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Stanford Rape Case; Police Officer Armed with Compassion; Muhammad Ali Farewell; Remembering Muhammad Ali. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 10, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:08] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Vice President Joe Biden adding his voice to the millions around the world coming out in support of that rape victim at Stanford University. In an open letter, the vice president writes, in part, "I am in awe of your courage for speaking out, for so clearly naming the wrongs that were done to you and so passionately, asserting your equal claim to human dignity. And I am filled with furious anger both that this happened to you and that our culture is still so broken that you were ever put in the position of defending your own worth. It must have been wrenching to relive what he did to you all over again. But you did it anyway, in the hope that your strength might prevent this crime from happening to someone else. Your bravery is breathtaking. You are warrior with a solid steel spine."

More than a million people have now signed a petition to remove the judge in that case, Aaron Persky, from the bench for giving the convicted rapist, Brock Turner, only a six month sentence. Turner could be out in as little as three months.

Joining us now to talk about this is Stanford University law professor and friend of the survivor, Michele Landis Dauber, and Mo Ivory, attorney, radio personality and adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law.

Ladies, thank you so much for being here. This case continues with developments every single day.

Mo, I want to start with you. As an attorney, when a sentence is so out of the bounds in terms of what is customary, that this judge gave this rapist six months as opposed to the two years mandatory minimum sentence in state prison, is there a process by which that sentence can be overturned, appealed or changed?

MO IVORY, ATTORNEY & RADIO PERSONALITY: No. The only method that can go about appealing is the defense, which, of course, is Brock Turner's family, who will appeal both his conviction and his sentence, with the information that we have right now. There is no way to do anything legally about what the judge did, which is within his discretion, to give a sentence that he thinks is appropriate under California law. So we need to really dismiss the notion that he will get more time or that you can go back into court and fight for him to get a harsher sentence. That part of the trial is over. The only appeal will come from the defense. The only actions that can be taken now are to try to do all the things that they're trying to do to the judge, recall him, impeach him, censure him, you know, push on him to resign. But as far as inside of the sentence, it's over.

CAMEROTA: Yes. And we'll get to those recall efforts in a moment. But first I want to just talk about some of the maddening details that have come forward in terms of this perpetrator. The probation officer, professor, suggested that Brock Turner be spared prison. She concluded he was not a danger to the community. How can someone conclude that when someone has been convicted of raping someone who is unconscious?

MICHELE LANDIS DAUBER, STANFORD UNIVERSITY LAW PROFESSOR: Yes, I agree completely, and I think that's exactly why the sentence was far too lenient. I just want to point out that regardless of whatever the probation department recommends or doesn't, California law commits that decision to the discretion of the judge. The judge cannot pass the buck to the probation department. It was his call. And that's why we're working to recall him. We have an official website, recallaaronpersky.com. And if your viewers are interested in participating in this effort, they should go to that website where they can sign up and donate.

CAMEROTA: And change.org, obviously, has a - this recall petition. It is at more than a million supporters at this hour.

DAUBER: I - yes, those are wonderful ways to express outrage and I'm glad that people are doing that, but those petitions are completely unrelated to the official California election. We have a highly skilled team of national political leaders and consultants who have joined with us and we have an official recall campaign, which is an election campaign, and we are going to put this before the voters because we need a judge in that chair who understands sexual violence and understands violence against women and will follow the law.

CAMEROTA: Mo, this perpetrator was depicted during sentencing and throughout the trial as a star swimmer at Stanford, as somebody who was from a small town, he didn't quite understand, you know, the partying culture of college, he said. Well, now the prosecutor's file has been released to the public, 471 pages, and there's a lot of stuff coming out now about the perpetrator. He - in fact, there's this photo that has been released of him holding what appears to be a bong, smoking pot. He sent texts about buying and doing acid. He sent texts about buying other drugs, wanting to take ecstasy and LSD. So should the judge have taken all of that into account, or are those things separate when sentencing someone for rape?

[08:35:15] IVORY: No, the judge was listening to all the sentencing memos. The sentencing memo from the prosecution, as well as the sentencing memo from the defense, which we see now that the documents have been released, that they're in stark contrast to each other. Really, who is Brock Turner? Is he this kid in high school who was wild and crazy and took those same behaviors to college? Or was he this saint swimmer who was on his way to the Olympics? I think that both sides painted a very different picture of him. But we know, in the end, that in the discretion of the judge, he read both of those sentencing memos, and he decided that he only needed to sentence this particular young man to six months for raping a woman. CAMEROTA: Very quickly, professor, I know you talk to the survivor

every day. What's her response to the outpouring that this case has created?

DAUBER: Well, you know, she's obviously very disappointed in the sentence, and very angry that the judge did not listen to her, and wasn't moved by her statement, in spite of the fact that millions of other people were. I think she's gratified by the support she's receiving from the community, but it doesn't make it better that she was ignored, her rights were ignored and her pain was ignored by Judge Aaron Persky, which is why we're going to recall him here in California.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

IVORY: Yes.

CAMEROTA: We know that Sanford's commencement is this weekend and obviously we've heard from some students that there do plan to be protests. We will be following that. Mo Ivory, Professor Dauber, thank you very much for the updates.

IVORY: Thank you.

DAUBER: Thank you.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: It's a tough situation.

All right, another story for you this morning. A police officer diffuses a dangerous situation and he took some unusual measures to make that happen. We're going to show you how he went "Beyond the Call of Duty," next.

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[08:40:33] CAMEROTA: The called described an autistic teenager with a history of violent behavior, possibly suicidal. Officer Tom Purdy arrives on the scene and calms the situation in a way you'd never believe. CNN's Martin Savidge shows us how he went "Beyond the Call of Duty."

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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the first time Officer Tim Purdy and 18-year-old Jerimiah Glover have seen one other since that dangerous day.

OFFICER TIM PURDY, CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT: Long time no see.

JERIMIAH GLOVER: Yes.

PURDY: You been doing all right?

J. GLOVER: Yes.

PURDY: Yes.

SAVIDGE: And this is the first time Jerimiah's mom has seen the now famous photo.

MS. GLOVER, JERIMIAH'S MOM: Wow.

SAVIDGE: And this is what happened.

DISPATCHER: This is 911.

SAVIDGE: May 12th, North Carolina, Charlotte. Jerimiah's mother calls 911 to report her autistic son missing. He's got a history of violence, maybe suicidal.

MS. GLOVER, JERIMIAH'S MOM (voice-over): We were doing good and I don't know what happened today.

SAVIDGE: Purdy, a 22-year police veteran, just starting his day. On the radio, he already hears two fellow officers have found Jerimiah, but he reads something else in their voices.

PURDY: You know what, let me just kind of head that way and see if I might be able to help out a little bit.

SAVIDGE: Driving up, he sees the officers physically struggling to restrain the teen.

PURDY: I pulled right here -

SAVIDGE: And senses it's about to go very bad. His next move is remarkable.

PURDY: So as I - I approached them, I just kind of got down on my knees, you know, and tried to get to his level.

SAVIDGE (on camera): What did you talk about after that?

PURDY: Football, the Panthers.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): The explosive situation turned into a conversation. A fellow officer was so moved by the scene, he took a photo. It went viral.

SAVIDGE (on camera): So tell me this. Was the getting down on his level training, or something you have just learned?

PURDY: Just something that I've learned over the years.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Jerimiah's distraught mom remembers racing up, fearing the worst.

MS. GLOVER: The officer definitely was on his level, sitting with him, communicating, and my son was safe.

SAVIDGE: Purdy is overwhelmed by all of the attention, saying he knows other cops do similar things daily without any recognition. PURDY: There you go. Leave one good one, brother.

SAVIDGE: What could have gone wrong, has turned out more than all right. Thanks to a police officer who showed up armed with compassion.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Charlotte.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Martin Savidge, thank you so much for bringing us that story. That officer certainly went "Beyond the Call of Duty."

So every year thousands of kids age out of the U.S. foster care system and many of them just have nowhere to go. But in Los Angeles, this week's CNN Hero, Georgie Smith, is working to change that, transforming makeshift living spaces into real homes. Take a look.

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GEORGIE SMITH, CNN HERO: This population is the most likely to become homeless and to become incarcerate and to be jobless. The odds are stacked high against them and they finally get to that amazing place of having their own space, because they've never had their own home, and then they're sleeping on the floor.

We need to lift them up and create this foundation from which they can thrive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Imagine be alone at such a young age. To see how Georgie she former foster kids a real chance for success, go to cnnheroes.com. And while you're there, feel free to nominate someone that you think should be a 2016 CNN Hero.

All right, it is a tough day, but for many it's going to be recognizing the best of us. Just minutes away from the final goodbye for the GOAT, the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali. Coming up, we're going to talk to two men who knew him like few others did, including the five-time heavyweight camp Evander Holyfield. There's the camp. Good to see you, sir. We'll be with you, next.

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[08:48:23] CAMEROTA: A final goodbye to the greatest. In just a few minutes, a procession will take Muhammad Ali's body through the streets of his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, one last time. CNN's Martin Savidge is live outside Ali's childhood home where crowds are gathering, as we can see behind you, Martin. Tell us the scene.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alisyn.

You know, it's a festive scene out here. It's not a time of mourning. In fact, the family has said that. No, this is - this is a day to celebrate Muhammad Ali. And, in fact, many people are doing just that. They've gathered already along the procession route. They've staked out their favorite spot from the chair. Some have got coolers. Lots have got family. Everyone has a story they tell about their personal interaction with Muhammad Ali.

And that's the thing. Everybody says he was so accessible, which is why this procession is so important. Muhammad Ali wanted this. Essentially, even after he passed, he wanted to take one more drive around his hometown so he could say goodbye and they could say goodbye to him. The whole world, media is here, and people from around the world have come as well. And then there is, of course, that very public service that will take place at 2:00, but there aren't any tickets. So the last chance to say goodbye will be on the streets of Louisville.

Chris.

CUOMO: Martin, it is just beginning there. And, of course, there's only such a skinny, skinny slice of people that can get to that actual house in Louisville. Around the world, this is going to be regarded as a very important day.

Let's talk to two people who knew the champ inside and outside the ring. We've got five time heavyweight champ Evander, the real deal, Holyfield, and Muhammad Ali biographer Thomas Hauser, author of the new book "Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to the Greatest."

Gentlemen, thank you very much. It's good to have you with us here on this day.

[08:50:05] Champ, what do you want people to know about Muhammad Ali?

EVANDER HOLYFIELD, FIVE-TIME HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION BOXER: Well, Ali was great man. He's a man that, you know, had character, that wanted - wanted you to be better. He inspired hope.

CUOMO: In the ring, what did he mean to you in terms of what he represented in the sweet science?

HOLYFIELD: Well, it meant a lot. You know, as eight years old, when I was told that I could be like Ali. He was great. He was a man who backed up what he said and engaged you, a goal (ph) to shoot at.

CUOMO: What made him the best, the GOAT, when it came to boxing?

HOLYFIELD: Well, he - you know, he strived. He was - his - he was a man that, you know, stood up - stood up when it was - it wasn't comfortable or fashion (ph) enough to do so. But this is what he did, and he - he backed up what he said.

CUOMO: What I love about hearing from Evander about Ali is, I'm talking to him about boxing, but by reflex his instincts go beyond that, go to the greatness of this man outside the ring.

Tom, you talk about Ali as a warrior who became a prophet of peace. It's interesting, I don't think we know anybody else who you see their greatness in one area, but it becomes melded with another the way it is with Ali. THOMAS HAUSER, AUTHOR, "MUHAMMAD ALI: HIS LIFE AND TIMES": Well,

that's true. And listening to Evander just now, and seeing the sadness in his eyes, I would urge him to move towards a time of celebration. And I was thinking back to a time when Muhammad called me on Christmas to wish me a Merry Christmas. I know Evander is just devoted in his faith as Ali was in his. Muhammad called to wish me a Merry Christmas. And I said, think about that for a minute. And Muslim calling a Jew to wish him well on a Christian holiday. And Muhammad said, well, you know, we're all trying to get to the same place. And that's a good message for everybody today.

CUOMO: How do you see Ali's motivations, inside the ring and outside the ring, with his work around the world? What was similar? What was different?

HAUSER: Muhammad said that his boxing was simply a platform for what came later in life. Now, in truth, it was the foundation of everything he did. It's ironic, really, that the foundation of this man who became the embodiment of peace and love for several generations was violence. But that's how it started. But he transcended that. He was a beacon of hope for oppressed people all over the world when he refused induction into the United States Army.

CUOMO: Very controversial. It wasn't today, it wasn't these sets of politics and sensitivities that we have today when he did that.

HAUSER: Although you'd have the same thing today if someone who was very strident and their adherence to the Islamic faith and supported not orthodox Islam, but say somebody - if you had an American superstar who supported al Qaeda, or ISIS, which is really the way people looked at Ali in the early 1960s when he adhered to nation of Islam doctrine, which is very different from the Islam that Ali ultimately embraced.

You know, one of the sad things is people say Ali stood up for his principles, but they don't understand what his principles were back then and how they evolved. At one point he believed in a set of principles that Arthur Ashe (ph) referred to as a form of American apartheid, and the journey that Ali took and the journey that America took to wind up together is something that should be studied by everybody. It's important to get through these times.

CUOMO: Tom pointed out something that we can see here, people can see at home. Evander, you're trying to have a smile on your face, but this is a hard day. What did Ali mean to you and how are you doing in terms of dealing with the fact that he's not with us here anymore?

HOLYFIELD: Well, it's - it's a bittersweet type situation, meaning that he set goals for people to achieve. And - but, you know, at some point in time, you know, for everybody, they have a day that they have to meet the maker. And I'm - and he left - he left a legacy.

CUOMO: Will there be another like Ali?

HOLYFIELD: I think - I think that's the whole goal. The goal in life is to inspire somebody to be better. CUOMO: What mattered more to you, how great he was inside the ring or

outside?

HOLYFIELD: Well, all of them worked together (INAUDIBLE) interchangeable. You know, as a kid, you know, I - you know, at eight years old, I just seen a fighter. And - but in 1996, in the Olympics, you know, you felt that he was - he was bigger than - he was more than a fighter. He - this man did all this great work (INAUDIBLE) the people.

[08:55:07] CUOMO: You know, look, as you know, we've met before. I've been a student of you for a long time. And there is a quality that is very similar. You changed styles. You changed as you phased through your championships what you had to do. So did Ali. He had different pressure on him, right, when he took his stance about the war. He wound up being out of the game for two plus years. He was lightning fast before. He became a slugger after. Did you respect that transformation in him, and what did that take for him as a fighter?

HOLYFIELD: Well, it takes a lot, you know. The fact of the matter, in any situation, you know, it start this way and then turn to the right, and turn to the left. But the person who don't quit is the one that's eventually rise to the top and - and it's the same thing that I've learned. If you - if you don't quit, eventually you'll win.

CUOMO: But it's easy to say, it's hard to do. You've done it brilliantly and so did your mentor, Muhammad Ali, inside and outside the ring. Champ, thank you for the perspective. I'm sorry for your loss. Thomas, the same regards to you. I know you were close to Ali. I look forward to the new book and reading after I process the current events. Thanks for helping us understand this giant a little bit better.

HAUSER: Thank you for having me.

CUOMO: It's just the beginning. Please stay with CNN for coverage of Muhammad Ali's funeral and the memorial service. We'll begin our coverage at 1:30 Eastern.

"Newsroom" with John Berman, who's in for Costello, is going to begin right after this break. Have a good weekend.

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