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Marine Murder Suspect Nabbed; Mama Rock on Raising Chris and Siblings; Honest Look at Conversations with Black America
Aired April 11, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And honest talk about important issues, conversations with black America. What are people saying and why? our conversation continues. Radio host Michael Baisden is in the CNN Radio studios right there.
Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Three months on the lam, the murder charges against him getting more serious with every day in hiding. U.S. Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean, police believe he killed and buried a fellow Marine 20 years old and pregnant. That was back in December. Today, he's in jail. He's in Mexico.
And we heard from police in North Carolina just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED BROWN, SHERIFF OF ONSLOW COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: ... that while Laurean's crime was horrible, to say the least, Cesar Laurean is not an animal. He is a human, and he is not a trophy.
Laurean, when he comes back to the sheriff's office, will be treated just as any other inmate. He is not a high-profile inmate. He will be just like any other inmate housed in this Onslow County Jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: CNN's Susan Candiotti is there near Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
And, Susan, you heard prosecutors say, we're glad he's caught, but wish it had been done on American soil.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And that is because of a treaty between the United States and Mexico. Because Mexico does not recognize the death penalty, capital punishment, prosecutors here had to agree not to seek the death penalty, if they were to successfully extradite Cesar Laurean from Mexico to the United States.
The prosecutor here tells CNN he is confident that Cesar Laurean will waive extradition, although he did not elaborate on that. Laurean is being interrogated in Mexico right now. And also with this news conference, Don, authorities confirm what CNN has been reporting since last night, that this investigation really seemed to pick up steam within the last couple of weeks, after investigators got information that Laurean was seeking help from family members, that he wanted to come back to the United States, in fact, to visit his family, his parents in Las Vegas.
They also received additional information that led them to Cesar Laurean's wife. That, in turn, allowed them to seize, get a search warrant to seize a computer that she had been using to send e-mails to her husband back and forth. He was reaching out to her. They said they did not arrest her because it is not illegal to communicate with her husband and it appears there is no evidence that she ever tried to help him.
However, all of this information allowed authorities to narrow their focus and find the area in which he had been hiding. In fact, Laurean said that he was sleeping in fields and eating avocados to get by and found him with barely a dollar in his pocket.
And, in essence, yesterday, he gave himself up to Mexican authorities at an unrelated roadblock that was set up in the area where he was hiding. Now, the victim's mother in this case, Mary Lauterbach, has said that she is happy, pleased that authorities have arrested Laurean, and that he will be brought to justice.
And, on another front, however, she said she is still not happy at all in her view that the Marine Corps did not do enough to protect her daughter, even if they did not believe her original rape allegations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERLE WILBERDING, ATTORNEY: We're trying to understand a number of the facts relating to the harassments that she had received, what the true facts are. We would like to look at personnel records and medical records and have a better understanding of some of the discussions that took place between her and her compatriots, with her and her civilian victim advocate and her with her military victim advocate.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Mary, as a mother, do you believe enough was done to protect your daughter?
MARY LAUTERBACH, MOTHER OF MARIA LAUTERBACH: No, I do not, absolutely not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, there will be additional investigation into this. That was announced by Congressman Mike Turner of Dayton, Ohio, who said that he will press the Marine Corps for more answers.
We will wind this up by telling you this, that I asked a question at the news conference that asked whether authorities here thought that Laurean made any mistakes or was it simply luck that they found him? And the authorities said, we didn't make any mistakes. He did -- back to you, Don.
LEMON: All right, Susan Candiotti in Jacksonville, North Carolina -- thank you, Susan.
WHITFIELD: Meantime, another eyebrow-raising case. Bail has been set at $30,000 each for the eight teenagers accused of beating a fellow classmate and actually taping it.
Prosecutors in Bartow, Florida, says all will be tried as adults. The teens, who are 14 and 18-years-old, face kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges. You have probably seen the video. It's been all over the Internet and on TV. Authorities in the central Florida down say the teenagers taped the beating, planning to post it on YouTube.
LEMON: Well, for the fourth straight day, chaos at some of the country's biggest airports. American Airlines is canceling hundreds more flights today, as it carries out inspections on its fleet of MD- 80 jets.
The FAA ordered the inspections because of concerns about wiring in the wheel wells that could cause fires or problems with landing gear. Now, since Tuesday, at least 250,000 passengers, 250,000 passengers, have been affected by the American cancellations.
And American says it's lost tens of millions of dollars. The carrier, as the nation's biggest, says it hopes to have its entire fleet of MD-80s back in operation. They're hoping for that by tomorrow night.
The troubled U.S. airline industry takes another hit. Frontier Airlines is seeking bankruptcy protection, the fourth carrier to make that move in the last few weeks. Frontier says it will continue flying as it reorganizes. The company says it was forced into bankruptcy after its main credit card processor said it would withhold a greater share of proceeds from ticket sales.
ATA Airlines, Skybus and Aloha Airgroup all filed for bankruptcy in the last two weeks.
We have got a lot to keep track of this hour, including, including the markets. Let's take a look now, the markets down over 200 points -- over 230 points. Look at the Dow, 237.50 at this point. We will continue to update you on the markets.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
WHITFIELD: And there's too much rain in the Plains, by the way. In Logan County, Oklahoma, an elderly man had to be rescued after his pickup truck was caught in floodwaters. Two people have died in weather-related car accidents in that state.
The heavy rains are also sending rivers well over their banks in Missouri and Tennessee.
LEMON: Our conversation with black America continues now. Our visit with radio hosts last Friday, well, it went so well, we're doing it again.
Radio host Michael Baisden is the man of the hour. Normally, though, he is in Dallas, but, today, he's broadcasting his show from our studios right here at CNN Radio.
Let's listen in on a conversation as it's happening.
MICHAEL BAISDEN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: ... Dr. Joy, I'm very, very passionate about, and that is the idea of not seeing color.
I have said this on the radio program. The young lady made this comment from one of the historical black colleges. And she said, why do people have this idea that we don't need to see color? And I have no problem seeing color. Why can't we see color and then move on from there, as opposed to there's no such thing as color. Give me a break.
DR. JOY DEGRUY LEARY, AUTHOR: That's not a true statement. When people say they don't see color, they absolutely do see color, as noted by the fact that they only say that to people whose color they notice.
(CROSSTALK)
BAISDEN: Check that out, very good point.
LEARY: They don't say that to white people. They say that to people of color, whom they notice.
BAISDEN: Yes.
LEARY: The issue, and the reason why they would prefer to say, well, I don't see color is, in a lot of ways, psychologically a way of erasing the people that reflect back to them. They have got feelings of guilt, fear, anger, all of that.
So, if I erase you, you cease to exist, you see.
BAISDEN: You know, I don't have a problem with people saying they (AUDIO GAP) excuses. I don't think there should be an excuse either.
I said this to Don Lemon today on the program. I said, look, give us a fair playing field, as black people, as Latino, Native Americans, Asians, whatever, and we will handle our own business. We don't need any favors. But we do need it to be fair.
And one of the things that I said -- and I want to get (AUDIO GAP) on this, Dr. Joy -- I said, in particular, when it comes to education, how important it is to have history. And so many universities and high schools are not really teaching us our history. Why is that important? Because I said I'm -- I don't want to be the co-star or sidekick in history.
LEARY: That's right. And you're absolutely right there, because all we know -- and, as a mental health professional, what I do know is that how you arrive at a healthy self-construct and thus a person able to function in a healthy society, is having a clear and accurate picture of who you are.
You can't know who you are if you don't know where you came from. And the fact that our history has effectively taken out all of those on (AUDIO GAP) we stand, you have a lot of young people who have no clue as to who they are. So, it's critical, if you want to maintain a society that's supposedly inclusive and wanting to progress and advance itself.
BAISDEN: Sure.
Let me talk to one of the callers on the line right now.
Sherea (ph), how you doing?
CALLER: Hi, Michael.
(CROSSTALK)
BAISDEN: We're live on CNN, girl. Where's my energy at? How's everything?
CALLER: I'm all right. And I also want you to know that I'm the late niece of Fannie Lou Hamer.
LEARY: All right, now.
BAISDEN: Go ahead on.
What's on your mind today being in black America?
CALLER: I will tell you, it's hard here in Webster County, Mississippi, because we're still fighting the oppression and the white supremacy right here in Webster County.
(CROSSTALK)
BAISDEN: No, no. They're saying get -- they're saying get over it. Sherea, they're saying, get over it. It's 2008. Let it go. That's what some of the -- some of the white families said when they were interviewing them earlier today.
CALLER: Well, I tell the white families out there, you need to get over it. Before we can get over it, you have got to be honest and say and admit to the things that was done in the past.
BAISDEN: You know, Senator Barack Obama made the exact same comment, Dr. Leary. He said we have to be more sympathetic toward each other's issues, because (AUDIO GAP) person has a job and (AUDIO GAP) at the same time, if we want them to understand our issues, we have to understand theirs. Do you think there is any validity in that?
LEMON: You're listening in a conversation with black America with talk show host Michael Baisden. He's broadcasting his show from the CNN Center today, as a matter of fact, one floor down here from the CNN NEWSROOM. He is at CNN Radio. And you're listening in to his caller, as well as Dr. Joy Angela Degruy?
Am I saying her name right? Degruy? Is that right?
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: A lot of folks like to refer to her as Dr. Joy...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I know her, but I don't know her last name. I have never heard it before. But she's -- "Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome" in America, that was a book she wrote.
WHITFIELD: Book.
LEMON: But she's known, especially on urban radio, as Dr. Joy. But I -- never say her last name.
Dr. Joy, don't get mad at me.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: We are going to hear a lot more of Michael Baisden's radio show. We're going to continue to dip in.
And we're also going to be hearing from another wonderful guest that we have got coming up. Chris Rock...
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... everybody knows him, right? Well, do you know his mom, Rose Rock? She is a force.
LEMON: She's the rock behind that family.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: She's a rock. That's right. She's the rock in the family. And she's written a great prolific book about raising your kids. And she's raised a lot, 27, including 17 foster kids.
LEMON: That's a conversation we need to have in black America, white America, Asian everywhere, because if she can do that...
WHITFIELD: Period, and especially if you're a parent.
LEMON: Absolutely.
We are going to talk to her in just a little bit.
WHITFIELD: Yes. We're looking forward to that.
LEMON: The conversation continues online. Log on to CNN.com to listen to Michael Baisden's radio show broadcasting live from the studios at CNN Radio here in Atlanta.
WHITFIELD: Also straight ahead: Take a look at this brave motel clerk recovering from -- or, rather, recovering in the hospital from a really interesting bout. Wait until you see how she got there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. He came from a family of 10 siblings and 17 foster children. Whew, that's a big family. Comedian Chris Rock, well, he knows a thing or two about sharing his strong opinions.
Here he is recently with CNN's Becky Anderson in London talking politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: You know, you have Barack and Hillary. That's pretty much it. People understand that Bush has done a job that is so bad, it's made it hard for a white man to run for president. So, everyone's focused on this black man and this woman. And if a raccoon wants to run or a giraffe, that will be fine, too.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT Is anybody off limits for you? I mean, obviously, Hillary isn't. Barack Obama aren't. Is anybody off limits?
C. ROCK: You know, I kind of stay away from Oprah.
ANDERSON: Why?
C. ROCK: Because I might need a billion dollars one day.
(LAUGHTER)
C. ROCK: Why piss off the only black person with it?
(LAUGHTER)
C. ROCK: Why would I do that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Chris Rock. He will be the first to tell you that he learned a thing or two from his mom, Rose Rock, the woman they call Mama Rock.
And she has written "Mama Rock's Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising Successful Children." She joins me now from New York.
Good to see you, Mama Rock.
ROSE ROCK, AUTHOR, "MAMA ROCK'S RULES": Good to be here.
(LAUGHTER) WHITFIELD: All right. So, at what point did you feel like you had to reel in Chris Rock, or has always been unleashed, and that's been OK with you?
R. ROCK: Well, I never had to really unleash him, but he's always been pretty much Chris.
WHITFIELD: Really?
R. ROCK: Pretty much.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, you have got a great book here on these 10 rules on raising your kids. And it's everything from the basics of how you talk to your child, to not being the friend of your child, but being the parent.
You couldn't have gotten it just right the first go-round. At what point, at what number child did you say, OK, I think I have figured it all out now, and here are some of the rules?
R. ROCK: You know, I still don't have it all figured out. But I think I did pretty darn good. So, when people keep asking me, how did you do it, that's how the rules came into play.
WHITFIELD: Well, you make it look really easy, particularly in this book. You make it seem really easy by having this conversation with the reader about all the things to do, what not to do. Is it easy or -- parenting is pretty hard, isn't it?
R. ROCK: It's pretty hard if you do it right. It's not meant to be easy. It's meant to be done well, because you have total charge over another human being that you're sending out on the world.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and you say, you know, you're impressing you want to teach these kids about doing right. It's not about being right. It's not necessarily about saying, you know, this is exactly what you need to do today, but it's about having a conscience. That's what you're trying to teach kids.
R. ROCK: True. True.
And it's about being held accountable, because so often in these days, children are not held accountable. And parents will say -- Even when they know children do wrong, they say, not my kid, not my kid.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: I like the line in your book where you say, you know, you can't live in my house and disrespect me, that simple. But, at the same time, you're not talking about yelling or yanking your kid around. It's about communication.
R. ROCK: It's all about communications, and it's all about starting very, very young.
WHITFIELD: How young is young? R. ROCK: Young is at -- when a child starts to toddle, you start to enforce rules. When they're two-years-old, they can pick up and they can listen. So, you -- I mean, you start from the cradle to the grave, period.
WHITFIELD: Well, let's look at a clip of "Everybody Hates Chris" show that they can watch on the tube. It's kind of about Chris Rock's life. And it's interesting how you're depicted in it as well. Let's take a listen and look.
(LAUGHTER)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS")
C. ROCK: That's my younger brother Drew. There's nothing worse than having a little brother that's bigger than you. My sister Tanya was the youngest and would do anything to get me in trouble.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Chris, clean that mess up.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Tanya did it.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Uh-uh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Is that really what it was like in the Rock household?
R. ROCK: Well, it really -- they take liberties.
But, in our household, the eldest was always responsible. So, if Andre (ph) went outside without a hat on, I would ask Chris, "Chris, why doesn't Andre have his hat on, because, as the oldest, when you're walking out the door, you say, Andre, do you have your hat?"
WHITFIELD: Did Chris like being that responsible or having to be that responsible?
R. ROCK: I don't know if any child likes it, but it's really good for them. It has turned him into a very responsible person. I know that he was very good at it. He never balked at it.
WHITFIELD: Some of the instructions -- I was taking copious notes, because I have got a three-year-old. And we're at that stage where it's kind of a challenge.
But I love when you say, you know, when kids are acting up, you need to redirect the wrong behavior.
R. ROCK: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Because a lot of times, the knee-jerk reaction is just wanting to correct.
R. ROCK: Well, true.
And, you know, when they do things, there's a reason they're doing it and you try to find out why, and you try change it. So, if they're -- if even -- I mean, simple things -- they're being loud, well, you tell them to use their inside voices and you try to turn them into another activity. Maybe they're doing something that they should be doing outside, instead of inside.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
And then maybe the instructions on when going into the store. I think I remember my mom doing this, too. OK. We're getting ready to go into the store. We're going into a public place. I don't want you to act up.
You gave those directives, too.
(LAUGHTER)
R. ROCK: Oh, yes, I did. Yes, I did.
If we're going out, I would tell you, today, we're not buying. Today, I'm only going to get groceries. So, we -- they knew before they got out of the car. And if they were allowed to look in the toy department, I would say, look with your eyes and not with your hands.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: So, what did Chris think about -- or did he encourage you to write this book?
R. ROCK: No, he didn't. As a matter of fact, I didn't tell him until it was well on the way.
WHITFIELD: Oh, really? But then he wrote the forward, which was really very interesting. And he's talking about mom and her tough love, but it didn't kill any of us. We all survived.
R. ROCK: And they survived very well, didn't they?
WHITFIELD: And also incredibly successful.
And that really is kind of the basis of your book, "Ten Lessons For Raising a Houseful of Successful Children."
Rose Rock, Mama Rock, thanks so much for your time. And the book is great.
R. ROCK: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Here we go, right. Great reading.
R. ROCK: Thank you.
LEMON: She's going to become the NEWSROOM mom, I think.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: Look with your eyes, not with your hands.
WHITFIELD: Mama Rock in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: I heard that. Look with your eyes, not with your hands. And then my feet would fall out from under me. I want that truck.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: And then, when I got back to the car, it was trouble.
WHITFIELD: Uh-oh.
LEMON: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: A whooping.
LEMON: Yes, a whomping.
WHITFIELD: Right.
LEMON: Radio host Michael Baisden brings us his show to Atlanta. It's part of our conversations with black America. And we want you to take part. There's the number to call. Look right there on your screen. And we will be checking in to hear what he and you have to say.
WHITFIELD: And the thrill of cheap gas can sound a little bit like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody come up here and get them some gas, because gas is hot. And this is a blessing from the lord up above.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: OK. How does 35 cents a gallon sound to you? Too good to be true? Well, it was true, but not for very long.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, we certainly have a lot we're keeping track of this hour, including, including the markets. Let's see where things stand right now. You can see the Dow -- the Dow down over 230 points. We will keep checking it for you. WHITFIELD: Up, up and away, yet another record for gas prices, as we look at a big component of issue number one. AAA reporting the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded now more than $3.36. A month ago, it was $3.24. And, last year, at this time, you were playing an average of $2.80 a gallon.
All right. With gas at 35 cents a gallon, how about that? Who could resist doing a little victory dance? Apparently, an attendant at this BP station in Wilmington, North Carolina, punched in the wrong price for premium, premium 35 cents. That woman was grooving.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Well, despite the obvious long lines at the pump, employees claim they were clueless for several hours, wondering, why is the line so long, we're so popular?
Well, they finally shut the pumps down, but only after the station lost an estimated $1,500. For those of us who didn't stumble into this bargain, the national average price of regular gasoline rose almost a penny today, as I mentioned, to a new record price of $3.36 a gallon. Ouch.
LEMON: Now you see why they were so happy, right? Thirty-five cents, you would be happy as well.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: That was a good day.
LEMON: Yes.
Radio host Michael Baisden brings his radio show right here to Atlanta. It's part of our conversations with black America.
And we want you to take a part as well. There's a number to call. Call into his show. And we will be checking in to hear what he and you have to say. There's the phone number up on your screen right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone.
I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thirty-one minutes after the hour.
Here are three of the stories we're working on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
No break from the bad weather in middle America. A tornado watch stretches from Mississippi to Kentucky. A wintry storm is dumping snow in parts of the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Michigan.
A U.S. Marine murder suspect is under arrest in Mexico. Authorities in North Carolina have been searching for Corporal Cesar Laurean for months. He's accused of killing another Marine, Corporal Maria Lauterbach, who was pregnant at the time of her death.
Two houses have been leveled and 10 more are damaged following an explosion in Pittsburgh. There's no reports of any injuries. The cause is undetermined.
LEMON: Let's continue now our conversation with black America.
As we did last week, we're going to check in again with radio host Michael Baisden. Normally he is in Dallas, but today he is broadcasting his show live from our studios here at CNN Radio.
Let's hear what people are talking about.
He's on the line now, I believe, with Kay from Cincinnati, who says she doesn't see color and she resents people saying white and black. She doesn't like that.
BAISDEN: ... I'm fine with that. I have a -- there's a history to this skin. There's a history to Latino skin. There's a history to white skin, be you Irish or whatever.
And why do we need to ignore that in order to deal with one another?
Let me go to a phone line and ask Darlene that question.
Darlene, how are you doing? Where are you calling us from?
CALLER: I'm calling from Atlanta, Michael. First of all, I want to say thank you for the opportunity.
BAISDEN: Great to talking to you.
CALLER: And thanks for always keeping us aware.
BAISDEN: I'm doing my best.
CALLER: I --
BAISDEN: Say hello to Dr. Joy.
CALLER: Hi, Dr. Joy.
I agree with Dr. Joy.
LEARY: Hi. How are you?
CALLER: Fine. I agree with Dr. Joy. And let me say this, this is a very emotional topic for me. Because I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum from you, Michael. I grew up in Elkins, West Virginia, which was all white. People say I didn't know black people lived in West Virginia. I said they did until I moved. That's a running joke, you know.
BAISDEN: Right. I didn't either, to be honest with you.
(LAUGHTER)
CALLER: But there are. But the point is, is that I grew up in a situation where I didn't, you know, the color was there. We knew the difference in color. But it wasn't something that was so defined that we had to fight for it. You know, my grandfather and them did that for me as a grown up.
BAISDEN: Sure.
CALLER: As a child, I didn't have to do that. And when I was 18, you get out or you stop.
BAISDEN: Let me --
(CROSSTALK)
BAISDEN: Darlene, let me ask you a question, then I want to run this by Dr. Joy Leary.
Do you understand because of the way the media portrays blacks, and sometimes the way we portray ourselves, that they have a distorted and sometimes inaccurate view of who we are?
CALLER: I certainly do. And that's where the emotion comes in. Because I attended the University of Cincinnati. And there was a definite distinction when I went there, you -- you know, I'm thinking, you know, I can get along with everybody, black and whites. And the whites there treated me as if I was just another black person straight out of what they would call a ghetto.
BAISDEN: Got you.
Dr. Joy, what do you think of that, in terms of the impact of the media?
I made that point with Don Lemon today on the program, that not necessarily just blaming the media. Obviously, we are contributing to that because we are sometimes behaving in ways that don't represent us well. But it is definitely having an impact.
LEARY: Yes, it absolutely is. I mean, you know, not -- you know, it's like, again, we tend to wash over the whole thing and look at things too broadly. You know, obviously, there are folks acting up and we can focus it in on that. And the media does, you know.
But the point is we aren't all acting that way and that's not the majority. So we need to begin to put out those images and to put out that information that is more positive and more accurate, actually.
BAISDEN: And that's exactly what I'm trying to do. You know, I love...
LEARY: And you are.
BAISDEN: ...Senator Barack Obama for what he's doing in terms of bringing us together.
Can I tell you something, Dr. Joy? And I've got to be honest with the whole country about this, is that I was surprised -- and I was happily surprised -- that so many whites and Latinos and Asians and Native Americans supported Barack Obama as president. Because until, I think, Iowa happened, many of us didn't believe.
Would you agree with that?
LEARY: Yes.
BAISDEN: Why? For the obvious reasons and not obvious reasons. Talk to me about it.
LEARY: Well, I think we don't get a clear picture of really who and what people are. So we have, again, a skewed vision. You know, again, the woman who called earlier, she says I don't want to be lumped in with white people...
BAISDEN: Right.
LEARY: ...you know, because not all white people. You know, and, similarly, we've all gotten skewed perspectives.
BAISDEN: And lumped in.
LEARY: We get lumped in. We begin to feel like hey, nobody's for us, nobody believes, nobody's looking at the possibility of us to be able to function collectively as a society. If you see too much of that, that's all you believe. And so we have -- and we're shocked when people behave well, you know?
BAISDEN: That's right. Right. Right. Right. And you know what, I was talking to Dick Gregory. I'm going to run this by Mark (ph). I've got him on the line.
Mark, how are you doing?
CALLER: How are you, Mike Baisden?
Everything is everything.
BAISDEN: Everything is everything. That's what we say on "The Michael Baisden Show".
Dr. Joy -- and let me talk to you about this, too, Mark.
Wouldn't you agree -- and I wonder -- I've always wondered if whites felt this way.
You know, when you see a black person acting out, do you feel somewhat responsible and embarrassed for him if he's acting out around white people?
CALLER: I'm going to be honest with you. Personally, yes, I do.
BAISDEN: I do, too.
CALLER: Because, I mean, there are -- there's a wide spectrum to both sides. We have...
BAISDEN: But the question is, Mark, why do you feel that way?
And then I want Dr. Joy to get in on this.
CALLER: Well, I mean to go back in my past, I grew up in a multicultural community, in Maryland growing up. And, you know, I had a lot of white friends and stuff growing up as a child. But I eventually moved to South Carolina. And there's a different mentality down here, especially a lot with the older folks. A lot of people are afraid to speak out. And that's the way --
BAISDEN: But answer the question for me regarding why do you feel embarrassed for another black person who you don't even know when they're acting out.
CALLER: Because that's --
BAISDEN: Do you know why? Maybe you don't even know why you feel that way.
CALLER: Well, I do feel that way, because that portrayal of what that individual does gets portrayed on all of us.
BAISDEN: Exactly.
Dr. Joy, that's the point I was getting to.
LEARY: Right.
BAISDEN: What do you say about that?
LEARY: And that point is very real. Very -- it's very legitimate. And that's part of the injury, of the pathology that I talk about that African-Americans -- we carry -- we always walking around representing the whole race.
BAISDEN: Exactly.
LEARY: You know, no matter what. And when we see that, we cringe and go oh my god, lord, please tell me that wasn't somebody black doing that.
BAISDEN: I know. I'm telling you, I feel the same way. I saw...
LEARY: We all do.
BAISDEN: I saw a guy recently. He was fighting with his wife on the corner. I was on South Beach and out -- and, of course, it was whites walking by with their families. I was like no, no.
(LAUGHTER)
BAISDEN: Let me grab another caller.
Mike Baisden.
I hope I pronounce your name correctly.
Is it Cesi (ph)? How you doing, Cesi?
CALLER: Hi. Everything is everything, Michael.
How are you doing?
BAISDEN: Brooklyn in the house.
What's going on?
CALLER: Listen, you know, this is a subject that I'm very passionate about. I am so tired of white people telling us to forget (INAUDIBLE)...
BAISDEN: Get over it.
CALLER: They don't tell the Jews to forget their Holocaust, so why should we forget ours? Because if you tend to sit (INAUDIBLE)...
BAISDEN: Stop. Stop right there. Stop right there.
Can you please say that again one more time?
(LAUGHTER)
CALLER: I'm tired. The Jews tell us every day they will never forget the Holocaust.
BAISDEN: That's right.
CALLER: Why should we forget ours? Because if we sit back with blinders on, we are doomed to repeat it again and again.
BAISDEN: Dr. Joy Leary, that was an excellent point she made. Please elaborate on that.
LEARY: I don't think it could be made any better.
BAISDEN: Wow!
LEARY: I think she made it extraordinarily well.
BAISDEN: That was -- that was great.
LEARY: We are not supposed to erase our past, you know. That's not what our purpose is. That's not what we should do. LEMON: You're listening to conversations with black America, the Michael Baisden radio show. Dr. Joy and also some callers there. A very interesting conversation.
And that points -- and to be honest, you go -- you know, what are they going to say? What -- you know, is it going to be offensive or what have you? But that's what's having a real conversation is about.
WHITFIELD: It's all -- it's live radio.
LEMON: It's live radio. And I do have to say, you know, because there's been a lot of mention here, I mean, honestly, about Barack Obama. Obviously, it's urban radio. Michael Baisden says that he supports Barack Obama. CNN doesn't necessarily take that stance. And being an African-American, I know lots of African-Americans who support Hillary Clinton, as well.
WHITFIELD: Sure.
LEMON: And also John McCain. So it's very interesting. But it just shows you the passion that has been surrounding this election when it comes to these three candidates.
WHITFIELD: Right. And this has been a great forum in which to hear people talk about a lot of different things, not just politics.
LEMON: Right.
WHITFIELD: But just everyday issues, everyday encounters and experiences that are being witnessed or experienced firsthand. And we're hearing that on live radio.
LEMON: Sure. And we're going to continue to hear it. It's very interesting stuff. I've been sort of riveted by it.
OK, the conversation continues online. Log onto CNN.com to listen to Michael Baisden's radio show, broadcasting live from our studios at CNN Radio right here in Atlanta.
WHITFIELD: All right. And then take a look at this. A TV news crew was covering this arrest even before it happened. We'll have the story of an unexpected scoop.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Last Friday we began a series of conversations with black America. We looked at the concerns, the perceptions and the aspirations of African-Americans 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. .
And today we're continuing that dialogue. And throughout the afternoon, we've been allowing you to listen to a live radio show -- Michael Baisden radio -- that is being hosted right here out of the CNN Radio studios.
You've been listening to the host, you've been listening to listeners, who have been talking very candidly about race and about politics. And, of course, you've been hearing the views from the host and the listeners.
And, once again, CNN while we have been, I guess, the home base today of this radio show, CNN does not take any sides in politics -- in this political race that we are hearing lots of discussions about here on Michael Baisden Radio. So we just want to reiterate that.
CNN's T.J. Holmes has been in North Carolina A&T State University, an historically black college in Greensboro, where he's been hearing a lot about the dialogue that we continue to hear on CNN, Conversations with Black America.
What have you been hearing today -- T.J. ?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have been hearing a lot today and hearing a lot yesterday. We're kind of wrapping up here right now. Quite --
Really, young, fellow, it's all right. Get out of the shot. OK. We're having a serious conversation. Can you get out of here for me?
We're talking to a lot of these students here, who are having a serious conversation with black America. And we have them out here. We're discussing with them what we're doing and starting this conversation, this dialogue, and letting them know that we're here to listen to them.
And we've kind of been surprised by some of the things that we hear, because these -- a lot of these kids are 18, 19, 20 years old. Their experiences are a lot different from folks -- their parents, their grandparents, who grew up in the '60s and '70s and even earlier.
But, at the same time, the experiences have been different, the attitudes still aren't really that much different.
Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES (voice-over): Black students at North Carolina Central and campuses across the country have inherited a better America from their grandparents and great grandparents. But some seem to have also inherited racial resentment.
RACHAEL PIERCE, NCCU FRESHMAN: We still have like racist people here. And it's still an issue, obviously.
HOLMES (on-camera): Would you find it -- would you at all say this is a racist country?
PIERCE: It very -- it is. It really is.
HOLMES: You believe it? Today, 2008, the United States of America is a racist country?
PIERCE: Yes. It is.
HOLMES (voice-over): These students have never been forced to sit in the back of a bus. They had the right to attend the school of their choice and have enjoyed many other rights that generations of black Americans before them didn't have. Still, all say unequivocally that this is a racist country.
When asked to explain their experiences that have shaped their opinion, they don't cite personal experience with racism, they cite news stories.
The Jena 6.
VENISSA NELSON, NCCU FRESHMAN: Those boys weren't treated -- I don't feel like they were treated fairly.
HOLMES: Michael Vick.
JERMAINE GETER, NCCU FRESHMAN: Racism in America is like at its highest, I would say, like right now, in the past year.
HOLMES (on-camera): Why?
GETER: Because if you look at the news, like last year, Michael Vick got arrested for dog fighting. And, you know, we seen that all over the news.
HOLMES (voice-over): Some students, like Don, say many young people use racism as a free pass to underachieve.
DONALD LASTER, NCCU SOPHOMORE: It's just an excuse that they can find for them -- for them not working, basically, them not having a work ethic. They want to blame society and oh, say just because I'm black, people are looking down on me and I can't find a job.
HOLMES: Though the students we talked to haven't lived racism themselves, they've heard stories from older family members.
WESLEY LINZY, NCCU GRAD STUDENT: These are things or issues that everybody talks about on a daily basis. They may not say it in front of everyone's face, but I know they talk about it behind-the-scenes. And I just think it is a good topic and it is a good subject and I think it's something that we need to talk about and move on.
HOLMES: People are talking. It's the moving on that is proving to be difficult.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: So, yes, that moving on still needs to be done. Again, kind of surprising for a kid who was born in the late '80s or even 1990 and grew up in that era, who did not have those experiences of the past, but still holds on and harbors some of that racial resentment.
And it's a part of the history, Fredericka. I hear a lot of people say we should know it, we should understand it. But at the same time, a lot of people are saying you shouldn't have that same resentment. It may be time to let some of that go.
But that conversation continues. We've been here. We were at Central yesterday. We've got FAMU, we've had, as well. We're going to your alma mater, Howard. We're hitting a bunch of different spots. So we are still just getting this conversation started.
But it's been blunt, it's been honest, surprising at times, but certainly honest and candid.
WHITFIELD: All right, very fascinating stuff.
Thanks so much, T.J. Holmes at North Carolina A&T Greensboro.
HOLMES: All right.
LEMON: This brave motel clerk is recovering in the hospital. Wait until you see how she got there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So let's continue now, our conversation with black America.
As we did last week, we're going to check in again with radio talk show host Michael Baisden. He's with ABC Radio. Normally, he is in Dallas. But today he is broadcasting his show live from the studios at CNN Radio.
And just a caveat here for you. This is very candid conversation that's going on between his listeners and Michael Baisden. We're not exactly sure what they're going to say. And also in this process, many of his callers are very supportive of one particular candidate. CNN doesn't support any candidate. We are non-partisan here. We only report it and we want you to listen in to this very candid conversation now.
LEARY: ...residual impact of not just slavery, if we just look at 246 years of it, but all of the oppression that followed it up through the Civil Rights Act, which was only some 40 years ago, OK?
So it really does look at what has been the impact on black people. And, clearly, we're resilient and strong. And clearly we have been able to endure. But there are also some residual scars there, too.
BAISDEN: Yes, I want to thank all the listeners from around the country. One of the things I've been very successful with -- and I'm very fortunate -- is to have a very diverse listenership, because as you know, Dr. Joy, if you had a show about race every day, you would run out of topics probably after the first two or three days. And I think it's fair to say that our issues are just like everybody else's -- economics, education...
LEARY: Absolutely. BAISDEN: ...you know, this war.
And so what do you want to say in terms of what we can communicate to our listeners around the country and now around the world on CNN about how we feel about the importance of still coming together, not only as Americans, but in the world in general, because being divisive is not going to get us anywhere?
LEARY: Well, the truth is we are, you know, one people. We know that now genetically, we are one people. It's not even arguable. I think it's time for us to start behaving like we're one people.
BAISDEN: I love you for that.
Dr. Joy, thank you so much.
Check out her book, "Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome." Don't be afraid of that name, slave syndrome. To the family on Mangocity.com, looking forward to chatting with you all the rest of the show. We're probably going to be separating from CNN. We will be online on CNN.com for the entire show. So that's going to be exciting.
We've got the V-Sign (ph) coming up, name that tune. We're going to be talking to the Caribbean family down in the Miami area...
LEMON: Michael Baisden doing his radio show from right downstairs at CNN Radio, right in this building. Michael Baisden, of course, with ABC Radio, usually doing his show from Dallas, but he's doing it from here. We're doing our Conversations with Black America. Michael Baisden with ABC Radio, but downstairs.
WHITFIELD: All right. The closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And now some stories caught on tape while they were happening.
In Kent, Washington, this brave motel clerk fought a knife wielding robber. Tammarie Jones is in satisfactory condition, recovering from three stab wounds. She says she has been a victim before and this time, she wasn't going to take it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMMARIE JONES, FOUGHT ROBBER: It made me mad. You know, my momma always said I had a temper, not to make me mad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. A motel guest who heard the clerk's screams managed to scare the robber away.
Also on tape, this bust as recorded by this television news crew that alerted police. The crew from WAFF in Huntsville, Alabama had just interviewed a restaurant owner about a series of break-ins when they found a van behind the back of her business. The crew called police, who arrested three men. Police say all three suspects confessed.
LEMON: Well, OK.
Well, taking out the trash -- no one likes to do it. So what do you do it? Here's one man's answer. Meet Ronin, a five-year-old bull mastiff in Hagerstown, Maryland.
WHITFIELD: Yow!
LEMON: Oh my god, he's a cutie, too. Ronin's owner taught him to take out the trash without inspecting the bag's contents. Lloyd Weedon says Ronin loves to play fetch and that gave him the idea for the cheap trash removal system. Smart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD WEEDON, RONIN'S OWNER: I experimented. I was out in the yard one day. I happened to be working on the car. And there was a spare tire. And I asked him to get it. And believe it or not, he picked up the tire and brought it to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Gosh. Wow!
LEMON: Lloyd Weedon says all it took was lots of time, attention and love. Weedon's daughter adds, and lots of snacks, too.
WHITFIELD: That's right. You've got to reward them.
LEMON: He's a big boy. Look at that.
WHITFIELD: Yes, so much for just fetching the newspaper.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Let's go get the trash.
LEMON: Or the slippers, right?
WHITFIELD: Yes, right.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Nice pooch.
All right, the closing bell is just about to ring on Wall Street.
LEMON: Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at the trading day. I guess we can call this kind of the dog days on Wall Street.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, my goodness. And well, the fear is that there are going to many dog days. But, you know, I'm guessing you don't have to badger Ronin, this particular male, to take out the trash, right, Fred?
You just like once it works (ph). If only that could transfer to some...
LEMON: All right, stop it.
LISOVICZ: All right, I will stop it. You know, we -- I wish I could stop the day. I mean, this trading day has been a rough one.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LISOVICZ: It's the weekend, there you go. Good news.
WHITFIELD: See you next week.
LEMON: Yes, great weekend.
Why don't we turn it over to "THE SITUATION ROOM" --
WHITFIELD: Great idea.
LEMON: -- and Wolf Blitzer.
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