenez. Today doesnt end the existence of the farc. What were putting an end to is our 52year Armed Struggle but will continue to exist as a movement of legal and democratic character which will develop its ideological, political and organizational actions and its propaganda through exclusively legal methods peacefully without weapons. Amy in china, authorities have released three activists with the group china labor watch who are arrested after investigating Labor Conditions at a factory that makes shoes for trumps daughter and Senior Advisor ivanka trump or the ivanka trump brand. Their release comes after the Chinese Government invited ivanka trump and her husband Jerod Kushner to beijing later this year for an official visit. To see our interview go to democracynow. Org. An International Cyberattack struck computers in ukraine, australia and United States tuesday in the latest instance of hackers unleashing an attack using a cyberweapon stolen from the National Security agency. The cyberattack shut down the radiation Monitoring Systems at the Chernobyl Nuclear plant and stopped dozens of ukrainian a. T. M. s from working and affected companys Computer Systems worldwide from u. S. Drug manufacturer to a Danish Shipping Company to a australian chocolate factory. The company i. D. T. Said the n. S. A. Needs to take a leadership role and work closely with security and operating platform vendors such as apple and microsoft to address the plague theyve unleashed, end quote. In the United States in chicago three current Police Officers were indicted tuesday on felony charges for inspiring to cover up the 2014 killinging of Laquan Mcdonald the africanamerican teenager and this is the special prosecutor Patricia Brown holmes. This indictment alleges these defendants lied about what occurred during a Police Involved shooting in order to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth. The indictment makes clear that an s unacceptable to obey unofficial code of silence. Amy the officers face up to five years in prison if convicted. He officer who killed Laquan McdonaldJason Van Dyke is awaiting trial on six counts of firstdegree murder. The killing of mcdonald was captured on a Police Dash Cam video released under court order which clearly contradicted Police Claims about the shooting. The video shows the teenager posing no threat and walking away from the officers before van dyke opens fire on him. Washington, d. C. Has begun issuing the nations first gender neutral drivers licenses in a victory for lbgt activists. D. C. Residents can now choose to have their gender marked as x instead of either male or female. The state of oregon will also begin issuing gender neutral drivers licenses and Identification Cards on july 1. In athens, georgia, a candlelight vigil was held monday night to commemorate the life of 17yearold ava leray barrin, a transgender teenager murdered sunday and they say these the 14th transgender woman of color to be murdered so far this year. Local media has misgendered ava in the initial news articles about her death. The alleged shooter has been arrested and charged with her murder. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Three current and former chicago Police Officers were indicted tuesday on felony charges for conpiring to cover up the 2014 Police Shooting death of Laquan Mcdonald, the africanamerican teenager, special prosecutor Patricia Brown holmes announced the charges. Im here to announce the indictment by a special grand jury of three current or former chicago Police Officers officers joseph walsh and Thomas Gaffney and detective david march have been charged with obstruction of justice, official misconduct, and conspiracy to commit both of these offenses. These charges are brought in connection with the Police Involved shooting of Laquan Mcdonald in october of 2014. Investigating and charging Police Officers with crimes relating to their duties is a sobering responsibility. While they are sworn to serve as well as uphold the law, they are not above the law. This indictment alleges that these as well as defendants lie what occurred during a Police Involved shooting in order to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth. The indictment makes clear that it is unacceptable to obey an unofficial code of silence. Amy the officers face up to five years in prison if convicted. The officer who shot Laquan Mcdonald, Jason Van Dyke, is awaiting trial of six counts of firstdegree murder. The killing of Laquan Mcdonald was captured on a Police Dash Cam video released under court order which clearly contradicted Police Claims about the shooting. The video shows the teenager posing no threat and walking away from the officers before van dyke opens fire. The news from chicago comes on the heels of major developments in a series of other Police Shooting cases. In ohio, a second mistreel was recently declared in the murder case of former university of Cincinnati Police officer ray tensing who shot africanamerican Samuel Dubose in the head after pulling him over for a missing front license plate in 2015. The officer, tensing, was wearing a tshirt emblazoned with a confederate battle flag under his uniform when he killed dubose. In minnesota Police OfficerGeronimo Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter for killing African American motorist Philando Castile during a traffic stop and in milwaukee officer Dominic Brown was acquitted of charges of reckless homicide for killing 23yearold africanamerican sylvan smith. The recent cases highlight how rare it is for Police Officers to be convicted for onduty shootings. According to Bowling GreenState University professor phillip stinson, about 900 to 1,000 people are fatally shot by Police Officers in the United States every year but since 2005, just 29 local Law Enforcement officers have been convicted in onduty shootings. Were joined right now by istorian ibram x. Kendi, a professor of history and international relingtses and founding director of the Antiracist Research and policy center at american university. Hes the author of stamped from the beginning, the definitive history of racist ideas in america wifment which is winner of the 2016 naonal bookward. He recently wrote a piece for the New York Times headlined sacrificing black lives for the american lie. Welcome to democracy now , professor kennedyy. Can you start off by responding to the latest indictment for the coverup of the death o Laquan Mcdonald, three chicago Police Officers and then well talk about the acquittals and the mistrial. Ibram first of all, i think its a Good Development for chicago, its a Good Development for people seeking justice for mcdonalds death. But i think its indicative of a larger coverup. And i think of a coverup of the racism thats persisting among these policing forces within the criminal justice system. What these officers did, i think, was not surprising to many people but what actually is surprising is they were charged for it. So what im hoping, as im sure many people are, is that this will become a new pattern in which Police Officers can no longer cover up their mistakes, their lethal mistakes that end in black death. My now, this latest indictment of the three chicago Police Officers come after weeks of acquittals and mistrials, three in all, two acquittals of Police Officers and one mistrial of a Police Officer and in very high profile cases. For example, the case of Philando Castile. I wanted to turn to video of the 4yearold daughter of Diamond Reynolds consoling her heartbroken mother who is handcuffed in the back of a Police Squad Car minutes after st. Anthony Police OfficerGeronimo Yanez shot and killed her boyfriend Philando Castile. This has just been a shocking case. The video from last july shows reynolds mourning castiles death and cursing before her daughter begs her to stop saying, i dont want you to get shooted. Please, i dont want you to get shooted. Ok. I wont. Its ok. Amy the release of the footage came a day after Police Dash Cam video was made public for the first time after the trial, showing officer yanez firing his gun seven times within moments of approaching Philando Castiles car over a broken taillight. Lets go to the clip of that video. I have to tell you, i do have a firearm on me. Dont reach for it then. Dont pull it out. Dont pull it out. He just killed my boyfriend. He wasnt reaching. Dont pull it out dont move oh, man j. Oh, my god. Dont move oh, my god dont move oh, my god im shaking. Dont move dont move, baby call police get the baby out of here amy officer Geronimo Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter in that case. Ibram x. Kendi, can you respond whats happened over the last few weeks . Ibram well, i think thats the attempted to do in New York Times piece. And i try to sort of think about how is it that jurors, how is it their defenders could look at the facts of the castile case and look at the facts of some of these other cases and still acquit these Police Officers and still make the case that these Police Officers did nothing wrong and still make the case that these black people who are died did everything wrong. And you know, the more i thought about it, the more i realized that basically in making the case that these Police Officers were racist, the americans would have to make the case that their nation is racist. And as you know, theres been so Many Americans who fell in love with this idea that their nation is post racial and theyre doing everything in their power to sort of defend that idea. And the way they end up defending it is by constantly blaming black people for these incidents with police. And its just really heartbreaking that americans, that people, that Police Officers, that jurors, that judges cannot really look at the facts of this case and leads me to believe that really the opposite of black lives matter, you know, is not black lives do not matter, its that black death matters. And that activists have been trying to eliminate that normality of black death mattering for the life of americas post racial idea. Amy were going to go to break. When we come back, i want to talk to you more about your book, an astonishing book stamped from the beginning, the definitive history of racist ideas in america and the people you profile in this, from president Thomas Jefferson to w. E. B. Dubois and angela davis to Cotton Mather, you go back through history and look at the future. Talking to historian ibram exmpled kendi, founding director of the Antiracist Research and policy center at american university, his book won the National Book award. This is democracy now . Back in a minute. Amy Geri Allen Dade on tuesday at the age of 60. This is democracy now , the war and peace report, im amy goodman. Joined today by historian ibram exmpled kendi, professor of the International Relations and founding director of the Research Center and just left the university of florida at gainesville, the author of the National Book awardwinning stamped from the beginning, the definitive history of racist ideas in america. If you could take us through your thesis, professor kendi, as you raise the profile of figures through history, angela davis, and talk about their role in our history. Ibram sure. And so the thesist for the book came about through researching for the book which i think is a good thing and that is i ended up entering into this history of racist ideas, believing this common idea that really the sort of origins, the cradle of racist ideas is ignorance and hate and that ignorance and hate leads to racist ideas and its these people with these racist ideas who are the people who institute racist policies like slavery, segregation and massive incarceration. The more i study this history, the more i contech churlize the development of these ideas in their historical moment and more importantly, the more i distinguish between the producers of racist ideas and the consumers and decided to study the producers, the more i found that people were producing racist ideas to justify existing rissist policies. In other words, racist policies was becoming before racist ideas. Those racist policies were emerging out of selfinterest and you have economic, political and even cultural selfinterest driving the creation of racially discriminatory policies and then the need to justify those policies that led to the development of racist ideas and then those racist ideas and their circulation or consumption led to our ignorance and hate. I conical this history through five major characters and the first character is Cotton Mather who is a boston these lodge an who led from the 1670s to 1920s and racial ideas were largely theological ideas because theological ideas are largely scientific ideas. He was involved in popularizing many of the early theological ideas justifying or making the case for black inferiority, by the emergence of the United States, the racial discourse became more secular and particularly through the world of Thomas Jefferson. And Thomas Jefferson died on the eve of the Abolitionist Movement. Thomas jefferson being the second major character in the text and that Abolitionist Movement was largely spearheaded by William Lloyd garrison who of course was a third major character. And w. B. Dubois was the fourth major character and was of course one of the fathers of civil rights and black power and the last major character that covers the last 50 years where mass incarceration in particular became front and center was angela davis. Amy so talk about from cotton they to angela davis how embodied your idea of how racist policies and ideas develop . Ibram in the case of Cotton Mather, Cotton Mather was involved in probably the first Great American debate over race which was whether black people could become christians. And slave holders who were also christian made the case that black people were too barbaric. Cotton mather, being a major boston three loge an and minister wanting to have a new group of people to process elltize to made the prostelize made the fact they can and their bodies are black and interior and worthy of enslavement. This debate, he made this case with this debate because he wanted to open up sort of the church to be able, particularly the puritan church, to frost to black frost letize people and he had this cultural interest that led to his idea. And Thomas Jefferson, as many of you would understand, he was a slave holder who of course wanted to create ideas that allowed him to continue slave holding. All the way up to angela davis, angela davis, i chronicle as this major antiracist theorist because i really sort of show the debate between racist and tirayist ideas and show particularly within the well him of criminal justice that all these ideas justifying law and order, justifying the war on drugs, justifying tough on rime and now justifying police being exonerated for killing black lives that angela davis was long at the forefront of challenging those ideas, by challenging the racist ideas that were underlying them. Amy you write very poignantly in the prolog to stamped in the beginning, i somehow managed to write this book between heartbreaks of Trayvon Martin and boyd and Michael Brown and freddie gray and the charleston nine and heartbreaks that are a product of americas history of racist ideas as much as the history book of racist ideas is a product of these heartbreaks. Young black males were 21 times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts between 2010 and 2012 according to federal statistics. D you go on to say the underrecorded, underanalyzed Racial Disparities of women victims of police force may be greater. Federal data shows the median wealth of white household is a staggering 13 times the median wealth of black households and black people are five times more likely to be incarcerated than whites. Talk more about this. Ibram amy, this is since the beginning of the United States, since the beginning of colonial america, there has been whats called Racial Disparities, as you just outlines. Racial disparity where is black people were more likely to be poor, black people were more likely to be killed by the police, black people were more likely to be imprisoned. The question becomes why . Why is it that black people are on the lower end of these Racial Disparities . Why does racial inequality exist in this country . And really the racial debate has largely been trying to answer that question. And really stamped from the beginning chronicles that long racial debate trying to answer that question. And really theres been three positions and those positions persist to this day. The first position states that its because black people are inferior. The reason why so many more black people are being killed by the police is because black people keep acting recklessly before the police. If black people would act better this would not an problem. They principally state theres something wrong and inferior about black people and what i call the segregationist position. On the other side of the debate has been the antiracist position. The antiracist position states that the racial groups are equal. Theres nothing wrong or right about black people or any other racial group of people. So because the racial groups are equal, theres deep disparity, these inequities must be the result of Racial Discrimination and they spend their time challenging Racial Discrimination. Then the third position which is called the assimilation position actually argues both. Typically and historically they stated yes, there is Racial Discrimination but theres also something wrong and interior inferior about black people. So they sought to civilize black people at the same time they were challenging Racial Discrimination. Amy so talk about ere black lives matter fits in to this picture, the organizing from the grassroots up and where you see it going. I think it fits precisely in this picture because i think black lives matter activists have made the case that the problem is the criminal justice system, that the problem is racist policing, that the problem is the laws that are being created that make the case theres something wrong with the people as opposed to the environment that these people the lack of jobs and resources these people are being faced with. And so im hoping and im sure many people are hoping that black lives matter and many other activists, eabt racist activists who have been inspired by black lives matter and other activists will recognize the antiracist position is that either the racial groups are equal or theyre not. And if you believe the racial groups are not equal, that theres something wrong or inferior about black people, thats a racist idea. So you cannot continue to imagine that this nation is post racial at the same time that you dont believe that the racial groups are equal, that youre championing policies that actually discriminate against black people. Amy talking to historian ibram x. Kendi, his book won the National Book awards stamped from the beginning, the definitive history of racist ideas in america. And you talk about overall racial inequities. From everything from wealth to health. Certainly when we look at whats happening right now in the senate, though the Health Care Bill has been put off for the moment, now opposed by nine republicans who run the political spectrum feeling that regulations like what senator paul of kentucky have to be stricter, that medicaid and a r Health Care Policies safety nets have to be dismantled to those who feel this is way too stringent but always at the bottom of this you have the most vulnerable in society. So talk about from wealth to health, professor kendi. Ibram from wealth, i mean, the great recession, some have made the case was one of the largest losses of black wealth in american history, one of the largest losses of latino wealth in american history, that when we have these Major Economic catastrophes, those people who are the most sort of underprivileged are the most likely to lose out. But i think the health care to date and really, the argument is really more indicative of what were talking about. The Affordable Care act led to 11 more black and latino people becoming insured, which is a dramatic sort of development within black america, within latino america, so it eliminated these massive disparities, and it reduced these disparities between racial groups that are uninsured. So, you know, to think about a new Health Care Bill thats going to reduce the number of people who im sorry, increase the number of people who are uninsured, many of those people will probably be black or latino and therefore well have an increase in these disparity as and then what racist ideas will say, well, its those black peoples fault, those latinos fault, they should be working harder, theres something wrong with them. So theyll create racist ideas to justify those disparities. And i should also say that, you know, one of the most consequential manifestations in this country that black life does not matter is the sparity between how long black people live. White people are more like 3 1 2 have a lifespan of 3 1 2 years in this country. And i think many of these things sort of result in that, including people having access to health care. Amy youre writing a new book on how to be an antiracist, which will be released next year. Can you give us a little preview. About ou asked ask the question again, im sorry . Amy i was just saying youre writing a new book, how to be an antiracist. Give us a preview. Ibram sure. So i mention in the prolog from the beginning that before i can chronicle anyone elses racist ideas, i first had to come to grips with my own. And so really, in how to be an antiracist i want to chronicle my journey, my personal journey of really, you know, being raised and consuming many racist ideas to seeking to become somebody who is an antiracist. So i begin the book with a speech that i gave in high school in which i uttered all of these racist ideas, all these things stating theres something wrong with black people and i take readers through my own personal journey while simultaneously revealing many of the concepts of what it means to be an antiracist. Amy finally, can you tell us the origins of your name . Ibram sure. Ibram is was given to me by my parents and my exultimated father, a deliverance of abraham and came up in a christian church, a christian family, my parents were a part of the black theology movement in the early 1970s, and my last name kendi, my wife and i, when we read in 2003, we decided to choose a name together. Name in kenya that means loved one. Amy and you unveiled the fact of your wedding to your family and friends . Ibram yes. Amy i want to thank for you being with us, professor of history and International Relations and founding director of the Antiracist Research and policy center at american university. Hes just leaving the university of florida at jacksonville. Hes the author of stamped from the beginning, the definitive history of racist ideas in america which is winner of the 2016 National Book award. This is democracy now . When we come back, we look at a lawsuit in washington against the washington, d. C. Police for their treatment of protesters at the inauguration of President Trump. Stay with us. Amy i will survive, a new song by the band deer huff. This is democracy now where were premiering the full song. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. As we turn now to a shocking new lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties union which charges police in washington, d. C. To use sexual abuse as a form of punishment after hundreds were arrted during protests against Donald Trumps inauguration january 20. A complaint by four plaintiffs charges officers stripped them, grabbed their genitals, inserted fingers into their anuses while other officers laughed. This is plaintiff shay horse, a photojournalist addressing a press conference last week, a warning to our audience, the following clip includes graphic language. It was after sunset and they handcuffed us so tight, my fingers on both my hands went numb. I loosened the ties and they said youre not supposed to be comfortable. Finally away. We spent hours in a police van. Some in the van not even moving and sometimes the officers outside the van doing nothing at all. When we finally got out of the van we appeared in a facility, an area that looked like a mock street. A group of officers, maybe a dozen, lined up five male detainees including myself and an officer told us to drop our pants and an officer went down the row and he grabbed our balls and yanked on them and then stuck his finger up each of our anuses and wiggled it around. I felt like they were using this as punishment. The use of the tactics to inflict main and misery on people who are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. They felt they were trying to break me and the others, break us. I was in Police Custody 33 hours. My anus was still sore when i was released. The effects of what happened january 20 are still with me a month later. A couple fingers on my left hand are still numb. I continue to suffer stress and anxiety. Ive struggled sleeping. I wake up every three hours. Im still trying to come to grip with what happened in the facility. I feel like i was raped. Amy that was photojournalist shay horse speaking at a aclu press conference last week. Democracy now invited d. C. S Metropolitan Police department to joins on the show but declined our offer. In a statement, the d. C. Police department promised an investigation but defended its officers actions saying all arrests on january 20 were proper. For more we go to washington, d. C. Where were joined by scott michelman, from the district of columbia, a lecturer. Explain what happened and what this lawsuit is all about. Scott thank you, amy. This lawsuit is about the troubling and unconstitutional conduct of the metropolitan Police Department on inauguration day. On that day thousands of people came to washington, d. C. To express their views and express their opposition to the inauguration of donald trump and this is of course the nations capital, a police where people should feel freist to express their views and dissents and opinions. Now, most people on that day were peaceful but there were some windows broken, some trash cans overturned. The problem was in response to those actions, the metropolitan Police Conducted a massive roundup. They pepper sprayed indiscriminately all the demonstrators in the area. Hundreds of people got pepper sprayed without warning or dispersal order and without individually doing anything wrong. And then the m. P. D. Kettled, that is, set up a mass detention for over 200 people who were not selected because they had engaged in wrongdoing but because they were on the street where the pole had decided to set up the kettle. In effect, they were rounded up and detained for their proximity and perhaps their agreement of the ideas of a handful of people who were engaging in law breaking which is nothing more than guilt by association. Then in custody, the detainees were deprived of food, water and access to toilets for many hours and finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, a number of the detainees, including two of our clients were subjected to manual rectal probing by an officer putting his finger up their anuses, grabbing on their testicles, and we heard reports it was more widespread than the five individuals you heard shay horse describe there. Two of those individuals are our plaintiffs and we think there are more detainees who were punished in that manner. Amy i wanted to go to the d. C. Police chief Peter Newsham who appeared on the Radio Station wmau on friday. Lets go to a clip. Some folks have suggested that the metropolitan Police Department, a very small group of people, rounded up protesters or demonstrators and indiscriminately arrested them on journalists and legal observers were in the group that were arrested . They were. So people have suggested that the metropolitan Police Department indiscriminately rounded up protesters and demonstrators on that day and nothing could be further from the truth. The metropolitan Police Officers arrested rioters on that day. Amy i also wanted to go to another one, a viewerclient, baltimore resident Elizabeth Lagesse who traveled to d. C. To peacefully protest the inauguration. I peacefully marched the street attending with a group of other demonstrators. I did not engage in any acts of vandalism. The next thing i knew, police were firing pepper spray and tear gas everywhere. They never warned us or told us to disperse. I have seen other protests Police Use Pepper Spray so i brought a pair of my old Chemistry Lab safety goggles to protect my eyes but their irritants burned my face and made me feel like i was choking. I ran away from all the chaos, along with the other protesters but everywhere we turned, intersections were blocked. Police eventually chased us into a kind of pen set at the corner of 12 and l where they held us for hours and even pepper sprayed us while we were in the kettle even though we krnt move and werent doing anything to provoke them. The chemicals made me cough and made the crowded conditions even more claustrophobic. Many of us asked for food or bathrooms but the officers refused to provide anything. Or even answer questions like why were we detained . Finally after several hours they started to formally arrest us one by one. It seemed like they were moving as slowly as they could, even as it got colder and started to rain. Meanwhile, i had no way to clean the pepper spray from my face. It continued to burn everywhere my goggles didnt cover. Amy that was Elizabeth Lagesse. They also represent a d. C. Resident who volunteered as a legal observer in the National Lawyers guild during the inauguration and he said he wore a bright green hat to clearly identify himself as a legal observer but he still was pepper sprayed by d. C. Police. This is aerial speaking at the News Conference last week. Aerial i saw a group of detainees being surrounded by police on the northwest corner of the intersection. A crowd gathered on the south side, including a number of legal observers with bright green hats. They were with Police Officers in the intersection facing us, separated by us by Yellow Police tape and a row of police motorcycles. People were shouting at the officers to release those people being detained across the street. It was tense but did not feel noticeably different from other people protests out there. After about 10 minutes, all of a sudden without warning, the Police Officer in the intersection began pepper spraying which was completely unprovoked. The police hadnt given an order to disburse and i did not see anyone menacing or threatening the officers before they started spraying. I buckled over coughing and choking. Amy thats legal observer judah aerial with the lawyers guilty. Scott michelman, what are you demanding in your lawsuit as we wrap up . Scott it seeks damages in an amount to be determined by the jury because we believe a jury should decide how much of a message needs to be sent to the m. P. D. That they must respect and honor demonstrators, free speech rights rather than killing them. Amy senior attorney for the aclu for the district of colombia, lecturer at Harvard Law School speaking to us from washington, d. C. , scott michelman. Thanks for joining us. In end the broadcast break brazil where president temer has been charged with corruption and taking bribes. Temer has fooled mr. Skillian citizens and is the first sitting head of state to be formally charged with a crime, addressing reporters tuesday president temer dismissed the allegations. We want to stop the country, stop the congress in a political act with fragile and procureous accusations sitting at the presidency of the republic. Amy the charges against the current president temer comes less than a year after brazilian president Dilma Rousseff was impeached in what many described as a legislative coup and came as brazil was in a major Corruption Scandal but rousseff herself was never accused of a financial propriety. Brazils Corruption Scandals widened at the center of the scandal and many right wing politicians that orchestrated her ouster and to talk more about the situation were going to Rio De Janeiro to speak with david miranda, a journalist in and the first lbgtq member of the rio city council. Welcome to democracy now , talk about the significance of the indictment of the sitting president of brazil. David hi, amy. Thanks for having me. We are facing a major crisis in brazil right now. And with the denouncements coming from the attorney, prosecutor, it shows how brazil how you vote for them tore go out, 2 3 of that has to vote against him. And we actually know many of them are corrupt as well. So we are facing a struggle in brazil if theyre going to be on his side or the side of the population, theyll be going to the streets on the 30th now to do a major strike and it can last 48 hours. So were hoping that public opinion, weve changed the mind of those corrupt politicians so you can vote that temer has to go out now. Amy can you talk about what temer is charged with, this accusation of taking millions of dollars in bribes . David yeah. Hes accused by bribery and obstruction of justice because three monthsing a, he was caught on tape on a night in the palace where he lives in brasilia with one of the biggest businessmen there and he was talking to this guy and asking for money and also to obstruct justice. And he wants to send money to keep quiet. Thats why the accusation. It took three months for the attorney general to take a look at the evidence and he find out a reply saying hes actually being charged for this because the tapes are real and theres evidence for that and now he just has to send that to the lower house. Amy i want to go to michel temer speaking following the ouster of Dilma Rousseff. My first word to the brazilian people is the word trust. Trust in the values that form the character of our people, the vitality of our democracy, trust in the recuperation of our countrys economy, our countrys potential and its social and political institutions. Amy so that was temer last year right after he was involved with the ouster of Dilma Rousseff. What happens now, david . David well, its funny because we took a presidency, her party is very corrupt and she was things but not charged with corruption. And now we have the first president in history that is charged actually as a criminal and for obstructing justice. And were facing a decision because temer was the chosen of the elites of brazil for anging and passing laws in brazil. He was doing the work, the dirty work in brazil but now theyre facing hes not oing to be able, because the politicians are changing. And the old parties are getting together in brazil, the party former a, the president , and they dont want temer to go out now. They want temer to stay into the next year for the election. So they probably will wrap it up everything they can to keep themmer in that. Were facing the public wants him as out but the old parties dont want him out. Amy i want to ask you, david, about what happened earlier this year in a protest in Rio De Janeiro where you are now when you were hit by a car yourself after setting up traffic cones to block vehicles. Can you tell us what happened . David i got up at 2 00 in the morning to do a strike with everybody else in the city with the youth. So we are blocking the streets so people dont get into their work and downtown, so i was blocking the street with cones and this car came and he didnt stop, he just run over me and i just pushed my arms on the top of the car and the funny thing, we posted that video on facebook and so many comments saying that he did the right thing and this just shows like how the internet and people are just moving towards politicians because they are not believing politicians anymore, like exactly what happened in the u. S. Aened and it can happen in brazil because trump is over there and we have this big crisis happening now just like trump. But at the same time, like right in the u. S. You have Bernie Sanders who was there and as much as in brazil, the peace in brazil, im part of it. As much as the day was traumatic to me, i even saw the peoples face and the struggles they are fighting together, the young and old people and it was an achievement for life for me in a moment i needed it and was on the right side of this fight. Amy finally, we have just 15 second, the strike is planned of friday for for friday this week . David this friday, the 30th of june. Well be for 48 hours were planning to strike with the youth, with the workers class, everybody is going to be in brazil and dont think temer can resist to this. I think he will fall. E only concern here is temer falling, maya, the head of the law, for 15 years in the prison now, also is chargeed by corruption as well. So brazil faces a very crazy moment now. Because the big part of the politicians here are very corrupt. 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