Sheriffs deputies were guilty of Excessive Force, leading to the death of marvin lewis booker. All marvin wanted to do was get his shoes. Police brutality cases this week, a federal jury awarded an historic 4. 6 million to the family of a homeless preacher. Marvin booker was in a denver ail when he was grabbed by deputy, piled on by a team of officers who handcuffed him, put him in a chokehold, and tasered and. He died. Then, the Colorado Senate race could control that determine who controls congress. Cory gardner and mark udall are neck and neck in the polls. You voted with barack obama 99 of the time, 107 out of 108. For someonegumption who had the tent most partisan record in the house of representatives to continue to make that charge. We will look at the senate race another key issues fracking, immigration, and more, with mike litwin, veteran denver post political analyst who now writes for the Colorado Independent. All that and more coming up. Welcome the official told molly and the ivory coast are the most vulnerable. We have identified the ivory coast and mali. 18 is going to do a thorough assessment. It is moving from an assessment to making sure that things are in place. Jamaica has become the latest country to impose a travel ban on passengers from liberia, guinea, and sierra leone. Here in the united states, president obama continues to oppose a travel ban but now says he wont rule one out. Obama spoke at the White House White house thursday night. A flatout travel ban is not the way to go. We will monitor this. I am asking these questions. If in fact it turns out i am getting different answers, i will share that with the American People and we will not hesitate to do what is necessary to maximize th chances that we avoid an outbreak in the united states. Obama comments, president also said he is considering the czar toent of an ebola handle the overall u. S. Response. Concern around ebola has grown nationwide following the infections of two dallas nurses who treated thomas eric duncan, the Liberian National who died last week in dallas. On thursday, the chief clinician at the nurses hospital, doctor daniel varga of texas health presbyterian, apologized to congress for the mishandling of duncans care. Despite the best intentions and a highly skilled medical team, we made mistakes. We did not correctly diagnose his symptoms as those of ebola and we are deeply sorry. On thursday, the first nurse to be infected, texas health presbyterian, nina pham, was flown to maryland for treatment. The second nurse, amber vinson, was transferred on wednesday to Emory University in atlanta, georgia leaving no more ebola , patients in dallas. The u. S. Led coalition is in its third day of heavy strikes on Islamic State fighters around the syrian town of kobani. Isis had been on the verge of seizing kobani, but the pentagon claims its slowed the offensive by killing hundreds of fighters. At a briefing in washington, pentagon spokesperson john kirby said the u. S. Led bombings have used precise targeting. Forces conducted 14 airstrikes yesterday and today. Initial reports indicate those strikes successfully hit 19 buildings, two command posts, three fighting positions, three sniper positions, one staging location, and one heavy machine gun very precise targeting eric according to the associated press, syrian kurds have asked for a direct supply of weapons, saying the airstrikes are not enough to stop the advance. The Obama Administration meanwhile says it continues to hold talks with turkey on hosting usled forces. The u. S. Was forced to walk back an initial claim last week that turkey had authorized the basis for coalition use. The talks, as the state department has confirmed it has for the first time with the main kurdish Political Party in syria, the Kurdish Democratic union party, or pyd. The pyd has close ties to the pkk, the militant Kurdish Group in turkey that Turkish Forces bombed earlier this week. At least 36 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in a series of bombings in shiite areas of the iraqi capital of baghdad. Shiite leaders have blamed the attack on the Islamic State. In israel and the occupied territories, Israeli Forces have shot dead a palestinian boy in the village of beit liqya. The victim, thirteenyear old bahaa badr, was reportedly shot after a group of youths threw stones at Israeli Forces who had entered near the israeli separation wall that carves up the occupied west bank. Israel says it responded with live fire against a illegal right. According to the defense for ldren, troops have according to defense for children international, israeli troops and settlers have shot dead at least 10 children in the west bank this year. Thats on top of the more than 500 children killed in israels assault on gaza over the summer. The u. N. General assembly has elected venezuela as among the five new nonpermanent Security Council members for 20152016. Venezuelas bid drew 181 votes from the 193member general assembly. The Bush Administration helped defeat venezuelas last bid for the Security Council in 2006 after thenpresident hugo chavez pledged to be the voice of the south and challenge american dominance. This time, the Obama Administration did not say how it voted in the secret ballot. But in a statement, un ambassador Samantha Power said quote unfortunately, venezuelas conduct at the un has run counter to the spirit of the un charter and its violations of human rights at home are at odds with the charters letter. The venezuelan government praised its winning bid as a huge triumph over a malign campaign against our country. The councils other new members are new zealand, spain, angola and malaysia. New figures show claims for Unemployment Benefits have 264,000, a 14year low. The official Unemployment Rate is at 5. 9 . The Obama Administration has named a new acting head for the civil rights justice departments civil rights division. Vanita gupta will take up the position after serving as legal director for the American Civil Liberties union, where she developed a reputation as a champion for human rights. Gupta will be appointed temporarily and formally nominated for the position by the end of the year. She was tapped to replace president obamas initial choice, debo adegbile, who was forced to withdraw earlier this year. The senate rejected adegbile following a fight that focused almost solely on his role as part of an Naacp Legal Defense Fund team that successfully argued a trial judges jury instructions violated the rights of journalist and former black panther Mumia Abujamal in his conviction for the killing of a Philadelphia Police officer. In a new case of political attribution, pennsylvania lawmakers have approved a measure that critics say tramples freespeech. The measure authorizes censoring the public addresses of prisoners or former offenders should judges allow that agree that allowing them to speak would cause damage to the victims. The measure was approved after a pretaped commencement address earlier this month. The speech was opposed by the Pennsylvania State officials as well as the widow of daniel faulkner, the Police Officer who he was convicted of killing. Cicilline governor tom corbett is expected to sign the measure into law. The American Civil Liberties union of pennsylvania has itticized the law, calling overbroad, vague, and unable to muster constitutional. The younger son of Vice President joe biden has been discharged from the navy reserve after testing positive for cocaine. The navy says it took action earlier this year after hunter biden failed a drug test in june 2013. In a statement, biden said he has deep regret and embarrassment over his actions and is moving forward with the love and support of my family. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are on the road in denver colorado, broadcasting from the studios of the open Media Foundation denver open media. Denver has been plagued by a string of Police Brutality cases, and this week a federal jury awarded a historic 4. 6 million to the family of a homeless preacher who sheriffs deputies used Excessive Force against him. Marvin booker was a homeless street preacher from a prominent family of southern preachers. In 2010, he was killed by deputies in the booking room of the denver jail. Surveillance video of bookers death shows what happened. A warning to our tv viewers as we show the video now it contains disturbing content. It shows Marvin Booker being grabbed by an officer, then piled on by a team of officers who then restrain him in handcuffs, and put him in a chokehold. After he appears motionless, he is then tasered. Eventually deputies carry him out of sight of the camera. Booker was pronounced dead hours later in what the coroner ruled a homicide. Prosecutors declined to charge the deputies involved, and Sheriffs Department officials never disciplined them, saying they believed booker could harm someone and that force was needed to restrain him. On tuesday, bookers family and supporters gathered on the steps of denvers city jail after a jury awarded the booker family 4. 65 million in compensation and damages. This is reverend timothy tyler, pastor at Shorter Community ame church in denver. Law, ay in the court of , a body ofup authority stood up for the first and declaredyears that five sheriffs deputies force,ilty of excessive leading to the death of marvin lewis booker. All marvin wanted to do was get his shoes. Marvin bookers Case Highlights a history of misconduct by the denver Sheriffs Department, and added momentum to calls for reform. This is the attorney for Marvin Bookers family, darold killmer, speaking after tuesdays verdict. This was not unforeseeable. This was inevitable. This is the way we have allowed jails to be run, and too many people could have been injured and killed. Washed has been watched nationally and it should be. This happens in colorado, missouri, new york, california, texas, florida. That peoplegnal will not put up with it anymore. This is the people telling government that it has to change. This issue has reached a tipping point. The verdict comes amidst for a federal investigation of the Sheriff Department of several cases of abuse. In july, sheriff gary wilson resigned after denver agreed to pay 3. 3 million to settle another federal jailabuse lawsuit by a former inmate over a beating. It was the largest payout in city history to settle a civil rights case, until the booker case which the city refused to settle. This is denver mayor Michael Hancock responded to the verdict in an interview with news 9. Is a loss of life, a tragedy. This family lost a loved one. The whole city has had to deal with this. We are disappointed in the amount of the verdict, and it does not replace the life of Marvin Booker. We understand that. Democracy now invited the mayor to join us on the program, but his office did not respond to our request. For more were joined by two guests. Reverend Reginald Holmes is pastor of the new Covenant Christian Church alpha and omega ministries. He has been a leading voice calling for Law Enforcement accountability in this case and others in denver. He is past president of the greater metro denver ministerial alliance. And susan greene is editor of the Colorado Independent. She is a longtime reporter and columnist, formerly with the denver post. Shes followed the case of Marvin Booker extensively, along with numerous other cases of Excessive Force at the denver jail. Pastor holmes, susan greene, welcome to democracy now holmes, lets begin with you. Your response with a settlement that will go to the family . Havent spoken to the family, one of the things they wanted having spoke to the family, one of the things they wanted to be clear that they are grateful about, they are happy this has come to a conclusion, that they did not want those in denver to believe the money is a panacea for their pain. They are adamant about what they want from this city and they want those officers removed from those positions. They have been clear on that that the family i spoke with one of the things that calvin said was that he wants the the familyo know forgives the officers, but in but inng the officers forgiving they do not want the officers not to deal with the consequences of their actions. Werew many officers involved . I believe there was a total of five officers involved. The listeners and viewers have seen the video. This is not a hightech lynching. It was a vigilante lynching. It was sanctioned and supported by this city government. Sanctioned and supported all the way up and until the trial. Listeners and people all over the world, and those who perhaps have seen this for the first time, can you explain exactly what happened . Explain the date, and although i laid it out of bit in the lead, talk about what happened to Marvin Booker. In july of 2010, marvin was arrested. He was in the booking area, getting ready to be processed. He had stayed in the booking area for some hours or i do not know exactly how many, but he had remained for a while. When they finally got around to booking marvin, he had taken off his shoes, he had become comfortable. They finally got to him, they called him to the booking desk, which was manned up the time by a female. You see this on the video. Desk,goes to the booking has a conversation with the booking officer, finally she says to marvin it is time for cell. Go into the he says before i go i need to get my shoes. As he goes she says no. She physically touches marvin on the arm, and marvin pulls away. When he pulls away, that created the altercation. Officers came from everywhere. Video, you can see they pounced on top of him. He was 135 pounds with existing medical conditions. He had a 250 pound officer along with others on top of him. Marvin pound officer put in a choke hold that was held on minutes. Quick steaming the carotid artery. The carotid artery. Officers testified they felt threatened. Man. Of them on a 135pound they felt threatened, and they were threatened so much that even with the carotid chokehold being applied, someone ordered him to be taste. They actually took the time to go get a taser, and come back and pays them. His body is live he has no here it is not that he is resisting. He is handcuffed. He is doing what anyone would do guessing for air, trying to get his last breath. Determined he was struggling. They are notm given the decency of checking up on him. When it comes to they did not give him the decency of checking up on him, and when the medical examiners get there, of course, he is dead. . What did they do then from the testimony in court, any of the officers, actually four of when outside, smoke ,igarettes, and we are assuming although they did not admit, that it was a time for them to cooperate their stories. The medical people came in, came in, took marvin in, but he was doa, dead on arrival. Greene of the Colorado Independent, you wrote that the verdict put an exclamation point on what leaders have long way have long said, they killed the wrong man. Explain what you mean. I mean that on several heels, in part because of a he posed no threat. Very minimal. At the time he was motionless. Those facts make him the wrong man. Another thing, there is an booker thaty marvin he was another homeless guy causing trouble in a jail. What they did not calculate is homeless guy had a rich history in his hometown in memphis where he became really wellknown, not just in memphis, but throughout the south for having memorized Martin Luther kings speech as his family was close to Martin Luther king. He was 14 when Martin Luther king was shot in his community. Verb agents, he was verbatim, he would engine these speeches. He would go into churches and civil rights events and give the speeches that king would not give. He has two brothers who have congregations. They followed in the footsteps of their father. He chose a different path. He wanted to preach on the street, like you said jesus did. He was not a saint. Had some drug problems like he said jesus did. He was not a saint. He had some drug problems. His family tried to help him. He was adamant that that was the life he wanted to live. When he died i was here when he died, and i know what the City Response was, and i heard the response at trial this guy had no value, he was a nothing. For said in they sat three weeks in trial and denigrated him. When did the trial take place . Place for three weeks and it ended friday. It was years later. Four years later. They did not know this man ha