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PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton - Season 15 - Episode 04
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00:01good evening and welcome to politics nation tonight's lead trump versus the world
00:20i am in washington dc tonight getting ready to celebrate the life of dr martin luther king jr
00:28feeling hopeful for the future but admittedly weary tonight because in city after city i see
00:37americans civil rights being tested by the trump administration's crackdowns and ground zero for
00:45that test is the twin cities area right now where the washington post is reporting the president is
00:53considering sending as many as 1500 soldiers according to anonymous defense officials in
01:01addition minnesota says it has its national guard on standby that news follows a weekend of clashes in
01:10downtown minneapolis between right wing and anti-ice protesters this as the trump administration is
01:18digging in and refusing to investigate the killing of renee good by an ice agent meanwhile the president
01:27is preparing to address the world economic leaders in davos switzerland this week in attendance will be
01:35representatives of the eu countries he just slapped with new tariffs over greenland as trump demands that
01:44denmark hand over the territory to the united states but we start today in minneapolis joining me now is
01:52ms now national reporter rosa flores rosa you've been on the ground all weekend what are you hearing from
02:01community leaders as you monitor the situation on the ground
02:07you know rev i've been talking to contacts to sources to people here on the ground and
02:12i keep on hearing about the human impact here uh i asked one person to describe what's really
02:20happening in this community and some of the somali community and and the latino community and and they said
02:25that the to use the word fear is an understatement they said it's a nightmare in some of these communities
02:33and
02:33i asked well what's the worst part can you describe what the worst part is and what they said
02:38was think and frank in 1942 there's just so many people rev who are in their homes in hiding afraid
02:48to go outside because of the enhanced immigration enforcement that is going on here in this city dhs
02:55telling telling us that it's the largest operation in dhs history they won't go into the details about
03:01how many federal agents are actually in this community now mayor fry says that it could be
03:08about 3 000 but dhs says that 3 000 is the number of individuals who have been arrested so far
03:14since
03:15this operation started a few weeks ago but rev there are so many layers to this story mayor fry of
03:22course
03:22standing up speaking out against uh these enforcement actions and and and standing side by side with
03:31leaders in this community and community leaders speaking out about ice being in the in these
03:36communities but as you know he's been targeted by this alleged criminal probe by the trump justice
03:43department he was on sunday shows today and he said that he doesn't know what the allegations are of
03:50this alleged criminal probe against him but he said that he feels it's about intimidation and that
03:56not just people here in minnesota should should worry about this he said people across the country should
04:01worry about this because this is in reaction to his freedom of speech because he's been speaking out
04:07about what's happening in his city i've also talked to faith leaders one faith leader in particular who
04:13mentioned it was very touched by um the death of renee good um she says that she was there about
04:2230 minutes
04:22after the shooting happened and um one of the things that just didn't sit well with her is that a
04:29federal
04:29official called renee good a domestic terrorist here's what she said take a listen
04:36it is part of the pattern of lies and cruelty that we're seeing out of this administration
04:43i think that the cruelty is the point it's meant to incite and anger and divide and gaslight us
04:52and we're not we're not having it now rev one of the things that faith leaders are looking forward
05:01to in this coming week is that there is a call nationwide to have faith leaders come to minneapolis
05:07to stand united with the immigrant community and so there's two days of action that are scheduled for
05:13next week and from what we're hearing is faith leaders are going to be coming here to minneapolis to
05:20stand side by side with the somalia and the latino communities rev back to you all right thank you
05:27uh to ms now's reporter rosa flores in minneapolis joining me now is congresswoman angie craig who is a
05:37democrat of minnesota congresswoman we appreciate your time tonight we begin tonight with the trump
05:44administration's response response both to the unrest in minneapolis but also the administration
05:50saying there's not presently a federal investigation into renee good's killing and appearing to close
05:58ranks around the ice agent who fired the fatal shots take a listen
06:05is the fbi convect conducting investigation into that agent into the shooting what can you tell us about
06:11that will it be made public look what happened on that day has been reviewed by millions and millions
06:18of americans because it was recorded on on phones we investigate when it's appropriate to investigate
06:24and that is not the case here we are not going to bow to pressure from the media about a
06:29pressure from
06:29politicians and do something that we never do not under this administration not under the last
06:35administration and so no we are not investigating let me talk to you about the officer jonathan ross
06:40he was struck he was hospitalized don't say his name i mean for heaven's sakes we we don't we
06:45shouldn't have people continue to dox law enforcement when they have an increase in death threats against
06:51them i know but that doesn't mean it should continue to be said
06:57it is interesting to me uh congresswoman that uh they can call the the deceased a terrorist but they
07:07say there's no investigation well what's the what is the basis of calling her a domestic and uh
07:12terrorists if they haven't investigated the scene they are calling her names saying they have not uh
07:19got a present investigations against the uh ice agent that shot and killed her you filed a
07:26congressional petition to impeach dhs secretary christie noem what's your reaction
07:34well they were calling her names before they even left that scene that fateful day in minneapolis
07:40rev thank you for having me uh this is just an extraordinary moment in minnesota and american
07:46history uh the words out of the secretary's mouth on the morning shows uh this morning look the reason you
07:52do an investigation is so that the american public so that minnesotans know uh that a a full and fair
08:00evaluation of the circumstances have occurred now in these circumstances the problem that secretary
08:07noem has is that we saw what happened with our own eyes and that's why i am leading the impeachment
08:15resolution against christie noem along with illinois congresswoman robin kelly uh to make sure that we
08:21continue to highlight just the egregious nature of this lawless out of control department of homeland
08:28security and ice now the washington post is citing anonymous defense officials who say the pentagon has
08:37ordered about 1500 active duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to minnesota that of course
08:45course follows the president's threat to invoke the insurrection act in the state where some three
08:53thousand federal agents have already been mobilized uh to the twin cities area outnumbering local police
09:00five to one these threats are coming as the administration is stonewalling on an investigation
09:06into the killing of renee good which prompted many of the demonstrations that we are seeing
09:13what's your response to all of this well to wake up this morning to the news that 1500 active members
09:24of
09:24our military the same folks active duty folks who were in iraq in afghanistan afghanistan all those years
09:31ago it's just it's just stunning that that is what uh this president is even considering look in minnesota
09:38we stand up for our neighbors in minnesota we see with our own eyes and we love our neighbors we
09:45protect
09:45our neighbors rev i was doing a number of uh immigrant owned business uh tours yesterday across
09:52minnesota and one of the things that we're seeing right now is our local cities are telling business
09:59owners if ice comes on to this parking lot if ice comes in to your business call 9-1-1
10:06we're going to
10:07send out local police to try to de-escalate ice we are in a circumstance in our country we're literally
10:15we're calling on local law enforcement to try to come out and de-escalate federal agents in our country
10:22uh it's just extraordinary and minnesotans we know how to fight this is no time for minnesota nice
10:29now you've had several scuffles this weekend between demonstrators supporting and opposing
10:36ice operations in the twin cities one of those scuffles involved a right-wing influencer and pardoned
10:45january 6th rioter who led an anti-immigrant demonstration in downtown minneapolis before
10:52he was met with snowballs and punches from counter protesters as he tried to leave the scene how
10:58worried are you about extremists using the unrest in minneapolis to spread their message if not to
11:06foment violence well that j6 uh insurrectionists attacked my workplace uh on january 6th and so
11:14first of all to have those people pardoned and out in this country this lawless administration and
11:20lawless president but we in minnesota elected leaders we have to continue to call for non-violent
11:27peaceful protests because donald trump this administration they are looking for any reason
11:33whatsoever to invoke the insurrection act they want to fight here in minnesota they want writing in
11:39minnesota and we have to continue to say do not give them what they want finally let's talk de-escalation
11:48because the justice department is reportedly investigating mayor fry and governor waltz for alleged
11:55obstruction of immigration enforcement and you and your democratic congressional colleagues were recently
12:01barred from entering the an ice detention center in minneapolis to perform basic oversight
12:10how are you supposed to bring the temperature down in minneapolis when the president seems hell-bent
12:16on pouring more gasoline on the fire do you know what we were told at a congressional hearing on
12:23friday where 28 of us showed up in minneapolis to hear from those who had been detained that when you
12:29go
12:29into those facilities there is a u.s citizen section that should create fear cause fear in every american
12:39because they are now going door to door they are looking for black and brown people in our country
12:45and this is not america this is not the america that any of us want to live in and so
12:51i would just say
12:52to everyone and this was so important during the civil rights movement faith leaders must step forward
12:59from all faiths and speak out business leaders we have 16 fortune 500 companies in minnesota rev business
13:07leaders must speak out we have got to finally get through to this administration and this president
13:15that he's got to help us de-escalate this situation and by the way i had a call from a
13:20republican
13:22state house member yesterday and you know what he said that those republicans in this state are calling
13:28their leadership saying this is going to cause us to lose our next election and you know what it sure
13:35as
13:35hell is all right thank you congresswoman and angie craig democrat of minnesota for being with us this
13:45evening joining me now is democratic virginia congresswoman jennifer mcclellan and democratic
13:52nevada congressman stephen hosford thank you both for joining us i want to start with the trump
13:59administration seemingly operating uh with little regard right now for either public opinion or the
14:06constitution uh you heard the last segment the doj does not currently say it is investigating the
14:14killing of renee good by an ice of an ice officer in minneapolis and they are threatening to deploy even
14:21more federal forces when local leaders when local leaders are begging them to stand down on monday
14:28president trump is set to attend the annual world economic forum in switzerland where he may press european
14:36leaders further on greenland which trump has said he's prepared to purchase for even even to seize the
14:46uh with season with the military even though he hasn't consulted with congress about either of these
14:53options trump has even reportedly ramped up his criticism of canada in private conversations congresswoman
15:01mcclellan first to you as a democrat in the house how can democratic members in congress such
15:09as yourself place a check on the powers of this president well i think first of all thank you for
15:18having us on this important conversation i think we need to use whatever tools are on our toolbox to
15:24hold this administration accountable first by making sure that the public knows exactly what is going on
15:29that we are using our oversight responsibility because republicans are not uh to to get answers uh we are
15:37being stonewalled but we're going to continue to demand these answers but it's really important that we
15:42empower the american people to understand exactly what this president is doing and to empower them
15:48to speak up because what i have noticed is when enough people speak up and there's enough outrage
15:53this president does back off it takes a while uh but he does back off and then where we can
15:59working with
16:00people who have standing to sue in the courts when this administration loses and they have lost more lawsuits
16:06and they've won you know they do back off a little bit after they appeal so we need to use
16:11what tools we
16:11have but that includes the courts and the american people now congressman hartford same to you how can
16:18democrats put a check on uh the unprecedented moves by this president well reverend sharpton i'm actually here
16:28in front of the mlk community center in front of a mlk statue in the heart of my district and
16:36as dr king reminded us the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice but only if people are
16:43willing to bend it and as the people's house the house of representatives it is our job reflecting the
16:49values of the american people to ensure that all of these issues from ensuring safety in our communities
16:57from ice agents uh protecting people's health care addressing the affordability crisis making sure that
17:04there's actually opportunity for people uh to prosper these are the issues that the american people
17:09are demanding for from their government uh to hold this administration accountable but it's not enough for us
17:16just to be against donald trump it's also about what we're fighting for and that is about putting people
17:22over politics over politics and the powerful now for democrats to place checks on the president
17:29they need power and the party did have some successes in the off-year elections congresswoman mcclellan
17:37sticking with you in your home state of virginia you swore in abigail spanberger as your first female
17:45governor governor and redistricting plan is in the works how can democrats seize on this momentum heading
17:54into the 2026 midterms and what issues should they lead with well i think it's important to understand
18:02and remember that abigail spanberger gazala hasmi and jay jones uh won that election for two main reasons
18:10they stood up and promised to stand up for virginians against the chaos coming out of washington but they
18:17also put forth a vision of unity and addressing the needs of virginians which they heard all over
18:23virginia is affordability the cost of everything is too high virginians are worried about how they're going
18:28to pay for health care housing child care groceries energy and and abigail spanberger focused on plans
18:35that would meet those needs now for redistricting we wish we didn't have to be here but donald trump
18:40has bullied maga led legislatures across the country to change the rules midterm and so virginia and and
18:49other states are now forced to respond so that we can try to level the playing field so we don't
18:54allow
18:54this president to do what he tries to do all along and that's to cheat and we're going to make
18:59sure
18:59that we put to to the voters a constitutional amendment for redistricting to allow midterm uh
19:06redistricting temporarily to respond to donald trump we are not going to let him change the rules in the
19:13middle of the game without a response congressman hossman the cook county political the cook uh political
19:19report uh pardon me the cook political report put out in an analysis this week uh noting that democrats
19:28are in a strong position to win the house back in november after disapproval of trump's first year back
19:35in office how do they seal the deal with voters in the coming months what what should they be talking
19:41about
19:43well as one of those frontline uh districts here in nevada my district in a battleground state i
19:49understand just how hard it is to win in these competitive districts and what it means is centering
19:56the voices and the lived experiences of the people that we represent and as my colleague representative
20:04mcclellan said it's about centering their issues and their needs from the housing and affordability crisis
20:10here in southern nevada one out of three homes are owned by these corporate speculators these
20:17institutional investors that are buying up homes at the same time we are trying to bring affordability
20:23both to renters and to first-time home buyers uh we have the issue of the energy crisis and the
20:30fact that
20:30energy costs are going up insurance rates are going up uh groceries are going up now this is in large
20:36part
20:36because of these tariffs that are taxes that trump has imposed on the american people and while we work
20:43to fight this administration through the supreme court and i do believe that these will be struck down
20:50we have to make sure that we return the dollars to the american people that donald trump stole from
20:56them by imposing these tariffs on the american people so these are the issues that house democrats will
21:02continue to fight for you're both members of the congressional black caucus congresswoman mcclellan
21:10you're the parliamentarian congressman hosford you chaired the caucus for two sessions monday tomorrow
21:18is martin luther king day how are you thinking about his work and his legacy at this present moment
21:25in this climate congresswoman mcclellan let's start with you we're out of time but i wanted to get your
21:31thoughts you know i couldn't help but think a year ago on dr king day uh as we saw donald
21:39trump take
21:39the oath of office the question dr king focused on the final year of his life where do we go
21:45from here
21:45chaos or community donald trump unleashed chaos all year long we have to stay focused on community
21:52building the beloved community that dr king worked for and that takes vigilance that takes focusing on the
21:57fierce urgency of now that means not letting up on meeting the needs of the american people of
22:03making sure that all the people are empowered to participate in this government while we fight
22:08chaos we have to stay focused on community congressman hosford you have the last word
22:16well through the leadership of chairwoman yvette clark and the 62 members of the congressional black
22:22caucus we are focused on the things that the american people are focused on and let's be
22:27frank if black america is falling behind america is falling behind and that is why we are focused on
22:33lowering cost expanding opportunity and protecting democracy when donald trump says that civil rights is
22:40somehow uh being used to the detriment of white america he is speaking against the fact that this was about
22:49leveling the playing field so that we would have an equal chance to compete and succeed because we
22:54know that when you lift up black america you lift up everybody that is what the congressional black caucus
23:00continues to fight for as the conscience of the congress and we will continue to do that every step of
23:05the day of every step of the way all right representatives jennifer mcclellan and steven hosford thank you both
23:13for being with us coming up how labor leaders are drawing inspiration for martin luther king jr
23:21and their continued fight for workers rights we'll be right back
23:32welcome back to politics nation on ms now as we gear up to honor dr martin luther king jr tomorrow
23:40many americans will think back to his famous i have a dream speech what some may not remember
23:48is that dr king made his famous 1963 speech at the march on washington for jobs and freedom as workers
23:59rights have always been an inseparable component of civil rights joining me now is david wetter president of
24:10the service employees international union united service workers west david uh you've been on
24:17the front lines fighting for labor rights and you've stood up for immigrant rights at the same time
24:23you were arrested in june protesting against trump's mass deportation in los angeles uh we're going to
24:32discuss that in a moment but i'd like your thoughts on the situation unfolding in minnesota right now
24:38and how it ties to both with the fight for civil rights and workers rights in this country well good
24:46afternoon uh reverend sharpton and thank you have for having me today especially on this important
24:50weekend and this important moment in our country um you know i'd like to start with saying you know
24:55martin luther king wrote to cesar chavez during the great boycott and said our separate struggles are
25:00really one struggle and i think right now more than any more than any time ever you know we see
25:06our civil
25:06rights workers rights and immigrant rights right now in alignment with one another and when we look
25:12at minneapolis what's happening in minneapolis the violence the cruelty that's being brought by this
25:17federal government against working people it is now more than ever in a time in our moment in time that
25:21we have to all stand together regardless of our differences and build crop build power across
25:26difference especially in this moment so you know minneapolis right now is a reflection point
25:30for all of us and i think we all have to stand with minneapolis now i mentioned your arrest earlier
25:36i i know your felony charges have been downgraded to a misdemeanor and now you are preparing to take
25:43on the trump administration in court for violating uh his first amendment rights while observing
25:50an immigration enforcement action what's the latest on your case well what could i can't say then what
25:57i'm limited to say because like you say we're still in a non-coin uh court court battle here but
26:02you know i was tackled i was pepper sprayed i was detained exercising my first amendment rights
26:09and what we see the violence that happened that day and the violence that has happened
26:12continually since that day whether it's been in chicago dc minneapolis minnesota um portland
26:21is that you know this is an ongoing attempt by this administration to silence people they want
26:26to silence us they want us to submit to their will they want us to bend that knee and i
26:30have said
26:30since that day forward as i i refuse to be silenced and i will continue to fight forward um to
26:36take down
26:36this authoritarian government because this is what this is an authoritarian administration they have
26:41ripped up the constitution they are violating the rights of of of people across both u.s and um uh
26:49immigrants and you know i think enough is enough and we really have to stand up to it and i
26:53i couldn't
26:54say you know minneapolis right now is is a significant flashpoint and they're getting ready
26:58for a big fight as you know they've called for a march on january 23rd and i think right now
27:02we have
27:03to come behind that call to action um that they're preparing for on january 32 to do echo actions across
27:08the country now let's stick with that the trump administration has claimed that this immigration
27:14crackdown is meant to improve the life and opportunities for american workers even though studies show that on
27:22average undocumented workers earn more than 40 percent less than american-born workers and legal immigrants
27:30the administration hasn't gone after these companies on or farms instead their arguments have shifted more
27:38towards cultural and racial arguments doesn't that kind of kind of give up the game in terms of
27:47what this is really all about yeah and you know they've labeled this attempt to to their cruelty is
27:54by saying that these are criminals these are not criminals these are working people these are people
27:59that come here for a better life they come here to contribute they come here to make a better life
28:03for themselves and their families and contribute to this country and you know the reality is that immigrants
28:08are on the whole and exploited because of their status the work that i've done for the past 30 years
28:14especially through the justice for janitors campaign is what is possible when we lift the standards for
28:19working people not just themselves but for immigrants that we lift we lift the vote for everybody we lift
28:25everyone's um condition and so you know when this when this administration says that they're going after
28:31criminals that's a lie they're going after working people and they and they what they're doing by doing
28:35this is by deteriorating basically the fabric of this country by those who are the one of the biggest
28:41contributors this country and i think right now is a moment we have to find this sense of solidarity
28:46because solidarity is not a name it's an action and we have to demonstrate our solidarity at this moment
28:51in time as working people against the administration that is in alignment with oligarchs against the
28:57interest of working people last week trump toured a ford plant in michigan where he mouthed the fu word
29:06and gestured with his middle finger after a worker called him a pedophile protector likely referencing
29:14jeffrey epstein the white house has said the president's reaction was appropriate meanwhile the
29:20worker has been suspended now trump spent a lot of time courting union workers on the campaign trail
29:27and making promises he hasn't kept do you feel a sense of contempt from him when your fellow union
29:35workers try to hold him into account absolutely he has total contempt for working people there is
29:42nothing in this agenda there is nothing in this administration that that helps working people
29:47whatsoever all his promises are broken promises all his commitments have been unfulfilled he is spending
29:53more time lining his pockets than helping working people in this country so it's time you know right
29:58now i really feel a sense of optimism that you know working people are starting to wake up in this
30:04moment
30:04they see that this administration has absolutely nothing to offer this working people in this
30:10country and so right now like i said before we have to stand together we have to understand that the
30:17grift that this this president is doing is to benefit himself and it does nothing for working people in
30:23this country and working people have to stand together start to fight back um disrupt use our organization
30:29use our labor use our community use our be with our faith leaders and fight back and and and really
30:35establish a better a better situation a better condition for working people not only in this midterm but
30:42also in the future because there's a lot to fight for and we have been we have been deprived by
30:46so much
30:46by this administration union leader david werter thank you for being with us as a nation prepares this to the
31:02celebration as the nation prepares to celebrate the contributions of civil rights icon martin luther king jr
31:10president trump seems intent on playing them down how can we rise up against that effort just ahead
31:25tomorrow tomorrow the nation will honor the memory of dr martin luther king jr but if you were planning to
31:32spend the day in quiet contemplation at one of america's national parks you'll have to pay for the
31:39privilege last year president trump removed martin luther king day and juneteenth from the list of free
31:48admission days replacing them with flag day which just so happens to be trump's birthday the policy
31:57change is just one example of the many ways this president has sought to undermine dr king's legacy
32:04ranging from the petty to the profound after taking office for the second time trump moved a bronze bust of
32:13martin luther king king out of the oval office where it had been displayed proudly by presidents obama and
32:21biden supposedly he moved it to the president's private dining room in july the administration released
32:29records of the fbi's surveillance of dr king against the wishes of many of king's family members
32:37president the president ignored their concerns about putting out sensitive personal information
32:43about the late dr king even as trump tries to shield himself and others from the release of the epstein
32:51files
32:51and most disturbingly of all trump has taken aim at civil rights infrastructure the infrastructure that dr king
33:01brought and fought and died to build in an interview with the new york times just last week president trump
33:09said the civil rights act was unfair and has led to white people being very badly treated these are quotes
33:20to that end he has turned the justice department civil rights division on its head shifting its focus to what
33:28the administration calls anti-white and anti-christian discrimination this president and his allies digs
33:37at martin luther king jr are more than just trolling they represent the greatest threat to the movement
33:44since he was assassinated nearly six decades ago that's why it's imperative we treat this year's king holiday
33:53as much more than just a day as much more than just a day off it's a call of action
33:59for us to rise up and
34:01protect our hard-fought freedoms before it is too late we'll be right back
34:13welcome back to politics nation tomorrow the nation will recognize the reverend dr martin luther king jr
34:20i'm in washington tonight ahead of the federal holiday and a day of commemorative events held by the
34:29national action network my mind of course will be on the state of king's dream under an administration
34:35that is rolling back civil rights consistently downplaying black history and achievement and
34:42the president appears to be targeting people of color for mass deportation while employing white
34:48supremacist rhetoric in that effort joining me now is martin luther king the third chairman of the drum
34:56major institute and andrea waters king president of the drum major institute the corporation organization
35:05dr king incorporated himself andrea i want to start with you on the topic of civil rights with regards
35:13to minneapolis for americans outside of the twin cities or any of the cities we've seen
35:20clashes between protesters and ice why should they care about what they are seeing and what we are seeing
35:27in minnesota right now or los angeles or washington or portland or other places over the
35:35past year um the reason why we should all care is the fact that if you think about the civil
35:43rights
35:43movement we talk a lot about love within that movement but when we're talking about love we're not
35:49talking about the sentimental form and version of love that's one form of love we're talking about the
35:54acknowledgement of the fact of our shared humanity and how we are all interconnected and to that point we
36:01cannot see anyone that's being targeted or hurt that is not impacting us you know those children that
36:09are being targeted or being hurt those are the same as our children and from a spiritual standpoint and
36:16from a realistic standpoint we understand that in particularly in the black community that those
36:22very same um tactics those very same attitudes that are being targeted right now to our brown brothers and
36:30sisters are certainly those same attitudes that are being um that are attacking civil rights that are
36:35attacking our children as well now martin your father understood the power of energy and use television
36:43and press exposure to gain sympathy for the movement how do you think he might have responded and urged
36:50us to respond to these viral videos of federal officers brutalizing people in minneapolis and elsewhere
37:00well you know one of the things that's interesting to me rev is that this is exactly what um our
37:07community was exposed to um back in the six birmingham if we look at birmingham or we look at
37:14dallas county i'm in in in in uh in selma uh the same kind of tactics were used so it's
37:21not anything new i think the
37:23the challenge is how do we get more people engaged to actually resist and and resisting in a nonviolent
37:31way is more and more difficult not that we we never should should reduce ourselves to not but the fact
37:38of
37:38the matter is this is the exact same thing that was happening uh many many years ago it's sad that
37:45we're still there we have not learned the reality is we still have not learned the message the dad and
37:51his team used the the techniques techniques the dad and his team used we're getting more and more
37:56dangerous darkness dad would say we'll never put out darkness only light can do that so we have to
38:02figure out how do we employ a light strategy that gets the nation galvanized to say we are not going
38:09to
38:09tolerate this kind of behavior we are much better than the behavior we're exhibiting andrea i i want to
38:17talk about the tactics we've uh seeing employed in minneapolis right now because it seems to me like
38:23the trump administration wants to provoke a wider fight to justify a harder crackdown at at time the
38:31polls when polls show the public the public opinion soaring on isis action which is why in my opinion
38:39it's important that the resistance remain non-violent your thoughts on that absolutely um i think it's
38:47critical that they remain non-violent i think it's also important for us to keep talking about the fact
38:52that they're overwhelmingly that they have been non-violent um i think we also need to point back to
38:59the fact that the rhetoric that we're hearing and the actions that we're hearing as you know rev i worked
39:04for reverend ct vivian um for many years and we monitored hate groups and hate crimes such as the
39:10ku klux klan neo-nazis and skinheads and the things that i would hear when we were researching that were
39:17coming from those communities in the mid-90s are literally now coming directly from the oval office
39:23um and so we're at a point where not only is oppression being legislated but it's being highlighted and
39:31lifted up and so as we're coming out and we are standing not against anything but when we're
39:37standing for the principles of democracy and peace and justice and equity we have the moral high ground
39:44when we're standing um with through non-violence when we're standing forcefully but we're standing in
39:50love and we're standing for our neighbors and our brothers and sisters that's how we've had the moral high
39:57ground not only during the civil rights movement but even going back through to india um gandhi called
40:03it sate graha that soul force and that's what we are hoping to see more and more as people are
40:08coming
40:09out of their homes as they're coming into the streets that they are doing that in the spirit of
40:13non-violence and standing standing and activating that way martin uh a lot of people talk about back in the
40:23day but it's a movement of continuity and i want to play a clip of your mother coretta scott king
40:30speaking here in washington at a uh huge march that national action network uh and you uh you were
40:39president of sclc called at that time we called it the redeem the dream march and it was back in
40:46year
40:462000 26 years ago listen to this today we have a new generation that is coming forward
40:56and you know i am just as happy as i can be to see these young people younger people men
41:03and women
41:03coming forth to take the torch and run with it and that's what they are doing
41:12and this march is about racial profiling and i am so happy to see that martin luther king jr martin
41:21luther king the third some people say martin luther king jr the third martin luther king the third
41:27and reverend l sharpton has taken on this enormous task and so many of you who have come to support
41:35them
41:36particularly those of you in my generation
41:41i i i look at that and it was like uh uh putting a lot of weight on uh uh
41:49you and i certainly you
41:50every morning you wake up as martin luther king i i can't imagine the pressure but it also showed that
41:56it is supposed to be a continuity of struggle and everybody's got to continue this is not a
42:02mara this is not a a sprint it's a marathon martin what what do you see as our specific battle
42:09as civil rights activists in this moment in history well rev i think it really is once again
42:17redeeming the soul of america it feels like humanity has left we used to care about people
42:23not just in our community but really around the the world and people can't have come to our shores
42:30that has created an immigrant problem because we didn't have an efficient system set up
42:34to accept those who would become good citizens but our challenge is how do you reawaken
42:43and create the climate where we do justly and love mercy and and and and walk humbly with our god
42:50and
42:50that's unfortunately that is not happening enough and so i think that you know i i see some
42:59things that may be getting ready to happen in a positive way that can transform this nation
43:06even with those who are so extremely against us what dad and mom taught us is it takes a few
43:15good human beings dedicated and determined to bring about change they left us a road map we just got to
43:22grab
43:23hold of that road map and and lead the way um and i think ultimately the conscious will be pricked
43:30of
43:30the nation regardless of what the forces of evil are trying to do we cannot allow that to be successful
43:38we got to stand we can't give in we can't give out we can't give up which is why tomorrow
43:45is not a day
43:46off it should be a day on we're here in washington we'll start with nan's uh breakfast then on to
43:52new
43:52york uh where public officials will give their report on the king uh on what they've done uh in terms
43:59of king's legacy and uh the kings uh with the uh drum major institute continue to educate and move
44:07around the country it's not about remembering what dr king did it's about what we do with what he taught
44:15us while he was here that's why the holiday is a day off not a day that's right amen luther
44:22king
44:22the third and andrea waters king thank you for being with us that does it for me thanks for watching
44:29you can catch me on morning joe in the morning starting at 6 a.m eastern from washington dc tomorrow
44:35morning right now here on ms now i'll see you back here next weekend at 5 p.m eastern the
44:45weekend
44:45prime time starts right at the top of the hour
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