Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Freddie Gray Pre-Trial Hearing Begins Today; Protests in Baltimore Around Courthouse; Wall Street Update; Jeb Bush, NRA Push Back on Gun Control; Interview with Andy Parker. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired September 02, 2015 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:30:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Paint a broad brush and just say nobody cares, can you? That's not fair.

RASHAD ANTHONY TURNER, BLACK LIVES MATTER: Well, I mean, those people that are going to respond with, you know, stay out of our neighborhood, those are the exact people we want to reach. You know, if they really care, they'd be doing something. We have people in legislation. Our legislators are people in power who sit back and allow things like the murder of Freddie Gray to happen. I mean look at these -- these guys are filing a motion as if they had nothing wrong in this case. And, I mean, it's just ridiculous that people can't wake up and see that. So I hope they protest in those white neighborhoods. I hope that affect every single dollar at that Baltimore Orioles game, because that's what we have to do as protesters. We have to bring attention to our cause because obviously the systems that are in place are not in favor of black people.

COSTELLO: Well, as you know, there's been a lot controversy surrounding especially your organization. People say that things have gone too far with the Black Lives Matter slogan. Another police officer shot and killed near Chicago yesterday. It just seems that the two sides are at war now and nothing really is being accomplished because of the rhetoric out there.

TURNER: I think that, you know, the reality for black people in this country is that we've always been under attack. We haven't had the support from our justice system. We don't have the support from our local police department. So, you know, to say that now, you know, it's some type of war as if yesterday it was something different, you know, I think we've been treated a certain way and we've been treated like trash for a long time and now people are come together, they're using their voices and protest is necessary.

COSTELLO: All right, Rashad Anthony Turner, thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

I want to bring in the attorney for Freddie Gray's family now, Billy Murphy.

Welcome, Billy.

WILLIAM "BILLY" MURPHY JR., ATTORNEY FOR FREDDIE GRAY'S FAMILY: Hi, Carol. How are you? COSTELLO: I'm good. Thank you so much for joining me.

You created a bit of controversy yourself. You represent the Gray family and you're a friend and supporter of the state attorney, Marilyn Mosby. That will be brought up in court today because critics say that's a conflict of interest. What do you say?

MURPHY: It's such an absurd allegation that the court will not have any problem kicking it to the curb. When you think about it, look, the police union and I both agree that we needed a new states attorney. The police union and I both agreed that Marilyn Mosby was an excellent candidate. And so, on their end, they supported her. And on my end, they supported her. And the whole notion that this somehow should result in her recusal doesn't have any logical support. I mean no one can articulate why that ought to result in her recusal. Our case, the Freddie Gray civil case, does not have anything to do with her case, the Freddie Gray criminal case.

COSTELLO: Well, some people think it might. I mean what would prevent you from feeding her information? She's the prosecutor in this case and you're representing the other side.

MURPHY: Well, there's no proof of any of that. There's no evidence of any of that. That's a pure speculation and I categorically deny that it ever happened. I don't want to interfere with her prosecution and she doesn't want to meddle in my -- in my civil case. As a matter of fact, we haven't been able to get the amount of information from her or any other city counterpart that she has given to the criminal defense lawyers. They have more information about this case than we do.

COSTELLO: Bill, Mosby is also under fire for allegedly overcharging officers for political gain. She conducted an investigation separate from the Baltimore Police. She appeared at that Prince concert and that concert and Prince was in support of Freddie Gray. Shouldn't she recuse herself for the good of this case?

MURPHY: Absolutely not. It wouldn't be for the good of the case at all. It's not going to change the evidence. And unless we have a complete lack of faith in the system and its ability to judge this case on the evidence, none of this so-called controversy has anything to do, a, with whether she can prove the case, b, whether she's got the evidence to support the charges, and ultimately, c, what the jury is going to do. So this is all a distraction and, frankly, it's not going to achieve any traction in any court.

COSTELLO: Marilyn Mosby is also holding a re-election fund-raiser a few days after these hearings. Critics say she's using the publicity from these hearings to raise money for her re-election. Your thoughts?

MURPHY: Well, the -- the -- the -- the counter argument to that is, she's a public official. Why should she stop fund-raising simply because she has a controversial case? And so we have to be very careful about whether or not the criticisms that we are leveling against our elected prosecutor withstand the test of fairness. And so far they do not. [09:35:11] COSTELLO: Billy Murphy, thank you so much for joining me

this morning. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, opening bell ringing just moments ago. The Dow now up after closing down 460 points yesterday. We're live on Wall Street, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. Things are getting a little tense in Baltimore city. I'm going to take you there -- actually, we have a tape turn. This happened just a few moments ago. There have been protests outside the courthouse where these pre-trial hearings are going on in the Freddie Gray case. There has already been an arrest. Let's watch how it transpired.

[09:40:10] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yo, what's the number?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the Justice Department number (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey, stay back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the Justice Department --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. So you see police placing this man under arrest and they're trying to put him into the back of that police van. And he resists their efforts. And you'll see him soon sink to the ground. Some witnesses say this is all for show. But I'm not really clear what this all means because, of course, I'm not there. We're trying to get Jean Casarez on the phone.

Police are out in force. As you can see, they are not wearing riot gear because they want to allow peaceful protests. They don't want quite that show of force. That's the local Baltimore reporter right there. Can we listen once again just to hear what this guy's saying?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One man into custody after tackling him and Tasing him in the middle of the street. But they are threatening to arrest anyone that goes near that police van or near those police officers in riot gear.

A police helicopter, once again, is over top of us right now, shouting for us to clear this area, clear the street. You can see them trying to shove this man into the back of this police car. But he is fighting them. He is resisting right now.

Things quickly were -- went out of control. They were peaceful. We are -- we're in front of the courthouse. Then they said the protest was going to end. And then this man, who you can see is resisting arrest right now, got on his speakerphone and said we're going to take this from the sidewalks to the streets. He then marched with about two dozen protesters down one side street by the courthouse. Then they made their way toward the inner harbor here. They shut down several roads. And right now we are at Pratt (ph) Street, which is shut down right in front of the harbor here.

And within moments, police in riot gear came in vans. They jumped out. They cleared the street. The helicopter was over us telling to clear us away. Then this man got a little bit out of control and they took him down with a Taser. He resisted arrest. You can see he is still resisting and they finally just got him into the back of this police van. But you can imagine tensions are high here and now -- going to take a second here and just -- they are protecting this police van.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, this is -- this is a WJLA reporter. That's a local Washington, D.C., affiliate. But you heard what's transpiring in Baltimore right now. The protest initially starting at the courthouse. The inner harbor in Baltimore is very close to the courthouse and Camden Yard, where the Orioles play, is not far from that.

Do we have Jean Casarez on the phone? Our own reporter. I'm sorry. We don't? We do not. OK. So we're going to continue to try to get Jean Casarez because, of course, she's paying attention to what's happening inside that courtroom. When we get Jean Casarez on the phone, of course, she'll bring us more information on what's going down in Baltimore right now.

All right, we're just a few minutes into the new trading day on Wall Street where investors are nursing some bruises from another ugly day. Yesterday, the Dow closed down 469 points, its third worst loss of the year.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange where things appear to be a bit brighter today.

Good morning.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: They do. Good morning, Carol. And yet another sharp u-turn for Wall Street. The big question though, is the worst over? Ah, probably not because just like we saw last week's twists and turns, the same is expected to continue, at least in the near future.

Now, with yesterday's moves on the Dow, the Dow is back in correction territory. So we are seeing that awful August transition into what you're seeing right now as a tumultuous September. Keep in mind, historically, September usually has more down days than up. So expect the volatility to continue.

As for today, the focus remains on China and attention will also be turning to the timing of when the Fed or if the Fed will hike interest rates in September. We're also focusing on some jobs data this morning. A report on how

many people, private employers, added to payroll last month, missing expectations. But, Carol, the monthly job report from the government, that comes out on Friday. The government will have the last word on those numbers.

So, a few minutes into the trading day so far. The Dow up 176 points.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Yay. Alison Kosik, thanks so much. We needed some good news.

KOSIK: Yes.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, as the father of a journalist killed by gunfire works to tighten the nation's laws on firearms, an NRA host warns him against becoming, quote, "emotional." Andy Parker's response, next.

[09:44:50]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The debate over guns in this country and the laws that govern them reignited after the fatal shooting of two young journalists in Roanoke, Virginia, just one week ago today. On the campaign trail in Miami, Jeb Bush addressed the issue head-on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The federal government shouldn't be involved in gun laws because the country is very different. If you go to a rural area where guns are part of the culture to impose laws from Washington that are going to work from New York City or work in a rural area makes no sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Bush went on to say that mental illness and not gun control should be the focus. That sentiment shared by Colion Noir; he's a host for the National Rifle Association News, NRA News. And he also had a message for the parents of Alison Parker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLION NOIR, HOST, NRA NEWS: But these supposed comments against gun control measures are nothing more than political Febreze used to mask overwhelming stench of violence in this country.

[09:50:03] Should we be trying do something about the violence in this country? Absolutely. And guns should be a part of that conversation, along with knives and any other weapon. However, they shouldn't be the only focus, or the majority of the focus. So do me a favor: take all of those useless gun control laws, tie them up in a little neat e- mail, then delete them because they don't work. And to the parents of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, I have no right to

tell any parent how to grieve for the loss of their child. Grief- inspired advocacy can be extremely effective and powerful. And I say run full speed to find a way to end violence like this. However, sometimes in a fight, we can become so emotional, everyone and thing starts looking at the enemy, even if they're there to help us. I'm deeply sorry for your loss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Joining me now to talk about this, Andy Parker, the father of Alison Parker. Welcome and thank you for being with me this morning, Andy.

ANDY PARKER, ALISON PARKER'S FATHER: Thanks, Carol. I had planned to sort of ratchet down any media interviews that I was -- had been doing nonstop, but, you know,I had to do this one for you because Alison made her national debut with you a year ago.

COSTELLO: She did and she was lovely. And actually we have that on hand, so I want to show our viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Alsion Parker from WDBJ in Roanoke. So it's pretty.

ALISON PARKER, WDBJ TV: It is. It's such a beautiful sight. And what you're seeing right now started out as heavy rain very early this morning. But clearly a different picture -- that snow just coming down. Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Everyone be careful, please. Alison Parker, thank you so much. Alison Parker from WDBJ in Roanoke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: She was a bright warm spot on a very cold day. So we appreciated her being with us.

PARKER: She was. And I remember she was so excited because she texted me, she said, Dad, I'm going to be on CNN in ten minutes. And she said I'm a nervous wreck. And I said sweetie, you know, it's the same thing you do every day. It's just that instead of several thousands of people that are watching, there are going to be several millions. But she handled it just like she handled everything else in her life. I mean, everything she did and touched, she was the consummate pro and the consummate professional.

COSTELLO: She was a wonderful young woman. And you're right to be very proud.

I want to ask you about what this NRA host said. Did you hear that? We played that right before your interview.

PARKER: I did. And I had heard that. And, you know, to suggest that we shouldn't be emotional is insulting and disingenuous. I think that the vast majority of NRA members are with us. I mean, the kneejerk reaction from the leadership is that any reasonable or commonsense approach to gun legislation or, you know, gun safety, getting guns out of the hands of people that shouldn't have them, is met with this kneejerk reaction of, well, you'll take away our guns. Guns don't cause the problem, it's mental health. It's a mental issue.

And, you know, they're right. They're absolutely right. It is a mental health issue. But it's also a gun issue. And they're linked together somehow, and we're working on that. We have to be able to do something to keep these guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't be obtaining them. And that is closing gun show loopholes. It's -- there was legislation in California that was passed, the gun violence restraining order that was -- a similar measure put up for a vote here in Virginia. And it was defeated.

And I heard the comments of Jeb Bush earlier that rural areas are different than urban areas and I think that's completely -- I mean that's ridiculous. That was a ridiculous comment.

So I don't want -- I want the nation to know I'm not trying to take away anybody's guns. I'm for the Second Amendment. But we have to do something to prevent these shootings from happening by crazy people.

COSTELLO: What kind of reaction are you getting from the public, because you've been talking very tough about this issue.

PARKER: It's overwhelming. And, you know, you hear some of the fringe groups and I don't really pay attention to that. I mean, you know, some people think -- seriously, they say, well, it's a hoax and he's an actor, that's fake tears and all of that. It's just nonsense.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: People actually said that to you, Andy?

PARKER: Yes, yes. Believe it. Not to me but I've seen it kind of floating around in the blogosphere.

[09:55:00] And I've not watched any television. I've -- it hasn't been on since -- for a week. So I've seen no coverage. I don't -- I certainly don't watch anything that I've done.

But I can tell you that the outpouring of affection and the response has been -- it's been visceral not just in this country, but all over the world. And the interviews that I've done internationally, they just don't get it. Because we don't have the market cornered on people that have mental illness but we do have the market cornered on people with mental illness that have access to weapons. And that's the thing we've got to stop. And again, that's what the -- I don't think the leadership of the NRA understands, but I think their membership does. And we want to work with those people, with the reasonable people, to do something about this.

COSTELLO: Well, Andy, continue on because you're fighting the good fight. Andy Parker, thank you so much for being with me this morning. I appreciate it. PARKER: Thank you, Carol. I appreciate the opportunity.

COSTELLO: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)