Are allowed to be back there. If youre coming to speak directly, please wear a mask. Hes going on a book tour, more than one stop and he is happy to sign and your book, i know he wants to speak with you if you have done something to share but speak with him, under his convertibility and wear a mask. I have the pleasure to introduce maggie. [applause] hello, everybody. Can you hear me . I dont think i have anything. Thank you, stacy. Many of you know me by my nickname, maggie. Weve known each other since we were teenagers. We both grew up in a leo. He was out of Public School and i was at a catholic school. I knew who he was because he was cute. I choke up around cute guys. [laughter] it wasnt until the university of alabama where we met that our paths crossed. There, i found out hes more than just a pretty face. Hes very special. Talk about someone with a big heart and a vision. As a young age, he was willing to focus his attention and energy on making things better for all the students at the university of alabama. His 1965. He could see things were not equitable. He ran for Student Government president. This is 1965 and he had me on his campaign staff. I was recruited by a mutual friend of ours, david and i read a group of programs through the fraternity campus seeing a little jingle that i wrote myself. I like to think they are launching dawns long and successful political career. But before dawns appearance on the alabama political stage where he held for top congressional offices as attorney general, secretary of state, Lieutenant Governor and governor of the state of alabama, don earned a bachelors in arts degrees in 1968 from the university of alabama, graduated from Georgetown University law school in 1972 and studied International Law in 1973 at oxford university. I am proud to consider don my friend. And myself as his number one cheerleader. Its my hope that john is remembered for forward thinking which is the protection and preservation of the precious and fragile. Hes also responsible for championing the critical issue of education in our state. He continues to fight the cause for social and criminal justice. For all people. Regardless of color of skin. These are the things we hope for when we hear the name john for years to come. Please read his story in his new book. Decide for yourself how you think don should be remembered. My privilege to introduce you the governor of the state of alabama, the best the state has and never will have. [applause] i wanted to do more than rub elbows with that was a great introduction. You could have given me credit for being prosecuted, too. All things led into that but im going to say some things that might offend some of you and its just the way it is. Its coming from my heart. Listening to maggie get the introduction, is actually 1967 another student body president at the university, we grew up together, all the historical black student body president s, we had a meeting and at that meeting, we formed the Alabama Association of student body president s. To bring everybody together under one roof. The president and i decided we couldnt go on as we were going. We decided we had to put an end to playing the song and every alabama football game. So we passed a resolution among ourselves and he took it to, that was the end of alabama football games. When i was Lieutenant Governor, it had been taken down from the capital because of the construction. There was an effort by the Alabama Senate to raise a Confederate Flag again. I refused, as president and the senate to allow the resolution to be introduced to the floor of the Alabama State senate. [applause] when they asked me why i was preventing the flight from being raised, we had to send it to the laundry, it needed to be cleaned. When i was governor, you may remember we used to have, in the heart of dixie on the license plates, i changed that after i landed on the mercedes. You may remember they sing that song at my inauguration. I asked two questions about my book, the book is, yes, it is a memoir, its about half my grandparents lived here, we used to come over on the weekends and slipped down to the bay and a used to be coming out of the bank and leading into the bay, my favorite part of my fate experience was sitting in the cold water. My book is about the values i was taught as a child. I remember coming down from school one day and my dad was there. It is unusual because my dad always work, he never was home before six but that day when i got home from school, my father was there. He said son, your mother told me this was 1955, maybe. We were proceeding up and he said son, your mother told me he didnt use a bad word this morning. I realized what i had said but i used the n word. He said we start at the kitchen table. And he said, i want you to go through the dictionary. So we had an encyclopedia and we had a dictionary. I brought the dictionary back to the kitchen table. My dad said, i want you to find that word in the dictionary. Of course i looked and looked and i said dad, i cant find it. He said let me give you a hint, it is not in there. He said thats the only word we use. I want you to say yes, sir and no, maam. Thats the kind of household i was raised in. Whatever street that is. She said see this lady . Go up to her and ask if you can help her cross the street. I remember growing up and i held her hand, she held mine and we crossed the street together. But my mother was trying to teach me about good works, it was something more than we heard in church. So my book is a memoir of sorts that tells me you how i got to be who i am. It tells you about why i was targeted but the book is not about me, its about saving our democracy. In this time, when we can watch on television, another mans life being taken before our very eyes, it is time we confront the issue of systemic racism in this country. [applause] my book is not a direct application, its about protecting people from the abuse of power whether it police, prosecutors or by president s of the United States. I propose an action plan, a specific plan, i will go into that briefly. I will close and that you ask questions but january 4, 2010 from Los Angeles Times reported president obamas lawyer argued to the United StatesSupreme Court yesterday, u. S. Citizens, u. S. Citizens did not have a right not to be framed. This is now on the Supreme Court, arguing for the u. S. Supreme court in the u. S. Citizens can be and theres nothing you can do about it. She didnt have to make that argument but she did because it is the law then and is the law now. I hope alayna and president obama would come in and say this may be the law but thats not the position im going to take before this court today. These men have been in prison for crimes they did not commit. It is time we change the law in this country to protect people who are innocent from being framed. The Supreme Court, prosecutors, absolute immunity. To willfully and intentionally present false evidence. Evidence which would free a defendant. How is this applicable to george floyd or teran martin or Breonna Taylor or Ahmaud Arbery . It goes on and on. When Police Officers used Excessive Force and take someones life, the Legal Process calls for an indictment before they can go to trial. In the grand jury, prosecutors, with this protection, provided by the u. S. Supreme court and by congress in the claims act, they know they can violate someones Constitutional Rights for human rights, they can legally frame someone and theres nothing you can do about it. George floyd, Breonna Taylor, a montgomery and all the others whose lives have been taken by Law Enforcement through the use of Excessive Force should have the right to have counsel, to have a lawyer in the grand jury as they check on truth. If i had a lawyer when they had indictment against me, they would have not been an indictment because prosecutors took evidence which was not true. Transcribed in the grand jury and its clear for anyone to read. That was 2004 and the judge said it was the most unfounded case over which he presided in his 29 years and seven months on the bench. I want to take you back, im going to get back into this in a minute but the government prosecutors, state and federal prosecutors year after year, 99 of the indictments they seek, year after year they get 99 of the indictments. Thats an extraordinary percentage. Almost impossible. 97 of the people indicted pleaded guilty. Most of them before they even get a lawyer. There is a reason for that. Its because prosecutors and pressure and they are black. The person to give testimony. Or a defendant, a promise of a lighter sentence if they accept a guilty plea. If you are a non man of color, lets say, youve been stopped twice, youre facing a third felony, 25 years to life and they say will cut you a deal, well give you about four minutes to make up your mind. We give you ten years in prison but if you walk out that door, your into a conspiracy to face 25 years in prison. 97 plead guilty. Of the 3 who decide they want to go to trial, if they testify on their own behalf and lose, the judge adds perjury or obstruction of justice because the judge says the jury didnt believe you so obviously you were lying and you are trying to obstruct justice. So additional time is added. Theres Something Else called acquitted conduct and relevant conduct. Those who are accepted as a plea bargain. Its not a bargain or an agreement. Once you go before the judge, the judge can say prosecutor gives the attendees but you have two other felonies and im going to go ahead and give you five years for on each of those counts even though that person has already served their time in prison. Even though the defendant served their time in prison, the judge can and does, frequently, give time for progress. In my case, fuller tripled my guideline lanes based on the jury found me not guilty. Acquitted conduct. Judges give them additional time for matters for which a defendant was found not guilty. So anyway, there are flaws in the system that need to be corrected. My recommendations, defendants are targets of the grand jury and family members of the victims of abuse of power by police should have the right to have their lawyer present in the grand jury as a check on truth. We do this as a matter of course in civil depositions. Lawyers for either side can challenge the evidence that on the other side. When those challenges and objections are heard by a judge and the judge says yes, you can or no, you cant introduce the evidence, its important enough in a civil case where they are at stake, surely it ought to be important enough when somebodys life or liberty is at stake. Imagine yourself, this is what happened to me. Imagine yourself enjoying life and a job and suddenly you get a call saying theyve just been indicted. Being indicted by somebody whos a criminal, your accused of being a criminal themselves. But they cut a deal with the prosecutor to testify against you in exchange for recommendation of no time in prison. On 60 minutes february 24, 2008, the witness against me told cbs hes been interviewed over 70 times. Hes been made to write and rewrite his testimony over and over until he got right. The chief judge and the ninth circuit said prosecutors withholding evidence is an epidemic in america. 150 people exonerated, it makes people go to death row. Exonerated because of misconduct. That conduct is perpetuated because of the repercussion held over them and weve got to change it. [applause] thank you. This is just my opinion. Getting off the book and talking about systemic racism. Two and systemic racism, either theyve got to conclude and believe god created all of us equally or theyve got to made to understand the United States constitution demands they treat everyone equally whether they like it or not. Abuse of power by police, prosecutors, or by president s. Theres a reason why donald trump is on the back of my book. Leaves god to change policies, politics and laws. I propose laws that need to be changed. Theyre proposing policies that will change the makeup and mindset and attitude for Police Officers. The objective is to change from a lawyer instinct to being a guardian of the community. Weve seen successful efforts in this, the cold sore standard of how they change their police department. When you talk about this talk about defunding police, they are not really talking about getting rid of the police, are willing to buy into this new concept of being guardians of the community rather than im not painting everyone with the same thought for decades and decades, weve been fighting this war on crime and drugs and Congress Passed laws or orders for prosecutors to seek the harshest penalty is possible and police have been armed with military equipment we see it on television or in person so its something thats been developed over time so its going to take time to change from this from the guardian instinct but if you look at what happened, if you have said this, and thats okay. If you look at what happened when a man was drunk and fell asleep in the drivethrough lane at wendys, two ladies approached that. Im not saying this is what happened because i wasnt there, i just read about it. What is the knock on the window, authority . Get their attention . Them to get out of the car, let me see your license. I want you to take a test. Well put handcuffs on you. The other way could have been a tap on the window, a little wider and they it looks like hes had a little too much to drink. Would you mind pulling your car to the vacant spot over there . They have a duty not to let him drive because he could kill somebody so you cant let him go but there are two ways to deal with this situation. Even when he breaks free and takes the taser and starts to do other things, the chief Police Officers have is drivers license and car, he had his taser so they make the arrest there. There are different ways to handle situations to deescalate instead of escalate. Thats one of the things i think hopefully these policies will lead to. When i was governor, i propose Free College Education and universal lending for every child. I wanted every child, every single child in this state, regardless of where, the color of their skin, i dont care whether they were citizens or not, i wanted every child to have the hope and dream of becoming their full possibilities by which they were created by god. I want to reach their godly existence. [applause] i want them to have the knowledge if we, if they stay in school and out of trouble, they could go on and get Higher Education whether its learning to be a mechanic or going to Community College or maybe getting an engineering degree, every child should have the dream of being able to be, to better themselves. By having that hope and dream, they would stay out of trouble. I dont care who the next president is but a very are going to and systemic racism, we have to deal with the issue of education. It is so clear. [applause] this cant leave anybody out. We have to deal with the issue in the economy which means weve got to create more better jobs, we have to raise the minimum wage, create new uses for Renewable Energy to combat Climate Crisis we face. We have to come up with a 21st century plan to put people in homes displaced by the coronavirus, to do something constructive for our society. That means we have to have a president who understands families in america owned 50 of the wealth, something is wrong. 1 have 92 of the wealth, something is wrong when large corporations like amazon, its in my book but amazon taxes and all. Something is wrong the president of the u. S. , and systemic racism has to take down the issue in this system. Weve been told all our lives of the working families is because of the people below us. The immigrants, the people on welfare but its not, its the 1 , taxpayers of the country carrying the burden so weve got to level the playing field. Finally, im losing my voice, its a good time for me to stop but we live in the richest country in the world. No one should go to bed hungry, helpless or without healthcare. [applause] i dont care whether you are poor, addicted, a disability or in prison. We ought to give people if we are going to bring this country together and heal the wounds that we see on the nightly news. My book goes into a lot of things, it carries through the impeachment trial of President Trump and offers my idea of what we need to do to balance the scales of justice. I can tell you this, the answer to all of the problems we face, Teddy Roosevelt said the credit belongs to those in the arena, the enthusiasms, its a worldly cause. They should fail while daring, at least know their place will be there. Us as voters, you wouldnt be here if you werent already in the arena. But its up to us to work hard enough and long enough to find candidates in whom we believe and trust, to make sure they stay true to the promises during the campaign. Weve got to take these steps i know and believe it can be everything we know it should be. What is going to take all of us the weight. Politics like yours are like professionals but each of us because of our ability, the impact change are really the soldiers and politics. Its been said the right to vote is our most precious right because all of our duties and responsibilities stem from those who put into Public Offices. So if you want change, elect people to Public Office who want change. Thank you very much. [applause] if anybody has not bought a book who would like to, please do so and ill be happy to sign. Ive got a question. Full disclosure, you and i h