Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Will Funeral Be Turning Point For Ferguson?; Three Mothers Bound By Grief; American Hostage Released
Aired August 25, 2014 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the subtly gets washed out and particularly in a politically charged case where there are people trying to line up on different sides of an issue and trying to make a case about whether or not something is justified or not or is there an arrest needed or not?
And so people then try to fit your complicated kid into, you know, a mode of whether or not he was a thug or he was an angel or he was a demon and that's just not how kids are. That's not how I was.
MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That's probably the political moment, right. We decide we need perfect heroes or perfect victims so in order to deal with him and offer justice to him, we have to make him -- same with Trayvon. He had to be on a horse.
With this kid, he had to be the kid going to college, as opposed to some kid who didn't deserve to be shot. As a family, you have to deal with both of those thing.
You want to deal with the humanity of your child, the kid you remember who made mistakes, who didn't clean his room, late to school. Whatever it might be. At the same time, you don't want to watch the media or anybody else demonize him. That's hard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mother said in an interview with Anderson, you know, he was mine and as a parent it sent chills up my spine because I'm yelling and screaming around the house all the time. I told you to do this 18,000 times. You didn't do it or you did something at school or whatever that wasn't appropriate.
And at the end of the day, those three are mine. I don't care what happens, and if that's taken away from me, that's going to be a hole forever, and so she's struggling with that, and he will never be perfect but in her eyes he's hers.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. He's her baby. Charles Blow, Marc Lamont Hill, LZ Granderson, thanks so much. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.
I'll start it without the intro today because we have such moving images from inside that church in St. Louis. If you are just joining me, this morning, a community grieves and the nation pauses.
Right now thousands of people are filling the St. Louis church for the funeral of Michael Brown. His shooting by a white police officer ignited days of violent protests. Brown's father pleading for calm today as the teenager is laid to rest at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church. Among the mourners nearly 500 members of Brown's extended family, three representatives from the White House, and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon.
So let's begin our coverage at the church with CNN's Don Lemon. Good morning, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. It is a sombre morning here. It is a hot morning here and we have been watching the lines. I don't know if you guys can see them, the lines really grow and people are starting to go inside of the temple now.
I've been sitting here talking with my colleague, LZ Granderson. We've been listening to the conversation you've had with Charles Blow and Mark Lamont Hill.
As a parent, we were sitting here and talking no child is perfect. Your children aren't perfect. I wasn't a perfect kid. Michael Brown is not -- nobody is perfect. Talking about Carol's brother. She said her brother wasn't perfect and shouldn't be painted that. We often want to find the perfect victim, right?
LZ GRANDERSON, CNN COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. Too many times we rush past the empathy to get to the narrative for whatever agenda we may have. We may want to talk about police brutality, gun violence, and race relations.
And we rush to get to the politicizing of a death and we don't take the time to mourn a death. The truth is if we only had funerals for people who were perfect, we wouldn't have any funerals.
LEMON: It's true. There you're looking at pictures inside the Friendly Temple and you can see it is a large temple and it holds several thousand people and it's expected to be filled to capacity with, you know, everyone from P. Diddy to the Reverend Jesse Jackson and on and on and on.
Members of the White House, at least three members of the White House will be here, and you know, speaking about being perfect or non- perfect, when I spoke with the mother of Trayvon Martin and I spoke to the mother of Sean Bell, who was killed by New York City Police back in 2006.
They said the toughest thing that they had to deal with was what they call character assassination of their child. Yesterday for the first time Sean Bell's mother and Trayvon Martin's mothers got to meet Michael Brown's mother. We had a chance to be there for that meeting and I got a chance to have a conversation with them. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: The hardest part for her is going to be the home going service. As I have said, that is the absolutely worst day of her life as a mother because there is no words that can bring comfort to her as a mother by seeing her son in the casket.
LEMON: Do you go around the house in the kitchen, do you talk to Trayvon?
FULTON: Absolutely. Absolutely.
LEMON: Do you?
VALERIE BELL, SEAN BELL'S MOTHER: Yes. If I know something has to be done, ma, I got this.
LESLEY MCSPADDEN, MICHAEL BROWN'S MOTHER: Especially when it rain. Yes.
LEMON: When it rains, why?
MCSPADDEN: Something about the rain.
LEMON: It make you want to --
MCSPADDEN: I feel him. He's there. He's there. He's watching over you.
LEMON: What was it like meeting her?
BELL: I'm glad to meet you. It brought back memories of my son.
FULTON: It's hurtful, but at the same time it's comforting because I know she needs people that understand what she's going through.
LEMON: And Leslie, what was it like meeting these ladies? They have been saying what it's been like meeting you. What do you want to say to them?
MCSPADDEN: I'm sorry you had to go through this.
FULTON: I'm sorry about yours too.
LEMON: Thank you all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So after that moment, there was -- I mean, literally about 5 minutes of hugging. The women embracing and crying. It may sound like an odd question, you know, do you talk to your loved one and the reason I asked that is unless you've lost someone who is close to you, you may not understand that question.
I lost my dad, my stepdad, my grandmother and I talk to them all the time, especially when something is going on in my life, I think I need help that no man can help me, but something beyond that. I'll talk to them and that brings me comfort, and as a parent, you understand that.
GRANDERSON: Absolutely.
LEMON: And as someone who has lost someone, L.Z., you understand that.
GRANDERSON: I literally am trying not to cry right now because when you see the pain in those women's eyes. I've been a journalist for over 20 years, Don. I've covered the death of children a lot in a lot of different situations. Newtown, athletes collapsing during football and basketball practices, accidental runovers.
The theme that's always been consistent in all of those stories that I've covered is the pain in the parents' eyes and that's the part of the story that we need to keep trying home for people. Before they start politicizing who did what to who, let that pain come through first. This sort of pain, any parent can relate to.
LEMON: As the panel has been saying, your panel, Carol, L.Z. has been saying, this is a place of healing today. If there's something maybe you don't agree with anything that Michael Brown -- maybe you don't, there is something, somewhere that can connect him to you or his mother or his father, his family to you as a human being.
That's what you should be doing trying to do today, trying to connect with them. So any way, that's the inside of the temple, Carol. We're going to toss it back to you in New York. Carol, when you said about your brother, I completely understood what you are saying because having lost several family members.
And I'm sitting there at the funerals and I'm going who the heck are they talking about? That's not the person I knew. But you still loved them anyway. You loved them as I'm saying pun intended, to death.
COSTELLO: Absolutely. You are absolutely right. I've said the same exact thing. Don Lemon, you stick around. I'll get back to you right away. Thank you so much.
As I've been telling you, Michael Brown's father, he called for a day of silence today so the family could eulogize Michael Brown. No protests, no violence. Stephanie Elam is in Ferguson with more on that side of the story. Good morning, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. There have been days of unhappiness, of unrest, as this community has dealt with the death of Mike Brown and what it has boiled up to the surface on race relations between people here and the police, but today they want to take a pause and step back and actually remember the 18-year-old who did in fact lose his life over two weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAM (voice-over): For more than two weeks, how he died has kept a town in turmoil. But now Ferguson, Missouri is preparing to remember Mike Brown for who he was.
The funeral for the 18-year-old will be held at a Baptist church in St. Louis. The service will be open to the public with up to 5,000 mourners expected to attend. Three White House officials will also be attendance, including Marlin Marshall who went to high school in St. Louis with Michael Brown's mother.
MCSPADDEN: He was on the A team. He had a chance to make a mistake and correct it. Just like the officer.
PROTESTERS: Hands up. Don't shoot!
ELAM: At a peace rally in St. Louis Sunday, Trayvon Martin's mother asked for respect of basic human rights.
FULTON: Because Michael Brown had a right to live. He had a right to see another birthday.
ELAM: Michael Brown Sr., asked for the focus to be on remembering his son. Not protesting.
MICHAEL BROWN SR., MICHAEL BROWN'S FATHER: All I want is peace while my son is being laid to rest. Can you please, please, take a day of silence?
ELAM: In another part of St. Louis over the week, a show of support for Darren Wilson. The officer that fatally shot Brown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Darren Wilson. We are Darren Wilson.
ELAM: While, Wilson remains in hiding, his supporters held rallies and marches. Organizers say they have raised more than $400,000 to help him with relocation expenses, and legal fees.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will stand by him and support him until justice has been reached.
ELAM: Brown's family too wants justice, but today they pause that pursuit to bury their son.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELAM: And this is the location where Mike Brown died, and people have been coming by this morning, slowly, just one or two at a time, and just pausing to remember the young man and just think about it and actually several people today also talking about how they hope that this leads to change, but they also can find peace on the way to that place -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I hope so. Stephanie Elam reporting live from Ferguson this morning.
And we are following that breaking news out of Central Virginia. An active shooter incident on the army base at Ft. Lee, Virginia. Officials posted a message on Twitter and Facebook. An active shooter incident it said has been reported at Ft. Lee at Cashcom Headquarters Building 5020.
It went on all to say all personnel should enact active shooter protocols immediately. We wonder if it's still on lock down. What do you know, Rene? RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we just got off of the phone with the base there, and here's the latest information. The building where this incident happened, you named it there, the Cascom Headquarters building, 5020, that building remains on lock down as well as the main gate, the lead gate. One of the main gates on the base.
That is closed as well. We do want to point out that at one point the entire installation was on lock down. Parts of that lifted around 9:45 a.m. At this hour, as we speak, again the building where this incident happened remains on lockdown and one of those main gates there still closed as they try to get this situation under control.
Now, I did speak with the spokesperson, one of the spokes people there at the base and she says she was unaware of any one was hurt, if there are any injuries. We don't have that information at this point.
And now I'm getting in his ear -- my ear that the latest, Carol, it is changing but from Ft. Lee that there is an all clear. So it appears that they are getting things under control there. The latest that I'm just hearing now, all clear -- Carol.
I know. I was just going to Twitter myself to check it out. An all clear has been issued by the Ft. Lee operations center. It was issued at 9:50 eastern. The law enforcement event is over, it says.
So hopefully that means no one was hurt. Of course, we don't know that yet. We're still checking on things. Rene Marsh is on case as you've her. I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You are inside the St. Louis church where Michael Brown is being laid to rest. You see mourners walking past his coffin right now. That picture you see there of Michael Brown is with his beats head phones because he loved listening to music. The 4,000 mourners are expected in just a bit.
That American journalist held by Islamic extremists has been released. Last year, Peter Theo Curtis made a daring escape last year. This morning he is free. CNN Nick Paton Walsh has more for you.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it is interesting that this group chose to release him. They are at time rivals to ISIS who are now the target of U.S. air strikes. Some speculating that perhaps they assisted Mr. Curtis in his release because they wanted to score some good PR points in the eyes of the west.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): After a week of horror, finally some good news, an American held hostage in Syria by Islamist rebels for nearly two years is free. The 45-year-old Peter Theo Curtis, a freelance author and journalist, released Sunday. His family thanking the governments of U.S. and Qatar for their efforts. While the U.S. has denied any involvement and details about ISIS release remain unclear.
He was handed over to United Nations peacekeepers who then released him to U.S. officials. These videos show him in last few months during captivity. Curtis was captured near the Syrian turkey border in October 2012 and held in Aleppo with American Journalist Matthew Shriya. Curtis got stuck trying to escape.
PETER WESTMACOTT, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I'm pulling him as far as I could. We were making too much noise.
WALSH: You had to know then that he had to leave him.
WESTMACCOTT: Yes. It was the hardest things that I ever had to do. I'm not going to have closure until he's home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: Curtis's release came just five days after militants beheaded another journalist. He talked about sharing one cell with 17 others and playing games made up of scraps. He memorized a letter. British officials say they are close to identifying the individual. Investigators making headway using clues in the video to pinpoint the killer.
COSTELLO: We're putting a great of deal of resources into identifying this person.
WALSH: Now, Carol, Peter Theo Curtis' family is clear, they say this was a humanitarian effort and that was the principal guiding factor behind his release. Very many details though still to identify. One American family extraordinarily happy.
COSTELLO: Some high profile politicians facing sharp criticism for not speaking out about Ferguson. What should they say and could it affect potential bids for the White House? We'll talk about that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: This just in CNN, the S&P 500 rose to a new record this morning crossing the 2,000 mark for the first time. CNN Alison Kosik is here.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The S&P 500 includes 500 stocks. If you have a 401(k) most likely tracks the 500. Less likely to track the Dow. It really is the S&P 500 it really that broader measure of how the stock market is doing. The thing is the S&P 500 has hit 28 records so far this year.
The thing is if it closes at that record high at 2,000, it would be the 29th. This is known as an intra-day high. Why is it happening especially when the fed is looking to pull stimulus off the table in October? It looks like the European bank may be pushing stimulus for Europe, because its economy is lagging. The thinking is we may see the European central bank to pick up the slack so that money will keep flowing. That is giving inspiration to investors today.
COSTELLO: Let's hope to maintain that high level. We're used to this --
Exactly. Still to come days after sometimes clashes with police, Michael Brown's parents urging a day of calm as they lay their son to rest. We'll take you live to St. Louis next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
