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Renewed Protest As Another Black Man Dies In The Hands Of Police In Atlanta; Atlanta Police Chief Resigns And Police Officer Involved In The Killing Fired; Nationwide Protests On Its 20th Day; Majority Of Americans Disapprove Trump's Message Of The Protest; Calls For Support For Black Trans Live. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 14, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Top of the hour. Thanks for staying with me. I want to welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. We begin this hour with powerful demonstrations happening across the country as the death of another black man at the hands of police renews protest against racism an excessive force.

This time in Atlanta where 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer at a Wendy's drive-thru after police were initially called because he was asleep in his car. It happened late Friday night.

Less than 24 hours after his death, hundreds of protesters took to the street in Atlanta. Protesters blocked all traffic on major interstates there. That Wendy's restaurant was set on fire and police deployed tear gas to control demonstrators.

In the less than two days since the shooting, the officer who shot Brooks was fired and the Atlanta police chief has resigned. The district attorney now says he should have a decision on possible charges against the officers involved by Wednesday.

CNN's Boris Sanchez is live at that Wendy's where the shooting took place in Atlanta. Boris, what are we learning from this newly released body cam video?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, it paints a very complex picture of what we saw happen outside this Wendy's on Friday night. As we take a look at this CNN air footage, you can see there are demonstrators still gathering outside protesting the death of Rayshard Brooks.

He had polite exchanges several times in the video with those police officers. At one point, they're all exchanging jokes, but in a matter of seconds everything changes. We should warn you the video you're about to see is graphic and it is difficult to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Responding to a call from a Wendy's in south Atlanta Friday night, Officer David Bronsan approaches Rayshard Brooks' car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, my man? Hey, what's going on, man? Hey, man, you're parked in the middle of a drive-thru line here. Hey, sir, what's up, man? Hey, you're parked in the drive-thru right now. Hey, sir, you all right?

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Asleep in the drive-thru lane, police body cam footage shows the 27-year-old does not respond right away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you just tired? All right, man. I'll move my car. Just pull up somewhere and take a nap. All right. All right, are you good?

RAYSHARD BROOKS, SUSPECT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Brooks eventually wakes up and agrees to move his car before he appears to fall asleep again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My man, it doesn't mean go back to sleep. You've got to move your car. You're going back to sleep.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Brooks moves to a nearby parking spot where Brosnan asks --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much did you drink tonight? Not much? How much is not much? You say one drink, what kind of drink was it?

BROOKS: It was (inaudible) margarita.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you on any drugs today?

BROOKS: I don't do drugs.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Brooks struggles to find his license and tries to step out of the car.

BROOKS: I'm going to get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, just stay in the car for a minute. Just look for your license.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Brosnan then radios for another officer to conduct a DUI test.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's pretty out of it. Definitely got some good amount of liquor on him right now.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): One officer, Garrett Rolfe arrives. Brooks denies ever having been asleep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reason why we're here is because somebody called 911 because you were asleep behind the wheel while you're in the drive-thru, right? Do you recall that?

BROOKS: I don't. I don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't recall that? You don't recall just minutes ago where you were passed out behind the wheel in the drive- thru?

SANCHEZ (voice-over): He agrees to a breathalyzer test, says he can't remember how much he had to drink and then he tells police --

BROOKS: I know, I know. You just (inaudible).

SANCHEZ (voice-over): When Rolfe tries to handcuff Brooks, he resists. Witness video shows Bronsan readying his taser.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to get tased.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Brooks grabs it out of his hand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands off the (BLEEP) taser.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Breaking free, Brooks, punches Rolfe who fires his stun gun as Brooks takes off. And here's the moment the altercation becomes deadly. We slow this down for you. You can see Rolfe chasing Brooks, each man now carrying a taser.

Watch as Rolfe He moves his taser from his right hand to his left and reaches towards his handgun. That's when Brooks turns and fires the taser. And Rolfe shoots, firing three times at Brooks as he flees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop. Stop.

(GUNSHOTS)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Bystanders almost immediately begin cursing and shouting at the officers.

[17:05:02]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both of your careers are definitely done because you just shot a man for no reason.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): A few minutes after he's shot, Officers Rolfe and Bronsan begin to provide medical treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Brooks, keep breathing.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): A short time later Brooks is rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he's later pronounced dead.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (on camera): Ana, Officer Rolfe, who opened fire on Brooks, has been terminated. Officer Bronsan is now on administrative duty. Of course, the Atlanta police chief, Erika Shields, resigned last night and the investigation as you noted is ongoing.

As to whether there will be charges against either of these officers, we're taking another live look at CNN air over this Wendy's. Officers have closed off the roads in this area anticipating larger crowds later tonight, Ana.

CABRERA: Boris Sanchez, thank you for that reporting. I want to turn to Natasha Chen at a protest also in Atlanta. Natasha, how are people there responding to the firing now of one of these officers involved?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, this is one of several groups that are gathering this afternoon pegging their protests not only to what happened on Friday night, but also to the fact that it is Flag Day, pegging it to President Trump's birthday.

And so right here, next to us, by Centennial Olympic Park, we have a group of several churches that have come together, really reacting to what happened to Rayshard Brooks.

And I want to actually bring in one Atlanta family who came here. And this is your first time kind of coming out to one of these protests even though you've been watching everything over the last couple of weeks. It's Salena Crawford, that's right. Tell me why this particular incident at the Wendy's made you feel like it was the final straw?

SALENA CRAWFORD, PROTESTER: It was just - it's kind of like enough is enough. Having to explain to my sons the same traumatic story over and over again is just too much. Dealing with their frustrations of watching African-American men being killed in the streets is just too much.

So I wanted to give my sons an outlet and I want to have an outlet for myself to come out and be able to protest and do it the right way, you know, without the violence, without hurting anyone, be able to express our frustrations with each other and actually come up with solutions.

CHEN: And, you know, the officer who was involved in that incident has now been terminated from the Atlanta police department.

CRAWFORD: Right.

CHEN: What do you feel about that response from the city?

CRAWFORD: I think it's a start in the right direction, but I think there's so much more that has to be done in order for us to really see change.

CHEN: And this is your son Seth?

CRAWFORD: This is my son Seth.

CHEN: And how do you feel, you're 16-year-old, watching all of this happen in your home now. What goes through your mind when you see the video of what happened?

SETH PERRY, PROTESTER: I feel frustrated when it happens, and I feel like they're going to come into my territory and they try to do it when it comes to me. If I own a store or like a restaurant, I feel like it's going to be painful for me, because like I'll run out of my business and I don't know where to work at.

CHEN: You said there's a feeling of fear and concern.

CRAWFORD: Right. Your frustration. A feeling of fear and frustration, and just like he said, you know, they burned down the Wendy's. That was somebody's job that they got to, to help support their family. So it's just a lot of frustration.

And being in a place like this, it helps to be able to just express ourselves, get our emotions out and be able to find ways to move forward.

CHEN: Thank you so much for stopping to talk with us. So you can tell there is a mixture of emotions here both in reaction to what happened on Friday night to Rayshard Brooks as well as to the city's response, Ana.

CABRERA: OK, Natasha Chen, thank you for bringing us that. Joining us now is Ed Davis, the former Boston police commissioner, and Charles Ramsey, former Philadelphia police commissioner and CNN law enforcement analyst.

Commissioner Davis, we saw at the top of the show, Boris walked us through this new body cam video. When you see all of that piece together in addition to the surveillance video from the Wendy's, what stands out most to you?

ED DAVIS, FORMER BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER: Well, I watched the whole 40-minute video and I'm struck by how deferential the individual was to the officers. Mr. Brooks was more than respectful. And I think about how Chuck Ramsey and would have handled that in the early 1980s.

We would look for a way not to arrest that person, but there have been a number of court cases that have happened since then that require arrests and individuals get back in the car after we let them go and kill someone.

So, there's a lot more legal restraint around officers' discretion at this point in time. In the final analysis, though, I do not understand the use of fatal force against this man. I just do not understand it.

[17:10:02]

CABRERA: Commissioner Ramsey, I know you've said that you believe that moment when they asked if he has any weapons is very significant. Why?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, well, there's a point in the video when he does step out of the car and he asked two questions. One is, do you have any weapons? He responds no. The second question was, do you mind if I pat you down? And he didn't object, so he patted him down.

At that moment, you know he's not armed with a firearm, something that could be considered a deadly weapon. Later, when they try to put handcuffs on him, they get into a struggle, he takes the taser, takes off running. But again, because you had that earlier pat-down, you know he doesn't have a gun. He's got a taser. That's a dangerous weapon not a deadly weapon. And so I don't believe the shooting was justified. Now, whether it rises to a criminal offense, that's going to be up to the district attorney.

But in my mind it's an unjustified use of deadly force. It was not reasonable. It wasn't proportional, and in my opinion, it wasn't necessary.

CABRERA: Commissioner Davis, the officer who shot Brooks was fired already shortly after the police chief stepped down yesterday. Do you believe they should have waited until all the facts were out or was that the right call?

DAVIS: I think with everything that's going on the in the country right now, I think local governments have to be responsive. And after watching that video, I think that was the right decision. The officer has rights to due process that will be exercised despite his firing immediately, but I think for the sake of the community, it really needed to be happen.

CABRERA: Commissioner Ramsey, let's turn to police reform. Democrats and Republicans seem to agree on banning choke holds, but the issue of qualified immunity seems to be a sticking point right now. Qualified immunity in short is a legal doctrine that some say shields law enforcement from accountability. Here is Republican Senator Tim Scott on that issue specifically.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Well, there are two ways that you can deal with that. From the Republican perspective and the precedent (ph) sends a signal that qualified immunity is off the table, they see that as a poison pill.

On our side, we could use a decertification of officers except for the law enforcement unions say that's a poison pill. So we're going to have to find a path that helps us reduce misconduct within the officers. But at the same time we know that any poison pill in legislation means we get nothing done. That sends a wrong signal, perhaps the worst signal right now in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Commissioner Ramsey, do you think changes to qualified immunity should be on the table for police reform?

RAMSEY: Well, it depends on what those changes are, but again it's got to pass both the House and the Senate. And they're already saying it is not going to pass the Senate. So, you got to find a way to compromise.

I mean, reform is necessary, it's needed. There's no question about that in my mind. So, I would hope that the parties could sit down and figure out exactly what it is they need to do so they can get something passed.

But I do hope it's thoughtful because one of the concerns I have is that there's an under -- they're underestimating, in my opinion, the complexity of trying to start from scratch and come up with a whole new model of policing in a short period of time.

And it's going to require funding at a time when cities are broke because of the COVID-19 shutdown. And so I don't know where that money is going to come from. I know they're talking about pulling it out of police budgets.

Most police budgets, the vast majority -- I know in Philly more than 90 percent of the budget is just personnel costs. There's not a whole lot there. An so in order to staff of these social service agencies so they could be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, that's going to take an awful lot of planning and money to make that happen. So I hope they think it through carefully.

CABRERA: Commissioner Davis, I have a cousin who is a police officer and, you know, having contact with him, I know that men and women who wear those uniforms right now are hurting, too. And they are concerned and they also want to see changes.

This isn't necessarily working for them, either. Why do you think there is perhaps reluctance? Is it the police unions that are a barrier here? What is going on?

DAVIS: Well, unions and civil service in some states are impediments to change. They, you know, they protect the status quo, but I really believe that the average officer on the street is seeing the importance of community outreach, community policing, and I really believe this is a watershed moment in policing.

I think unions are going to be pushed to change. The legislature is certainly focused on that, and I think we're going to end up with better policing after this horrible convulsion of violence we've seen.

[17:14:59]

CABRERA: Commissioner Ramsey, the firing of this officer and the stepping down of the police chief didn't seem to quell protest last night. If you were running Atlanta's police department right now, what would you be doing going into tonight?

RAMSEY: Well, you have to reach out both internally and externally to people. You got to talk to the men and women of your department because right now I can only imagine what morale is like in the Atlanta PD, but you have to reach out to the community as well.

I mean, granted there's a lot going on right now, but communication is key and that's exactly what you're going to have to do. There's an interim police chief in place right now.

And you have to be very aggressive in trying to turn things around to at least calm it down, not to say that there should not be demonstrations. I think the demonstrations are healthy, but what you don't need is

what had last night with the Wendy's being set on fire and those kinds of things.

Demonstrations are healthy. There's nothing wrong with demonstrations at all, but you want to keep it at a level where, you know, we don't have anybody get injured and we don't have any property being destroyed.

CABRERA: Commissioner Ramsey and Commissioner Davis, thank you both for what you do and for being such shining examples of law enforcement for us and for guiding us as we continue to cover the unrest around the country and stories like this. I appreciate it.

DAVIS: Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: We are monitoring these massive nationwide protests today from Atlanta to Los Angeles. The protesters are marching through West Hollywood right now, and in Washington, D.C. where protesters have gathered outside the White House. CNN's coverage continues, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

CABRERA: Welcome back and let's take a live look at the scene there in Atlanta. The site of a burnt out Wendy's that was torched during protest last night over the deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks by a police officer who has now been fired.

I want to bring in one of the attorneys for Rayshard Brooks' family, Justin Miller. Mr. Miller, thanks for being here with us. First, we've now learned an autopsy was completed today. Do you have the results yet?

JUSTIN MILLER, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF RAYSHARD BROOKS: We do have some of the results. We haven't seen a report, but we know some of the things that will be in the report.

CABRERA: What can you share with us?

MILLER: We know he was shot twice in the back, once in his mid back and once in the buttocks, and those shots ended up killing him.

CABRERA: And what do those results tell you as far as this case goes?

MILLER: Yes. So what that tells us is that he was fleeing. His back was turned to the officer when the officer shot him and when the bullets entered his body, which is very problematic because regardless of what else happened that day, him fleeing should have been something that the officers should have taken as a way out of the situation so that he could have lived and the officers could have continued with their day as well.

CABRERA: Police have now released 44 minutes of body cam footage. Do you think this video helps your case? MILLER: I wouldn't say it helps or hurts the same case. I mean, the

footage didn't show us anything that we really didn't know already. What we know is that that interaction should not have resulted in death. And so that body cam footage really didn't give us anything that said otherwise.

CABRERA: What did you see in that body cam footage?

MILLER: So, there were three parts to that that were very crucial to us. The first part was the discussion between Mr. Brooks and the officer. The second part was the scuffle between the two, and then the third part was Mr. Brooks when he was trying to get away from the situation.

So, in the first part, when they were having their discussion, it was clear that Mr. Brooks was trying to be deferential to the officer, which is something that black men are taught to do to survive these encounters.

That wasn't working. The officer seemed hell bent on taking him to jail even though he was on private property, wasn't hurting anyone, didn't have a deadly weapon, and by all accounts was sleeping in a car. So, that's the first thing that's problematic and the body cam didn't show us anything different.

The second thing was the tussle and it did show them fighting, I mean, showing the officers trying to tase him and he took the taser. And so we didn't see anything different. He was at that point looked to be fighting for his life.

And if he could be here today, he could speak for himself and say what he was doing exactly, but that's what it looked to be to us. And then the third thing was he was fleeing, and that's the most important part because at that time, the officer had the last best chance to stop that from happening and he didn't take that chance and instead he shot Mr. Brooks.

CABRERA: That's right. City leaders have taken action now. The officer who shot Brooks has been fired; the police chief has stepped down. What's your reaction to that?

MILLER: You know, we represent the daughter of George Floyd. We are local Georgia counsel for Ahmaud Arbery. We are dealing with other cases as well, Alton Sterling, where these things happen and people say, well, how do you feel about, you know, something happening in the case. And what I'll say is, it's good that change has occurred.

It's good that people are taking steps to mitigate problems, but it's not justice and we don't really think it can ever be justice because a man's life was taken. Children lost a father and a wife lost a husband.

[17:25:00]

CABRERA: That's heavy when you think about it. I want to play something the D.A. says he noticed on the video. Let's listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL HOWARD, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Well, there's one good thing about video, Fredricka, because in the video, we actually get a chance to hear the officer's first statement after the shooting took place. And what the officers said is not that his life was saved, what his statement he said, I got him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Did you pick up on that comment from the officer?

MILLER: Yes. Yes, we did and that was a very disturbing to myself, my partner Chris and Tamika, his widow. Very disturbing.

CABRERA: You mentioned Chris. He's another member of your team, Attorney L. Chris Stewart. Last night he said Brooks didn't receive a field sobriety test, but we see him taking one it appears in this body cam footage. Do you now believe he did receive a proper filed sobriety test or do you still contest that?

MILLER: Well, you know, as the information comes out, we are getting some of it, you know, after you guys get it, so at the time, I don't know whether or not Chris knew if he received a field sobriety test. But you said proper in your question and we don't know it was proper or not. We're going to need to do a little bit more digging to find that out.

CABRERA: OK. And let me ask you about another claim made by Mr. Stewart last night. He said a witness saw officers put on gloves and pick up shell casings before rendering aid. We asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about this and they tell us that its agents recovered shell casings from the scene and that no witnesses they've talked indicate that What's your response to that?

MILLER: That's the information that we received from witnesses at the scene, so if they have different information, then you know, we'd like to know where their information came from, but multiple witnesses told us that they saw that happening with their own eyes.

So, none of us were there at the time, and when I say none of us, I mean, the GBI nor me and Chris, but this is what witnesses at the scene said happened.

CABRERA: Are you putting the GBI in touch with these witnesses who told you otherwise?

MILLER: We haven't talked to them, but we're not hiding people or trying to be stingy with witnesses. We're just right now, like I said, finding out all the information, and hopefully they can share their information with us as well.

CABRERA: And we are appreciating you telling us what you know at this time and you know, having this conversation without perhaps all the information in front of you at this moment. The district attorney says he expects to make some kind of decision on charges as soon as Wednesday. Based on everything you know, everything we have discussed, and the videos we've seen, do you think the officer will be charged?

MILLER: That's a tough question. I don't know. This is a little bit different than, say, George Floyd's murder because it's still a murder, but the legalities just, they fall differently when there's a scuffle and a taser and then a fleeing person who is killed.

So, I don't know if they're going to charge. We have worked with the D.A. before in Atlanta and they do a great job. So we're waiting just like you to see what they do and hopefully, they'll do the right thing.

CABRERA: The district attorney says murder, felony murder and voluntary manslaughter are all under consideration. What do you expect the charges to be, should there be charges?

MILLER: Again, we don't know. It probably will not be murder. That's a very hard thing to charge. And if you, you know, you just look at all the other cases that were a big clear, but you know, just as deadly to the client and they were not charged with murder, so I don't know if it will be murder, but like I said, we will wait to see what the D.A. says and then we'll go from there.

CABRERA: Okay, Justin Miller, again an attorney for the family of Rayshard Brooks. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We appreciate it.

MILLER: No problem. Thank you.

CABRERA: We are seeing a 20th consecutive day of nationwide protests over police brutality and racism. Right now in Washington protesters have gathered outside the White House.

These are live pictures of Los Angeles as well. Protesters are moving through the Hollywood area, as we continue to cover the protests, again day 20. You're watching CNN. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:00]

CABRERA: Welcome back. After 20 days of massive protest around the country, a new Pew poll shows 85 percent of Americans disapprove of President Trump's response.

I want to bring in CNN Political Commentator, Bakari Sellers. He's a former South Carolina state representative and author of the new book "My Vanishing Country: A Memoir."

Bakari, another weekend of protest. Racial tension just seem to be getting higher and higher. We have seen action from state and local officials, police and lawmakers on Capitol Hill putting forth some reform proposals.

The president is said to be working on an executive order on police reform. What could he put forward that makes you feel like the man at the top gets it?

[17:34:59]

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What could he put forward or what will he put forward? I'll start with the first. I think he could put forward measures to have standardized use of force guidelines across the country because what we saw in Atlanta, Georgia, when someone has a taser and is running away is unacceptable.

I think he could put forward having misconduct database so that an officer in let's say, Atlanta, Georgia can't get fired for misconduct and then comes and gets hired in Charlotte, North Carolina. He could put forward and should put forward limiting qualified immunities in civil cases so law enforcement officers can no longer hide behind their shields.

And he could put forward lowering the standard whereby we can charge law enforcements with federal criminal charges. I don't have a lot of faith that he'll do any of those things. I'm hoping that he listens to people in his party, although I'm disappointed with Tim Scott for saying that qualified immunity eliminating thereof is a nonstarter, but the president hasn't shown his willingness to stand up during this moment, Ana.

CABRERA: Senator Tim Scott you mentioned, the only black Republican senator is trying to take the lead on GOP police reform legislation. We have seen quite a bit of bipartisan support on the issue of banning choke holds. Are you heartened by that?

SELLERS: I am. I mean, that's a really, really small piece of this puzzle, though. You know, banning choke hold is something that should be done. It should be done by state legislatures. It should be done by municipalities across the country and I hope that the feds follow suit.

But until we actually do something about the money that flows from the Department of Justice to these police departments -- and let me be extremely clear. In Atlanta, Georgia, a young man died and he paid for that police department that killed him.

Breanna Taylor and George Floyd died and they've paid for the police departments that killed them. I don't want anybody to think that's sensationalized. I'm saying that taxpayer dollars go to the Department of Justice right now.

And the Department of Justice has money that flows to these departments without any accountability, transparency, or civilian oversight. That's what I want to see the president of the United Sates do. That's what I hope he does sooner rather than later.

Because we simply can't wait until November so we're all waiting at the behest of this president and people like Tim Scott who have his ear.

CABRERA: Senator Scott also said this latest incident in Atlanta proves how much more training America's officers need in de- escalation. He also said this in a couple of interviews this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT: That situation is certainly a far less clear one than the ones that we saw with George Floyd and several other ones around the country. That video is disturbing to watch, but I'm not sure that as clear as what we've seen around the country on some of the other issues that have driven us to the point where we're actually having a serious conversation around police reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Do you agree?

SELLERS: I mean, I don't know what he means by less clear. You have a young man who is running with a taser in his hand. Let's have all of the facts. And there's no one that can say that running with a taser with your back turned, that falling 'sleep at a Wendy's -- I'll give you credit. Let's say I say that it's a dui.

Let's say that we also say there's assault and battery against a cop, but none of that is a death penalty crime, Ana. So, I mean, I get that it may be less clear than a knee in the back of your neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, but that really shouldn't be the standard.

These officers committed a crime. We'll figure out what that crime is, but this young man should still be alive today. And the fact that he isn't, we can't call these people bad apples anymore. That's a hell of a name when you commit a murder.

Let's address it as it is, let's actually have reform. Let's have de- escalation training, but let's also just say stop killing black folk when you encounter police.

CABRERA: It is day 20 of the protests we've been seeing, which are not just about policing. They're also about systemic racism and inequality throughout our society. What do you tell people who are eager to do something about it? What can an individual do to make a difference?

SELLERS: Stay in the streets, continue to protest, continue to have your voices be heard. I'm very reminded that the Montgomery bus boycott lasted 383 days. I think we're on day 18th, day 19th. So stay in the streets. Let your voices be --

CABRERA: Day 20.

SELLERS: Day 20. Well, we still got a long way to go. And I would also say let's hold our elected officials accountable. I would say let's push for our cities and our states to put forth solutions today. We don't need to wait until a presidential election in November.

Let's continue to educate our young people about their interactions with the police so they know their rights. And at the end of the day, I do believe that things are changing.

But I encourage everyone who is watching this especially white folk in this country to begin to have very difficult challenging conversations with their neighbors about what racism is and how we can root it out together.

[17:40:06]

Because it's one thing for me to come on this show and talk about racism and its effects on me and my family and my children. It's another thing for a white person to watch this show and then turn around to their wife, their loved one, their neighbor, and have conversations about how they are going to collectively root out racism as well. It's a team effort, Ana. We can do this together.

CABRERA: I like that. Thank you, Bakari Sellers. Good to have you here.

SELLERS: Thank you.

CABRERA: There are large protests across the country this hour. Let's take another look at some of them. This is in Washington, D.C. just outside the White House. We're told this is a protest with a message to the president. They don't like the current man in that white house. We'll be right back with much more as our coverage continues on this Sunday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back. It is another weekend of protests. At this hour, there are protests from coast to coast, the 20th consecutive day of demonstrations here in the U.S.

[17:45:04]

Let's head to the West Coast right now. Thousands of protesters are filling the streets of Los Angeles, marching for black trans lives and against police brutality. And that's where CNN National Correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux is for us. Suzanne, tell us about what's happening there?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, really it's kind of an incredible combination if you will of a rally, a protest, but also really a celebration, a celebration of so many different communities here in the Los Angeles area.

We're talking about thousands and thousands that have been marching for the last couple of hours. We're on Santa Monica Boulevard. And they want to call attention to all black lives matter. And in that, it is really about pride, it's about pride of who you are and who you love, and also addressing the issue of police brutality.

This organization with me here -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Black Hammer Organization.

MALVEAUX: She is - it's Black Hammer Organization. Just tell me why you've been out here. I understand that this is very important - just keep walking. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. This is very important to us. This is Black Hammer Organization. I am chief diva of the west region of Black Hammer. We're out here today because we are trying to teach our people that we need to fight.

And not only that, we're not only fighting police brutality, but we're also fighting this coronavirus. Black Hammer is raising funds all over the world to protect our people not only from police brutality, but also the coronavirus that's killing all of us worldwide.

MALVEAUX: You've raised a lot of money. You're not asking for grants, but you guys have hit the streets and you've been volunteering and actually getting some of these critical supplies out to the black community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly. We have gotten over 30,000 pieces PPE worldwide, and that's Nigeria, the Philippines, Brazil, Mexico and the United States of America. And we're doing that without any grants, without any funds. It's just people power. And that's what we seek to do. The power of the people, black power, chief diva.

MALVEAUX: Thank you chief diva. I got that. I got that clear. I'll remember that chief diva. We are talking about, Ana, really just so many people out here. If you'll just turn and take a look here, down the street,

And they are calling attention to some of the names that we recognize when it comes to those who have been subjected to police brutality, but other names like Tony McDade, who is a black transgender male who was shot by Tallahassee police last week.

They want to call attention to his case, as well as the many others in the context of George Floyd and many others who they want to address with the LAPD, as well as all the communities that have come together.

CABRERA: Okay. Suzanne Malveaux for us in Los Angeles. You can really feel that energy in the crowd there. Thank you. These live protests today aren't just in Los Angeles. This hour there are protests in other parts of the country as well.

We'll hear from one protester about why they're out on the streets today in a different location. We'll go to the east coast when we come back. Stay with us.

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[17:50:00]

CABRERA: Welcome back. From Washington, D.C. to Atlanta to L.A. to Seattle, we are seeing day 20 of large protests against police brutality and racial injustice. In New York right now, one rally there is also focusing on the issues facing the black transgender community and CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro joins us right now from Brooklyn. Evan, what are you seeing and hearing there?

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, hi. I'm in the tail end of an afternoon devoted to black trans lives by thousands of New Yorkers throughout Brooklyn. The event started today at the Brooklyn Museum with a large rally and then marched with a peaceful, civil disobedient, emotional march trough Brooklyn and they're here in Fort Green Park.

Now, it's sort of become just hanging out and talking about trans rights. I spoke to one of the organizers of the event about why it was important for them to be here today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IANNE FIELD STEWART, FOUNDER OF THE OKRA PROJECT: Black trans lives are especially important because we exist and we are continually treated as if we don't exist. It is necessary for us to address transphobia around the world and within communities that we are not yet ready to face it within.

Black trans people are murdered at a higher rates than any other community. We are pushed out of jobs, out of housing, out of opportunities, out of resources, and we deserve to be marched for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Now, Ana, during this discussion of black lives matter and changing the way this country really operates, trans rights are obviously very important right now. We're in pride month and also last week the Trump administration made moves to try and eliminate health protections for trans Americans. SO, people here feel like they're just as much a part of this moment in American history as anyone else. And the rally turnout shows they're not the only one whose think that. Ana?

CABRERA: OK. Evan McMorris-Santoro, thank you. Quick break. We're back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: As the world grapples with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, there are calls for renewable energy to be placed at the center of the recovery plans.

FRANCESCO LA CAMERA, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY: The oil world was based on a centralized system with oil and coal as the main vector. Now, we have to build another world.

[17:54:53]

The impacting of the COVID in our life has made clear to everyone that we have to build a future that is more resilient to shocks and this will bring us to renewables because they have demonstrated to be the most resilient way to produce energy.

DEFTERIOS: Despite suffering from its first annual decline in 20 years, renewable energy is expected to return to growth next year especially if governments implement a clean energy recovery. John Defterios, CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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