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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Why Was Unarmed Teen Shot and Killed; Monkey Breeding Facility Proposed in Florida; Interview with Florida State Senator Dwight Bullard
Aired August 14, 2014 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Breaking news tonight. You are looking at live video. Live pictures right now. Protests going on all over the country to
try and come up with some answers to try and quell the chaos and the violence that has erupted in Missouri night after night after night.
Look at this. Last night cops launched flash bombs, tear gas, rubber bullets sending protesters running in what literally looks like it could be
a foreign war zone.
Tensions erupted over the death of an unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by a still unidentified police
officer. And the cops have also come under you might call it global criticism. So many people complaining they`re acting like an army fighting
an enemy, as opposed to policing fellow citizens. Look at the gear. We`re going to talk about that. Where did they get it from?
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re firing onto the crowd. Ouch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Stop throwing stuff in here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Angry protestors, police battling every night since Michael Brown was gunned down on Saturday. Twelve people arrested last
night.
Cops say crowds were hurling Molotov cocktails, also known as alcohol bombs. But protesters complain they were been treated like criminals while
they were just peacefully demonstrating.
Tonight, escalating controversy over journalists who say police aggressively shut them down. Look at this: cops literally taking down news
media equipment. Two journalists say they were roughed up and arrested inside a McDonald`s. One of them had the wits to videotape the
confrontation. Watch as a cop aggressively tries to detain him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have about 30 seconds. Let`s go. No time to ask questions. Let`s go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I move...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can move your car if your car is out here. Let`s go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. That`s what I was asking. You didn`t have time to answer...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s go. Let`s go. Let`s go. There`s a door over here. Let`s go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m going to watch this...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s go. You can move. Let`s go. Move. Let`s move. Let`s move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s move this way. Here`s the door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Even President Obama said it`s not OK to bully journalists. Cops adamantly denying a cover-up, yet they refuse to release
the name of the officer who pulled the trigger and killed Michael Brown.
I want to know what you think. Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
And please join the conversation by going to my Jane Velez-Mitchell Facebook page. Talk to me on Twitter. I want to hear from you. I`m going
to read your comments.
Our Lion`s Den panel fired up, ready to debate. And I want to start with - - let`s see, Areva Martin. Critics are calling it the militarization of American cops. They`re saying the cops in Ferguson -- and we`re going to
show you some video that we have of this. It`s extraordinary. They are armed with helmets, sniper rifles, flash bomb grenades. Tactical vehicles
designed for war.
And this, by the way, live pictures of protests outside the Ferguson Police Department going on right now. So we`re going to monitor that. We`re also
going to show you the military equipment that the local police is using and apparently, the U.S. military has been selling to local police departments.
Who knew? What the hell, Areva?
AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY: You know, Jane, I`m so upset by this whole entire case. I grew up in a town that`s literally three minutes from Ferguson,
Missouri, so I know first-hand the racial tension that exists in this -- you know, that community, those northern suburbs outside of St. Louis.
And the most important thing that`s happened today in this situation is the governor stepping up and pulling those Ferguson police officers out of that
situation. They forgot that they`re there to protect and serve, not to treat residents who have a lawful right to protest, like they are enemies
or like they are somehow the opposition.
And it`s just been embarrassing to watch the Ferguson Police Department, you know, prevent reporters, prevent protesters, civil rights leaders,
pastors from doing what we all have a constitutional right to do, which is to express our opinions, to voice our opinions in a lawful and peaceful
manner.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you`re looking at live aerials right now in Ferguson, Missouri. People gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department. The
numbers are growing, but you can see it`s peaceful. People milling about. People talking. People walking.
And what I find so extraordinary, and of all the things that I`ve heard -- and I want to throw it out to Pete Dominick, Sirius XM Host. To find out
our local police departments have been militarized over the last I don`t know how many years.
But there was a report on CNN that just had my jaw dropping, that they`re being given military equipment that may -- I don`t know if it`s not used
anymore because of our dwindling involvement in the Middle East, at least in terms of the massive numbers.
But why on earth are they running around with vehicles that are suited for war? And would that encourage people psychologically -- if you`ve got all
the war gear and the war gun and the war helmet -- to act like you`re fighting an enemy?
PETE DOMINICK, SIRIUS XM HOST: Well, when you dress like a clown, you act like a clown. When you dress like a warrior, you act like a warrior. And
that`s how they`re dressed.
And you have -- you`ve been hearing from veterans all over the country from all these latest -- our latest conflicts all the way back to Bosnia,
saying, "We didn`t have that equipment."
And by the way, what`s with the camouflage with all these police departments? These guys are in Ferguson, Missouri, and they`re dressed
like they`re fighting in the Korengal Valley. You`ve got to keep that money flowing, the industrial military complex is a huge, huge influence on
policy makers, but this is ridiculous. That any small town with a SWAT team should be up in arms, asking why do we need a SWAT team? Does my
grandma in Greene, New York, need to be reigned in? I mean, small towns and SWAT Teams are insane. What a waste of taxpayer money.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And what I find absolutely incredible.
BRIAN CLAYPOOL, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hey, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brian Claypool, I`ll throw this at you. Oh no, they can`t afford dash cams. You know, we wouldn`t be having this conversation,
probably, if there had been a dash cam video, if the cop had had a body camera, which is this big. No, they can`t afford that, OK, but they can
afford all this? Are you kidding me? Dash cam should be the law in every police...
DOMINICK: Badge cam. Badge cam.
CLAYPOOL: Hey Jane. Here`s...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Badge and dash.
CLAYPOOL: I`m a civil rights lawyer, by the way, and I`ve sued police departments throughout the state of California. And I will tell you, what
I`ve learned over the last seven years is we live in a different culture.
There`s a lot of violence in our culture, especially post-9/11. A lot of mass shootings. Police departments are not now what they were 10 or 15
years ago. They don`t walk around the neighborhoods having coffee with people. They are in a defense mode, trying to protect themselves. I`m not
saying this was a justified shooting, but you have to look at the circumstances of our society.
I had a case involving a cop. Look, I had a case where a cop used a submachine gun. That`s the society we live in right now. What we have to
focus on, though right now. What we have to focus on right now...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on, you made your point. Let somebody answer what you just said. That this is...
CLAYPOOL: ... adequate criminal investigation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let somebody answer what you just said, that they have justifiable. Hold on.
CLAYPOOL: We have statistics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it`s laughable to hear Brian say 15 years ago, you know, things are different; times are different. Fifteen years ago,
more than that, there was the violence in Los Angeles. There have been police brutality in black communities for decades. For decades. This is
the normal for black communities.
And these people, when I saw this footage -- this footage last night, I thought are they searching for weapons of mass destruction? Why is all
this military-style violence going down there? It creates the "us versus them" mentality. For Brian to say that, it`s a new day; it`s a new time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s not. Exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up in West Philadelphia. I was always policed. I was always pulled over by the police. When I saw cops in my
neighborhood, I ran. I was always afraid. And this is still happening in 2014. It`s the same time. We are not post-racial.
(CROSSTALK)
CLAYPOOL: It is not always a racial issue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is right now.
CLAYPOOL: I`ve had cases involving white people killed unarmed, Hispanics killed unarmed. It is the culture of violence that we`re living. Why is
this all about race all of a sudden?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one is about race.
MARTIN: Can I address...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me say one thing, because I want to bring in another aspect. Because I`m looking at Twitter and some people are not disagreeing
with the majority in the panel. They say, Twitter, "I think the people need to go home. Enough is enough."
So that leads me to believe that some people are still thinking about what happened in the early stages, which was unfortunately this spiraled out of
control. There was looting that occurred on the first night. Let`s revisit and then we`re going to debate that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just at the sporting goods store and then looked behind me and the shopping centers, at least three more stores being looted
at this point. We`re seeing a lot of windows being smashed, people running out with clothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Greg Kading, you`re a former LAPD detective, author of "murder wrap "you feel that very small percentage of the populous engaged
sort of provided the excuse for cops to say all right we`re going to lock this down, come what may.
GREG KADING, FORMER LAPD DETECTIVE: It`s double-edged sword for the police department. They`ve got their back up against the wall. They`re in a
situation where there is this perceived racial act. And maybe it was, maybe it wasn`t. We don`t know that right now, but it`s at least perceived
by a majority of the community.
They have to do something to protect property. You can`t allow the looting, and there`s a time when the police department has to take a stand.
It doesn`t look good. It doesn`t feel right, but it`s what needs to be done. You can`t have people just look at them standing out in the street,
blocking traffic, that type of thing. We need to have law.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Loni Coombs, there were people -- and we`re going to get to them in a second -- like an alderman, like the journalists -- the
journalist who we`re going to cover in a second. But this alderman who was arrested, he`s sitting in his car and they didn`t know he was an alderman.
He`s an African-American man sitting in his car. And next thing you know, he`s under arrest after doing nothing. He`s like what did I do? They said
you didn`t listen.
LONI COOMBS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, Jane, clearly a lot of these individual stories, it sounds like there was an over response. But
remember, they are with the mindset that the first day there was all that looting. There was violence; there were attacks on the police cars. They
don`t want that to happen again. So they asked yesterday, do not protest after dark. And a lot of these incidents...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But that`s not right. That`s not right to say in America do not protest after dark.
COOMBS: But Jane. Jane...
MARTIN: No, absolutely.
COOMBS: ... I understand. Wait a minute. I understand that everyone should be able to protest peacefully, but if you want law enforcement to be
able to keep control of things, when it gets dark it is so much more difficult for everyone to be able to know what`s going on in the dark.
That`s just reality.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s martial law. To me, that`s martial law. You know, I remember I went to Armenia -- Soviet Armenia back in the Soviet days when
I was a cub reporter. And there were guns and helmets on every corner. And we couldn`t go out after dark, and we were required to stay in our
hotel. And I said, "I want to get the hell out of here and get back to America."
We don`t want to live in a society where you can`t go out after dark and protest, because the cops say you can`t do that. You know, I mean, we`ve
got to come to some middle ground.
Now, a lot of things are changing. We`re going to have more live protests on the other side. Live. Los Angeles, St. Louis, Seattle. Union Square,
New York. Anonymous is calling for a day after rage rally in Los Angeles. The Ferguson Police Department is a site of a major protest right now.
Stay right there. We`re back in a second. This is happening now. It`s changing now. The big question is will tonight be peaceful? Will tonight
be a night of dialogue and chill? Or will it be this again?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the evening, oh it`s tear gas. You wouldn`t tell us. But you guys have nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell them to stand down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out there during the night I turns into a war zone. You haven`t heard -- you haven`t done anything since Sunday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Protests and demonstrations all over the country. You are looking at breaking news, live footage of demonstrations in Ferguson,
Missouri where this young man, Michael Brown, 18 years old, about to start college, unarmed, was shot by a police officer this past weekend. There
have been demonstrations, violent clashes every single night after that.
Now we`re going to go live to St. Louis proper where this all happened. It`s a short drive; it`s a suburb of St. Louis. We`re going to go to the
famous St. Louis Arch, the so-called gateway to the west. CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera is there with another live. It is not a protest
but it is a demonstration -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s being billed as a national moment of silence in honor of the teenager Michael Brown, who was killed last weekend
here in the St. Louis area here in the shadow of the St. Louis arch. There are about 500 or so people and more are starting to show up here at this
demonstration. And we`ve been told that the mother of Michael Brown will be here at some point. We haven`t seen her just yet. But it`s interesting
to point out there is an extremely diverse crowd that has shown up at this event in downtown St. Louis tonight. It has just started. We`ve heard at
times people chanting "justice for all" and more speakers continue to come up as more and more people fill in the square here in the shadow of the
arch -- Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I think you make a very good point, Ed, because we`re getting so many comment on Facebook from a diverse crowd. All sorts
of people worried, really, about a police state. Pat an Facebook, "Think we aren`t becoming a the police state? Think again."
Shannon on Facebook: "Cops need to realize they`re just human beings in uniform. They are not gods."
Shirley on Facebook: "This is disgusting. Last time I looked this is the United States of America. What happened to our right to peaceful protest?"
So I think that that has really hit a nerve, Pete Dominick, Sirius XM host. It`s hit a nerve. Well, this young man died tragically but it`s bigger.
It`s that every citizen, if police, local police have the power to say -- and I want to show some more video. This is a live protest, but I want so
show more video of all that tactical weaponry and all of the military garb that they were wearing over the last couple of nights and the firing of the
military style ordnance, really, that people are saying my gosh, they could decide at any time, "You ain`t getting out of your houses or you`re not
walking out at night" and we could be living in some kind of a police state.
DOMINICK; Well, I don`t want to get too carried away with, you know, that we`re living in some kind of a police state, but what`s happening in
Ferguson right now, these cops. I mean these pictures say a thousand different words and things. In Afghanistan they`re not allowed to point
their guns unless there`s a threat. These guys are pointing their guns , automatic machine guns. International warfare you`re not even allowed to
use this type of tear gas. They`re knocking down cameras in a no fly zone at one point so we couldn`t see what was happening.
I mean, this is just ridiculous, and these police officers in Ferguson, which you know, is a 67 percent of the population is African-American, is
black. I`m a white guy, and I`m afraid of the police. I can only imagine what these black folks have been feeling all over this country for their
entire lives. This is a huge issue.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think it goes way beyond race. Frankly, the journalists, and I`ve been a journalist for decades out in the field. I`ve
never had -- I`ve never been arrested. I`ve never been arrested for covering a story, but now it seems journalists covering the riots in
Ferguson last night became the targets of police.
Two reporters covering the story were arrested when they were inside a very calm McDonald`s that happened to be in the region. They were charging
their batteries. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The officer who banged my head up against the glass was a St. Louis County officer who refused to identify himself over a dozen
times after I was arrested. And all of the officers who were surrounding him, who were from multiple jurisdictions, also refused in any way to give
me any sort of name or badge number or any information about the person who assaulted me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now the reporter had the smarts to videotape the confrontation but we don`t know that that particular officer is the one who
bashed his head, allegedly, against the glass and then sarcastically said, "Oops, I`m sorry."
But I want to go to Greg Kading, former LAPD detective. You know, I`m a big fan of police in general. I like to be safe. I have called police
when I have felt unsafe a couple of times over the course of my life, and I was happy that they showed up. I`m not an enemy of the police but I am
scared when I see police looking more like soldiers in a war zone.
KADING: Well first of all Jane, we`ve been inheriting military equipment into law enforcement for decades. You know, it gets salvaged; it gets
passed on. And we adopt it. It`s something that has been going on forever. So we shouldn`t be shocked by seeing these guys wearing this type
of tactile gear.
There are times in law enforcement where you need that type of gear. Think about the Bank of America shooting in the valley in Los Angeles years ago
where people came out with automatic weapons. So it is offensive to see, but it`s necessary in certain situations.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But is this one -- in this one is it necessary?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jane, it`s not.
KADING: Absolutely I believe it is necessary. And here is why. I believe it is necessary because you have a riotist situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No you don`t.
KADING: The first night was a night of looting. Listen the first night was a night of looting. They can`t let that happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are they pointing guns? Why are they pointing guns at people?
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... him finish his point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are they pointing their guns? Why are they...
KADING: Because -- made a good point. The day before people were shooting at police helicopters above them. You need this equipment. And by the
way...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Guy, I got to shut it down. Because I can`t -- people complain when everybody -- I get in trouble when everybody talks at once.
Do you want to know the truth? That`s it. I want to go to Areva Martin, and then we`ll continuing opening it up. Your comments.
MARTIN: Jane, I think you have to be able to make the distinction between those people who are looting and those people who are engaged in peaceful
protest. And it`s not fair to lump everyone together.
I had friends, I had relatives, civil rights leaders, pastors out on those streets who were not looting, who were not creating trouble. And you have
to be able to distinguish between those groups.
And also I just want to say to the person on Twitter that said get over it, don`t come out and protest, if we didn`t protest the rights that African-
Americans, Latino-Americans, gay people, all kinds of people enjoy are because people have the courage and the guts to get out and protest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the other side, we`re going to go to more live protests coast to coast. Moments of silence, marches, protests from New York to
L.A. to the famous arch, the Gateway to the West. People are up in arms. What`s going to happen tonight?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to know if I was going to be gassed again like I was on Monday night. And I was dutiful (ph). And we couldn`t
get out. And we were bruised (ph), and I just want to know if I`m going to be gassed again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it goes. They are firing onto the crowd. Ouch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was a war zone in Ferguson, Missouri, last night, police clashing with protestors. They are calling for calm tonight, and
there are peaceful demonstrations all over the country. This in Los Angeles, organized apparently by the hacker group, the collective hacker
group called Anonymous. They were calling for a rage rally in Los Angeles at this park, but it seems very, very peaceful.
Meanwhile, this group Anonymous says it released, or reportedly said it released a name of the officer who shot Michael Brown dead, but the police
officials say no, they got the name wrong. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess it`s Anonymous put out a name this morning. Ryan something. That`s -- that is not -- that is not the name. And
they`re taking the name of everybody and throwing it out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Cops will not release the name of the officer who shot Michael Brown. They have also not said how many times Michael Brown
was shot, how many bullets entered his body.
There are so many unanswered questions. A lot of people think that that is fueling the rage and the confrontations.
In fact I`m holding in my hands a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri demanding the incident report. Any time we
cover crime every day of the week. Any time there is an incident we can almost immediately get an incident report. This happened on Saturday. It
is already the end of the week. We still don`t have a police report.
Clay Cane, BET, do you think there is something wrong with -- do you think all that secrecy is fuelling the fire?
CLAY CANE, BET: Definitely. Especially when you have right after the incident, you had eye witnesses saying what was really happening, what was
really going on. That he put his hands up. That he said "I am unarmed" and they allegedly shoot him six times and he`s lying dead in the street
bleeding to death.
And then allegedly these cops say that didn`t happen. So when you have a media eye witness account saying what they saw happen and the cops are
denying it, then we have to see more facts. We have to see more truth.
And also these comments oh we can`t release the officer`s name because he`ll be in danger. There have been plenty of officers who have shot
unarmed teens and their names came out and they were ok and weren`t charged with anything.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let go on the phone lines because -- well, let me read this. Linda on Facebook says "Let the justice system try this. Then if
you don`t like the verdict, protest. Meanwhile law enforcement is still investigating. Let them." So the reason I`m reading these Facebook
comments and we also have Twitter comments -- my Twitter followers get upset with me if I don`t discuss the Twitter comments.
But I mean -- I think Loni Coombs, former prosecutor. We don`t want to be in a bubble here. We are having this conversation but the rest of America
is having a totally different conversation.
COOMBS: Well look, you know, there is both sides and it is very clear that an investigation has to be done. It takes time do these types of
investigations. We don`t want to rush to judgment on either side. That is what we always complain about. So it does take time.
But on the other hand, like you said, there is usually at least the basics that come out at this point. Now, honestly if the basics were revealed
tomorrow by the police chief I still don`t think people would be happy because of what they know already about the situation. This has stirred up
into a bigger storm here that`s going on because it`s touched the nerve of ongoing tensions in that community. That`s what we`re seeing here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. I want to just very quickly go to Eric, Alabama -- your quick comment. You`ve been waiting so long -- Eric.
ERIC, ALABAMA (via telephone): Yes, ma`am. Thank you and I do agree with you as far as why the riots and everything is happening. Answers not being
answered -- a lot of questions that`s going on and no answers and no police reports. You have a very keen eye witness who was there, the best friend.
Nobody as far as the proper authorities have properly interviewed him.
So of course, you`re going to have a lot of run-ins, you`re going to have a lot of frustration, a lot of feelings because everybody is in an outrage
and still no one has answered the question of why he really shot the teenager. He did claim that he was --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. Now, Eric, I want to say you raised some excellent points.
On the other side of the break we`re going to hear from a new witness who says she saw it all. Stay right there. She`s speaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sat and watched snipers from the top of armored cars train their sights on demonstrators. When that happens and when people see
it happen, it agitates them, completely reasonably. I don`t think there is anyone really who could experience that and not come away from it a little
shaken.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was last night and it seems like the whole nation`s shaken up by what they saw last night happen in Ferguson, Missouri. And
the big question what is going to happen tonight? But now there are protest demonstrations coast to coast and we`re bringing them to you live
as they come in.
Meanwhile brand new cell phone video shows the officers keeping Michael Brown`s relative -- there is a relative here who is trying to see Michael
Brown`s body. He is kept away from the body in the hours after the shooting. There you see -- there you see that person being pushed away.
People say the cops left the teen`s dead bloody body in the street for several hours. And now a brand new witness has come forward saying the
struggle began at the police car window.
Listen and then we`ll debate it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw the officer pulling him in and I saw him try to pull away. I didn`t get the video because a shot was fired through the
window. The kid he finally gets away and he starts running. As he runs the police get out of his vehicle and he follows behind him shooting. And
the kid`s body jerked as if he was hit from behind. And he turned around and he puts his hands up like this and the cop continued to fire until he
just dropped down to the ground and his face just smacks the concrete.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So Greg Kading, you are a former LAPD detective. Are you allowed to shoot at somebody who`s fleeing? What is the criteria for when
a police officer can shoot?
KADING: Well you can shoot at a fleeing felon when his escape would endanger the community. Evidently, that doesn`t appear to be the case here
but there are situations in which it is appropriate to shoot at a fleeing suspect if his escape is going to further endanger people.
In this case it just looked like the tactics of the police officer went horribly awry. You just don`t make contact with people like that sitting
in your police car. You separate yourself from that and I think that is where the problem started here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Areva Martin I think there had been some initial reports that seemed to have a gone away that maybe they were shoplifting
gum or cigarette -- gum or cigarettes but it seems most likely that they were just jaywalking. They were just walking in the middle of the street.
MARTIN: Yes, it seems like the most credible eyewitness testimony Jane says that these two guys were just walking in the street and the police
asked them to get on to the sidewalk and then used, you know, a curse word or a profane word towards them and then this altercation happened.
What really I think strikes at the core of this community and those of us who believe in our civil liberties is that this young man was running away
hands up saying that he was unarmed, trying to prevent and deescalate the situation and the police officer continued to shoot at him.
And we just can`t imagine 35 feet away why this young man`s body is laying and the police officer, you know, shot him so many times. Body in the
street not covered like he was an animal. And that is what`s so disturbing about this. And the racial tension in that community is erupting because
of the way police officers in those small towns treat African-Americans. It is just reprehensible.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the other side -- thank you Areva. On the other side, we are going to talk about what has been done now. The President has
weighed in, the governor of Missouri and there`s a new person in charge of police security tonight. You are going to meet him on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just got another call stating that as the officer involved shooting at Camfield and Copper Creek. I don`t know who called it
in. It was called into my desk. We`re just getting the information from the news and we just called Ferguson back again and they don`t know
anything about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you go and expedite, this is in reference to an officer-involved shooting out of Ferguson and I believe 2190 just said that
they had more shots fired in the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So things have been changing. The President, the governor, everybody trying to figure how can we calm things down. Moments
ago the governor announced he is putting an African-American captain from the highway patrol, the Missouri Highway Patrol in charge of security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. RONALD S. JOHNSON, MISSOURI HIGHWAY PATROL: I grew up here and this is currently my community and my home. Therefore it means lot to me
personally that we break this cycle of violence, fears of tension and build trust showing the utmost respect for every interaction with every citizen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Pete Dominick, smart move?
DOMINICK: Absolutely smart move. But I have to say something. You know, we started this hour and Brian Claypool who`s on this panel made a very
irresponsible statement. I want to correct him because he`s entitled to his opinion but not facts. Crime in America is down -- way down every
year. We are s safer than we`ve ever been. We talk a lot about these issues on shows like yours Jane, as we should. But it doesn`t mean they`re
happening more.
That`s a fact. You can`t debate it. And if you think -- if you are upset that a few black people by the way are looting, you know, stealing sneakers
and stereos but you are not upset about all the white people who looted our futures, our investments and savings you have been duped.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to give Brian Claypool an opportunity to respond.
(CROSSTALK)
CLAYPOOL: What does that have to do with what we`re talking about right now? What I`m trying to tell you is that I`ve handled these --
DOMINICK: Violent crime is down.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let him finish.
CLAYPOOL: -- I`ve handled these cases. Let me finish. I`ve handled these cases for seven years. You need to allow the investigation take its
course.
DOMINICK: Fine, I agree.
CLAYPOOL: You need to study the autopsy report. You need to study the ballistics. You need to study the medical evidence.
DOMINICK: I agree. What are you talking about Brian?
CLAYPOOL: You need to study the distance. Let me finish.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let Brian finish. Then you can have your chance.
CLAYPOOL: All I`m telling you is it is not always racial. You need to look at what happened. For example, is there any DNA transfer from Michael
Brown on to a holster of the police officer? Let it take its course.
DOMINICK: Brian. Violent crime in America is at its lowest point in decades. You said it was up. Yes or no?
CLAYPOOL: I don`t recall saying that but I know (inaudible) police officers have been killed.
DOMINICK: You opened that way.
CLAYPOOL: 67 police officers have been killed this year in the line of duty.
DOMINICK: That doesn`t mean that violent crime is up. Rape murder and assaults is down.
CLAYPOOL: Let me ask you a question. Do you think this is a responsible way of making change in our society by looting and shooting at officers?
Do you think that`s responsible? Answer that.
DOMINICK: You went on national television and said to a audience that crime is up since 9/11. You are wrong.
CLAYPOOL: You can`t answer that question because this is not the way to make change.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Guys -- guess what; I`m going to have to break it up. Obviously you guys disagree. And you know, we can bring the
statistics of crime into another day`s discussion.
I want to get back to what I call the prevention of the next incident. We only have a couple of seconds. I think nationally we need every single
police car to have a dash cam. I think we need every single police officer to have a badge cam. Had those two simple things been in place and the
technology is cheap. Just like I can keep track of my elderly mother on my cell phone because I put a little camera there to watch her at all times,
we could have solved all this with a very cheap piece of technology.
And that`s what gets me upset. Instead of spending tens of thousands maybe millions of dollars on all this gear, ok, if we had just taken the time to
be proactive and say, you know what, we would know exactly what happened had this officer been equipped with a badge cam, had this vehicle -- this
police vehicle been equipped with a dash cam. Let`s help technology help police not create situations like this. It is the 21st century.
Stay right there. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news tonight in a crucial story that`s hard to look at. But this is what experimentation on monkeys looks like. This
file footage is from Britain where there is much protest over using primates in experimentation.
Now, right now in Hendry County, Florida there`s a plan to open a new facility to breed thousands of monkeys for laboratory experimentation.
Tonight: new concerns about where those monkeys would come from. This is undercover video of monkeys captured from the wild in Mauritius, off the
coast of Africa.
Animal Defenders International filmed this video claiming monkeys like these will be brought from here to that Florida facility. The company
building the Florida facility has issued a strong statement insisting they will not be importing the monkeys from that Mauritian company featured in
this undercover video.
So where are they going to get more than 3,000 monkeys? That`s just one of the many questions. But despite repeated attempts, we have not been able
to reach the company. They are invited on this show anytime.
Here`s what monkeys look like free in the wild. Officials in Hendry County, Florida which is where this is being built told us they would
forward our request to the company. But they refuse to give us a phone number. There are several corporate entities on paperwork related to this
planned facility. We can`t reach any of them. We`ve also gotten the run around from various government agencies about who`s vetting potential
safety issues surrounding thousands of monkeys brought to Florida.
Monkeys can carry diseases, herpes b, tuberculosis and ebola virus. The company says it`s committed to safety and monkey importers must satisfy
rigorous U.S. government testing and regulations.
Straight out to Florida Senator Dwight Bullard whose district includes Hendry County. Senator, thanks for joining us sir. You`ve expressed
concerns about the proposed facility. What are your concerns and what are you calling for?
DWIGHT BULLARD, FLORIDA STATE SENATOR: Well, naturally my concerns are several, Jane. And I want to thank you for really bringing this story to
light. The reality is that there are several concerns, many economic as well as safety concerns that are tied to the opening of this facility in
Hendry County. We refer to Hendry County in the state of Florida as a fiscally constrained county, meaning that it`s poor. It`s one of our
poorer counties out of our 67.
And as the state senator for that area naturally economic development and job creation is important. But it cannot come at the expense of the
residents of Hendry County. So what I`m calling on is the company, Primara (ph), to host and have a public meeting with all state and federal agencies
that will be involved in the safety, the care, the looking after these primates during their time at the facility.
And the reality is this. Some of those agencies didn`t know that this was even happening. Some of those agencies did not know who to call if
something were to take place. What we`re talking about 3,000 primates. If two of three of them get loose, what does that mean to the surrounding
counties? What does that mean to population centers like Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade in terms of potential outbreak? Or what does it
mean in terms of mosquitoes interacting with these primates and then carrying any particular viruses to other points in the state of Florida.
Florida is a state of 19 million people. 19 million people that unknowingly didn`t know they were putting themselves at risk. And until
some of those safety concerns are addressed and some of the oversight concerns are addressed, I definitely believe that Primara and Hendry County
need to put a pause on the establishment of that facility.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to state a couple of things. Once again, the company is invited on our show anytime. We`ve been efforting getting their
side of the story. We want to hear from them.
By the way, this is generic file footage of monkeys, thousands of monkeys again reportedly said to be brought over to be bred in this Florida
facility. The company statement says they have fulfilled all necessary environmental impact and survey requirements to obtain permitting. Hendry
County says they only addressed land use, zoning, drainage.
So I guess the big question is what agency is looking at vetting all the safety issues? Because we tried to nail that down from various state and
federal officials, and one agency kept pointing to the next to the next to the next. So do you hope this public hearing that you`re calling for to
which the public is invited will answer some of those questions?
BULLARD: Absolutely. That`s the hope. The reality is we want to put all those folks in a room together. That way they can`t continue to point
fingers or pass the buck. We want our state Department of Environmental Protection, we want our Department of Agriculture, we want the USDA -- we
want all of the potentially involved entities to be involved in the discussion. But more importantly, we want the public there.
For the thousands of residents of Hendry County, the idea that you`re opening a facility that could put them at direct risk without public input,
without a referendum, without so much as a heads up should raise levels of concern.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Senator, I want to say that once again we`ve been efforting the company`s side of the story. They insist that there is no
risk involved, that there is a government oversight vetting, quarantining, testing.
But I want to thank you for coming on. I want to stay on top of this story. Please let us know when you get all those people together because
we want to be at that hearing, Senator.
Thank you.
Nancy is next.
END
