Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Teen Fatally Beaten in Street Fight; Iran's Defiant Act; Who is Najibullah Zazi?; "Katrina" of the Philippines; Left for Dead, A Survivor Speaks
Aired September 27, 2009 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon in Atlanta.
Our lead story tonight comes from Chicago's deadly streets, a story we have been paying close attention to on this broadcast.
I have three words for you -- viewer discretion advised. The video we're about to air is brutally graphic. It shows a Chicago teenager, an honor student beaten to death on his way home from school. If you are squeamish, you may not want to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Just look at that. And as the victim is laying on the ground, people are hitting him. Someone with a video camera captured the deadly confrontation Thursday as it unfolded outside a community center.
At one point several people picked up boards and began swinging. The center director describes what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILTON MASSIE, DIRECTOR, AGAPE COMMUNITY CENTER: It looked like a herd of kids. I mean, we're talking about kids just all over the place, from every direction. There were kids hopping over cars.
Again, this is what I'm seeing on the video. There were kids hopping over cars. There were kids who had had huge sticks. They were going after each other and it was as if not so much targeted but it was random.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: 16-year-old honor student Derrion Albert was knocked down in that brawl, then punched and kicked. He later died of his injuries. His family believes he was targeted because he refused to join a gang.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH WALKER, DERRION ALBERT'S GRANDFATHER: He was just vital (ph) this Tuesday night. He was a blessed child. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Police believe Derrion's death was random; that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. A vigil his family had planned for today was postponed till tomorrow.
Joining me now on the phone is Chicago anti-gang activist, Tio Hardiman. He's executive director of Chicago's Cease Fire. We featured him in our series, "Chicago: Deadly Streets." He has been in contact with Albert -- with the Albert family, with Derrion's parents.
How is his mother doing? I understand that you have spoken with her and you have seen her.
TIO HARDIMAN, DIRECTOR, CEASE FIRE (via telephone): Yes. I spent a couple of hours with her -- Derrion's mother -- this morning. She's very distraught right now. It's taken such a toll on the family.
Everybody was in shock when this happened because the young man, Derrion, actually approached the Chicago public school officials and told them that he had been intimidated. He lately had some problem with some of the guys in the community. And Chicago public schools, they were supposed to have a safety plan in place to deal with these kind of issues and we lost one here.
This kid was killed four blocks away from the school. And as you look at the video there, you had a lot of people around. You even had police cars out there in the community and nobody was able to jump in there and get this young man out of harm's way.
The police out there could have just fired a shot in the air and the crowd may have dispersed. This is really tough, Don. There's been a lot of crimes in Chicago but this one here is really hard.
LEMON: Listen, I want to tell you Tio -- I have a couple more questions for you. I just got off the phone a couple minutes ago with Chicago police and they said they do have the surveillance video that you're seeing there. That one was shot as they say by an independent source.
There was also another videotape which has not been released which was surveillance video from the community center there. Police say that they have several persons of interest. So far no one has been arrested and no formal charges in this, but, again, several persons of interest and some videotape that they have there.
Tio, what we're understanding is that some of this -- and you work with the gang task force there -- is because of the dismantling of some of the housing projects, Chicago public housing. And some of the students from other schools and from the housing projects were brought over or shipped or bussed to Finger High School.
And there is -- there are some gang problems there. There's one gang at that high school and then there are gangs at the other. And some people say that the Chicago public schools and the police should have anticipated this. Is that correct? HARDIMAN: Very true. What happens when they close the projects down, the young men and women are kind of displaced and they come into another neighborhood and they try their best to try to set themselves up and they become very aggressive because they don't want to be victimized.
Chicago public schools, once again, they should have a safety plan in place to anticipate these problems. This is not a new problem at Finger High School. This problem has been going on for a couple of years. This could have been avoided to make a long story short.
We've been out here working on behalf of Cease Fire and other community groups as well. But if you have a plan in place, there's no reason in the world that this young man has to be killed four blocks from the school. They just got $30 million to implement a violent prevention plan.
LEMON: Ok. Tio, listen, give our best to Derrion's mother. And we will be speaking to Derrion's mother on CNN today. So stick around for that.
Also, I want to tell you, we reached out to Chicago public schools, we've not heard back from them. Hope we will get in touch with them.
We've also again, reached out to the police department. I spoke to them a short time ago. They said no public statement on this matter at this time.
Thank you, Tio.
Meantime CNN's senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin is live on the phone from New York. Jeffrey, unbelievable video that you're seeing there. And this video, more than likely will be used in the prosecution of this -- whoever committed this act and the people who are kicking and stomping that young man.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST (via telephone): No doubt about that. This is certainly strong evidence against the people who actually did the beating.
I mean the scene is so huge and chaotic and awful that it will certainly take some time to figure out who did what, but the video will be very important evidence.
LEMON: What about -- I mean the people who are standing around. It seems that some people are saying zoom in or take a look at this or what have you -- might there be charges stemming from this to other people in the video? Maybe they didn't hit the young man but they may be seen as people contributing to this?
TOOBIN: You know, one of the questions that often comes up in situations where there are witnesses to terrible crimes is shouldn't they have done something about it. Shouldn't this people they have stopped it? Couldn't they have helped? And could they be criminally liable? The answer almost certainly is no. Particularly in a situation like this where it was so chaotic, the people who didn't help, who didn't try to save this poor kid's life, they are likely to be morally culpable but I think criminally a criminal prosecution is very unlikely.
LEMON: Real quickly, you heard from Tio Hardiman, the independent gang task force guy from Chicago there, what about the school's liability or the police department's liability? Do they have any exposure or liability in this, Jeffrey?
TOOBIN: You'd have to know more facts about how this whole situation came about. But when you have someone swinging a 2 x 4, it's usually the person swinging the 2 x 4 who's liable. So I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of civil lawsuits were filed ultimately, but I think they're probably going to be tough to win.
LEMON: Our senior analyst here, Jeffrey Toobin. Jeffrey, thank you very much. We'll be talking to Jeffrey about other stories throughout this broadcast.
We have much, much more on this really heart-breaking story. Coming up at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, as I mentioned, Anjanette Albert (ph) the victim's mother joins us tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
We're going the stick on this story, "Chicago's Deadly Streets." that's what's happening. They want the Olympics. These problems need to be taken care of as well.
It was a three-decade cat-and-mouse game with International Police but fugitive filmmaker Roman Polanski is finally under arrest. The Oscar- winning director was nabbed trying to enter Switzerland, 31 year after pleading guilty to having sex with a drugged teen during a Los Angeles photo shoot.
Polanski fled to France where he's been dodging arrest ever since but the 76-year-old director of "Chinatown" and "The Pianist" was caught while trying to get to a film festival honoring his work. He's now facing possible facing extradition back here to the U.S.
Overseas today, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims to have successfully test-fired short-ranged missiles, a provocative act considering the world just learned about Iran's secret uranium-enrichment plant.
CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House with more on that. Hello Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you Don.
Well, you know there's been no comment on this from the White House. But this is clearly Iran flexing its military muscle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) QUIJANO (voice-over): Iran's missile test comes days after the U.S., France, and Britain called out Iran for building a secret nuclear site. SEN. CHRISTOPHER BOND (R), MISSOURI: Today's action in firing their missiles is really a poke in the eye to those who think that diplomatic efforts and agreements and inspections are going to change the way that Iran is going.
QUIJANO: But on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he believes there is still room for diplomacy.
ROBERT GATES, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: To see if we can leverage publicizing this additional illegal facility and activity to leverage the Iranians to begin to make some concessions.
QUIJANO: And the U.S. wants those concessions within weeks, according to Obama administration officials. They include giving international inspectors unfettered access to the newly revealed nuclear site, providing access to the people who helped build the facility, and providing a timeline of the site's construction.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Words are not enough. They're going to have to come and demonstrate clearly to the international community what they're up to.
QUIJANO: What Iran is up to, the U.S. has long believed, is trying to develop nuclear weapons, and these dramatic new satellite images obtained by CNN could help explain why.
Outside the city of Qom eight months ago what appears to be the beginnings of construction including tunnels into the hillside. Now in the area, a building and those same tunnels appear to be covered up. While it's not clear whether this is the newly-revealed nuclear site, lawmakers fear the worst if Iran develops a nuclear weapon.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: If they are successful, the Sunni Arab states in the region will want a nuclear weapon. Israel becomes much at risk and we're walking down the road to Armageddon.
QUIJANO: Ahead of key nuclear talks Thursday, the Obama administration believes it has the upper hand.
GATES: The Iranian are in a very bad spot now because of this deception in terms of all of the great powers and there obviously is the opportunity for severe additional sanctions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: And that possibility raises the stakes considerably for a critical meeting Thursday in Geneva. That is when Iranian diplomats will sit down with officials from the United States and the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council as well as Germany to discuss Iran's nuclear program -- Don.
LEMON: Elaine, thank you very much.
In Afghanistan, the weekend has proved to be a deadly one for NATO's international military force. Six soldiers have been killed including two Americans in separate incidents. One died in a roadside bomb blast and the other from an insurgent attack. Three French troops and one British soldier were also killed this weekend.
This comes as President Obama considers what should be America's strategy in Afghanistan. U.S. military commander General Stanley McChrystal has asked for more troops.
Speaking with CNN's John King on "STATE OF THE UNION," Defense Secretary Robert Gates discussed what failure in Afghanistan would mean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GATES: Failure in Afghanistan would be a huge setback for the United States. Taliban and al Qaeda, as far as they're concerned, defeated one superpower. For them to be seen to defeat a second, I think, would have catastrophic consequences in terms of energizing the extremist movement, al Qaeda recruitment, operations, fund-raising and so on. I think it would be a huge setback to the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Gates said setting a time line or exit strategy for U.S. forces in Afghanistan would be, quote, "a strategic mistake."
On another matter, Secretary Gates said closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has proven to be more difficult than anticipated. He said it's going to be tough to close the facility by next January as President Obama ordered shortly after taking office. Two senior officials told CNN on Friday that legal complications and detainee rights are to blame for the delay.
New York terror suspect Najibullah Zazi will be back in federal court this week. He's the man authorities say was plotting a terror attack in New York this year, possibly on September 11th.
So who is Najibullah Zazi? Our Susan Candiotti has been looking into his recent past.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Before Najibullah Zazi got a police escort to New York, those who knew him in Colorado said he showed no signs that he had terror on his mind.
KARIM ABDULLAH, AURORA ISLAMIC CENTER: When I'd see him, you know, he would come. He was pleasant when he attended here. You know, he never exposed any of his beliefs or ideas or anything. He would just attend (INAUDIBLE) and make the prayer and leave.
CANDIOTTI: But for Zazi, according to co-workers friends and court records, making it in America was a struggle.
RICHARD GROSS, EMPLOYER: The best adjective to describe him is hard- working. He would work approximately 80 hours per week. CANDIOTTI: Born in Afghanistan, Zazi's family moved to Pakistan and then joined his father who drove a taxi in New York. In the 1990s Zazi went to a Queens, New York high school but dropped out. He ran a sidewalk coffee cart in Manhattan's financial district.
Last March records show he filed for bankruptcy. He racked up more than $51,000 in credit card debt, citing an $800 monthly income. Zazi named more than two dozen creditors including several banks, a department store and other retailers including Radio Shack.
Last August a month before his arrest, his bankruptcy file was closed, his huge debt left unpaid, yet some how he managed trips back and forth to Pakistan where he has a wife and children. Investigators say Zazi admitted a trip to Pakistan last year that included weapons and explosives training at an al Qaeda camp. When Zazi returned in January he moved from New York to an apartment outside Denver.
Employers say he passed TSA security checks and drove an airport shuttle.
GROSS: Mr. Zazi had indicated that he was received harassment from certain airport officials about his beard. There's been some harassment of Middle Easterners at the airport.
CANDIOTTI: Last summer investigators say Zazi and others bought bomb- making ingredients at beauty supply stores and his laptop had bomb recipes. Days before the 9/11 anniversary court records say he booked a suite like this at a Colorado hotel where chemical residue was found in a vent above a stove.
On September 9 authorities say Zazi drove a rental car to New York intending to carry out an attack but was tipped off that he was being watched and flew back to Colorado. He calls the charges a fantasy, ready to do battle in court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And Zazi is scheduled for an arraignment in New York Tuesday. He's charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. Conviction would mean life in prison -- Don.
LEMON: Ok, so that's on Tuesday Susan. The FBI though is still missing some crucial pieces of this puzzle, aren't they?
CANDIOTTI: They are, Don. They're still trying to find all those chemicals he bought. Still trying to find the others they say were helping him buy more. And what was his target? That's another mystery.
LEMON: Susan Candiotti. Susan thank you very much.
We have some sad news to report to you today from the world of politics and journalism. Pulitzer prize-winning columnist William Safire has died. Safire wrote a twice weekly column fro the "New York Times" from 1973 until 2005. He was a conservative voice on a liberal editorial page winning his Pulitzer prize for commentary in 1978. Before joining the "Times" Safire wrote speeches for President Richard Nixon. He was also a novelist and a popular commentator on the use and frequent misuse of English Language. The "New York Times" quotes a friend who says Safire died of pancreatic cancer. William Safire was 79 years old.
An 8-year-old girl brutally attacked and left for dead survives and is now 20 years later searching for her assailant. You're going the meet her.
Also a year's worth of rain in six hours, it floods Philippines; Manila underwater.
And instead of importing products, one state is looking at importing teachers. Has the state of our education really come to this point?
And check this out: a one-take video that is a viral sensation. I have a feeling you're going to love it. We're going to show it to you.
Also you want to comment on any of the stories, especially the story that we had been telling you about Chicago -- taking place in Chicago. Log on to Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or iReport.com. Send us your comments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Here's what it's being called; it's being called the "Katrina of the Philippines." That's how President Gloria Arroyo describes the massive flooding that has pummeled her island nation and its capital. A tropical storm dropped as much as a month's worth of rain in just a few short hours leaving swaths of destruction and despair. At least 75 people have been killed in what's being called the worst flooding in decades.
The U.S. military is helping the thousands of victims there. Soldiers have provided inflatable boats and helped rescue survivors who had been spotted from the air. There are an estimated 300,000 people displaced by the storm and a number of people still missing.
Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Severe Weather Center to tell us about that and what's happening with the flooding here. But that is just amazing; a month's worth in just a couple of hours.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. As much as 20 inches fell. And you were talking about the comparison to Katrina and trying to put it in perspective. I read today that about 80 percent of Manila is under water. And this is a population of about 1.6 million people.
That is just certainly incredible. And it's due to this system, a tropical system, tropical storm right now called Ketsana, winds 70 miles per hour, and it still has a lot of punch to it. It's expected to continue to strengthen and move westward. And we're going to see it landfall in Vietnam likely on Tuesday.
Our iReporters have been sending in some incredible pictures and videos. Go ahead and take a look at this out of Manila if we have that.
This is from Narithy Deth and he said the flooding is the worst that he had ever experienced. He took these video in an area where three different universities are all near each other. He said he was one of many students that were trapped in the area.
All right.
Elsewhere back here at home we've been talking about the flooding that's been going on in the southeast. A large strong cold front has moved through so great weather up and down the Eastern Seaboard over the next couple of days.
A new system moving in across the upper Midwest bringing in showers and thunderstorms this evening; a few of those could become severe across Wisconsin including you down toward Chicago, Indianapolis, and over into the Detroit area.
The big deal with this storm is that it's going to be a huge wind maker so if you're trying to travel here tomorrow, expect a lot of delays. Winds could gust 50 to 60 miles an hour. That's strong enough to down some trees and put out some power -- Don.
LEMON: All right Jacqui. Thank you very much.
Eight women killed in rural south Louisiana. Authorities fear there's a serial killer at work, there could be one.
And brutally attacked and left for dead as a child. Now she's speaking out and searching for her assailant. We'll talk to her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Ok. Small town, big mystery; at least eight women -- women in Jennings, Louisiana have been found dead in the past few years. The first victim's body was discovered in May 2005. The most recent was just last month.
Police have stopped short of saying they have a serial killer, but they say there are many similarities that seem to tie the cases together.
Next hour we'll talk with a private investigator about these baffling and troubling deaths here.
Now many rape victims, they try to forget but Jennifer Schuett, she has made it a habit of remembering every single detail. Her story is fascinating and horrific.
She was kidnapped from her bedroom and raped when she was just 8 years old. Left for dead in this Texas field with her throat slit from ear to ear. Her torn voice box kept her from screaming for help. It's almost hard to read those words.
But now 20 years later, Jennifer is raising her voice in hopes of helping the FBI catch her attacker. And here she is today. Jennifer Schuett, joining us from Texas, along with FBI special agent Richard Powers.
Jennifer, thank you so much. We want to start with you. That was -- by the way, how are you doing real quickly before we get to this?
JENNIFER SCHUETT, RAPE VICTIM: I'm good and thank you for having me.
LEMON: Ok. So obviously you got your voice back because your throat was slit from ear to ear. How much do you remember of that night?
Let me just say this. You weren't found until some 12 hours later by kids who were playing in a field and they ran across you, they stumbled over you. How much do you remember about that night?
SCHUETT: I remember pretty much everything about that night. That was the first night for me to ever sleep alone in my own bed and then this happened, so, you know, I just -- I went to sleep in my bed that night, and was taken, raped, and left for dead.
LEMON: Yes. I know it's hard to talk about the troubling details when it comes to that but I just want to say that Jennifer has a Web site now and it's called -- what is it -- Jenniferjustice.com.
SCHUETT: It's justiceforjennifer.com.
LEMON: Justiceforjennifer.com, make sure you visit that web page.
Mr. Powers, listening to Jennifer and recalling her story, she says she remembers a lot. How helpful has she been in looking for the person who committed this crime, you know, over the past 20 years?
RICHARD POWERS, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI: Jennifer's statement has been essential; it's been critical. It's really a miracle that she survived that brutal attack 20 years ago.
She's been a tremendous asset and she's actually a living witness to a terrible crime. And I know that she's inspired the detectives and the FBI agents working on this case.
LEMON: This was all her own doing; she wanted to help find this man. She vowed to do it with the Web site and what have you. How far have you gotten on this case, Mr. Powers? Are you looking at anyone?
POWERS: This case has been led by -- it's a local case that had been led by the Dickinson, Texas police department for some years. And about a year ago they came to ask our assistance to see if we could breathe new life into the case and get some new leads.
As you know, DNA technology has evolved over the last 20 years since Jennifer was attacked. And so we submitted some key evidence to the FBI laboratory to see if we could get a profile of the attacker and couple that with Jennifer's terrific memory and other leads we've gotten to see if we could identify her attacker.
LEMON: Jennifer, I'm going to spend the next couple of minutes that we have really just talking to you. Why did you decide to come forward and do all this? Do you have a message to other victims? SCHUETT: Yes, I do. I've always tried to be as involved as possible in the investigation. I've always shared my story with as many people as I possibly could.
There was a time period where I kind of felt afraid and threatened by the perpetrator that had done all of these horrible things to me. And just -- quite some time ago I decided that I wasn't going to be afraid and I wasn't going to let this rule my life and that I needed to use the voice that had been given back to me and encourage other victims out there to speak their voice and speak out and use their voice and not be afraid, not let these perpetrators control our lives. And just come out, speak out, encourage others to do the same as what I'm doing now.
LEMON: You feel empowered, not afraid of the person coming after you?
SCHUETT: No, not at all.
LEMON: Ok. Jennifer Schuett and Richard Powers, the FBI agent there. Thank you so much, Jennifer. And, again, you have such courage in coming forward and doing this. We hope it gives strength to other victims. And we hope you find him, Mr. Powers. If you do, get in contact with us, ok?
POWERS: We will.
SCHUETT: Thank you.
LEMON: Best of luck to you, Jennifer.
SCHUETT: Thank you.
LEMON: With the U.S. at the bottom of math and science among industrialized nations, some school systems are going overseas -- that's right -- I said overseas to find qualified teachers.
Aren't we in a recession? Aren't people looking for jobs right here in the U.S.? Is this a good idea?
And Beyonce started this craze but now she's got a little competition -- and I mean, a little competition. Check it out right there.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, we've got a lot going on in this country, economy, unemployment, education. There are issues. But here's a question. Should public high schools in the U.S. be going outside the country to hire teachers? It's happening in more and more schools, especially in the fields of math and science.
Our Sean Callebs went to Birmingham, Alabama, to examine the situation there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VIDA ANTONIO, RAMSEY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER: It will serve as the guide for the liquids to go...
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vida Antonio has a good rapport with her students, strong academic credentials, but is teaching in the United States instead of her native Philippines because Birmingham, Alabama, city school district said it could not find qualified math and science teachers so officials went overseas.
ANTONIO: If I'm a teacher in the Philippines and I did good, why can't I be good in Alabama?
CALLEBS: In all, Birmingham worked through a private firm to bring seven teachers from the Philippines to cope with a suspected shortfall in math and science areas.
ANTONIO: You're supposed to get the same answer.
CALLEBS: Students at Ramsey high school says this doesn't make sense.
SIDNEY PAGE, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I think that it does open opportunities for connections with different countries. However, I think it provides an incentive for other rising students who are interested in math and science to maybe stay home and try to educate those around here.
CALLEBS (on camera): So how did it get to this point? There are more than a dozen colleges and universities in Alabama alone that turn out teachers. Critics say they don't have a problem with the abilities of the teachers coming from overseas, but they do say districts like Birmingham simply aren't doing enough to find qualified teachers closer to home with the necessary skills in math and science.
LANCE HYCHE, ALABAMA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: There are good qualified Alabama teachers out there looking for a job and they're willing to come to Birmingham, but Birmingham is not willing to look at them.
CALLEBS (on camera): The director of the district's science department, Spencer Horn, who went to the Philippines on a summer recruiting trip, said that is simply not the case. Some qualified teachers would rather work elsewhere. Horn says there's a shortage of math and science teachers nationwide.
SPENCER HORN, BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT: When we went to job fairs, when we went even to the corporate community, it did not fill the need that we had. We were not going to sacrifice our students just because we did not have quality people applying to us.
CALLEBS: The National Education Association agrees that it is a nationwide problem. It says looking abroad is merely a band-aid solution.
The NEA says, "Virtually all of these teachers coming from outside of America are being sent to high need urban and rural communities and shows us that we need to improve working conditions in these areas in order to better recruit qualified teachers." A private firm has placed about 1,000 teachers like Vida Antonio around the country.
ANTONIO: This is my chance to be an American. If I will not come here, when that opportunity knocked on my door, who knows, I will not be able to come here anymore.
CALLEBS: To fill a job many educators say Americans don't want or can't qualify for.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Birmingham, Alabama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Let's talk more about this Birmingham plan and other educations as well. Joining us is Stanford, Connecticut's, Steve Perry, founder of a preparatory magnet school and a CNN education contributor. He contributed a lot with "Black in America" and "Black in America 2." And here in Atlanta, John Hope Bryant, founder of Operation Hope and vice chairman of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy.
Speaking of the president, last night at the CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus, he talked about education and the importance of it and also responsibility as well. Is this a good idea to be going overseas to be looking for teachers, especially math and science when so many are looking for jobs here? Is it a good idea?
JOHN HOPE BRYANT, PRESIDENT'S ADVISORY COUNCIL OF FINANCIAL LITERACY: I think there's two answers. One is the kid doesn't care where the teacher is from as long as the teacher is passionate and can teach them, inspire them to want to learn. Think that's the immediate answer is let's get it done. A PhD is good, a ph-dos are better. I think the second answer is we have not made smart sexy in this country. We've not made it interesting and compelling, so we are not attracting teachers. We're also not getting teachers to stay in school, which is that whole dropout issue.
LEMON: Hang on to that. I want the smart sexy comment. I want to go to Steve.
Steve, I'll ask you the very same question. What do you think about the idea of going oversees?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONRIBUTOR: It's an absolute necessity. Any time I have an opening in math or science, I scour the community to find talented teachers. It would not surprise me that the NEA is against this. In fact, it doesn't surprise me in the least because their closed-shop approach is creating the very need that we have.
If a talented teacher comes from the Philippines, then that's a talented teacher, it matters not that they're from the Philippines. When we look at the colleges or universities, there are typically going all over the country and the world to find the best and the brightest, and as well as in private high schools, they're willing to go wherever they need to go to find talented teachers. LEMON: Steve, I don't think you disagree with this. If we had our druthers, we'd like to find qualified teachers here in the United States who are qualified to help the overall education, economic system here in the United States. So then what do you do to encourage teachers to get better teachers here in the U.S., and as John said -- I'll pose this to him in a second -- to make smart sexy in this country?
PERRY: There are two points. I was at the National Black MBAs this weekend. There are a lot of folks who have degrees other than teaching degrees that could be phenomenal teachers. So we have to begin to open up the opportunities within teaching to those who do have bachelors and master's degrees and above who want to teach our children, so that they're passionate and passable educations. Smart being sexy has to do with us as a community. Each one of us in our families and homes have to focus on the education as a viable means to a wonderful living.
LEMON: On that, what do you make of that? This could be an opportunity for people to go, hey, there are opportunities and job in education and maybe I should be looking toward that? How do we fix it?
BRYANT: Of course, there's an opportunity. Stevie Wonder could see this one. I know Stevie, and I know he would be passionate about this answer. Because Quincy Jones said it takes 20 years to change of culture. In the last 20 years, we've made dumb sexy. We've dumbed down and we've celebrated. We've got to make a smart sexy again in the next 20 years. That's why Quincy Jones and Andrew Young and Tyrese (ph) and QD3 (ph) and myself and others are going into south central L.A. next Tuesday to launch a national initiative to make smart sexy again in this country. This is, as we said earlier, this crisis is not so much an economic crisis. It's a crisis of virtues and values. One of the things that Steve does well is he's passionate. When you're passionate, everything else will flow. If you're not passionate, nothing else will flow. I think that with the unemployment rate ratcheting up, it's obvious we'll be looking at opportunities in education, but we've got to make it relevant.
LEMON: We have to go, so hang on, guys. We're up against the breaking point. I want to get your comment.
First to you, Steve. Did you see the video out of Chicago of that student being beaten?
PERRY: I did. I'm stunned, but not surprised. When our education system begins to crumble as much as it has, then we can only expect that children won't see the long-reaching implications of their thoughtless decisions. I'm saddened for all the families involved.
LEMON: Is this isn't a wake-up call for the country, I don't know what is, John.
BYRANT: I'm heart broken. We're being overrun by thug culture. When you and I were growing up, 30 kids in the classroom wanted to learn, five kids acted like knuckle heads. Now you've got 30 kids acting like knuckle heads and five kids who are afraid to say they want to learn. It's a culture issue. It's not our kids.
LEMON: Now you hear people -- when I was growing up, I would have these arguments with my fellow students about how to spell weather, you know, w-h-e or w-e-a, and what the meaning was and things like that. Now it's, you know, it's...
BRYANT: Yo, yo, yo, what's up, what's up, what's up?
LEMON: Not even correct English.
BRYANT: Not English, yeah.
LEMON: OK, Steve Perry, we appreciate it, in Stanford, Connecticut.
And also John Hope Bryant here in Atlanta. We can talk to you guys about this and we appreciate what you do. Keep it up, guys.
It is a hard question for many of the Detroit residents to answer. This one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do I survive in Detroit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Umm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's hard to say.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: But it is something everyone there worries about. We're taking a closer look in a special investigation, Assignment, Detroit.
And later...
(MUSIC)
LEMON: Can you believe a bunch of college kids put this together? You've got to be feeling it. And you've got to be loving it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, traffic on the Ohio River is at a standstill right now. A lock break has occurred near Wausau, Kentucky, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. All river traffic is shut down in both directions. A Corps spokesman calls the break catastrophic for commerce. Engineers are on the way to the scene. It's not known how long river traffic will be halted.
You know, with growing talk of economic recovery, the huge problems in one of our country's major cities may not have gotten the attention they deserve. Detroit is battling nearly 28 percent unemployment, 28 percent. Finding a job in the Motor City, well, it's near impossible.
CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow joins us from New York with her assignment on Detroit.
When you think of almost 30 percent unemployment, it is unfathomable, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, HOST, CNNMONEY.COM: You know, Don, it's unfathomable. But the months that we've spent there since this summer makes it very realistic. You look at a city in our own backyard. This was boom town in the 1950s and the '60s. Then the riots in '67. The city started to crumble and, since then, it's been a free-fall for Detroit. So how on earth do people make it in the city day by day? You have the auto crisis, the foreclosure crisis, just to name a few of the problems facing Detroit.
We ask them, how on earth do you make it? Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do I survive in Detroit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Umm.
UNIDENTIIED FEMALE: That's hard to say.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, right now, the answer to that question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go to school. Don't be like a person like me out here selling drugs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My advice to them is, like I said, basically it's just family. Right now, you have to stick together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do I survive in Detroit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing I say is you do what you got to do to survive in Detroit now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One day it's going to, you know, get better, you know. You have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and keep going. That's in any city.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, like I said, a lot of people down here, they're tough, tough people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Family, friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're resilient.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Upbeat attitude.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you just make it, you've got to keep your hopes up. Keep your chin up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People down and out, but there's always somebody there to help you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things will turn around. You have to know that things will turn around.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never stop trying. Like I said, girlfriend, you've got to keep a positive mind frame and just look forward to tomorrow. Look for tomorrow. Tomorrow's a whole another day. Don't stop trying.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: You know, it certainly is, tomorrow's a whole other day, Don. But when you look at the folks in Detroit, one thing I can tell you, these are resilient, hard-working Americans, and they're not giving up. But there are not many jobs to have and not much hope out there for them. They're doing what they can. Really, I am impressed at how they're acting in this situation.
LEMON: You know, Poppy, there appears to be optimism there and looking at the interim there, who will be running very shortly for a full term, he's tough love. He says, you know what? Things are tough right now. We're not in the best position that we've ever been in, but he thinks things are going to turn things around. He doesn't want to give people false hope.
I want you to tell us though more about this commitment to covering Detroit.
HARLOW: This just launched this week. We've been reporting in Detroit for three months now. CNN, "Time" and "Money" together have launched what we're calling Assignment Detroit. Take a look here at the page at CNNmoney.com/detroit. A lot of videos that we did over the month, a lot of the articles, all about Detroit. This is a one- year commitment, if not longer, to stay in Detroit. "Time" Inc. bought a house there, staffed full-time with a reporter. I'll be going back month after month, reporting on this city as it tries to reinvent itself. Obviously, no longer the Motor City. You've got G.M. and Chrysler just coming out of bankruptcy, a struggling auto industry, a foreclosure crisis. They're trying to make this the green energy corridor. You here that from the governor and also from Mayor Bing. He's trying to turn the city around after decades of political corruption and a dwindling population. About two million people lived there in the 1950s. It's less than 900,000 now.
So we're going to be watching as Detroit tries to turn itself around. CNNmoney.com/detroit, a very important project.
LEMON: I read something interesting about Detroit. It used to be a destination city. Well, we'll see. Great commitment. I can't wait to see your stories. Thank you, Poppy.
HARLOW: Thanks, Don. LEMON: Chicago's high hopes now -- let's talk about that city -- for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. The Windy City is holding its breath for this week's big announcement. The first lady is going, so is Oprah. Will the president go? Who knows? We're going to talk about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: They want it. Frankly, they need it. Chicagoans will know soon whether they are hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. The big announcement happens on Friday in Copenhagen. President Obama's home is within walking distance of an Olympic stadium on Chicago's south side. He has supported the city's big with promotional videos along with First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah. They are both going to Copenhagen for the announcement.
One person who has been very instrumental in this is that man right there. His name is Billy Dec. If you're in the Chicago area or the Midwest, you know him very well. He is the director of cultural relations for the Olympic Bid Committee. He is in St. Petersburg, Russia, taking the slow route to Copenhagen for the announcement. Also, he is a restaurant owner and is involved with a theater there.
What is your exact title?
He is joining us by Skype.
What's your exact title in this? You're the, what, goodwill ambassador?
BILLY DEC, DIRECTOR, CULTURAL RELATIONS, OLYMPIC BID COMMITTEE: Director of cultural relations, a volunteer, for the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee.
LEMON: Oh, OK. Good. Billy, what are the chances? You have been doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff, talking to celebrities and what have you. What do you think Chicago's chances are?
DEC: I think they're really great, actually. One of the things that I heard the International Evaluation Committee was interested in was excitement, enthusiasm. and what these celebrities are doing on my web site are basically telling the world how great the United States of America is, how great Chicago is, and how wonderful the Olympics would be in our town.
LEMON: All right. Stop right there.
DECK: I think there's...
LEMON: Stop right there. Let's listen to you talk to Jimmy Fallon, and then I'll talk to you.
DEC: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DEC: You have to have the Olympics in Chicago. You've got Oprah. You've got Obama. You've got deep-dish pizzas. You need a couple more rings, and it's perfect. I mean, that's...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So you -- a bunch of celebrities you spoke to. What does this mean for -- what does...
DEC: There's about 50 of them. I mean, Jimmy Fallon was one of the first to come on, and then everyone started spinning out after that.
LEMON: So what does this mean for Chicago and really for the country? Does this have more to do about the economy, pride, our perception in the world? What would this mean to us to get the Olympics here?
DECK: In Chicago, as you said, I own and operate a bunch of restaurants and nightclubs and bars. It's not really about the couple of weeks of added people that would be coming into town. It's more about the world understanding our culture. It's funny. I am in St. Petersburg, Russia, and I just got back from Moscow, and the last couple of days, every time people ask me where I'm from, and I say Chicago. They say Al Capone and they go, dah, dah, dah, like are you a gangster? That's not what we're about. I think with 4.4 billion people watching our best face, they would get to see what the heart of the country really is like, what Chicago is like, understand our architecture, our culture, our history, the diversity of all the people that are there. That's really what's important for us.
Yes, there's economic benefits. I think they're talking about $22.5 billion to the city and state that would be generated through all the visitors.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I know you are on Skype. We've got to delay it, but we're up against the break. So we're going to have to run.
Hey, we appreciate it. It would be great for the economy, great for Chicago. We're hearing possibly the president may go. That is a rumor that Billy has been hearing. Billy will be here for the announcement. Of course, he's going to see if he can catch up with the first lady and Oprah.
And we're counting on you to do that.
Bill Dec.
Check it out at chicagothing.com.
We appreciate it. Safe travels. Thank you very much.
DEC: Thank you very much.
LEMON: So check this out.
(SINGING)
LEMON: We dare you not to sing along or do this yourself this weekend.
(EDGE OF DISCOVERY)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
