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Miami Moves Up Curfew; Video Shows Officers Push Elderly Man to the Ground; Multiple Law Enforcement Agencies Working Protests as Trump Defends Calls to "Dominate" Protests with the Military; Trump Invokes George Floyd in Self-Aggrandizement; Americans Protest Racism, Police Killings for 11th Straight Night; George Floyd's Death Places Focus on Police Policies; Protests over Police Brutality Spread Worldwide; Brazil's Bolsonaro Threatens to Quit WHO as Cases Soar; Tokyo Officials Warn Olympics Might Be Slimmed Down in 2021; NFL Commissioner Admits League Was Wrong for Not Listening to Players. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired June 06, 2020 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone, I'm Michael Holmes.
Ongoing nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd are largely peaceful as they continue well into the night. Let's have a look at Minneapolis, the city where Floyd was killed, thousands peacefully marching, calling on leaders for reform. Have a look at the crowd there.
Meanwhile the city council has now voted to ban police chokeholds and neck restraints like the one used on Floyd when he died.
Demonstrators flooded an interstate in Miami, Florida, shutting it down for several hours on Friday evening, the city's curfew moved up to 10:00 pm after the mayor said there was an increase of unrest in the area.
And in the nation's capital, protesters marching to the White House, demanding justice not only for Floyd but for all who have died at the hands of racial injustice.
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HOLMES (voice-over): Protesters in Atlanta took to the streets chanting Floyd's name and that of Breonna Taylor. She would have been 27 on Friday but she was shot and killed by police in a Louisville apartment 2 months ago.
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HOLMES: Now despite a global pandemic, protesters in Los Angeles were seen sitting hand in hand outside city hall, demanding justice and sweeping change across the nation. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.
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KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Friday night in Los Angeles, this is still the crowd. It is very sizeable. You could see speakers have assembled right on the steps. There is a police line to prevent any entry to city hall but this has been a very, very peaceful day and as you take a sweep of what this crowd looks like, it is still simply enormous.
We spent a good deal of time talking to people in this crowd and they believe that this is a movement, that it is not just George Floyd. Today is Breonna Taylor's birthday and what you are hearing from them is that they believe that there has to be some teeth to this, so we saw some of that.
There was a voter registration drive, voter forms that were handed out and the message that they have to take this to the ballot box in November or else they will not be able to make substantive change at the top.
Whether that be at the White House, here in the governor's office or the mayor's office, to their local races. So here in Los Angeles the sense that this movement still has no end -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
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HOLMES: Meanwhile CNN is following a notable and number of questionable police incidents over the last few days caught on video. We will show you this one shot a week ago by "The Atlanta Journal- Constitution," police officers shown body slamming a woman outside a shopping mall.
Police say she was trying to remove a barricade blocking the road and then got back into her car. An officer asked her to get out, aggressively, the body camera shows; when she didn't, he then tried to get her out and a physical altercation took place.
The woman suffering a broken clavicle, now that officer is being placed on administrative assignment pending an investigation.
And in Buffalo, New York, 57 police officers have resigned from the department's emergency response team after two of their colleagues were suspended for what you just saw there on your screen, pushing a 75-year-old man to the ground during a demonstration in Niagara Square, blood immediately coming from the man's ear and pooling on the ground.
He is now recovering, thank goodness, in hospital, the governor of New York calling it utterly disgraceful.
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GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): I just spoke with Mr. Gugino on the phone, who is that gentleman, who, thankfully, is alive. But you see that video and it disturbs your basic sense of decency and humanity.
Why?
Why?
Why was that necessary?
Where was the threat?
An older gentleman, where was the threat?
And then you just walk by the person while you see blood coming from his head?
And police officers walked by. It's just fundamentally offensive and frightening.
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CUOMO: It's just frightening.
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HOLMES: An investigation into that incident also underway.
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HOLMES: Charles Ramsey is a CNN law enforcement analyst, he's also a former Philadelphia police commissioner and former Washington police chief, he joins me now.
It is an honor, Chief, to have you on the program, I want to start off with this incident with the elderly gentleman being knocked down.
What do you make of 57 police resigning from Buffalo's emergency response team to support 2 officers suspended for pushing that man to the ground and then lying about it?
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, first of all anyone who saw that video realizes that, one, the use of force was inappropriate. That even if they shoved him and didn't intend for him to fall, which I don't believe they did, once he hit his head and you saw that pool of blood begin to form around his head, you have to immediately take action and do the best you can to provide some aid, some first aid to that individual.
And what hurt me more than anything was seeing all those officers just file past him as he was laying there, not taking any action. Those 57 officers, they want to resign, that's fine, let them go. Let them go.
I would only ask that they not only resign from that unit but please resign from the police force because we don't need people like that in our profession. We truly don't.
HOLMES: There is solidarity and then there is -- I don't know whatever that is. I think most people think that most police are good people. But as a former commissioner, what are your concerns about the actions
of some police other enforcement groups as well, there are many of them out there. Countless videos that I've seen of people being maced at close range, unnecessary beatings, pepper balls being fired with no warning, all of this on camera.
RAMSEY: Well, you know it's a shame that the few define the many. That's just the reality because there are videos of officers marching with protesters, taking a knee with protesters and so forth.
But it doesn't take much for people to get that impression and understandably so. I mean, I've seen some things that really just are frightening and I was in law enforcement for 47 years as an active member. And I just don't get it, whether it's clearing Lafayette Square or Lafayette Park behind the White House, which was a gross overuse of force in that instance.
The Buffalo situation, Atlanta, either the tasing of the 2 people in the car or the body slam of the young woman that took place recently.
And then, of course, now we know about Tacoma, Washington. These, of course, are just absolutely unacceptable, cannot be tolerated and that's why people have taken to the streets now. That's why we're having the problem we have right now is because of actions of people like the ones you've seen in the video.
HOLMES: That is the irony, people are protesting over the police brutality and then there are instances of police brutality
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HOLMES: Go on.
RAMSEY: I was going to say that it may prove that they're right. I just don't get it.
HOLMES: One thing that struck me, too, is there are different groups involved in law enforcement in some cities, notably Washington, D.C. You've got prison officers, Border Patrol.
And one thing that's interesting, a lot of them are showing up on social media without identifying insignia or with their badge numbers covered up. There's a large protest planned in D.C. for Saturday.
I wonder what you made of that, these mobile forces and some hiding their identity.
RAMSEY: Well, when I was chief of Washington, D.C., there are a lot of police departments that operate inside the district, not all of them are the ones you see in Lafayette Park, for example. I guess the president ordered people in from Texas, for whatever reason I don't know.
But these are federal law enforcement, the metropolitan police department, which I was the chief of, that's the city police department. They are not involved in Lafayette Park or the area right there at the White House.
But the demonstration planned for tomorrow will cover city streets, no doubt about it. The metropolitan police department will be involved. Under no circumstances should officers be concealing their identity, covering up their badge or anything like that.
I know we took and put their badge numbers on top of their helmet in big numbers because when you put on some of that gear, if the crowd gets unruly, it does cover up your badge because the badge is pinned to your shirt. If you put that vest on, there was no badge holder on it.
So we put it right on the helmet. But, intentionally, some officers are doing that and that tells you right there, if they do that intentionally, then they are planning on doing something probably they have no business doing.
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RAMSEY: It's a shame. I just don't like the way this whole thing is going down. It just is not -- it's not good.
HOLMES: We've only got a minute left but when it comes to things like reform, you are concerned about a lot of these and I think a lot of people are.
When it comes to police reform, what do you think should be worked on first?
RAMSEY: Well, trust and legitimacy, first of all. I had the honor of serving as President Obama's co-chair on the task force for 21st century policing a couple of years ago and we had 6 areas we looked at. The very first was building trust and legitimacy, that's the problem now.
We don't have the kind of trust in communities, especially challenged communities, communities of color, that we ought to have and they're the ones that need us the most and we need them the most.
So we have to build trust in order to be effective in legitimacy. Having officers conduct themselves and that would be how everybody sees it, like you saw in Buffalo, like you've seen in Washington with the clearing of the park and so forth, it erodes that trust and the legitimacy that you need to have for people to have for people to be able to work alongside you and make a difference in the lives of people living in these communities, many of which are very, very troubled communities.
HOLMES: Hopefully, there will be change, Charles Ramsey, it is a pleasure to have you on, thank you so much.
RAMSEY: Thank you for having me.
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HOLMES: Take a quick break when we come back, the U.S. president taking a victory lap of sorts and celebrating some new job numbers that have come out. He says it could bridge the racial divide in America. But the news doesn't benefit everyone equally. We will explain we come back.
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HOLMES: The Washington mayor sending a clear message to the rest of the country, 3 words, Black Lives Matter.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, commissioning this huge mural. Look at that. It spans 2 whole city blocks, painted on a road that leads directly to the White House. The mayor's office has officially deemed this section of the road as Black Lives Matter Plaza and there is a new street sign to prove it.
Meanwhile, president Donald Trump, applauding new unemployment numbers that just came out, with what many are describing as a deeply offensive claim. Jim Acosta explains.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It could be the most Trumpian departure from reality yet, as the president suggested police killing victim George Floyd is giving a thumbs up to Mr. Trump for his job performance this week.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hopefully, George is looking down right now and saying, this is a great thing that's happening for our country. This is a great day for him. It's a great day for everybody.
ACOSTA: Just days after his administration tear-gassed and pummeled demonstrators outside the White House, the president defended his harsh tactics, urging other mayors and governors to militarize their response to the protest.
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TRUMP: This was like a piece of cake. And I really am suggesting, because if you look at Minnesota and the great success we had there and other places, you will end up looking much better in the end. Call in the National Guard. Call me. We will have so many people, more people than -- you have to dominate the streets. You can't let what's happening happen.
It's called dominate the streets.
ACOSTA: The president pointed to the latest unemployment numbers as a success story, comparing the economic hardship during the coronavirus pandemic to a hurricane. TRUMP: You have a horrible hurricane in Florida or Texas and it's devastating. And then the hurricane goes away and within two hours, everyone's rebuilding and fixing and cleaning and cutting their grass. And I have seen it in Texas. I have seen it everywhere.
ACOSTA: Mr. Trump is also touting the jobless numbers as proof African American prosperity. But hold on. While the jobless rate dropped to just above 13 percent and white unemployment is on the decline as well, black unemployment is not.
A reporter tried to ask about that but was cut off.
TRUMP: I'd like to sign this bill. This is a very different thing.
And, by the way, what's happened to our country and what you now see has been happening is the greatest thing that can happen for race relations, for the African-American community, for the Asian-American, for the Hispanic American community, for women, for everything.
ACOSTA: As for the brutal clearing of Lafayette Park on Monday ordered by the Trump administration, the U.S. Park Police is now acknowledging protesters were tear gassed.
After initially denying tear gas was used in a press release, a Park Police spokesman told the Vox Web site: "It was a mistake on our part for using tear gas, because we just assumed people would think C.S. or C.N., two types of tear gas."
The spokesman acknowledged other agents were used, adding: "I'm not saying it's not a tear gas, but I'm just saying we use a pepper ball that shoots a powder."
Tell that to the White House.
(on camera): Chemical agents were used.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So, again, no tear gas was used. No rubber bullets were used.
ACOSTA: Others say they were tear-gassed in that area.
MCENANY: No one was tear gassed.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The D.C. government is making its own statement about the protests, adding a Black Lives Matter mural and street signs to the area across from the park.
The president lashed out on Twitter, complaining: "The incompetent mayor of Washington is constantly coming back to us for handouts." Mayor Muriel Bowser, who learned the Pentagon is now beginning to pull U.S. troops out of Washington after her request to withdraw all extraordinary law enforcement and military presence from the district, fired back at the president.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: You know the thing about the pot and the kettle? ACOSTA: The president is also getting feedback from former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who echoed the stinging criticism from former Defense Secretary James Mattis, who accused Mr. Trump of dividing Americans.
JOHN KELLY, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I think we need to look harder at who we elect. I think we should start, all of us, regardless of what our views are in politics, I think we should look at people that are running for office and put them through the filter.
Are they -- what is their character like?
What is their -- what are their ethics?
ACOSTA: White House officials are brushing off public health concerns over the seating arrangement for the news conference in the Rose Garden. The seats for journalists were initially set up spaced apart for social distancing.
Then, at the last minute, White House staffers rearranged the seats, making sure reporters were sitting close to one another, despite the health risks during the coronavirus pandemic.
It appears aides to the president were using reporters as props to make a statement about the virus -- Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
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HOLMES: Rashad Robinson is the president of Color of Change, an online racial justice organization, joining me now from New York.
Good to see you again. Something that was in Jim Acosta's piece, President Trump saying that a rebound in job hiring could address racial tension in the U.S. and that George Floyd was somehow looking down, saying, what a great day.
How tone-deaf is that?
RASHAD ROBINSON, COLOR OF CHANGE: It is the classic gaslighting from this president, who has really no interest in building a path forward. This is not just about the president. This is about all of those that enable him.
While we see some cracks in that enabling over the last several weeks, we still see lockstep for Republicans in the United States Senate, for the most, part the House, standing by this president too afraid to speak out, not showing any leadership whatsoever.
Their fate is tied to his fate. And in so many ways, whether it's major corporations that still engage with this president and still may say Black Lives Matter, while at the same time, show up for councils that engage with the president, whether it's members of Congress who still support him and defend him, those are the folks I want to concentrate on right now. We know who Trump is. [00:20:00]
ROBINSON: He showed us who his character was years ago when he took out that ad against the Central Park 5 and called for the death penalty and has still not apologized, even after DNA evidence exonerated them.
HOLMES: He never apologized.
Big picture then, what will it take for the nation to learn from and heal from all of this?
What would be the thing?
ROBINSON: Justice, justice and structural change. I do not think there can be any healing unless we actually solve the problems. There is a way in which people hope this goes away, that we will return to normalcy.
But returning to normalcy oftentimes puts those who are oppressed, brushing under the rug. It does not mean that oppression goes away. Far too often, we do not even want to deal with the root causes of these issues.
These issues we are dealing with did not start with Trump, they will not end when he leaves office. They are issues at the very heart of how this country was founded, how its economic system was founded, about how this criminal justice system was founded.
Sometimes we talk about the systems in this country as broken. But in fact, they are working exactly the way they were designed, for the criminal justice system, for the economic justice system.
It's not that black communities are vulnerable, black communities have been under attack. We have been targeted. We need to not work on trying to fix black folks or fix black families but fix these systems. This is the only way we will have a path forward in terms of healing or anything like that.
HOLMES: I guess it is not a good sign; when George Floyd is killed by a brutal police action and then, during the protests, against that action, you can see some police, not all but some in other enforcement groups, many of them, being brutal to protesters who are, in many cases, not doing anything, getting maced in the face, beaten with clubs.
ROBINSON: For the folks watching around the world, I want them to know that this is actually nothing new. Black people continue to be treated like enemy combatants in our own neighborhoods.
I remember during the Obama years when I went to the White House to talk about criminal justice. And President Obama brought folks from civil rights and law enforcement and elected officials together to have conversations.
We were around the table and the head of the Fraternal Order of Police, which is the association of police officers, said directly to all of us that he did not believe racial profiling was a real thing. He talked about it as a figment of our imagination.
So this is not a question about whether or not they think our proposals are too radical or whether or not they think we are asking for too much in terms of change. We have police associations in this country that are pretending that racism in their ranks does not exist.
At the same time, we have the FBI publishing reports, talking about a rise in white nationalists and white supremacy inside of police forces. The fact of the matter is, folks who are unwilling to address it, who gaslight us when we talk about these problems, are not going to be honest actors at the table, to actually address these problems.
HOLMES: We are almost out of time but I want to get this in, because you are a good man to ask this. Clearly, I'm a white male, I cannot and won't for a second pretend to understand the black experience.
What do you tell your white friends, those who may be listening to this, that may help them understand all of this?
ROBINSON: I think more people are starting to understand. I actually think white people do understand. I think if you look at that video in Central Park, the video of the woman, of Amy Cooper, calling the police. Very rarely do we actually get to see the strategy in the video.
She didn't just call and say, I'm being harassed; she said, I'm being harassed by an African American man. So she knew that the police would react differently, that police would engage differently.
So I want to give more credit to my white friends and say that they actually know. They have a very good understanding of their privilege. Whether or not folks are giving up that privilege, whether or not folks will address that privilege and start uprooting it is a different question.
But I don't want to treat folks like they're infants, I don't want to infantilize them. I believe they understand. The question is whether or not we will do the hard work to lean into it, whether or not white folks will do the work to dismantle privilege and systemic benefits that they have been given and start working toward a society that is equal.
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ROBINSON: But time after time again, I have come into contact with folks that I believe do understand but sometimes want to act obtuse because it is to their own benefit.
HOLMES: You can only hope that there is that change out of this. Rashad, I'm glad we got to talk, thank you so much.
ROBINSON: Thanks for having me.
HOLMES: Rashad Robinson there. Break now; when we come back on CNN NEWSROOM, more on the protests and the outrage that grips the United States. What activists say could help heal the country. We will continue that conversation after the break.
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HOLMES: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. We want to update you on the top story, an 11th straight night of protesters across the U.S. demanding justice for George Floyd, who, of course, was killed nearly 2 weeks ago while in police custody.
Protests were peaceful Friday night in Washington, as demonstrators marched towards the White House, as close as they could get, with the new fencing in place, asking for sweeping change across the nation.
And thousands took to the streets of Los Angeles, where protesters were seen handing out voter registration forms. There is an idea.
And in Denver, Colorado, protesters were marching well into the night; they are still out as we speak. Friday was the first time in a week the city did not have a curfew.
The city of Minneapolis has submitted his first police policy change since the death of George Floyd. Once approved by a judge, police will be banned from using chokeholds. We will show you the 4 ex police officers who have been charged in Floyd's death. They are in custody.
Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd's neck, faces the most serious charge, second degree murder, while the other three men face aiding and abetting charges.
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HOLMES: Now at the heart of these protests and all the unrest, of course, the killings of unarmed black men and the systemic racism more broadly. With me now is CNN legal analyst and civil rights attorney, Areva Martin.
Good to have you back, Areva. I want to start with those policemen. And when it comes to the police charged over George Floyd's death, it has emerged that a couple of them were junior officers, only been on the job literally for days in a couple of cases.
And still the sort of claim being made that officer Derek Chauvin was at fault because he was a senior. They didn't feel like could challenge him.
Legally, what is the culpability of those other 3 officers, their actions and, more importantly, perhaps, their inaction?
[00:30:00] AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: What we believe, Michael, as you know, is they've been charged with aiding and abetting and the second degree murder charge that Derek Chauvin has been charged with.
So even though it's not the actual second degree murder charge, it's still a very serious charge in Minnesota law and it carries the same 40-year prison sentence.
What we are seeing with respect to those 2 officers who are claiming that they were essentially new to the job, training officers, we should probably expect them to point the finger at Chauvin, to say they tried their best to get him to turn Mr. Floyd over, to take his knee off of Mr. Floyd's neck, to engage in some other kind of a safer procedure as it related to trying to detain Mr. Floyd.
Now it remains to be seen if that is going to be borne out by the evidence. Keep in mind there is bodycam evidence that the public has not seen, there is eyewitness testimony statements that we have not seen.
So it's not clear to me that those statements by those officers, that they had no control and that they were at the complete control of Chauvin, is going to be a viable defense.
HOLMES: I suppose the other thing, too, just all illustrates the need for officers to do the right thing, to intervene when they see other officers doing the wrong thing, that surely you would hope is their duty.
But what is, in your experience, the stark reality when it comes to the blue line?
MARTIN: Unfortunately, Michael what we saw is the stark reality, it's that often on the scene of incidents like this, officers remain silent. They don't take affirmative steps to correct even the bad conduct of their fellow officers.
And then we have even seen, like in the case of Laquan McDonald in Chicago a couple years ago, officers did write false police reports. They then engaged in conduct to cover up the bad acts of fellow officers.
And that's why they're such a push by the protesters around the country to hold those officers accountable, to not allow them to abdicate their responsibility and to point the finger at one bad actor.
They are all bad actors, those officers that we saw in that videotape, standing there, cavalierly watching Chauvin press his knee on the neck of Mr. Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, they had an absolute duty to protect, to serve and to intervene in a way that would've preserved Mr. Floyd's life.
They failed to do that. They were properly charged and they should not be spared as it relates to being convicted and see significant prison time for their actions. HOLMES: Are you surprised at the number of videos out there, given the
protests are all about that police misbehavior with George Floyd, are you surprised at the number of videos emerging of police violence against the protesters?
That 75-year-old man, shoved to the ground, there are lots of videos out there.
What does that say when these officers who are out on the streets, they know by now they are being filmed by dozens of cell phone cameras but they feel like they can still do that.
MARTIN: It's really disgusting, Michael, when you look at it. I looked at the videotape from Atlanta, the two college students, the Morehouse student and the Spellman college student who were literally pulled out of their cars, they were tased, their window was broken, the cops are yelling obscenities to them, treating them like they were some kind of hardened criminals that had committed first degree murder or something.
And they were just college students driving, stuck in traffic as a result of the protests. I think what it says is that police officers have gotten away with literally murder for a long time, they have not been held accountable and they have developed this very brazen attitude that they can engage in this conduct, they can do it in broad daylight, they can do it while being videotaped.
They can do it while thousands if not millions of people are watching and they won't be held accountable. But I think it's a new day in a lot of ways. We saw the Atlanta mayor quickly move to fire and then the district attorney in Atlanta to charge those officers in that incident in the Buffalo case where they pushed the 75-year-old man.
We've seen that those officers have been put on administrative leave and I think police departments and mayors are finally getting -- they are getting the message that the public is not going to tolerate that kind of brazen criminal acts, even if it's perpetrated by police officers.
HOLMES: Time will tell. Areva Martin, thank you so much for being with us.
MARTIN: Thanks, Michael.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Patrisse Cullors is cofounder of the Black Lives Matter movement and she joins me now from Los Angeles.
Really glad that we could get you on, appreciate that. I'm wondering how what we have seen play out around the country, how has that affected the impact of your movement?
And how do you sustain momentum and not allow George Floyd to be another name until the next incident?
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PATRISSE CULLORS, COFOUNDER, BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT: Sure, I mean I just want to start by sending my condolences to George Floyd's family, Ahmaud Arbery's family, Breonna Taylor and so many other families that have lost their children and their daughters and their fathers too soon.
I think this current moment is so powerful because people across the country in the world are saying they will not take this any longer, they won't take law enforcement brutalizing and beating and killing our loved ones. That is why you've heard such a profound call to action which is defunding the police.
HOLMES: What is your reaction to what we were just discussing earlier, about the continuing examples of police violence during these protests which, of course, are protests against police violence?
CULLORS: Well, it really begs the question, what are police for?
What are they trained to do?
And why are they unable to de-escalate situations?
In fact they are often escalating harm when it comes to protests. Here in Los Angeles hundreds of people were arrested, beat, some women were sexually assaulted. Folks are going to head down to the mayor's office, I mean the mayor's mansion, to sit in and do a hunger strike.
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles have called for the defunding of law enforcement. We are in a moment where people are deeply questioning the role of the police.
HOLMES: It's interesting; we talk about police reform. And I want to ask you about that. But you're seeing increasing sort of hashtag of defund the police. I'm not sure what that actually means. Police reform is such a broad term.
What areas would you like to see prioritized?
CULLORS: Sure, we can look at a city budget or a county budget and look at the police's budget. And we can look at everything that they are supposed to do. These are 3 things that police are supposed to do that actually shouldn't be relegated to law enforcement.
Number one, the first responders to mental health crisis; nope, that should go to social workers.
Number two, the first responders to homelessness; nope, that means that we need to get housing. That should go to our mayors and our elected officials.
And three, first responders to issues around drugs and alcohol abuse. Those 3 issues are not actually crimes, they're public health issues. And so we can look at the line items of police budgets and we can start taking that money out of their budgets and putting it in appropriate places, places that really support economies of care instead of economies of punishment.
HOLMES: I wanted to ask you too about President Trump on Friday, basically saying employment, the numbers, unemployment could address racial tensions in the U.S., as if these tensions are about just that.
And it's hard to believe, even saying this, he said George Floyd would be, in his words, looking down, saying this is a great thing that is happening for our country, a great day for him.
It's just so tone-deaf.
CULLORS: It's tone-deaf, it's disrespectful, it's delusional, it's so many things, including a deep desire that he's no longer the president and we can get someone who is actually going to be fit for our country and really our world.
HOLMES: I want to ask you I mean a couple of emails here at CNN, with our parent company, and others of other major companies as well, reaching out to employees, not only to reinforce corporate citizen values when it comes to race but asking employees for suggestions on how can we do better.
How important is that sort of outreach?
Because it seems to be a growing at the moment because of all of this.
CULLORS: I think it's incredibly important that companies, corporations, are finally saying Black Lives Matter and thinking about what that actually means in real time. I often wonder if, 7 years ago when we started Black Lives Matter, they would've had a deep understanding of it so that we could be in a very different place today.
But that is not the case and so we are grateful for them being able to be here now. And we are going to keep pushing them, like we've pushed every other agency, to do better for black people.
HOLMES: And just finally and briefly, what is the single most important thing ordinary people can do to support the ideals of the movement?
CULLORS: Number one, get out and protest safely, we still have a pandemic. But if you can, get out there.
Number two, you could follow the movement for black lives, you can follow Black Lives Matter on all social media.
And number three, whenever you get into a conversation about law enforcement, start talking about what it means to reimagine a world where the police are not the first responders to everything.
HOLMES: All right, Patrisse Cullors, thanks so much, cofounder of Black Lives Matter. Lovely to talk to you. I appreciate you taking the time. CULLORS: Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Let's turn and look internationally now.
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HOLMES: You've got London, Paris, Berlin, Auckland, ;Seoul the list goes on and on, all cities across the world where people are gathering as well to protest the killing of George Floyd, extraordinary scenes.
It's also sparking much a wider movement against police brutality, some protesters bringing up other cases in their countries that they say are strikingly similar.
And protesters in Australia have started to gather. These are live pictures from Sydney in Australia, all in support of Black Lives Matter and there are domestic cases as well that have come up there in Australia. This rally in Sydney going ahead despite the Supreme Court ruling the gathering is illegal, because of social distancing rules.
Big crow turning out now we are monitoring it and we are bringing updates there. Also big protests elsewhere in Australia, including Brisbane to the north.
The death of George Floyd continues to inspire these protests all around the world really and at least one world leader taking a knee to show his solidarity with protesters. CNN Paula Newton with that.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a day of protests right across Canada. People took to the streets in multiple cities, thousands, really denouncing racism, not just from what they've seen in the United States but systemic racism that they say exists right here in Canada.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau made an unexpected visit to the Ottawa protest, even taking a knee, which was a very powerful image on the streets even as some people denounced his actions earlier in the week, when it took him 21 seconds to decide whether or not he would denounce the actions of U.S. president Donald Trump.
But at the prime's minister side was one of his cabinet ministers, Ahmed Hussen, who has spoken so forcefully and eloquently about his own struggles with racism in Canada. I want you to take a listen.
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AHMED HUSSEN, CANADIAN MP: I think it's pretty powerful when you have the head of government coming and listening and taking a knee and being there and applauding when people say black lives matter. And I agree with him completely.
All lives will not matter until Black Lives Matter, it's just that simple. And people need to understand that. When people say Black Lives Matter, they're not saying that other lives don't matter; they're saying that black lives matter, too.
NEWTON: As powerful and symbolic a gesture as it may have been, many Canadians have been demanding this week that they get the systemic change that they have been asking for. And not just for the black community and other minorities but with indigenous peoples.
Two shocking, violent events this week alone in Canada, between law enforcement and indigenous peoples, have absolutely shocked the country. And for that reason they are looking to the Trudeau government to make those systemic changes that have been promised for so long -- Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Social distancing can be far removed from protesting social injustice, of course. And the risk as we all know is potentially leading to another spike in COVID-19 cases. We will hear from our Dr. Sanjay Gupta when we come back.
And also, officials warned the Olympics in Tokyo might be drastically slimmed down for 2021. We sit down with the governor of Tokyo after the break.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
The World Health Organization now says all countries should encourage their citizens to wear face masks in public. The WHO also saying that masks alone are not enough to protect us from getting COVID-19.
In Brazil, cases are soaring and the country reporting more deaths than Italy, which was previously ranked third worldwide. Even then, some areas are reopening. Brazil's president appearing to blame the WHO for the crisis, even though he was very slow to act.
He is now threatening to leave the organization for what he calls, quote, "ideological bias." He also mentioned the U.S. president's recent announcement that he was terminating his country's relationship with the WHO.
And it is exactly because of coronavirus that some officials in Europe and Australia, to name a few, are worried about this.
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HOLMES (voice-over): Yes, streets packed with protesters, chanting, screaming, potentially coughing because of all that tear gas. Essentially a lot of behaviors that help spread the virus. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what some of the other pitfalls are.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think there's no question there is a concern, when you look at what's happening with these protests from a coronavirus standpoint. Obviously these protests are very meaningful and important.
But the idea that the virus is somehow changed, that is not the case. The virus is still out there, it is still very contagious. So when you look at these images a couple things to keep, in mind.
A lot of people are wearing masks. That's good. We know masks can have a significant impact on the spread of the virus. These protests are mostly outside, so that's also good because the virus will disperse more into the air.
But people are in close proximity, they are obviously not physically distancing, in some of these images, and they are staying in these positions for longer than 10 or 15 minutes. So you have many situations where you have close contact.
And if people then are subsequently diagnosed with the infection, the question, how do you go back and trace all the contacts of people in the middle of a protest?
It's very hard to do. As a result we would have a hard time ever knowing how much of an impact these protests have overall on new coronavirus infections.
Keep in mind, at the same time, the country is starting to reopen, so you have 2 of these forces happening at the same time, which is going to make it challenging. Protesters need to do their best obviously to try and curb the spread of this virus and also think about, after they go home, what might they do to potentially not spread the virus to people within their family, within their community.
That's all going to be sort of very important for the next several weeks. We may not know the impact of this for a few weeks as well because between the time of exposure to the time of getting tested, the time of developing any symptoms for these people who do develop symptoms, it could be several weeks so we will keep an eye on it.
I want to show you quickly just this map of what's happening here in the United States week-to-week. You get an idea of places where the number of new patients with coronavirus are increasing and decreasing.
And if you look at the maps, you know they change quite a bit and not just week to week but even day-to-day.
Also look at the graph of new coronavirus cases and you can see here, get some idea of the overall trend line. There are some states where you have had the highest number of new infections reported.
Part of that is because of increased testing but part of that is because the virus continues to spread. So as states reopen, people are doing a reasonably good job of trying to maintain that physical distance, of trying to wear masks. Hopefully that will help.
And only time will tell just how much of an impact. As we get more information about all this, we'll certainly bring it to you.
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HOLMES: Dr. Sanjay Gupta there.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have already been postponed, of course, until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. And now Tokyo officials warn, a possible second wave could cause a drastically slimmed down schedule. Our Will Ripley sat down with the governor of Tokyo to see how the games could be further impacted.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, thank you so much for joining us on CNN.
GOV. YURIKO KOIKE, TOKYO: It's my pleasure.
[00:50:00]
RIPLEY: You have said that it might be necessary to host a simplified Olympics next year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. And I see you had your mask on there. You are practicing all of the social distancing and protective measures.
But aside from everybody wearing masks, what could a simplified Olympics actually look like?
KOIKE (through translator): The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are an important event everybody has been waiting for. The postponement cost a lot and, more than anything, we do not know what the coronavirus situation will be like in July next year.
We have a few uncertainties here. It costs a lot to begin with. We need to understanding from the people of Tokyo for it. We must not spend too much. We have to make the games safe for athletes and spectators.
We have to identify the specifics of the virus, develop the curing medicine, improve the testing facilities. But we cannot afford to let the battle against the coronavirus last for 10 or 20 years.
RIPLEY: I would like to ask you to address the speculation that was out there in previous months, that Japan deliberately downplayed the virus situation in the early stages of the pandemic because the government wanted to host the Olympics on schedule.
How do you respond to those critics? KOIKE (through translator): The Tokyo metropolitan government has been accurately updating the number of deaths and infections. I understand that updating with accurate numbers and observing the infection trends on a daily basis is necessary to curb the second wave to come.
RIPLEY: So the Olympics did not shape Japan's pandemic response in any way, is that what you're saying?
KOIKE (through translator): The Tokyo Olympics are the goal in timing to win over the coronavirus. But the coronavirus counter measures need to be built in a hurry to protect the lives and health of the Japanese people, regardless of whether we have the Olympic Games.
RIPLEY: As you know, Governor, Tokyo is a mega city, densely populated and yet you continue testing a very small number when compared to other large cities. Health experts have speculated that there are likely many more cases in Tokyo and in Japan than the official numbers reflect because of the limited testing. And yet your death count remains extraordinarily low.
How is that possible?
KOIKE (through translator): That is all thanks to the cooperation by the people of Tokyo. In the past, masks were only worn by the Japanese and bank robbers. Wearing masks has become the ordinary custom for the Japanese since the pandemic of Spanish flu in 1918.
And we have been advocating through this time to avoid these three C's: closed spaces, crowded places, close conversations.
This curbed quite the number of infections. The sense of hygiene of the Japanese people was superb and that helped to suppress the number of deaths compared to the Western countries.
RIPLEY: We wish you well as you navigate through what are undoubtedly going to be challenging times ahead. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, thank you so much for joining us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: A royal secret revealed Prince William has been secretly volunteering with a crisis hotline with during the coronavirus shutdown, it is there to help people cope with mental health issues.
Kensington Palace says the Duchess of Cambridge has also been involved.
A quick break now. When we come back, the commissioner of the NFL issuing an apology on how the football league has handled race relations. What players are saying about his remarks and whether an apology will be issued to the activist athlete Colin Kaepernick. We will be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hosting a video on social media admitting that the league was wrong for not listening to players concerned about racism. He also didn't address Colin Kaepernick and the controversy of taking a knee in protest during the national anthem. CNN "WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell has the latest.
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ROGER GOODELL, NFR COMMISSIONER (voice-over): We at the National Football League condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We at the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is speaking out with a full and frank admission. The league's chief power broker reflecting Friday on what he called a difficult time for the country and in particular black Americans.
GOODELL (voice-over): We at the National Football League believe Black Lives Matter. I personally protested with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country.
Without black players, there would be no National Football League. And the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff.
SNELL (voice-over): It comes after a video featuring over a dozen of the league's stars challenged the NFL to take a strong stance following the death last month of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): How many times do we need to ask you to listen to your players?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will it take?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not be silenced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We reserve our right to peacefully protest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It shouldn't take this long to admit.
SNELL (voice-over): Racism has been a big issue in the NFL, especially since the then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick faced a backlash from the league and others for kneeling before games during the U.S. national anthem, in protest at police brutality. SNELL: In fact no team has offered a contract to Kaepernick since
2017. And tellingly, he wasn't even mentioned in that video from the commissioner. Roger Goodell says he will be reaching out to players individually; whether that includes Kaepernick, though, remains to be seen -- Patrick Snell, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes, don't go away, though, I will be back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
