- 1 day ago
PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton - Season 15 - Episode 06
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:04Good evening and welcome to Politics Nation. We begin tonight with breaking news, an intense
00:12weekend in Minneapolis following the killing of a 37-year-old VA nurse, Alex Preddy, by Border
00:22Patrol agents on Saturday. Administration officials continue to blame Preddy for the
00:29fatal encounter as Minnesota lawmakers announced their next legal steps earlier today. We start
00:36in Minneapolis where MSNOW Alex Tibet is standing by. Alex, give us the latest, please.
00:46We're right outside where this tragedy transpired yesterday morning at about 9 a.m. and the mood
00:52is somber, it's solemn. People are still processing their emotions during this difficult time.
00:59I've been talking to some people at this vigil, at this memorial for Alex Preddy, who have
01:04expressed a frustration with how the Trump administration is talking about what happened yesterday. They're
01:11continuing to call what Preddy did domestic terrorism. Greg Bovino, the commander of the Border Patrol,
01:19didn't refer to Renee Goode and Alex Preddy as victims of what happened, but he referred
01:25to them as suspects at a press conference just moments ago. And one protester told me that he
01:32feels like he's being told not to believe what he sees with his own eyes with regard to what happened
01:39with Alex Preddy yesterday after the Trump administration continues to push forward a counter narrative
01:46narrative about domestic terrorism that is at odds with all of the video angles that we've seen so far
01:54and all of the eyewitness testimonies. The mood here is somber, it's solemn, but it's also deeply,
02:00deeply frustrated. Rev. Thank you for your great reporting for MSNOW, Alex Tabbert in Minneapolis.
02:10Joining me now is Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. We just learned that House Democrats held a
02:18private phone call this morning following the killing of Alex Preddy and the escalating situation
02:25in the Twin Cities. House Dems are considering pushing back by utilizing the appropriations process,
02:32especially if the funding bill is sent back from the Senate. You and Governor Tim Walz were
02:40also on the call. What can you tell us, Attorney General Ellison?
02:45What I can tell you is that my former colleagues and the former colleagues of Tim Walz, because Tim and
02:50I
02:51were in Congress with many of those people, they are serious, they're focused, and they're ready to help.
02:57They understand that the federal government and the state government should work together, not at odds.
03:03And they're trying to help us restore something close to democracy in Minnesota.
03:09So I'm grateful to Leader Jeffries and everybody on his team. And I got to tell you that we had
03:1528 members
03:16of the House come in, plus two senators, about 10 days ago. I thought that was going to send a
03:23message to the administration,
03:25hey, enough is enough, time to de-escalate this surge. Well, but, you know, no such luck. But they're committed,
03:34we're committed, and we're going to restore justice, and we're going to make sure the truth comes out
03:39in both of these homicides.
03:41Now, just hours ago, you announced that your office took the action to sue the federal government
03:49over its recent immigration actions in your state, and that you'll be arguing for a restraining order
03:56against Operation Metro Surge tomorrow in federal court. Take us through it.
04:04Well, Rev, there are two cases. One of them we filed last night, and to get a restraining order,
04:10a temporary restraining order, to stop the destruction of any evidence of possession of
04:17ICE agents on the scene of the death of Alex Preddy. The court, within two hours, issued the
04:24restraining order. Now, the federal government is restrained from interfering, destroying, tampering
04:31with, altering evidence in that matter. After three shooting incidents, including two fatal ones,
04:37it was necessary. They have blocked us at every turn. We had to go to court to make them do
04:42the
04:43basics to stop what I believe is a cover-up. So that's happened last night. Now, tomorrow,
04:49we filed a case two weeks ago, which is going to court tomorrow morning, Monday morning,
04:54where we're essentially arguing that this Metro Surge, which is the largest deployment of ICE agents in the
05:02history of America in Minnesota, is illegal, unconstitutional, and is being done in a way
05:09that is coercive, abusive, and commandeering of the resources of our state. We're going to lay out the
05:16horrific track record of ICE and border security in our state, and we're going to say this exceeds the
05:24boundaries of the law. And so that's what's going on tomorrow morning. Our hope is to end Metro
05:30Operation Metro Surge, which is up to 3,000-plus agents in one local area. And all of their reasons
05:41for coming here have been debunked and proven to be false. But here's an interesting thing.
05:46The attorney general sent the governor a letter saying that, kind of a hinting, that maybe they'll
05:53back off if we give them our voter rolls and stuff like that. So the plot thickens, as you know.
05:59Yeah. The administration continues to discredit Alex Preddy, as it has with Rene Good and other
06:08people who have protested ICE's actions. I want to play some sound from Border Patrol Commander
06:15Greg Bovino earlier today. Take a listen.
06:19When someone chooses to listen to a politician, a so-called journalist, a community leader
06:28that spouted that type of vilification towards law enforcement or anything else, when you choose
06:34to listen to that, that is a choice and there are consequences and actions there also. I think
06:40we saw that yesterday. What's your reaction to the administration's efforts to smear residents of
06:48your state after these fatal encounters? It's just contemptible behavior. I mean,
06:55let me tell you, Bovino has never been elected by anybody. He doesn't have any, he has one person who
07:02he answers to. And they're spouting lies, right? And so for him to smear the name of lawful protesters
07:12of our state to somehow attack elected representatives in our state who are telling the truth about what
07:20the law says, which is there's a First Amendment right to protest, it's just reprehensible behavior.
07:26And I can just say that, you know, there is this, he likes to call himself law enforcement. I don't
07:34think, I don't classify him the same way I do a police officer or an FBI agent. I classify him
07:41as an
07:41immigration official who likes to call himself law enforcement because he knows people respect
07:47law enforcement. But in truth, law enforcement doesn't act like him. Law enforcement doesn't wear
07:52masks. Law enforcement obeys basic protocols as it relates to officer-involved deaths, such as not
08:00accusing and smearing the victim from the very beginning before there's been any investigation.
08:07Law enforcement doesn't act the way he acts, and therefore I don't think he should call himself that
08:12because I think it runs the risk of diminishing law enforcement. Now, what's your, what's next for
08:19your office following tomorrow's hearing? And how are you making progress on these, on the
08:24investigation without federal cooperation? I remember during George Floyd, as you know, I was
08:31very much involved. Thank you. You worked with federal authorities, state and federal, did those
08:38investigations together. You were the lead and were successful in getting convictions. You worked with
08:45the federal government that followed George Floyd's murder in 2020, and those probes are proof to be
08:52fruitful, working with the federal government. That's absolutely right. This is nothing unusual. We work
08:59with federal officials all the time. It is Bovino who is the unique outlier in terms of unprofessional
09:06conduct. And so we work with FBI. We work with ATF. We work with federal agents all the time.
09:15And so we had to go to get a court order to make them do the normal thing that you
09:21would expect out
09:22of law enforcement. That's why I always separate them out and call them CBP or whatever, because
09:29normal law enforcement wants to de-escalate. They try to escalate. Normal law enforcement is not afraid to
09:35show their face. They never do. This is very, very different. And so what I'll say, Rev, is that
09:41no amount of gaslighting from people like Bovino is going to work. We are telling people to protest
09:48peacefully. Everything we've seen indicates that Minnesotans are overwhelmingly peaceful. And in
09:54terms of this particular case, it is deeply saddening to see a VA nurse like Alex Pretty, who devoted his
10:04life to helping veterans, smeared in this way. And it's terrible.
10:08All right. Thank you for being with us, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
10:13And I'm sure you will keep our viewers informed as those investigations continue.
10:20We're staying in Minnesota. Joining me now is Mary Mariotta, Attorney General for Hennepin
10:28County. Thanks to you both for joining us this evening. In the past 48 hours, your county has seen
10:39anti-ice protests that drew thousands. The fatal shooting of Alex Pretty and the mobilization of
10:46the State National Guard. Starting with you, Attorney Moretti, describe the mood in Hennepin
10:55County right now following this weekend's development.
10:59Well, as you saw last Friday, there were upwards of 15,000 peaceful protesters. And the mood in
11:09Minnesota, I think, is we are going to resist what is a federal attack on Minnesotans. And most people
11:18are going to do that using nonviolent protests. This is nothing new. There's nothing new to see here.
11:24But the chaos that caused by ICE. In terms of my role as Hennepin County Attorney, we are the legal
11:31entity that has jurisdiction over any homicide that happens in Minneapolis or its suburbs. And so,
11:38for instance, yesterday, I got a call pretty quickly as to what happened to Alex Pretty. And I was in
11:44contact with our BCA much of the day. And we were trying to figure out how to get the BCA
11:51access to the
11:52scene. And the reality is that ICE stood a couple of feet apart with big batons, physically preventing
11:59our BCA from entering that scene to properly process it. We then assisted the BCA with getting a search
12:08warrant signed by a judge that they could serve on ICE or DHS to get to that scene. And DHS
12:17wouldn't honor
12:18that. And so they obstructed our state BCA from gathering the evidence that they would normally
12:26gather in any other type of homicide. Attorney Mariotti, Governor Walz has vowed that Minnesota
12:33will investigate the killing of Alex Pretty after Homeland Security said yesterday it would be leading the
12:41investigation of its own officers. State investigators have already complained about
12:47being blocked from the shooting scene by DHS. That follows federal officials impeding the state
12:53from investigating Renee Good's killing, a probe you've been working on with State Attorney General
13:00Keith Ellison, who we just heard from. How are you collaborating with on Alex Pretty's killing?
13:09Well, first of all, after Renee Good was killed, I had contact with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office,
13:16and we had it worked out that the BCA would be able to do a joint investigation. And then apparently
13:22word came from this administration to kick the BCA out of it. We then opened a public portal and put
13:31out
13:31the word to all of our community members if they had any video or other type of evidence to please
13:36submit
13:36that. There was another shooting of an individual here on January 14th. The BCA was obstructed from
13:44entering that scene. And then, of course, we had Alex Pretty. And so we once again asked the public to
13:52submit video and other evidence. And I will say in the Good case and the Pretty case, we have received
13:58substantial information from the public. We have a team looking through that. And we are just going to
14:04continue to gather every piece of evidence we can, whether or not the state is going to participate here,
14:10or the federal government is going to participate. And then we will make a decision as to whether charges are
14:16appropriate or not. And we'll be transparent about that to our community.
14:21Attorney Marietta, last week you were subpoenaed by the Justice Department, along with Governor Walsh,
14:28Mayor Frye, St. Paul Mayor Kaylee Herr, and Attorney General Ellison over allegations that your opposition to the ICE surge
14:39in Minnesota constitutes a conspiracy to impede federal law enforcement. What can you tell us about how your office is
14:48responding?
14:50Well, you know, there's nothing about the interactions with ICE that's actually changed.
14:58Minnesota or Minneapolis has had a separation ordinance for years. There's really nothing different here.
15:06There was plenty of work with ICE by law enforcement in the past. There wasn't much of an issue there.
15:13But since this administration and this surge, what we've seen is actually actions that make us less safe.
15:23For instance, the ICE deported a couple of people that we were trying to prosecute.
15:30And one of them was a criminal vehicular homicide where somebody died,
15:35and they deported that person before we could hold them accountable. Another person was accused by our
15:41office of assault. And we found out that he had been deported before we could hold him accountable
15:46by hearing from the victim who got a call from this guy from some other country. So we have been
15:53prevented from holding people accountable. Domestic violence victims are frightened to come forward to
15:59get help. And we're losing witnesses to cases because people are afraid to come here. So the only thing that's
16:07actually changed is this administration and all of the chaos that they've sent here. Any subpoenas
16:13that have been issued are simply to try to intimidate all of us from doing our jobs. But that will
16:19not succeed.
16:21Hennepin County Attorney General Mary Moriarty, thank you for being with us this evening.
16:28Coming up, we're here from two Democratic lawmakers on how the Minneapolis shooting
16:34this weekend could lead to a government shutdown over funding for Homeland Security.
16:40More details ahead on Politics Nation.
16:50Welcome back to Politics Nation. On Capitol Hill, the fatal shooting of VA nurse Alex
16:57Freddie by a federal agent in Minneapolis yesterday may be putting the nation on the road to another
17:05government shutdown. New MS Now reporting indicates that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
17:12wants to rewrite the spending bill funding DHS and that no Democrats will vote to fund ICE
17:21with the current bill. Meanwhile, House Democrats held an emergency
17:25virtual caucus this morning to discuss the shooting and are reportedly considering pushing back by
17:33utilizing the appropriations process if the funding bill is sent back from the Senate. We're joined by
17:40two members who were at the meeting, Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Kesar from Texas and Shelly
17:48from Maine. Congressman Kesar, did you learn anything new from this meeting? Schumer's suggestion of rewriting
17:57the funding bill will mean that the House needs to stay in Washington. How else will this impact the House?
18:06What I think we've all seen is that folks watching at home's voices have been heard. Until just recently,
18:14it seemed like that ICE funding bill was going to make it through the Senate. But thankfully,
18:19Senate Democrats are saying, no, we cannot leave ICE and Trump's mass deportation machine in place.
18:26And so now we need to ask our senators before they send the bill back to the House, in my
18:31view,
18:31for at least five non-negotiables. First, pull ICE and CBP out of Minneapolis. No more of this in Minneapolis
18:38or
18:38other American cities. Two, the masks need to come off. Three, no more arresting and deporting U.S.
18:46citizens. Four, a full and thorough investigation of the killing of Ms. Good and Mr. Pretty. And
18:52number five, we've got to end these indiscriminate arrest quotas and warrantless arrests and searches.
18:58This is the kind of things that all Americans should be able to agree on and all senators should insist
19:03on
19:04in this bill. Congresswoman Pingree, same to you. Your thoughts on the meeting?
19:15I think she's frozen.
19:19Well, let me go back to you then, Congressman Kayser. More than 23,500 Texans are experiencing power
19:32outages across the state due to the storm. As you know, your state is no stranger to problems
19:37with the with the power grid. Are you confident the administration will prioritize
19:44the well-being of your constituents in the face of everything happening in Minneapolis right now?
19:52No, it's very clear that we need to fire Kristi Noem, that we need to impeach
19:58Kristi Noem. Because, of course, we all know the things that she has done. She's unleashed
20:04these policies that have resulted in innocent Americans being killed in Minneapolis. And then
20:10she's gone and smeared those Americans and their families. That should be enough to impeach her.
20:15But what folks haven't talked enough about is what she's not doing. She is not helping us with disaster
20:22preparedness. She delayed search and rescue by 72 hours for the Texas floods this last summer.
20:29She has been firing people at FEMA in mass that should be helping us with things like this winter
20:36storm that are knocking out power for lots of people in Texas that are all across the country.
20:41So we should fire Kristi Noem because she's not focused on keeping us safe.
20:47Congresswoman Pengui, I think we have you now. Let's get back to the immigration raids. I know
20:53these ICE operations have become more personal for you since ICE has expanded operations in Maine.
21:01Governor Janet Mills is calling for a meeting with President Trump and for immigration officials to
21:07provide warrants and real-time arrest numbers saying, in America, we don't believe in secret arrests,
21:15or in secret police. After the Department of Homeland Security said ICE is targeting around
21:211,400 people in your state and has arrested more than 100 illegal aliens in the first three days of
21:28operation. People in Maine have an independent streak. How are they viewing yesterday's shooting and these ICE operations?
21:39Well, people in Maine are deeply upset about what's going on. And they are showing up at rallies,
21:46they're helping their neighbors. My office processes a lot of immigration cases. And we know of those
21:53hundred that were coming through, that was single moms, that was an engineer, that was a new recruit at
21:58the sheriff's department who the sheriff himself said was crystal clean. A student, a deaf boy. I mean,
22:05they are not taking the worst of the worst. They're grabbing everybody and they're doing it using racial
22:11profiling and just picking people up at their schools and workplaces. Plus, they're intimidating the
22:16people who are trying to be support people at the bus stops, outside of workplaces, following them home,
22:23warning them that this is going to be, you know, that they're going to be labeled domestic terrorists.
22:27It's really appalling what they've already done in one week in my state.
22:32Now, one more for you, Congresswoman. In Maine, the Trump administration is apparently calling their
22:38operation catch of the day. And one of the targets is Maine's Somali community, which, like in Minnesota,
22:47is made up mostly of people who have been living peacefully, productively,
22:52and legally here for 20 to 30 years. Does any of that make sense to the people of Maine?
23:00Well, calling a catch of the day is appalling and dehumanizing and playing off of our fishing
23:06community. So that's just disgusting to begin with. We had a big rally in the heart of Somali
23:11community yesterday. We probably have less than 3000 members of the Somali community in our entire
23:16state. Only 4% of our state is made up of immigrants. But as you said, these are hardworking
23:21individuals who have been in our state, many of them American citizens. It is just appalling what
23:26they're doing here. And we are so fearful of what will happen as this continues to expand.
23:31I hear from business leaders. We hear from the Somali community that they're afraid to go to work.
23:36They're afraid to go to school. But it's much bigger than that. Not just the Somalis and not just here
23:41to
23:41investigate any kind of fraud. This is just plain out intimidation, terrorism and targeting all immigrants.
23:49Congress members, Greg Kassar and Shelley Pingree. Thank you both for being with us.
23:55Coming up, seeking justice in Minneapolis. We'll talk to a former police chief about the investigation
24:02or lack of investigation after this weekend's deadly shooting by federal agents in Minnesota.
24:15Welcome back to Politics Nation. Joining me now, former Democratic Florida Congresswoman Val Demings,
24:23who also served for five years as the chief of police in Orlando, Florida.
24:29Ms. Demings, I want to start with your reaction to what we all saw happen in Minneapolis yesterday,
24:35the killing of a 37-year-old American citizen at the hands of federal agents. As someone who has served
24:44in law enforcement yourself, what are your thoughts?
24:49Well, Reverend Sharpton, it's good to be with you. And look, it saddens me to watch what happened
24:55in Minnesota. It's very frustrating to watch what is not happening in terms of an investigation,
25:02but it also angers me a lot, simply because I know that law enforcement agencies all over this country,
25:10especially since the tragic death of George Floyd, have worked overtime to improve the relationship
25:17with the community that they serve, to professionalize the agency, to make sure that
25:22they hire the brightest and the best, and to have ICE agents. And look, ICE has been around for a
25:28long time,
25:28but obviously something has gone real wrong, to have them walking around with police on their,
25:35the back of their vests and calling themselves law enforcement with the awful behavior that we have seen
25:44just causes a lot of concern for me, and it should for law enforcement, and it should for the American
25:50people.
25:50Now, the narrative DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is running with is that Alex Preddy was aggressive
26:00and a danger to the agents' lives, despite video evidence and witness statements strongly contradicting
26:08this portrayal. Take a listen to what she said on the investigation earlier today.
26:16It is early, we know, in this investigation into the shooting death of Alex Preddy,
26:21but I want to have you walk our audience through what exactly you know. So you said last night,
26:26it looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on
26:30individuals and to kill law enforcement. Did he say, I'm going to kill you, or did he leave a note?
26:36How do you know that was his intent? You know, part of this investigation we'll be hearing from those
26:41agents and officers and people on the ground, but we do know that he came to that scene and impeded
26:46a
26:46law enforcement operation, which is against federal law. It's a felony. When he did that, interacting with
26:52those agents, when they tried to get him to disengage, he became aggressive and resisted them throughout
27:00that process. These officers used their training, followed their protocols, and were in fear of their
27:06lives and the people around them. What's your reaction to Secretary Noem here?
27:15Well, Reverend Sharpton, I have seen policing. As you know, I spent 27 years in law enforcement.
27:21I've seen it from the bottom up, and I've seen it from the top down as the chief of police.
27:26We've
27:26investigated situations of officer misconduct. We've watched videos. We've listened to witnesses.
27:32We've done all of that. And for Secretary Noem to just draw conclusions and tell us not to believe
27:40are lying eyes and ears. You know, when I heard the DHS commander say that, that Mr.
27:48Petty was perpetrating violence. They didn't see that. We didn't see that. And to ask us to not believe
27:57what we've seen, it's just shameful. So please tell me, how are we supposed to believe that the
28:03Secretary, Secretary Noem, the FBI, or quite frankly, anybody in this investigation will do a thorough
28:10and independent investigation? And Reverend Sharpton, look, I've worked with local, state,
28:15and federal law enforcement. I have never seen an incident where federal were involved in an
28:22investigation where they did not include local and state, especially local, because local police
28:29are there on the ground. They know the community. They know all the witnesses. They play a vital role
28:35in doing an independent and thorough investigation. So we have a long way to go. But look, if we are
28:40seeking justice, we have got to have local and state involved in this investigation.
28:46Now, the person who filmed the killing of Alex Petty on Saturday told a Minnesota district court in a
28:55sworn affidavit that they are terrified to go home because they, quote, does not want, does not know what
29:05the agent will do, end of quote, when they find them is what they're saying. And how can an impartial
29:12investigation possibly be conducted if witnesses are afraid of the government carrying out that
29:19investigation? Let me say this. Even if there is, I have to say this part, even if there is
29:27a justified shooting, let's say there's a justified use of deadly force, we always want a thorough and
29:37independent investigation simply because police officers are charged with protecting and serving,
29:43preserving life. And even when it's a justified shooting, you want to know all of the facts,
29:49want to know how it happened, what led up to it, and how you can prevent shootings in the first
29:54place,
29:55right? For the witness, and thank God there are witnesses, Reverend Sharpton, thank God we have video,
30:01because where would we be right now? But for the witness to say that he's afraid to go home,
30:06when we've seen this administration and those within DHS acting with impunity,
30:14and remember what Vice President Pence said, or not Pence, but Vance said, that they have absolute
30:20immunity. Now, we know that is not true, so I don't blame the witness, but you see why it's so
30:26important
30:26to have local law enforcement involved in that investigation. Now, yesterday, Attorney General Pam Bondi,
30:36said that she was going to lay out certain terms, saying, really, she wrote, she sent a letter to
30:47Minnesota officials outlining a set of terms for them to leave Minnesota, one asking the state to turn
30:55over its voter files to the Trump administration, as well as information about the state's welfare programs,
31:02in reference to the alleged daycare fraud scandal. Don't these requests undermine the administration's
31:09claim that what they're responding to forcefully right now is immigration-related crisis, if they can
31:17say we'll exchange this for that, which is unrelated?
31:23Senator Sharpton, that is simply ridiculous. You know, I have called for all ICE operations to be suspended while a
31:35thorough investigation is going on. We know there are questions about hiring standards. There are questions
31:40about the amount of days that they go through training. The days have basically been cut in
31:44half or even more than that to honor the president in some crazy way with 47 days of training. They've
31:52lowered the standards. I think that all routine ICE operations should be suspended until we can find
31:58out what in the heck is going on and move forward with a more professional, more efficient, better trained
32:05force. What the attorney general is calling for, would you please tell me? Two people have died. Two U.S.
32:14citizens have died, and the attorney general is calling for, well, if you turn over the voter rolls
32:20or help us investigate welfare fraud, please tell me what in the heck does voting rolls and welfare
32:28fraud have to do with two U.S. citizens losing their lives under very questionable circumstances. So
32:35you see why the American people have no faith in this administration or the Department of Justice
32:41or any entity attached to the administration or the Department of Justice to do a thorough investigation.
32:48We desperately need justice. And sadly, I don't feel like there's anyone in this administration capable
32:54of making sure that America receives it. Former Congresswoman Val Demings, thank you for being with us
33:02this evening. Coming up, coming to terms with a weekend of outrage and anguish. We'll talk to faith
33:10leaders on the ground in Minnesota about what they're doing to bring the community together. That's after the break.
33:22Welcome back to Politics Nation. The faith community has been tested by the events of the past several
33:29weeks in Minnesota. Clergy members from around the country have made pilgrimage to the Twin Cities area
33:37to offer their support. Joining me now, Bishop Marianne Buddy of the Diocese of Washington and Bishop Craig
33:45Lawyer of the Diocese of Minnesota. Thank you both for being with us and for offering spiritual guidance
33:53to the Twin Cities community at this difficult time. I want to start tonight with a video shared on Facebook
34:03by a man who says his father received last rights from Alex Preddy, the VA nurse shot and killed by
34:12federal
34:12agents this weekend. Take a listen. Terrence Lee Randolph, March 30th, 1947, December 10th,
34:222024. Today we remember that freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it,
34:29and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have
34:35served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom.
34:57I think the people who are most capable of describing who this man was are his parents who spoke and
35:06have
35:07written very forcefully about the memory and the legacy of their son. And it's clear, as your previous
35:14guests have shown, that the administration rushed to characterize him in the darkest possible terms
35:25without real basis of anything that those of us with eyes, your ears, could see or hear from the
35:33videos that the videos that have been shown. So I would say it's a gross mischaracterization of a man who
35:40by all
35:41rights seem to be a caring, a caring member of our community and someone whose loss is grievous to us
35:49all.
35:50Bishop Lawyer, your impression?
35:54Well, I think what I'm seeing on the ground here in Minnesota is a community that is responding to
36:02a campaign of what can only be described as reckless cruelty being waged by the federal government against
36:09its own people with an incredibly loving and generous spirit. In the face of the cruelty that Minnesota is
36:19facing, the faith community and many others are responding by mobilizing for love, organizing
36:26networks of care where people are delivering groceries to those who can't leave their home and medical
36:33supplies. People are keeping watch outside of daycares and schools that are not safe. Medical professionals are
36:42providing unbelievable care. This community is meeting a painful and cruel moment with the incredible and
36:51generous and loving spirit that I have come to know and that makes me proud to be a Minnesotan.
36:57Now the family of Alex Preddy put out a statement reading in part, quote,
37:02we are heartbroken but also very angry. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration
37:10are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's
37:18murdering and cowardly ice thugs, end of quote. Bishop Lawyer, what's your brief message to the people
37:25like Predys' family who are outraged and feel like they are being lied to about what's happening?
37:35I think that all of us are outraged at what we are seeing in Minnesota and heartbroken about what we
37:43are
37:43seeing and the very clear lies that we are being told by the federal government who continues to tell
37:50the people of Minnesota to not believe what we are seeing with our own eyes. And at the same time,
37:56as a follower of Jesus, one of the things that I know is that the greatest threat that we face
38:04in
38:05this moment is the assault that is being waged on hope. So what I always try to do as a
38:11follower of
38:12Jesus is remember that hatred cannot be overcome with hatred and that we cannot let our anger that is
38:21very real and very justified consume us. And what I'm trying to do is to join myself to the efforts
38:29to
38:29combat the hatred and cruelty that we're seeing with endless neighborly love.
38:35Bishop Buddy, faith leaders, faith leaders were always at the forefront of the civil rights movement,
38:42even to today. Bishop Matthew Haid right here in New York and working closely on these issues here.
38:49And as we confront this current civil rights community, what role can faith leaders play
38:56as a moral voice today? Well, you've just heard Bishop Loya articulate that so beautifully that we hold
39:03before us and we draw from the deepest spiritual wells that we can to meet the cruelty of our time
39:14with
39:15forces of kindness and love. And I think one of the things that we're doing across the country, Reverend Sharpton,
39:20is connecting the dots. This is happening in Minnesota, but it is not unique to Minnesota. We're seeing it on
39:25a scale in
39:26Minnesota, but these actions are taking across, they're happening across the country. So we stand in solidarity with one
39:33another. We stand on our history. I was really thinking about Dr. King's message on the night before
39:39he died when he recalled the story of the Good Samaritan, when he said that the question we all
39:46have to ask ourselves is not what will happen to us, but what will happen to the people who are
39:52in greatest
39:53danger if we do not lift up our voices and offer everything we can to help and to stop this?
40:01That was our, that was the famous mountaintop speech, his last speech.
40:06It was. April 3rd, 1968. Bishop Marianne, Buddy and Reverend Craig Loya, Loya, thank you both for
40:14being with us up next. My final thoughts. Stay with us. That does it for me. Thanks for watching.
40:27I'll see you back here next weekend at 5 p.m. Eastern, but also I'll be a guest tomorrow,
40:34Monday morning on Morning Joe, starting at 7 a.m. Eastern, right here on MS Now. The weekend
40:40prime time starts at the top of the hour.
Comments