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Alabama Boat Dock Brawl; Starliner Ready for NASA By Next March; Oakland Residents Sound the Alarm over Crime. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 08, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

MAYOR STEVEN REED (D), MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA: And we're investigating right now. And we'll continue to go through that process before we take an additional steps.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It all began when the black employee was trying to clear the dock space where the Riverside Cruise, the Harriet II, normally docks. The cruiser was about to return to shore and needed its space to dock.

LAUREN SPLVEY, WITNESS: You know, just doing his job. And for some reason they didn't like it. They didn't want to move the boat. And he decided to get physical with him.

YOUNG: You can see in the video, the black employee on the dock arguing with one of the men from the pontoon boat. And then another shirtless white man charging at the employee and hitting him in the face. Soon after that you can see several others join in on the attack of the dock employee.

In some of the video, which has gone viral, with millions of views, people on the boat can be heard yelling for someone to go help the employee. Then at one point you can see a young man, who has jumped off the boat, swimming ashore to help the man who was being attacked.

SPLVEY: The boat got closer. The guys and the crew members and everybody got off and that's when it happened. That's the reason why I -- when they got off the boat they came right to that smaller boat.

YOUNG: And that's when more fighting ensues, turning into an all-out brawl that included several people getting hit over the head with a folding chair. Soon after, officers started trying to take control, handcuffing people in the fight.

SPLVEY: You know, they were the antagonist of the whole situation. Arrest them because unfortunately when things happen, people of color are the first to put -- be put in handcuffs.

YOUNG: Many questions remain about the melee that appeared to be very much split across racial lines.

REED: We are fully engaged and we are doing all of our due diligence to find out exactly what took place. (END VIDEOTAPE)

YOUNG: And, Victor, I don't know if we can underscore enough the fact of how social media has really taken this to the next level when it comes to talking about this story. People really want answers about how this escalated so quickly. Why blows were thrown so many times. But they do know that a lot of people reacted to that worker in need, the fact that he was being hit and jumped before everyone else jumped in to try to solve this.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

YOUNG: So, it will be interesting to see what happens today at that news conference.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the man was just doing his job and asking them, as he should have, to move the boat. And they attacked him.

Ryan Young, thank you for that.

YOUNG: Yes.

HARLOW: So, this morning, a driver in central Pennsylvania could face some serious charges after police say he intentionally crashed his car into the second floor of a home. You can see the car wedged into the side of the home. This was on Sunday. Officials say the driver was speeding, went off road into a field, then went airborne, crashing into that house. The suspect is 20 years old, was taken to the hospital. We hope they're doing OK. Local reports say the three people in the home at the time are not hurt, thank goodness. Crews were able to remove the car and put a tarp over the hole it left behind.

BLACKWELL: That's unreal.

Well, is air pollution making infectious diseases more dangerous? What a new study is revealing this morning.

HARLOW: So, because of the ongoing writer's strike, the 40th season of "Jeopardy" plans to use recycled clues and contestants. A Jeopardy show runner announced on the "Inside Jeopardy" podcast that they will use a mix of material written before the strike and clues from seasons past. The show will also bring back contestants from recent seasons who lost their initial game in what it calls a second-chance tournament.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:55]

HARLOW: So, this morning, a top official of the Federal Reserve is warning multiple rate hikes could still be needed to get inflation back to healthy, normal 2 percent levels. Fed Governor Michelle Bowman said they have made progress in lowering inflation over the past two years. Still, though, they have a long way to go. Last month the fed raised its interest rates by quarter point, lifting rates to the highest level in 22 years. This is the 11th increase since March of 2022. It came a month after the central bank paused rates. But where do they go now?

CNN business correspondent Rahel Solomon is with us.

Good morning.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Good to be with you, guy.

So, that is the big debate, where do they go now, and how -- we all thought -- many people thought that we were sort of at the end of the rate hiking cycle. Now there's a question of how close we are.

So, the issue is that although we have come a long way, remember when Consumer Price Index was at 9 percent last year in the June - in June. We're closer to 3 percent. But when you look at core inflation, stripping away categories like food and energy, it is still much higher than the Fed would like. And so there was a question now of, even though we have come so far, do they still do more? As you said, Governor Bowman said that more rate hikes may be necessary. She has been saying that. But I think it raised some eyebrows when she made these comments yesterday because we had hoped that we were closer to the end, and we wouldn't have to necessarily see more rate hikes.

HARLOW: OK, we'll see what's to come. Thank you, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Rahel.

HARLOW: Appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: NASA's plans for an additional vehicle to take astronauts to the International Space Station will have to wait, at least until 2024. That's because Boeing says Starliner will not be ready to launch until next March at the earliest. Currently NASA is using SpaceX to ferry the crew.

CNN's Kristin Fisher joins us from -- near the Kennedy Space Center.

Why the delays?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Victor, it's more technical problems with the spacecraft itself. And some serious ones, too, including some issues with the parachutes that are designed to slow the spacecraft as it gently lands back on earth, splashes down into the ocean. And so this is another costly, lengthy delay for Boeing.

And this spacecraft, the Starliner spacecraft, is designed to do for Boeing what the crew Dragon does for SpaceX, which is take astronauts, NASA astronauts, from right here at the Kennedy Space Center, up to the International Space Station, and back. Both companies were awarded contracts to do that nearly a decade ago. Since then, SpaceX has delivered, ferrying about seven NASA crews to the International Space Station. But, guys, so far Boeing has not flown any crews. And they were planning to try to launch their first crewed Starliner flight this summer. But just a few weeks before that launch, they found those problems. And then yesterday, Victor and Poppy, that is when Boeing announced that it was going to be next March at the earliest before they could make that launch attempt.

And so what this means is that NASA continues to be reliant on both SpaceX and even Russia to get its astronauts up to the International Space Station. NASA wants redundancy in its operations. And so far it just hasn't been able to do that with this commercial crew program.

[06:40:03]

One more thing, guys. In addition to NASA, you know, sending and continuing to send its astronauts up to the ISS, they're trying to get astronauts back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. That Artemis II - Artemis II crewed mission is now -- NASA has been saying it's scheduled to launch in late 2024, but they are here. The crew is here at the Kennedy Space Center. We're going to be getting an update on that a little bit later today. Going to get up close and personal to the Orion spacecraft itself. And so, guys, it will be interesting to see if NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and some of the other NASA leadership that's here today is going to be giving us an update on the timeline for that as well.

But as of now, late 2024 is the target.

Poppy and Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, we'll look forward to it. Thank you, Kristin.

HARLOW: Yes, always exciting.

The NAACP of Oakland, California, has called for a state of emergency over rampant crime. Next you're going to hear from residents who say they're fed up and they're moving out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTIN COOK, MOVING OUT OF OAKLAND: The fact that I am being pushed out because I emotionally can't take it anymore is horrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Welcome back.

In Oakland, California, as the city's crime rate grows so much, so too are calls for action. It's not just residents sounding the alarm. The situation has grown so dire the local NAACP chapter has called for a state of emergency.

[06:45:01]

Our Kyung Lah has the reporting. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIN COOK, MOVING OUT OF OAKLAND: I love Oakland. It's very hard for me and my son, especially my son.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): So Kristin Cook is leaving Oakland, California.

COOK: Be careful.

LAH: After living here her entire life.

COOK: I can't take it anymore. I got to the point I was too scared to leave my house.

LAH: Cook blames brazen assaults and robberies in broad daylight, break-ins and home invasions across the city as Oakland sees a surge in reported violent crimes this year compared to last. While homicides are down, robberies, burglaries and rape are all up by double digit percentages. Everyone we talked to says it doesn't matter your race, your income, everyone seems to be a target, including carjackings, like this one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Ah!

COOK: Now they're carjacking people at stop signs. And my son is about to start driving. The fact that I am being pushed out because I emotionally can't take it anymore is horrible.

LAH: But Toni Bird is staying. She lives with a locked front gate and five security cameras. Bird says Oakland police recommended steel braces for residential doors, and air horns.

TONI BIRD, OAKLAND RESIDENT: The idea is if you set it off, your neighbor would hear it, set theirs off, and more people are alert that there's danger.

LAH: Her neighbor across the street, 60-year-old retiree Dave Schneider, was shot to death in June trimming his front tree during the day. He died as Bird and other neighbors tried to save him.

BIRD: I'm not looking for the perfect, safe place. I'm looking for a place where the elderly, women with children, aren't targeted. I think we can all agree that that needs to change. And so I feel like it will change. And that's why I'm staying.

TROY WELCH, OWNER, LAUREL ACE HARDWARE: Find everything you're looking for OK?

LAH: But saying open gets tougher every day for Troy Welch, own of Laurel Ace Hardware.

WELCH: There's about six of them that comes in.

LAH: Welch's store was robbed just hours before we met him. WELCH: They went through our cash registers. And this is my office.

But you'll see they went in, they tried to take a sledge hammer to it. Tried to lift it. And he's going to figure out they ain't - they aren't getting into that safe.

LAH: Welch says he loses 10 percent of his merchandise to theft. So common this year he leaves his registers empty and open, tired of replacing them.

WELCH: It's more brazen. Sometimes more violent I think than what it used to be.

LAH (on camera): How long does it take for police to arrive?

WELCH: Forty-five minutes.

LAH: Forty-five minutes. Is that typical?

WELCH: That's probably fast.

LAH (voice over): Frustration has spilled over in community meetings. Anger often directed at leadership, like the newly-elected district attorney, who has been on the job just seven months.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's unreal!

DARREN WHITE, OAKLAND NAACP: I'm a black man, born and raised in Oakland. When I walk out of the house every day, I want to be safe. So, if that calls for some -- whoever commits the crime to be prosecuted, so be it. But we want it to be fair and just.

LAH: Darren White is with the NAACP Oakland branch, which penned an open letter to their city blaming failed leadership, the defund the police movement and anti-police rhetoric for creating a heyday for Oakland criminals.

WHITE: We're not trying to say, you know, mass incarceration and arrest everyone. We want the people that are out here committing these violent crimes arrested and charged.

LAH (on camera): Do we need more cops on the street?

WHITE: Yes, we do need more. Every community needs police.

LAH (voice over): Franked by partners in the city, Oakland's interim police chief, Darren Allison, says Oakland is taking a comprehensive approach to fighting crime.

LAH (on camera): And they all say that the crime feels different now. Why is that?

INTERIM POLICE CHIEF DARREN ALLISON, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: So, I think because it is pervasive, not just localized, or even may have historically seen maybe gang group violence, I think that feeling has become that it's everywhere.

LAH (voice over): From cops to crime prevention, funded for 712 officers, Allison says he has 715 on staff.

ALLISON: So, what you're seeing is changes in bail, changes in sentencing.

LAH (on camera): Are you saying you need tougher punishment on the back end?

ALLISON: It's everything. It's not just enforcement and punishment. I think accountability comes in many forms.

LAH (voice over): Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: John Avlon, Jessica Washington are back with us.

It more than feels different. The numbers show that in certain categories it's up double digits. The question is the balance here of enforcing the law, getting people who need to be off the street off the street, but also not going too far in the other direction.

JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely. But that's always the question of the balance. And the point is the balance seems to be decidedly off. I mean what you saw in that is a city that is breaking down. And when that happens, that unleashes all sorts of focus. We forget that I think sometimes that public safety is a fundamental civil right. And the fact that that NAACP branch came out and spoke harshly about, this is out of control. We need to just stop this revolving door approach to justice.

[06:50:02]

There needs to be sentencing and prosecutions in a way that's consistent with equal rights and justice.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

AVLON: That's not too much to ask. And you see these stats, you got to take action because it's unleashing massive forces. You can't effectively have situations where, for example, you know, mass theft, going into stores and, you know, grabbing things under $1,000 is effectively decriminalized.

HARLOW: But explain why that matters.

AVLON: Yes.

HARLOW: So, John's pointing to the fact that the law reads now -- I don't know if it's state, if it's just California, or if it's national, but that if - if it's under 1,000 -- what did you say?

AVLON: Under $1,000.

HARLOW: Under $1,000.

AVLON: I believe it's California or it's -- it's per store - HARLOW: Right.

AVLON: Because it's worth the hassle to prosecution.

HARLOW: Under $1,000. If you steal $999 of stuff it's a misdemeanor.

AVLON: Correct.

HARLOW: It's not - and - and so a lot of people are pointing to things like that and saying, this is leading to it just continuing.

JESSICA WASHINGTON, SENIOR REPORTER, "THE ROOT": Yes. And I think that we can look at specific laws and say, OK, maybe this one needs to change. But I think the overwhelming message is, what happened here was the defund movement. And what happened was getting police off the street. I think that's what we saw in the NAACP letter. And the thing is, that's not what happened.

Oakland has continuously increased their police budget. And so - and you can also - you can quibble with, it didn't match up with inflation. There's different arguments about whether or not they've increased it enough. But they increased it by 18 percent from 2019 to 2022. They increased it again this year. So, this isn't an issue of, we are taking police off the street. There were no layoffs in the police department in this year's budget.

And you know, I think the argument is they actually did decrease community violence intervention program funding in this year's budget. So, are there things that we could be doing that we are not doing? We are funding the police in Oakland and yet there is still crime. So, are there other methods that aren't this trade-off that we could be investing in.

AVLON: Look, I think it's a 2 percent increase this calendar year. But to you point, I think it's - it's about the larger movement that's associated with that disastrous term defund the police. It's about cops backing off. It's about feeling the prosecutions aren't going forward. That, you know, that there is this revolving door issue approach to crime and punishment, which you heard people in the piece complain about, including the police officers.

HARLOW: We can look at - you can look at places like Camden, New Jersey, that have completely restructured, redone their police force. I was reporting there. I mean this was years ago.

AVLON: Yes. Yes.

HARLOW: But it was incredibly successful, saying this isn't working, and a complete overhaul.

AVLON: And, look, this is an area that should be open to innovation, but you need to separate intentions from results. And if public safety is dropping down, if people are feeling unsafe, not as a matter of perception but hard reality, as you heard that woman crying in the street because she has to leave Oakland because people are getting shot, you know, out in broad daylight they're getting their cars stolen, that demands reaction or you are breeding reactionary forces politically. This is just about actually public safety. This is about protecting people. And it shouldn't be politicized.

BLACKWELL: All right, John -

WASHINGTON: I wouldn't -

BLACKWELL: Go ahead, quickly.

WASHINGTON: Yes. Oh, sorry, I was just going to say that, you know, it is true that this is about action, but I would think that the folks who are saying we have tried policing over and over again and our community still feels unsafe. We've increased the budget and are saying, what about these other methods that we haven't tried, we haven't invested in. Those are not people who don't care about safety.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WASHINGTON: Those are people that care deeply about their community. And I think sometimes we pinpoint those as individuals who do not care about keeping the streets that. And that's just not born out.

BLACKWELL: All right, Jessica, John, thank you.

HARLOW: Yes. And great reporting by Kyung. Our thanks to her.

Meantime, new CNN reporting shows House Republicans really eyeing seriously an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden in the fall.

BLACKWELL: And more than 300,000 Americans are waking up in the dark this morning after a powerful round of storms move through the East Coast. The impact on flights today. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:58:27]

BLACKWELL: Major League Baseball is handing down the punishments for benches clearing brawls on Thursday - or Saturday rather. The White Sox/Guardians game. Chicago's Tim Anderson received a six-game suspension and a fine for trading punches with Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez. He received a three-game ban and a fine. Now, both players are appealing and will still be allowed to play until a final decision is made.

In total, MLB punished eight people Monday, including both managers who each received a one game suspension and a fine. The White Sox and Guardians do not play each other again this season.

CNN THIS MORNING continues right now.

HARLOW: Good morning, everyone. So glad you're with us. Top of the hour. Victor Blackwell beside my side.

Good morning. BLACKWELL: Day two of five. Good to be here.

HARLOW: Day two of five. That's all I get, five days?

BLACKWELL: You get five later this month.

HARLOW: Then you're going to Beyonce.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I'm going to Beyonce.

HARLOW: I don't blame you.

BLACKWELL: Then I'll be back.

HARLOW: Let's get started with "5 Things" to know for this Tuesday, August 8th.

New this morning, the East Coast cleaning up after deadly storms. Trees are down, roads are blocked. Hundreds of thousands of people without power this morning. Already more than 300 flights cancelled.

BLACKWELL: Happening today, the police chief in Montgomery, Alabama, is set to reveal more information about the brawl that broke out on the city's river front. It started after a black dock worker was attacked by a group of white people. Now, so far, no arrests, but four warrants have been issued.

And right now, Los Angeles city workers are on a 24-hour strike. Eleven thousand workers, including sanitation workers and engineers and traffic officers and life guards all headed for the picket line. They say it's a fight for fair contracts.

[07:00:00]

HARLOW: Polls open now in Ohio. Voters there deciding whether to make it harder to amend their state's constitution. It's a -- basically a proxy fight over abortion.