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Palo Alto's Teen 'Suicide Cluster'; Expanding Hate Crimes Law; Courage and Sacrifice
Aired October 23, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Suicide cluster, such an unemotional clinical way to talk about the loss of four young lives. But that's what mental health experts say we're dealing with at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. Four students choosing death by train just in the past six months. That's right, they threw themselves in front of the trains.
Well, the community wants action. Parents mostly want answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN TEEME, GUNN HIGH SCHOOL PARENT: What I'm concerned about is that that condition has to exist in the high school and the kids have to deal with it and feel about it. And I as a parent, I mean, I couldn't even imagine what it would be like for a family to have to go through this. We don't need it anymore. Enough.
ANN HILLEN, GUNN HIGH SCHOOL PARENT: It seems to just be happening here. And that's a puzzle. I don't know why.
I don't know why, but it's more than a coincidence now. You know? And I almost wonder if it's starting to become some sort of a siren call to kids who are in this area who are not feeling well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: An area child psychiatrist and mom of a Gunn student says the school's mental health referrals have now jumped 300 percent since last summer. Definitely a sad and scary time for kits and parents alike.
Let's bring in Stephanie Demos. She's with Kara, a center offering grief support and education right now.
And Stephanie, you really don't know what these folks are going through, or you actually realize what they're going through from personal experience, yes?
STEPHANIE DEMOS, KARA: Yes, that's true.
PHILLIPS: Tell us about that.
DEMOS: There was a suicide in my family. My younger brother killed himself years ago and left a young son behind.
PHILLIPS: So, taking that into account, you probably continually go through that sort of emotional struggle, the moment you found out it happened, thinking about all the whys. We hear these parents now.
What has been your first course of action with trying to help with what's happening there?
DEMOS: What you want to do is provide a platform, a place where people can actually talk about what all of their feelings are, to validate that there's no feeling that's inappropriate, it's what choices we make and what action we take. Kara has been doing this for 30 years, going on to the school campus in the wake of any death, frankly, if there is a teacher who has died or a parent or a student, being in place to work with the students, with the teachers, with the staff, and with the parents on how to provide that safe place to mourn.
PHILLIPS: Safe place to mourn. Totally understandable. But how do you get your hands on something like this and try to understand what's going on? From what you have been able to assess, let me ask you a couple of questions.
DEMOS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Is this a suicide pact?
DEMOS: No, there is no evidence as far as I know that that is true. These are distinct individuals, and I like to think in terms of we really do owe them the respect of understanding that they acted as individuals.
PHILLIPS: So, as individuals dealing with their own struggles, from what you have found out -- and I know you can't get personal and be -- talk about direct cases, but does it look -- were the parents aware that each one of these students was struggling with something, something so bad that they could have seen this coming?
DEMOS: Not necessarily. Teenagers, individuals that are intent upon killing themselves are very committed. It can be an act of impulsiveness, but in many cases, they really are very sincere and very adept at hiding what's going on from other people, sometimes from a desire not to cause more pain, ironically.
PHILLIPS: It's so hard to understand, because you've got four kids that have taken their life. There were 13, I believe, that also attempted to do it but were saved.
Do you believe that something is going on at that school that may be copycat?
DEMOS: No, I don't. I know for sure that there are incidents like this across the country and, in fact, around the world. I don't know about those numbers of attempts. I'm not aware of all of those. But I do know that copycat is certainly not what induced at least some of these students to do anything.
It's easy to go there, and I think there's some comfort that we find by trying to find an answer to something that has no answer. But the bigger picture is to provide an environment of acceptance and communication so people can support one another before -- hopefully for intervention, then, but afterwards as well.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, it sure is mind-boggling and a true struggle.
Everybody is asking why, whether it's us or the parents or school administrators. And it's fascinating to say that there's just no way that you could answer that at this point. But we'll continue to follow up, because it's our kids, and we want to figure out ways to support our high schools, that they have some type of program so kids know that somebody's there to help.
DEMOS: And they do. The community's made a very distinct pact with one another to provide a space for the families, for the children, and all that to come, without charge, to be able to get the support that they need.
PHILLIPS: Stephanie Demos, sure appreciate your time.
DEMOS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Let's update you on another teen story that we have been following out of Chicago.
Three teenagers charged with beating another teen to death go before a judge today for a preliminary hearing. Sixteen-year-old Derrion Albert, an honors student, kicked and beaten to death last month on a sidewalk. That attack caught on cell phone video.
The three teens charged with first-degree murder held without bail. Plus, the school tensions that could have led to that deadly brawl bubbled to the surface again this week. Five students at Christian Fenger Academy arrested for fighting. Police say there could be more arrests.
And another example of Chicago's trouble with teen violence. A 17-year-old Tilden High School student shot and killed as he walked home from school on the South Side. Friends say the teen would warn younger kids to avoid the neighborhood gangs there.
Coughing, sneezing, fever -- swine flu all across America. Forty-one states reporting widespread cases of H1N1, and federal health officials say that more people are catching it now than at any time since it first showed up in April.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NIH: We have about one out of five of schoolchildren now have flu-like symptoms. If you look at the entire population in any given year, anywhere from five percent to 15 percent of the population gets seasonal flu. With this flu the that spreads so well, it could be 20 percent or more of the population, even up to 25 percent or more of the population could get infected as we go into the flu season.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Now, even though delivery of the vaccine is behind schedule, health officials say production will pick up and it's never too late to get vaccinated.
New York State saying never mind to mandatory vaccinations for nurses. There's just not enough to go around. The state had originally ordered all health care workers to get vaccinated by the end of November or get fired, an order that riled up the nurses' union. But now the governor's office say sick and high-risk people get dibs on the limited vaccine supply.
And be sure to check out CNNHealth.com. All kind of health stories and advice on H1N1 and pretty much any other health topic that you can think of.
The race is on. President Obama says developing clean energy is a global contest, and he says the country that wins is the country that leads the world. The president spoke just a little while ago at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, insisting on an energy victory for the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Countries on every corner of this Earth now recognize that energy supplies are growing scarcer. Energy demands are growing larger, and rising energy use imperils the planet we will leave to future generations. And that's why the world is now engaged in a peaceful competition to determine the technologies that will power the 21st century.
From China to India, from Japan to Germany, nations everywhere are racing to develop new ways to produce and use energy. The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy. I am convinced of that, and I want America to be that nation. It's that simple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now it's on to the politicking.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd both enlisting the president's help today to raise some much-needed cash ahead of the 2010 elections.
For gays and lesbians, a reason to celebrate amid a string of tragedies. An expanded hate crimes law headed to President Obama's desk after the Senate passed it. It makes it a crime to assault anyone because of their sexual orientation or gender.
Here's CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Todd Metrokin came here for late-night pizza last summer, he offered a slice to some people sitting outside. TODD METROKIN, HATE CRIME VICTIM: I thought it was a nice exchange. And as we were walking away, my friend mentioned, you know, that he said -- he called me a "faggot" under his breath.
BASH: As they walked through this Adams Morgan neighborhood in D.C., Metrokin didn't realize they were being followed until they were suddenly attacked.
METROKIN: The attack occurred right about here. They were calling us names, faggot.
BASH (on camera): What was the last thing you remember?
METROKIN: The last thing I remember was the first hit.
BASH (voice-over): He woke up in the hospital, looking like this: bruises and broken bones, even a shoe mark on his face.
METROKIN: Somebody had to actually stomp on my face while I was on the ground to achieve that. And that's when it became just so crystal clear to me the kind of hate that requires someone to do that.
BASH: Attacks like this will now be a federal offense under legislation expanding the hate crimes law which now covers race, color and religion to also include victims targeted because of their sexual orientation.
Many Republicans object, arguing violent crimes are already illegal and this creates what they call thought crimes. But supporters note this would punish acts, not beliefs. And points to government figures showing crimes against gays and lesbians are on the rise and say federal dollars, attention and penalties this new law would provide are needed.
OBAMA: And I will sign it into law.
BASH: Politically, the White House hopes passing this long- fought priority in the gay community will ease frustration that President Obama is slow to act on their issues.
(on camera): Gay rights groups are praising Democrats for passing what they call the first piece of "civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay and transgender Americans." But privately, gay rights activists say the president has a long way to go to tamp down on simmering anger that he's dragging his feet on other big priorities like reversing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: She's one of the most courageous women we've met, and she's not going to let a brain injury keep her from her honoring her brothers who died on the battlefield. You'll be touched and amazed when you hear her plans. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: If you missed even a minute of our groundbreaking documentary "LATINO IN AMERICA," see it again in it's entirety Saturday and Sunday night, 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
She's determined and courageous, and she's not going to let abandonment, death, even being hit by a car keep her from reaching her goal. When Monica Velez's mom left her, she and her policeman dad were left to raise her younger brothers. Freddy was 5; Andrew was 2; and Monica was only 7.
However, family loss didn't stop at mom. Freddy, who grew up and joined the Army, lost his life to a sniper's bullet. His unit came under attack in Fallujah, Iraq. Freddy was trying to protect his injured comrades. He died a hero.
But Monica's story gets even more heartbreaking.
She's live at the foot of Iwo Jima, and we're going to talk about why she's there in just a second.
But first, Monica, tell me about your other brother, Andrew, and what happened to him when he was serving in Afghanistan.
MONICA VELEZ, HONORING FALLEN HERO BROTHERS: Andrew decided to go back after Freddy's death, and he wanted to be back with his solders there in Afghanistan. So he asked the Army to sign the papers for him to get back to Afghanistan.
He went back and started having some severe PTSD, marital issues. Being gone from his wife and his family for so long, he had now become a stranger to them. And going through what he had to go through, bringing Freddy's body home back to the states for the funeral services. And not to mention, just whatever the soldiers go through there in war, and having to get their missions completed, he was struggling with quite a bit of things.
In July, he was planning on coming back to Fort Hood with me, so he was going to get compassionate reassignment. And we were going to both be stationed there in Fort Hood together so that we could help each other with the grieving process.
And on July 26th of '06, I got a phone call that Andrew had committed suicide. He used a similar weapon that my brother Freddy carried, which was called a saw (ph) and placed the end into his mouth and pulled the trigger. He was found in the morning and identified, and they contacted us, of course.
PHILLIPS: God, Monica, I just -- you know, just hearing about your story, starting with your mom taking off, and you and your dad pretty much raising these boys, they go on to be soldiers, they're serving our country, Freddy dies, then Andrew takes his life, and I'm going to get to another struggle that you had in just a second. But just -- you're not just remembering them because they were your brothers and they served our country, you are truly going the extra mile, the extra 26.2 miles on Sunday.
Tell me what you're doing to remember them.
VELEZ: Yes. Well, every time I get out and I run, just on a daily basis, I remember the good times that we had.
It was a family event that we would do together, was run with my dad when we were younger. We lived very humbly out in Woodrow, Texas, outside of Lubbock. And my dad being a police officer, ,he had to always stay fit. And so, ,he would take off running for about three or four miles and we would tag along.
Of course we would stop and he would have to pick us back up on his way back. But we enjoyed running and working out with him. It was something that brought us all closer together.
And then throughout high school and junior high, the boys ran cross country, I ran cross country in track. So, these are all really good memories. When I get out there and I put my tennis shoes and I start going, I start remembering all the good times that we had and then I reflect back on what they did as soldiers and what our soldiers are currently doing for us each and every day, and the sacrifices that they make and their families make. And then our fallen soldier families, the courage that they have to get back up and still be part of our community and still be so patriotic to our country, and just helping each other out.
I would have never been able to have made it without each and every one of them reaching out and helping pull me back up through this. So...
PHILLIPS: And now, on Sunday, you're going to run in the Marine Corps Marathon, and you're doing it in their honor. And you've been training like crazy, which leads me to the next point. So, here you were training to remember your brothers and you get hit by a car. And you're still in training with a brain injury?
(LAUGHTER)
VELEZ: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I can't believe you're laughing.
VELEZ: It's just pretty ironic that that would happen to me. As all my friends and family know, I'm pretty fearless. So I guess it's what other people call -- I'm very accident prone. I take it as just being fearless and I just go out and do stuff.
Unfortunately, this car didn't see me. They did hit me. They didn't stop to render aid./
My boyfriend actually called 911 and took me into the emergency room, and I got treatment. And believe it or not, I recovered, like, 100 percent. So, I'm sure my two angels up there had quite a bit to do with that. I'm sure it put them to work. PHILLIPS: See, I do believe that. That's right. I believe Freddy and Andrew are saying, OK, sis, we want you to do this, we love you.
And just finally, you're raising the money, and we want folks to go either to our Web site or to TAPS.org, because you're raising the money for a fantastic organization that funds a grief camp where you volunteer.
Tell folks why you're choosing to put the money toward TAPS.
VELEZ: I am a member of TAPS. Being the sister of two fallen soldiers, I -- the military doesn't really provide very much for extended families as far as counseling or benefits. It was hard for me to get my insurance, to approve any kind of counseling for me or help me with any kind of support groups in my area.
I received a 1-800 number from another organization on Fort Hood, and they got me connected with TAPS right away after Andrew had passed away. So, I started going to counseling. I started participating in the support groups and sharing my story, which I feel has been the biggest part of my healing process, is being able to tell my story to so many people knowing that somebody out there is going to benefit and make a difference and a change, whether they seen signs in their family members or they see signs in their fellow soldiers for PTSD, and they pull them aside and ask them to get help, or help them find somewhere to turn to, or just remembering all the families that have lost their soldiers and the sacrifices that they make for our country each and every day.
PHILLIPS: Well, Monica, we support you 100 percent.
VELEZ: I'm really excited.
PHILLIPS: Well, you should be. And I know every mile you've run, every time you've trained, every breath you take, I know you're thinking about your brothers. And we're going to be thinking about you, too.
Best of luck.
VELEZ: Thank you so much, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Monica.
And if you want to help Monica Velez reach her goal, please go to our blog at CNN.com/Kyra. You'll find links to her fund-raising page and information about TAPS, the group that she's raising the money for.
We've got some breaking news right now out of New Jersey, the case of a dead priest, now being called a homicide.
The body of 61-year-old Father Ed Hinds was found this morning in the kitchen rectory of his church in Chatham. Detectives say that his wounds suggest that he died between 11:00 last night and 3:00 this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MOLINELLI, BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: There's a number of people that may have. And right now, again, we're canvassing and we're going out, we're doing those interviews.
Remember, this is a fresh crime scene. Our initial concern was the children's safety and to remove the children. The children at no time were in any danger whatsoever.
As you know, they were escorted. Kudos to the school working with the police and the prosecutor's office in terms of contacting the parents and having the parents pick up their children. Again, they're not in any danger, but we figured that it was best under the circumstances of this investigation to escort them out of the facility for the day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll stay on top of that story out of Chatham, New Jersey, and let you know what happens.
Other top stories right now.
Police in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, have found a possible explosive device. They're now on the scene. That discovery near a car dealership. Right now they're calling it suspicious property.
More details as soon as we get them.
It might be the biggest inferno in Puerto Rico's history, and now the FBI is involved. The flames, sparked by an early morning blast at this oil refinery near San Juan. Some injuries reported. The FBI is looking into graffiti found at the site which reads, "Boom, Fire, RIP."
A lot of tense and unexplained moments for air traffic controllers in Minneapolis. They thought a Northwest Airlines jetliner had been hijacked when they lost contact with the flight crew. The plane overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles. Crew members claimed that they were distracted. The FAA is now investigating.
One of CNN's top 10 heroes giving the kids of New Orleans free music lessons and putting a song in all their hearts.
You're going to meet our hero compliments of Grammy winner Wyclef Jean.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, we have gotten 10 extraordinary people to tell you about, and we're introducing them to you one at a time, courtesy of some of our famous friends. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Heroes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYCLEF JEAN, MUSICIAN: How you all doing? My name is Wyclef Jean.
At the first annual "CNN Heroes" tribute show, I had the honor of performing and helping to recognize the great works of everyday citizens changing the world.
As a founder of Yele Haiti, an organization which seeks to improve lives in my native country, I am thrilled to help CNN introduce one of this year's top 10 honorees.
Now more than ever, the world needs heroes.
DERRICK TABB, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: Life after Katrina is really hard for a kid. You have violence, the drug life. I'm just tired of it. My aim is to get kids off the streets.
My name is Derrick Tabb, and I started a free music education program for the kids of New Orleans.
Let's go. On the job.
We do more than just teach music. We offer transportation. We offer instruments.
I'll feed you so you're not hungry, give you tutoring.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which one, (INAUDIBLE)?
TABB: I call it the "no excuse policy." You don't have no excuse why you're not here.
You don't have any experience.
Press down on it just like that.
We meet five days a week year round. We're constantly learning something new. And that's what keeps the kids coming back every day.
I don't want to say that I'm saving lives. I say I'm giving life, a whole different life of music.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: That's funny.
And you can go to CNN.com/heroes right now to vote for the Top Ten hero that inspires you most. They'll all be honored at an all- star tribute hosted by our Anderson Cooper on Thanksgiving night. You'll see it here only on CNN. What does it look like to win a battle in the war on drugs? Probably something like this, piles of drugs, weapons and cash. Why the DEA says this is a huge blow to a notorious Mexican cartel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It's one of the largest drug busts ever. Federal agents have arrested more than 300 alleged members of Mexico's notorious "La Familia" cartel hiding out in cities across America. The bust brought in millions of dollars in cash, mountains of drugs, and hundreds upon hundreds of weapons. Senior Latin American affairs editor, Rafael Romo, breaks down the bust and what it means for La Familia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice- over): Raids like this one in suburban Atlanta mirror what happened throughout the US. In a massive anti-drug operation, federal agents targeted a Mexican drug cartel known as La Familia.
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: This unprecedented, coordinated United States law enforcement action is the largest ever undertaken against a Mexican drug cartel.
ROMO: The attorney general says that as part of this three-and- a-half year long operation against the Mexican drug cartel, federal agents arrested 1,200 suspects and confiscated 11.7 tons of narcotics, as well as almost $33 million.
HOLDER: While this cartel may operate from Mexico, the toxic reach of its operations extends to nearly every state within our own country.
ROMO: The news about the operation came one day after authorities in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez acknowledged the death toll there has reached 2,000. The city that borders El Paso, Texas is considered one of the hot spots for Mexico's war against drugs and a contested territory for several drug cartels that rival La Familia in scope and power.
As the Mexican government tightens its grip on cartels, arresting their leaders and disrupting their operations, the criminal organizations have reacted by killing more police officers and soldiers than ever and increasing their level of violence and cruelty throughout Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Rafael joins me now. So, Rafael, I understand the way that La Familia cartels operates, it's a little different from other drug cartels. Can you explain?
ROMO: Kyra, they communicate with people. They use radio, they use newspapers in Mexico to send out messages to people, saying things like they are on a mission of divine justice, as they call it. But at the same time, they are extremely cruel, and they are responsible for dozens of killings in the last year alone.
PHILLIPS: As we know, Mexico's been waging war against the drug cartels since President Calderon took office, even well before that. Do you think that this effort is really making a difference compared to all the efforts taken in the past?
ROMO: Twelve thousand people have died so far since president Calderon took office in December of '06. But many would say this is what happens when you confront a wild beast -- the wild beast that drug trafficking is. They say that when you strike a wild beast, it gets just wilder.
And this is a situation that's going on in Mexico right now. They feel that the cartels are being weakened by the day, and they're making a desperate effort to recruit more people to increase, but we see the results and the results are that many people are dying, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We're going to see those (ph) using the drugs here in the United States to stop as well. It only fuels it. Rafael, thank you.
Issue number one, the economy. And if home sales are the foundation, here's some welcome mortar. Existing home sales last month at their highest level in more than two years. The National Association of Realtors say that home resales went up by 9.4 percent in September. Much of the credit going to the government's $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers.
Millions of people clamoring to get that tax credit that the government is offering, so much so that some of them may be committing fraud to get it. Susan Lisovicz has more, and you came in this morning and told us about this and the hum dinger (ph) was where this fraud exists.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even some employees in the IRS, and the numbers are coming from the IRS. You would think you would know better. Nothing like free money, Kyra, to attract somebody who's going the try to game the system, and that's what an $8,000 tax credit is. It's free money.
The IRS is in a preliminary report. Thousands of people may have done so. How so? Well, first of all, they're claiming the credit before they have actually bought the house or not buying a house at all. So, that's a no. Not a first-time home buyer. This is a first- time home buyer tax credit, and believe it or not, hundreds of kids claiming the tax credit under 18. There was one actually four years old...
PHILLIPS: Brianna Keilar was telling us about the four-year-old.
LISOVICZ: ... All in all, maybe up to $650 million and the IRS is going after it.
PHILLIPS: OK, so, Congress extending the home buyers tax credit into next year. How is all this alleged fraud going to affect that? LISOVICZ: Well, it may not, because it has bipartisan support, constituents love it. And you just read those figures from the NAR today. Existing home sales up nearly 9.5 percent, driven by first- time home buyers. So, it's helping to prop up the housing market. The big obstacle, if you will, is cost. The government spent $10 billion so far; we have a $1.4 trillion budget deficit. That's a record.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: An order of protection is no good if nobody serves it, right? So, why domestic violence victims in one state might have less legal recourse than they think. This story is probably go to outrage you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Top stories now. There never was a guy who had such grace taking a pie in the face. Or the 2,000 that he supposedly got plunked with -- I thought it was more than 2,000. Well, the irreverent comedian Soupy Sales did pass away last night after a brief stay in a New York hospice. Sales was 83 years old. We will definitely never forget his sense of humor.
Grammy winning hip-hop icon Ludacris turned up this afternoon at the National Press Club. Ludacris, whose real name is Chris Bridges, is pushing the need for greater philanthropy. Tomorrow night, the rapper hosts his sixth annual benefit dinner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What inspired you to use your influence in such a positive way? Do you have any specific experience that you can share with us that inspired you?
LUDACRIS, PHILANTHROPIST AND RAPPER: I could answer that question with one word, and that would be the individual that's sitting right next to me, my mama. It's as simple as that, my mother.
(END VIEEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: In other news, police at the University of Connecticut say that someone is running interference as they investigate the stabbing death of football player Jasper Howard. Uconn police say the potential witnesses are being threatened with violence if they come forward with the info. Howard was fatally stabbed Thursday night after a school-sponsored dance after a game-saving performance on the gridiron.
All right. Here's the outrage story. Victims of domestic violence deserve every protection available under the law, right? Well, in Illinois, they're not always getting it.
Listen to this, one in five orders of protection obtained in that state hasn't even been delivered. Police say that in many cases, they don't even have the necessary information to do it. But victims rights advocates and even Illinois attorney general say that some of the problems are systematic.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, host of HLN's "Issues" and author of "I Want" back with us today. On this one -- here's what drives me crazy about this. These domestic violence victims go to court, that's hard enough, explain everything that happened, think that if they are given an order of protection that everything's going to be okay. And then they find out that it hasn't even been served.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, "ISSUES": Yes. And it's all part of minimizing the importance of crimes against women, which is what we do in this society. And if you look at the power and control wheel, which is how abuse of women is systematically carried out, minimization is one of the keys.
So, we're downplaying the importance of these kinds of cases. And usually, it's a stalker case. Usually, the stalker is a man, usually the person being stalked is a woman. Usually there's a relationship, in other words, the woman knows the man, once dated him. Sometimes cops treat this as a lover's spat and a quarrel.
But the fact is that stalking is not only terrifying in itself -- if you've ever been stalked as I have, it's one of the most frightening experiences. You're being followed, they're calling you on the phone, they're sending harassing letters, they vandalizing and they're terrorizing. And the worst part of it is that stalking, in many, many cases, leads to serious crimes such as assault and murder!
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, by not delivering the order of protection, you are essentially leaving this woman wide open to be killed.
PHILLIPS: So, let me ask you this. Police officers said in many instances, OK -- they're in Illinois. They made every effort to serve these notices of protection. Sometimes the task is impossible because orders lack necessary information.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, you know (HUMS).
Look, we have to revamp our criminal justice system, top to bottom. But it's such a huge problem, it's kind of like saying let's tackle global warming. It feels like we're going to be going into the ocean and trying to empty it spoonful by spoonful. It's very hard to break down these problems.
But the big-picture problem is intimate partner violence. And that is a huge problem in America, are we sleeping with the enemy? Because some of the stats are absolutely frightening. For example, one of the leading causes of death of pregnant women is murder at the hands of the man who impregnated her.
So, we're talking about this really epidemic of violence between men and women who have had sexual, romantic relationship. Why is it deteriorating into violence? That's the big question that we have to address as a society. Because so many of the women being victimized are being victimized by men that they used to sleep with.
PHILLIPS: Also, too, a number of these orders of protection, because I've read about this a number of times, do get served. Here in Illinois, they're not even getting served. Right? Also, a number of these are served...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And they don't work.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Or police, judges and prosecutors refuse to enforce them. I mean, I've heard that story time and time again, and these women end up dead.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, how many stories have you and I covered where the woman who was murdered had an order of protection against the man who ended up killing her? Male-on-female violence, big problem in this country. We need to address it in this country. Thank you for doing that, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Always love talking with you about these things, that's for sure. Jane Velez-Mitchell, don't forget her show on HLN, "Issues." Appreciate it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Four important words when it comes to the U.S. exit strategy from Iraq. Easier said than done. We draw you into the back story for the draw down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Rick Sanchez. You're talking to yourself; that always makes me nervous. What are you working on for next hour?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: This is how I prepare. I -- I have conver -- you know, they say...
PHILLIPS: He talks to himself.
SANCHEZ: ... you're not really crazy until you start answering, though. That's the thing. Talking is okay, it's answering that becomes a problem.
PHILLIPS: But that's a problem, because I hear you answering yourself. All right, you have 30 seconds.
SANCHEZ: Look, we're all over a bunch of stuff. But I think the story of the day is what's going on with these pilots. We're drilling down; we have got a bunch of experts on board. We're expecting brand new information. How do you shoot your target by that much?
PHILLIPS: By an hour and a half?
SANCHEZ: Yes. People are saying, and these are people who are very trustworthy, that they probably were sleeping. We're going to drill down on that and see what we can find out, and that's going to be a big part of what we're talking about, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Sounds good. I know you're never sleeping, that's for sure.
SANCHEZ: You talk to the camera, and I'll just sit over here and talk to myself.
PHILLIPS: OK, fabulous! Just don't answer yourself. Thank you, Rick. He's coming up in eight minutes, folks.
And if you have ever had to move, you imagine how much fun it isn't. So, imagine moving the U.S. military out of Iraq? Sure, they're ready to go, but first they got to pack.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All good things take time, and today's "Back Story" with CNN International's Michael Holmes is worth the wait. Michael, live in Atlanta. I'm sorry, I'm so far away from you. But let's talk about a unique look at moving day for the U.S. military's move out of Iraq. What do you say?
MICHAEL HOLMES, HOST, "BACKSTORY": I wore a suit for you and everything. But yes, no -- imagine moving house, right? Well, imagine that on steroids. We the U.S. troops drawdown in Iraq. Well, all that gear has got to come home, too. And I have been on a bunch of those bases, I know you have too, Kyra. But they are huge. They're mini-cities. Try moving some of that back to the U.S.
Well, Mohammad and Mohammad and Alassandro went out to do a story about the early stages of getting that done, and of course, Mohammad had the flip cam. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED JAMJOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hey, BackStory. So, Alessandro is actually trying to get an elevated shot, a big picture shot, of basically one of these adjoining yards here where all this gear gets received and shipped out of here.
And so, we tried to put it here on an elevated platform. They helped him up getting the camera ready, and he's going to shoot this so that you can get an idea of the scope of this operation.
Arriving now, and actually you can see behind us is Brigadier General Wentz. He's the head of the logistical soldiers, which is basically the operations here in Iraq getting all the equipment in and out of the country. The focus of the piece today is actually an interview with him, talking about the logistical difficulties of getting all this equipment out of here. Basically coordinating this with the troop drawdown that's going on right now. BRIGADIER GENERAL PAUL WENTZ, HEAD OF LOGISITICAL SOLDIERS, U.S. ARMY: (INAUDIBLE) This process has been going on for a while. we have refined them, we have been deploying and redeploying forces for about the last six years. So, the mechanism in place of (INAUDIBLE) the stuff we have to move out of here and get out -- that is different now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us one -- tripod. Top of the tire, and then over there, and then boom, come over. And now you can see the whole yard.
JAMJOON (voice-over): We're here in the R-PAT yard. That's the redistribution property assistance team yard. There's about 100 ASVs behind me. These vehicles have been inventoried, maintained and ready to be shipped out of Iraq in the next few days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all happy.
JAMJOON (on camera): It's just a little button, an on and an off switch. Somehow, I haven't mastered it. It really speaks well of my ability.
All right, where do you want me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Left side, please.
JAMJOON: And we're going to get a walking tour of this part of the operation. All the little tidbits here that have to be packed up, shipped off or shipped to other bases. The chief steward is going to take us around and tell us exactly what we're seeing. We've seen a lot a lot of containers, a lot of boxes, don't know exactly what's in there, but we're going to find out a little bit more. Join us!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) We have forklifts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this is Mohammad, he's prepared for this shot.
JAMJOON: Yes, trying to get it nailed down so that I don't have to have Mohammad or Alessandro follow me around for 20, 30 minutes in this heat because we're getting a little sunburned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So please, speed up the process.
JAMJOON: Yes, I'm trying, I'm trying. My brain is frying with my skin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I got to tell you, Mohammad the producer gives Mohammad the correspondent a bad time, which isn't a bad thing. The cameraman, Alessandro, we're calling him Cranky Alessandro the last few BackStorys, not a smile.
You know, you've got 17,000 guys in that logistics unit who are breaking down some of these camps. Kyra, these camps are huge, aren't they? They're cities.
PHILLIPS: Yes. They are. They're cities within themselve, and then it's hot as heck and it's dusty and you're thirsty and it's hard enough to cover it. Just imagine being a troop with all your gear and your guns and everything else and having to ship that stuff around.
HOLMES: Oh, yes. Those guys who are backing up those guys in the field. For everyone with a gun who's pulling a trigger, there's a bunch of guys behind him, getting equipment in, feeding him, medicall, all that logistical stuff of moving stuff around the country. A lot of that stuff is going to go down to Kuwait and be shipped back to the U.S.
Then, of course, if they get 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, a lot of that stuff is going to go over there. It's not easy. These bases have got their own water treatment plants, they're own sewage plants. A lot of them have a lot of the little mini-electricity stations there. Extraordinary stuff. Huge.
PHILLIPS: I know you and I will be going back soon.
HOLMES: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Michael Holmes, appreciate it.
HOLMES: Come home.
PHILLIPS: Come home. I'm coming home soon, right next to Michael. Let's plug it. CNN.com. BackStory airs daily, 5 p.m. Eastern on our sister network, CNN International. That's where you find our Michael. So, if you're overseas, you'll always see his show there.
You can also log on to CNN.com/backstory.
See you next week, Michael.
That does it for me here in New York. I'll see you back here on Monday.
Rick Sanchez takes it from here.
