Will speak with ashley yates. She was at the white house yesterday for a meeting with president obama to address ferguson and police militarization. Then the United Nations slams u. S. Record on Police Brutality and torture. Reports of widespread police. Rced by the they gives rise to concern, of course, and also some vulnerable groups, including ethnic groups, blacks, have been particularly targeted by this force. We will speak to a member of the United Nations committee against torture on u. S. Policing practices, guantanamo and prosecuting Bush Administration officials. And finally, texas prepares to execute a schizophrenic prisoner despite calls for clemency. , an alter ego of mine, sarge killed my illinois my inlaws. Theres nothing to have me become what i am here. Thats the voice of Scott Panetti who is scheduled to die wednesday night. He was sentenced to death after a trial in which he acted as his own attorney and appeared in court wearing a purple cowboy suit and a 10gallon hat. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In more than 30 u. S. Cities, workers and students walked out of school or off the job monday with their hands raised to protest the Police Shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. In washington, d. C. , protesters staged a diein at the Justice Department. In cambridge, massachusetts, dozens laid down in a major intersection in harvard square. President obama has issued his first major policy response to the protests, announcing a Community Policing initiative. The sense that in a country where one of our basic principles, perhaps the most important principle, is equality , there are too many individuals, particularly young people of color, do not feel as if theyre being treated fairly. Week, whenid last any part of the American Family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that is a problem for all of us. Obamas plan includes 75 million to equip police with body cameras. He also announced an executive order to tighten rules on the provision of militarygrade equipment to local police, but vowed to leave the transfers mostly intact. Attorney general eric holder announced new steps to curb racial profiling. He was speaking in atlanta. Well have more on the protests and the obama administrations response after headlines. St. Louis comic county police say an official with the st. Football team has apologized after players raised their arms in the air before a game in a gesture of solidarity with mike brown. But the executive Vice President of rams told the st. Louis postdispatch he did not apologize, but merely told police he regretted any offense their officers may have taken. The Lebanese Army has to tame the wife and child of the leader of the militant Group Islamic state, which has claimed swaths of iraq and syria. The news comes as the United States has continued airstrikes against the group with at least 55 cents friday. Meanwhile, a u. S. Fighter pilot has died in a noncombat crash reportedly in jordan. The United NationsWorld Food Programme has suspended aid to 1. 7 million Syrian Refugees due to budget shortfalls after donor nations have failed to deliver on their pledges. The u. N. Agency said the move could be disastrous for syrians in countries like lebanon and turkey. In northern kenya, somali militants have killed 36 workers at a quarry near the town of mandera. Last week alshabab reportedly last week the group killed 28 people in an attack on a bus in the same area. The World Health Organization says liberia and guinea have met a goal to treat 70 percent of patients suffering from ebola, while sierra leone has not. The agency warned it may not reach a yearend goal to isolate and care for all patients. But head of the u. N. Ebola Response MissionAntony Banbury cited progress in the response. The response to the ebola in turningsucceeded this crisis around. Agoe we were 60 days impaired to where we are now, we have been and by we, im talking about all of those involved in the responses, it surely successful in getting this crisis under control. We are far away from being out of the woods, but there have been markable results achieved in the past 60 days. Russian president Vladimir Putin has scrapped plans for a major gas pipeline to europe amid tensions with the west over europes role in ukraine. After the European Union opposed the pipeline, putin announced the gas would instead flow to turkey. In west virginia, a man suspected of killing four people in a shooting spree has been found dead of an apparent selfinflicted gunshot wound. Police say jody lee hunt was a suspect in three separate shootings. One of the people he killed had filed a Domestic Violence case against him. In austin, texas, police say a man who opened fire on government buildings and tried to burn the Mexican Consulate was a american terrorist with ties to a christian hate group. Police say Larry Mcquilliams had expressed frustration over immigrants receiving aid while he couldnt find a job. He had multiple weapons and a map showing 34 potential targets when he was shot dead by police. In mexico, outrage erupted across the country on the twoyear anniversary of mexican president Enrique Pena Nietos rule, as protesters denounced statebacked violence, corruption and the disappearance of 43 students in september. Over the weekend, 11 protesters held in maximum Security Prisons after an earlier protest were released following an international outcry. Anger intensified after a university student, sandino bucio, was grabbed from the streets friday by Undercover Police whom he said threatened to rape and disappear him. In colombia, farc rebels have released a general and two other hostages captured last month. General Ruben Dario Alzate resigned shortly after his release, saying he should have taken more precautions. His kidnapping prompted colombian president Juan Manuel Santos to suspend peace talks aimed at ending the 50yearconflict with the farc. Bahraini human rights activist Maryam Alkhawaja has been sentenced to a year in prison in absentia for what she says are false charges of assaulting police. That means alkhawaja would face prison if she returns to bahrain, where her father, human rights activist abdulhadi alkhawaja, is serving a life term. Bahrain is a key u. S. Ally, home to the navys fifth fleet. Comedian bill cosby has resigned from the board of trustees of Temple University amid mounting claims he drugged and sexually assaulted women over a period of four decades. Other institutions, including cosbys alma mater, university of massachusettsamherst, have cut ties with cosby as the number of his alleged victims has hit 20. The president of the university of virginia canceled a speaking event in d. C. Monday to deliver a speech outlining steps to address sexual assault. An article in Rolling Stone magazine about a gang rape by Fraternity Members revealed a pattern of rape and impunity and sparked protests at uva. President Teresa Sullivan has outlined steps including increased policing and an additional trauma counselor. In stockholm, sweden, the right livelihood award, known as the alternative nobel prize, has been awarded to five people, including nsa whistleblower edward snowden. Snowden accepted by video link from russia. All the prices we pay, all the sacrifices we have made, i believe we would do again. I know i would. But it was never about me. About us. This is about our rights. This is the battle between societies we want to live in, behind a government we want to have. Edward snowden was honored along with alan rusbridger, editor of the guardian newspaper, which published reports using snowdens leaks to expose sweeping nsa surveillance. The other right livelihood honorees were pakistani human rights activist asma jahangir, Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission in hong kong, and u. S. Environmentalist bill mckibben, founder of 350. Org. And a leading voice against climate change. And those are some of the headlines. Tonight marks the 30th bhopalsary of the disaster, the worst industrial tragedy in world history. Campaigners say more than 20,000 people died as a result of toxic gas that leaked from the pesticide factory run by Union Carbide, while half a million were poisoned. The toxic legacy continues at the site as Union Carbide and its parent company, dow chemical, have refused to pay for clean up or Face Criminal Charges in indian court. And those are some of the headlines, this is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with aaron mate. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. One week after the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case, president obama has given his first major policy response to the protests from ferguson and beyond over racial profiling and Police Brutality. At a meeting with activists and officials from around the country, obama unveiled a process to address what he called simmering distrust. Bare a problemd that is not unique to st. Louis or that area, and is not unique to our time. Simmering distrust that exists between too Many Police Departments and too many communities of color. Countrye that in a where one of our basic principles, perhaps the most important principle, is equality under the law, that too many individuals, particularly young people of color, do not feel as if they are being treated fairly. On the policy front, obama announced a 263 million Community Policing initiative, which includes 75 million to provide body cameras for around 50,000 police officers. Obama also announced an executive order that will tighten rules on the provision of militarygrade equipment and weapons to local Police Forces, such as those used in the crackdown on the ferguson protests. But in a rejection of activist demands, obama vowed to leave the transfers mostly intact. As part of his response to the protests in ferguson, president obama sent attorney general eric holder on a tour of communities nationwide. Holder began in atlanta at the Ebenezer Baptist church, where dr. Martin luther king jr. Preached during the 1960s. Holder said he will soon release new federal guidelines to limit racial profiling. Clocks in the coming days, i will announce updated Justice Department guidance regarding profiling by federal Law Enforcement. [applause] this will institute rigorous new standards and robust safeguards to help end racial profiling once and for all. [applause] this new guidance will codify our commitment to the very highest standards of favor and effective policing. The new guidelines will not apply to state or local police agencies, such as in ferguson. But holder said they will help set an example. The administrations response comes as protests continue nationwide over the grand jurys decision not to charge officer Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown. On monday, demonstrators walked out of workplaces and classrooms in over 30 cities with their hands raised, the symbol of Michael Browns death and the movement thats emerged since. In washington, d. C. , a group of protesters held a diein at the Justice Department, laying their bodies on the ground. Quick it is our duty to fight. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and protect each other. E have nothing to lose continuing tactics that sprouted up last week, demonstrators blocked roads in d. C. And other cities, leading to arrests. As the hands up walkout took place nationwide, some of the movements key leaders were not out in the streets but inside the white house. President obamas guests on monday included seven young activists who have helped organize the protests in ferguson and in other communities of color. One of those activists joins us now. Ashley yates is an activist, poet and artist raised in florissant, missouri. She is a member and cocreator of millennial activists united, and among the group of activists who met with president obama at the white house on monday. Welcome back to democracy now can you talk about what happened at that meeting . Thanks for having me on once again. What happened at the meeting was very frank conversation from young activists such as myself who have been on the ground. Four bus from ferguson, three from around the Nation New York and miami. We had frank conversation but what has been happening on the ground in ferguson and around the nation in general and our experience about being black and brown in america and what that really looks like on a daytoday basis in real time. The president was very receptive. Was open and willing to hear our experiences and really get that viewpoint from the other side. What did you tell the president . Myselfld the president the reason that i know that this. Ovement has to be named taint i gave him a very personal story about why i continue to do this work, why i am so committed to this work. My family is a large part of that. In particular, one of my younger cousins, who is a very fast runner and less to run everywhere, and i looked the president in his eye and said, i do this because i want to make sure that unlike Trayvon Martin and unlike mike round, my little cousin can make it home safely. What were the policy prescriptions you offer to the white house on monday and what is your response to those they announced . The task force, the tightening slightly of the rules for giving military equipment to Police Forces, and the body cameras to police . Steps that they introduced yesterday are just that, steps. They have to lead to something. We laid on the table what we said from day one, that 1033 is a Program Needs to be a polished. Theres no reason our local Law Enforcement should have military weapons. And especially the way theyve been using them. They were given as weapons in order to fight terrorism, but they are the ones in acting terrorism upon our communities, therefore, they have proven that program is not effective. It is being used to oppress american citizens, so it needs to be stripped away. The step they took yesterday to actually monitor the program, which should have been done in the first place, but to monitor it, that is a step. We do have to have some accountability as to how these weapons are being used on american citizens, that we have seen it for the last 115 days in ferguson. Monitoring has been occurring for 115 days. Now we have to see accountability and see it stripped away. It is a step for its process, but we need to see more. This movement does not stop. The body cameras . Once again, a step. They did not save tamir rice or john crawford. We know while it is a step toward ending this row problem, the real root of it has to be addressed. The real root of it is racism. The antiblack sentiments that exist. We have to have a cultural shift. It is the reason why grand Darren Wilson can get in front hea grand jury and say h saw a young black man as a demon. We have the small steps toward justice, but we need leaps and bounds. Ashley, your response to the grand jury decision and to Darren Wilson resigning from the Ferguson Police force . Should not have an able to resign. You should have been fired over 100 days ago. A muche is resigning richer man. It is profitable to kill a black boy. Not only is a profitable, but you get away scott free, as we saw with the rangers decision not to indict him. It is heartbreaking. That is why we continue explained by he retired or resigns as a much richer man. I think it is pretty Public Knowledge that there are several people who set up a go fund me for him. I dont support that site. He raised over half 1 million. There is speculation the interview he did, he also attention for. We know there is money being put into his pocket from several different places. Deal the reason is because people are supporting throughout this. All we know about him as he killed a black boy. Mike brown has been defamed. It is heartbreaking. It is heartbreaking that we did not see justice in this case. It is heartbreaking i had to sit in front of Lesley Mcspadden and watch her breakdown because she had an expectation the american Justice System would work for her family, and it didnt. We continue to do this work so we dont have to see another f