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Politicsnation With Al Sharpton - Season 15 - Episode 04 Emgsub
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00:02good 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
01:35be representatives of the eu countries he just slapped with new tariffs over greenland
01:42as trump demands that denmark hand over the territory to the united states but we start today in
01:50minneapolis joining me now is ms now national reporter rosa flores rosa you've been on the ground all
01:59weekend what are you hearing from community 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
02:25said that they to use the word fear is an understatement they said it's a nightmare in some of these
02:32communities and i asked well what's the worst part can you describe what the worst part is
02:37and what they said was think and frank in 1942 there's just so many people rev who are in their
02:46homes in hiding afraid to go outside because of the enhanced immigration enforcement that is going on here
02:53in this city dhs telling telling us that it's the largest operation in dhs history they won't go into
03:00the details about how many federal agents are actually in this community now mayor fry says
03:07that it could be about three thousand but dhs says that three thousand is the number of individuals who
03:13have been arrested so far since this operation started a few weeks ago but rev there are so many
03:19layers to this story mayor fry of course standing up speaking out against uh these enforcement actions and
03:27in in in standing side by side with leaders in this community in community leaders speaking out
03:35about ice being in the in these communities but as you know he's been targeted by this alleged criminal
03:41probe by the trump justice department he was on sunday shows today and he said that he doesn't know
03:48what the allegations are of this alleged criminal probe against him but he said that he feels it's about
03:54intimidation and that not just people here in minnesota should should worry about this he said people
04:00across the country should worry about this because this is in reaction to his freedom of speech because
04:06he's been speaking out about what's happening in his city i've also talked to faith leaders one faith
04:12leader in particular who mentioned it was very touched by the death of renee good she says that she was
04:21there about 30 minutes after the shooting happened and um one of the things that just didn't sit well
04:28with her is that a federal official 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
04:42i think that the cruelty is the point it's meant to incite and anger and divide and gaslight us and
04:52we're not we're not having it
04:57now rev one of the things that faith leaders are looking forward to in this coming week is that there
05:03is a call nationwide to have faith leaders come to minneapolis to stand united with the immigrant
05:09community and so there's two days of action that are scheduled for next week and from what we're
05:15hearing is faith leaders are going to be coming here to minneapolis to stand side by side with the
05:22somalia and the latino communities ref back to you all right thank you uh to ms now's reporter rosa flores
05:31in minneapolis joining me now is congresswoman angie craig who is a democrat of minnesota congresswoman we
05:41appreciate your time tonight we begin tonight with the trump administration's response both to the
05:47unrest in minneapolis but also the administration saying there's not presently a federal investigation
05:54into renee good's killing and appearing to close ranks around the ice agent who fired the fatal shots
06:03take a listen is the fbi conduct conducting investigation into that agent into the shooting
06:10what can you tell us about that will it be made public look what happened on that day has been
06:17reviewed by millions and millions of americans because it was recorded on on phones we investigate
06:22when it's appropriate to investigate and that is not the case here we are not going to bow to
06:27pressure from the media about a pressure from politicians and do something that we never do not
06:33under this administration not under the last administration and so no we are not investigating
06:38let me talk to you about the officer jonathan ross he was struck he was hospitalized don't say his
06:43name i mean for heaven's sakes we we don't we shouldn't have people continue to dox law enforcement
06:48when they have an 8 000 increase in death threats against them i know but that doesn't mean it
06:53should continue to be said it it it it is interesting to me uh congresswoman that uh they can call
07:03the the
07:04deceased a terrorist but they say there's no investigation well what's the in what is the basis
07:10of calling her a domestic and uh terrorist if they haven't investigated the scene they are calling her
07:16names saying they have not uh got a present investigations against the uh ice agent that
07:24shot and killed her you filed a congressional petition to impeach dhs secretary christy noem
07:31what's your reaction well they were calling her names before they even left that scene that fateful day
07:39in minneapolis rev thank you for having me uh this is just an extraordinary moment in minnesota and
07:45american history uh the words out of the secretary's mouth on the morning shows uh this morning look
07:52the reason you do an investigation is so that the american public so that minnesotans know uh that a a
07:59full and fair evaluation of the circumstances have occurred now in these circumstances the problem
08:06that secretary noem has is that we saw what happened with our own eyes and that's why i am leading
08:13the
08:14impeachment resolution against christy noem along with illinois congresswoman robin kelly
08:19to make sure that we continue to highlight just the egregious nature of this lawless out of control
08:27department of homeland security and ice now the washington post is citing anonymous defense
08:34officials who say the pentagon has ordered about 1500 active duty soldiers to prepare for possible
08:43deployment to minnesota that of course follows the president's threat to invoke the insurrection act
08:50in the state where some 3 000 federal agents have already been mobilized uh to the twin cities area
08:58outnumbering local police five to one these threats are coming as the administration is stonewalling on
09:05an investigation into the killing of renee good which prompted many of the demonstrations that we are
09:12seeing what's your response to all of this well to wake up this morning uh to the news that 1500
09:22active members of our military the same folks active duty folks who were in iraq in afghanistan
09:29afghanistan all those years ago it's just it's just stunning that that is what uh this president is even
09:36considering look in minnesota we stand up for our neighbors in minnesota we see with our own eyes and
09:43we love our neighbors we protect our neighbors rev i was doing a number of uh immigrant owned business
09:51tours yesterday across minnesota and one of the things that we're seeing right now is our local cities
09:58are telling business owners if ice comes on to this parking lot if ice comes in to your business call
10:059-1-1
10:06we're going to send out local police to try to de-escalate ice we are in a circumstance in our
10:14country we're
10:14literally we'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
10:43and pardoned january 6th rioter who led an anti-immigrant demonstration in downtown minneapolis
10:51before he was met with snowballs and punches from counter-protesters as he tried to leave the
10:57scene how worried are you about extremists using the unrest in minneapolis to spread their message
11:04if not to foment 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 lawless
11:20president but we in minnesota elected leaders we have to continue to call for non-violent peaceful
11:28protests because donald trump this administration they are looking for any reason whatsoever to invoke
11:35the insurrection act they want to fight here in minnesota they want writing in minnesota and we have
11:40to continue to say do not give them what they want finally let's talk de-escalation because the justice
11:49department is reportedly investigating mayor fry and governor waltz for alleged obstruction of
11:56immigration enforcement and you and your democratic congressional colleagues were recently barred from
12:02entering the an ice detention center in minneapolis to perform basic oversight how are you supposed to
12:11bring the temperature down in minneapolis when the president seems hell-bent on pouring more gasoline on
12:18the fire do you know what we were told at a congressional hearing on friday where 28 of us showed
12:25up in
12:26minneapolis to hear from those who had been detained that when you go into those facilities there is a
12:31u.s citizen section that should create fear cause fear in every american because they are now going door to
12:41the door they are looking for black and brown people in our country and this is not america this is
12:47not
12:47the america that any of us want to live in and so i would just say to everyone and this
12:53was so important
12:54during the civil rights movement uh faith leaders must step forward from all face and speak out business
13:02leaders we have 16 fortune 500 companies in minnesota rev business leaders must speak out we have got to
13:10finally get through to this administration and this president that he's got to help us de-escalate
13:18this situation and by the way i had a call from a republican uh state house member yesterday and you
13:24know
13:24what he said that those republicans in this state are calling their leadership saying this is going to
13:31cause us to lose our next election and you know what it sure as hell is all right thank you
13:38congresswoman
13:39and angie craig democrat of minnesota for being with us this evening joining me now is democratic
13:47virginia congresswoman jennifer mcclellan and democratic nevada congressman stephen harsford thank you both for
13:56joining us i want to start with the trump administration seemingly operating uh with little regard right now for
14:04either public opinion or the constitution uh you heard the last segment the doj does not currently
14:12say it is investigating the killing of renee good by an ice of an ice officer in minneapolis and they
14:20are
14:20threatening to deploy even more federal forces when local leaders are begging them to stand down
14:27on monday president trump is set to attend the annual world economic forum in switzerland where he may press
14:35european leaders further on greenland which trump has said he's prepared to purchase for even even to seize
14:46the uh 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 as yourself
15:10place a check on the powers of this president well i think first of all thank you for having us
15:18on this
15:19important conversation i think we need to use whatever tools are on our toolbox to hold this
15:24administration 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
15:36we are being stonewatt but we're going to continue to demand these answers but it's really important that
15:42we empower the american people to understand exactly what this president is doing and to empower
15:47them to speak up because what i have noticed is when enough people speak up and there's enough
15:52outrage this president does back off it takes a while uh but he does back off and then where we
15:59can
15:59working with people who have standing to sue in the courts when this administration loses and they
16:05have lost more lawsuits than they've won you know they do back off a little bit after they appeal so
16:10we
16:10need to use what tools we have but that includes the courts and the american people now congressman
16:16horseford same to you how can democrats put a check on uh the unprecedented moves by this president
16:25well reverend sharpton i'm actually here in front of the mlk community center in front of a mlk statue
16:34in the heart of my district and as dr king reminded us the arc of the moral universe bends towards
16:40justice
16:41but only if people are willing to bend it and as the people's house the house of representatives
16:47it is our job reflecting the values of the american people to ensure that all of these issues from
16:54ensuring safety in our communities from ice agents uh protecting people's health care addressing
17:01the affordability crisis making sure that there's actually opportunity for people uh to prosper these
17:07are the issues that the american people are demanding for from their government uh to hold this
17:13administration accountable but it's not enough for us just to be against donald trump it's also about
17:19what we're fighting for and that is about putting people over politics and the powerful now for democrats
17:27to place checks on the president they need power and the party did have some successes in the off-year
17:35elections congresswoman mcclellan sticking with you in your home state of virginia you swore in abigail
17:42spanberger as your first female governor and redistricting plan is in the works how can democrats
17:51seize on this momentum heading into the 2026 midterms and what issues should they lead with
18:00well i think it's important to understand and remember that abigail spanberger gazala hashmi and
18:06jay jones uh won that election for two main reasons they stood up and promised to stand up for virginians
18:14against the chaos coming out of washington but they also put forth a vision of unity and addressing the
18:20needs of virginians which they heard all over virginia is affordability the cost of everything is too high
18:26virginians are worried about how they're going to pay for health care housing child care groceries
18:30energy and and abigail spanberger focused on plans that would meet those needs now for redistricting
18:38we wish we didn't have to be here but donald trump has bullied maga-led legislatures across the country to
18:44change the rules midterm and so virginia and and other states are now forced to respond so that we can
18:52try to level the playing field so we don't allow this president to do what he tries to do all
18:56along
18:57and that's to cheat and we're going to make sure that we put to to the voters a constitutional amendment
19:04for redistricting to allow midterm uh redistricting temporarily to respond to donald trump we are not
19:11going to let him change the rules in the middle of the game without a response congressman hosford
19:17the cook county political the cook uh political report uh pardon me the cook political report
19:23put out in an analysis this week uh noting that democrats are in a strong position to win
19:30the house back in november after disapproval of trump's first year back in office how do they seal the deal
19:38with voters in the coming months what what should they be talking about
19:43well as one of those frontline uh districts here in nevada my district in a battleground state i
19:50understand 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 energy costs are going up insurance rates are going up uh groceries are going up now
20:35this is in large part because of these tariffs that are taxes that trump has imposed on the american
20:41people and while we work to fight this administration through the supreme court and i do believe that
20:48these will be struck down we have to make sure that we return the dollars to the american people that
20:54donald trump stole from them by imposing these tariffs on the american people so these are the issues that
21:01house democrats will continue to fight for you are both members of the congressional black caucus
21:08congresswoman mcclellan you're the parliamentarian congressman hosford you chaired the caucus for two
21:16sessions monday tomorrow is martin luther king day how are you thinking about his work and his legacy
21:23at this present moment in this climate congresswoman mcclellan let's start with you we're out of time but i
21:30wanted to get your thoughts you know i couldn't help but think a year ago on dr king day uh
21:38as we
21:38saw donald trump take the oath of office the question dr king focused on the final year of his life
21:43where do we go from here chaos or community donald trump unleashed chaos all year long we have to stay
21:50focused on community building the beloved community that dr king worked for and that takes vigilance
21:56that takes focusing on the fierce urgency of now that means not letting up on meeting the needs of
22:02the american people of making sure that all the people are empowered to participate in this government
22:07while we fight chaos 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 caucus
22:22we are focused on the things that the american people are focused on and let's be frank if black
22:28america is falling behind america is falling behind and that is why we are focused on lowering costs
22:34expanding opportunity and protecting democracy when donald trump says that civil rights is somehow uh being used
22:42to the detriment of white america he is speaking against the fact that this was about leveling the playing field
22:50so that we would have an equal chance to compete and succeed because we know that when you lift up
22:55black america you lift up everybody that is what the congressional black caucus continues to fight for as the
23:02conscience of the congress and we will continue to do that every step of the day every step of the
23:07way
23:08all right representatives jennifer mcclellan and steven hosford thank you both for being with us
23:15coming up how labor leaders are drawing inspiration for martin luther king jr in their continued fight for
23:23workers 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 the
24:18front lines fighting for labor rights and you've stood up for immigrant rights at the same time you
24:24were 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 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 when i'm
25:57limited to say because like you say we're still in a non-coin uh court court battle here but you
26:02know
26:02i was tackled i was pepper sprayed i was detained exercising my first amendment rights and what we
26:10see the violence that happened that day and the violence that has happened continually since that day
26:14whether it's been in chicago dc minneapolis minnesota um portland is that you know this is an
26:22ongoing attempt by this administration to silence people they want to silence us they want us to
26:27submit to their will they want us to bend that knee and i have said since that day forward as
26:32i
26:32refuse to be silenced and i will continue to fight forward um to take down this authoritarian government
26:37because this is what this is an authoritarian administration they have ripped up the constitution
26:42they are violating the rights of of of people across both u.s and um uh immigrants and you know
26:51i think
26:51enough is enough and we really have to stand up to it and i i couldn't say you know minneapolis
26:55right
26:55now is is a significant flashpoint and they're getting ready for a big fight as you know they've
27:00called for a march on january 23rd and i think right now we have to come behind that call to
27:04action
27:05um that they're preparing for in january 32 to do echo actions across the country now let's stick with
27:11that the trump administration has claimed that this immigration crackdown is meant to improve the life
27:17and opportunities for american workers even though studies show that on average undocumented workers
27:24earn more than 40 percent less than american-born workers and legal immigrants the administration hasn't
27:32gone after these companies on or farms instead their arguments have shifted more towards cultural and racial
27:41arguments doesn't that kind of kind of give up the game in terms of what this is really all about
27:50yeah and you know they've labeled this attempt to to their cruelty is by saying that these are
27:55criminals these are not criminals these are working people these are people have come here for a
28:00better life they come here to contribute they come here to make a better life for themselves and their
28:04families and contribute to this country and you know the reality is that immigrants are on the whole
28:11exploited because of their status the work that i've done for the past 30 years especially through
28:15the justice for janitors campaign is what is possible when we lift the standards for working people
28:19not just themselves but for immigrants that we lift we lift the vote for everybody we lift everyone's um
28:26condition and so you know when this when this administration says that they're going after criminals
28:31that's a lie they're going after working people and they and they what they're doing by doing this is
28:36by 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 it's not a name it's an action and we have to demonstrate our solidarity at this
28:51moment in 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 f you
29:05word and gestured with his middle finger after a worker called him a pedophile protector likely
29:14referencing jeffrey epstein the white house has said the president's reaction was appropriate
29:20meanwhile the worker has been suspended now trump spent a lot of time courting union workers on the
29:26campaign trail and making promises he hasn't kept do you feel a sense of contempt from him
29:34when your fellow union workers try to hold him into account absolutely he has total contempt for
29:41working people there is nothing in this agenda there is nothing in this administration that that helps
29:47working people whatsoever all his promises are broken promises all his commitments have been
29:52unfulfilled he is spending more time lining his pockets than helping working people in this country
29:57so it's time you know right now i really feel a sense of optimism that you know working people are
30:03starting to wake up in this moment they see that this administration has absolutely nothing to offer
30:09this working people in this country and so right now like i said before we have to stand together we
30:15have to
30:15understand that the grift that this this president is doing is to benefit himself and it does nothing
30:22for working people in this country and working people have to stand together start to fight back
30:28disrupt use our organization use our labor use our community use our be with our faith leaders and
30:34fight back and and and really establish a better a better situation a better condition for working
30:40people not only in this midterm but also in the future because there's a lot to fight for and we
30:45have been we have been deprived by so much by this administration union leader david werter thank you for being
30:52with us
30:54as the nation prepares this to the celebration
31:04as 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 the nation will honor the memory of dr martin luther king jr but if you were planning to spend
31:32the day in quiet contemplation at one of america's national parks you'll have to pay for the privilege
31:41last year president trump removed martin luther king day and juneteenth from the list of free admission
31:49days replacing them with flag day which just so happens to be trump's birthday the policy change is just
31:58one example of the many ways this president has sought to undermine dr king's legacy ranging from the
32:05petty to the profound after taking office for the second time trump moved a bronze bust of martin luther
32:13king out of the oval office where it had been displayed proudly by presidents obama and biden supposedly
32:23he moved it to the president's private dining room in july the administration released records of the
32:30fbi's surveillance of dr king against the wishes of many of king family members
32:38president ignored their concerns about putting out sensitive personal information about the late dr king
32:45even as trump tries to shield himself and others from the release of the epstein files and most
32:52disturbingly of all trump has taken aim at civil rights infrastructure the infrastructure that dr king bought
33:01and fought and died to build in an interview with the new york times just last week president trump said
33:10the
33:10civil 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 at
33:37martin luther king jr are more than just trolling they represent the greatest threat to the movement since he was
33:46assassinated nearly six decades ago that's why it's imperative we treat this year's king holiday
33:54as much more than just a day off it's a call of action for us to rise up and protect
34:02our hard
34:02fought 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
34:21i'm in washington tonight ahead of the federal holiday and a day of commemorative events held by the national
34:29action network my mind of course will be on the state of king's dream under an administration that is
34:36rolling back civil rights consistently downplaying black history and achievement and appears to be
34:43targeting people of color for mass deportation while employing white supremacist rhetoric
34:50in that effort joining me now is martin luther king the third chairman of the drum major institute
34:58and andrea waters king president of the drum major institute the corporation organization dr king
35:06incorporated 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 in
35:27minnesota right now or los angeles or washington or portland or other places over the past year
35:37um the reason why we should all care is the fact that if you think about the civil rights movement
35:44we talk a lot about love within that movement but when we're talking about love we're not talking about
35:50the sentimental form and version of love that's one form of love we're talking about the acknowledgement
35:55of the fact of our shared humanity and how we are all interconnected and to that point we cannot see
36:02anyone that's being targeted or hurt that is not impacting us you know those children that are
36:09being targeted or being hurt those are the same as our children and from a 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 us
36:51to
36:51respond 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 city birmingham if we look at birmingham or we look at dallas
37:14county
37:15in in in in in in uh in selma uh the same kind of tactics were used so it's not
37:22anything new i think the
37:23challenge is how do we get more people engaged to actually resist and and resisting in a nonviolent way
37:32is more and more difficult not that we we never should should reduce ourselves to not but the fact of
37:38the matter is
37:39this is the exact same thing that was happening uh many many years ago it's sad that we're still there
37:46we have not learned the reality is we still have not learned the message the dad and his team use
37:51the
37:52the techniques techniques the dad and his team use we're getting more and more dangerous darkness
37:58dad would say we'll never put out darkness only light can do that so we have to figure out how
38:03do we employ a
38:03light strategy that gets the nation galvanized to say we are not going to tolerate this kind of
38:11behavior we are much better than the behavior we're exhibiting andrea i i want to talk about the tactics
38:18we've uh seeing employed in minneapolis right now because it seems to me like the trump administration
38:24wants to provoke a wider fight to justify a harder crackdown at at time the polls when polls show the
38:33public the public the public opinion soaring on isis action which is why in my opinion it's important
38:40that the resistance remain non-violent your thoughts on that absolutely um i think it's critical that they
38:48remain non-violent i think it's also important for us to keep talking about the fact that they're
38:53overwhelmingly that they have been non-violent um i think we also need to point back to the fact that
39:00the
39:00rhetoric that we're hearing and the actions that we're hearing as you know rev i worked for reverend ct
39:05vivian um for many years and we monitored hate groups and hate crimes such as the klu klux klan neo
39:11nazis and
39:12skinheads and the things that i would hear when we were researching and that were um coming from those
39:18communities in the mid 90s are literally now coming directly from the oval office um and so we're at a
39:26point
39:26where not only is oppression being legislated but it's being highlighted and lifted up and so as we're
39:32coming out and we are standing not against anything but when we're standing for the principles of
39:39democracy and peace and justice and equity we have the moral high ground when we're standing um with
39:46through non-violence when we're standing forcefully but we're standing in love and we're standing
39:51standing for our neighbors and our brothers and sisters that's how we've had the moral high ground
39:57not only during the civil rights movement but even going back through to india um gandhi called it
40:03satikraha that soul force and that's what we are hoping to see more and more as people are coming
40:08um out 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
40:22in the day but it's a movement of continuity and i want to play a clip of your mother coretta
40:30scott
40:30king speaking here in washington at a uh huge march that national action network uh and you uh you
40:39were president of sclc called at that time we called it the redeem the dream march and it was back
40:46in
40:46year 2000 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
41:21martin luther king the third some people say martin luther king jr the third martin luther king
41:27the third and reverend l sharpton has taken on this enormous task and so many of you who have come
41:35to support them particularly those of you in my generation
41:41i i i look at that and it it was like uh uh putting a lot of weight on uh
41:48uh you and i certainly
41:50you every morning you wake up as martin luther king i i can't imagine the pressure but it also showed
41:56that
41:56it is supposed to be a continuity of struggle and everybody's got to continue this is not a
42:02this 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 redeeming
42:18the soul of america it feels like humanity has left we used to care about people not just in our
42:25community but really around the world and people have come to our shores that has created an
42:31immigrant problem because we didn't have an efficient system set up to accept those who would become good
42:38citizens but our challenge is how do you reawaken and create the climate where we do justly and love
42:47mercy and and and and and walk humbly with our god and that's unfortunately that is not happening enough and
42:54so
42:55i think that you know i i see some things that may be getting ready to happen in a positive
43:02way
43:02that can transform this nation um even with those who are so extremely against us what dad and mom taught
43:13us is it takes a few good human beings dedicated and determined to bring about change they left us a
43:21road
43:21map we just got to grab hold of that road map and and lead the way um and i think
43:28ultimately the
43:28conscious will be pricked of the nation regardless of what the forces of evil are trying to do we cannot
43:36allow that to be successful we gotta stand we can't give in we can't give out we can't give up
43:43which is
43:44why tomorrow is not a day off it should be a day on we're here in washington we'll start with
43:50nan's
43:50uh breakfast then on to new york uh where public officials will give their report on the king
43:57uh on what they've done uh in terms of king's legacy and uh the kings uh with the uh drum
44:04major institute
44:05continue to educate and move around the country it's not about remembering what dr king
44:11did it's about what we do with what he taught us while he was here that's why the holiday is
44:18a day
44:19on not a day that's right amen martin luther king the third and andrea waters king thank you for being
44:25with us that does it for me thanks for watching you can catch me on morning joe in the morning
44:32starting
44:32at 6 a.m eastern from washington dc tomorrow morning right now here on ms now i'll see you back
44:41here
44:42next weekend at 5 p.m eastern the weekend prime time starts right at the top of the hour
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