i'm morgan radford, live from new york city. "the stream" is up next. it's a pleasure to have you. see you again at 4am eastern. hi, i'm lisa fletcher and you are in "the stream." syrian americans are countering apathy with action, they are your neighbors, coworkers, one is even a mayor to come of you. and they are picking up the pieces where politics fail. ♪ our digital producer wajahat ali is here bringing in all of

your life feedback. the president of [ inaudible ] called this one of the greatest humanitarian crisises in the world. it is amazing that something that profound can still drop off everyone's radar. >> we often read the headlines. last year was in turkey. i see a bunch of tents, and i asked the driver and said what is that? and he said we just set it up for the thousands of syrian refugees. and people care, carol tweeted in . . .

>> well, it's hard too. when you ask people if they care, of course they care. but then it's translating that into what do i as an individual do tonight. solutions. >> yeah. nearly three years since itself uprising, fighting continues to playing the receipvee -- streets of syria. explosions like that have become common place since march 2011, when the cracked down on protesters. it has forced nearly 9 million people to flee their homes, and the situation is expected to get worse. international peace talks are stalled. officials have agreed to attempt

a third round of talks, but so far no date has been set. some say it's time for countries like the u.s. to make military action, an option president consider. >> we'll continue to support the syrian people, our commitment to the opposition, the care for the displaced and pursuit of a political resolution that achieves a government that people. >> many americans are reluctant to get involved. but americans are also resourceful, launching their own efforts to help. many syrian americans have found creative ways to mobilize resources and communities to bring attention to what is happening in syria. and we are lucky enough to have a few of those join us, a former congressional staffer, and

creative director of islamic relief usa, and mayor of prospect park in new jersey. welcome everyone to "the stream." you have travelled to syria more than ten times since the fighting started. you are going back since. we have seen all of the images, but you have been there. what do you see that we haven't? >> there is a lot of at tepgs paid to the refugees in the neighboring countries. but the internally dislaced people in syria are much higher than the number of refugees, and their state is horrendous. you have mainly organizations that do work there, but the need is -- is really, really theest per rate and at the same time we have seen things like extinct diseases come back, things like

polio and so on that we thought were cured and over, and incurable diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and so on, these things become fatal. >> right. and that's something we're going to talk about a it wil will -- little later in the show. mayor talk about the experiences that people you know in syria have gone through? >> well, it's an experience of terror basically. i have been to syria four times since the uprising started, and the situation is rapidly deteriorating. i go every three to four months and i have seen the situation deteriorate rapidly, my last visit basically when i communicate with the outside world i visit an internet store and what i have noticed is

everybody is there to contact the outside world asking for a way out. my last communication with my friends inside basically they told me the only people who are left there are the people who can't afford to leave aleppo at that point. so it's rapidly deteriorating. death is closer to anybody than -- to everybody than ever before. >> and it's not only dangerous for people there seeking solutions, it's even dangerous for you. i know you have been attacked online, and received death threats for the work you are trying to do. threats? >> what we were told is the syrian electronic army, they are at it again, but changed their tone from threats to labeling me with assist act terrorism.

that's the new tone for the regime, everything is terrorism, so unfortunately the regime has the resources to pay people to put out its propaganda. us activists don't have these resources. we barely could scrap the money to help the people on the ground survive. >> mayor, our community is saying that most americans they want to care, but they have war fatigue, lisa . . . i'm going to go to you with this, the majority of americans

say we should mind our own business. how do you inspire a war weary american citizenry to care about syrians? >> in many my position being a f photographer and almost a story teller of sorts to bring those stories when we go over there and see the devastation and death and disease and true hardship is to bring that over here and show people how serious the situation is, and to make it human, and to make it about human -- human suffering that we can't all bare to see for ourselves or loved ones or friends and family, we wouldn't want to see for anybody else, and in most cases they are friends and families and relatives and people that we know, and we need to make that apparent to the world in any way that we can, and we try to do that in our own ways.

>> you connect the government to opposition leaders, and you do that for things like civil defense training, but when americans hear opposition, what they hear is strie dant religious leaders and maybe not connecting on the level they should be connecting on? >> absolutely. >> syria came at the sort of inconvenient revolution. it came at a time when the other ref lugss didn't benefit each other. when we work on the ground, we work with these local civilian governing structures, not opposition. they are simply trying to go back to reach a state in syria that they are hoping for by beginning this revolution. it is not ruled by police that take bribes. it's not run by religious fan at

theics or war lords. so we try to get resources directly to the syrian civilians and as they grow bigger they integrate into each other and it is trying to work from the ground up, which is what they want. and what is so inspiring is the fact when you go in there you see the work they do under the most miserable conditions to where they are trying to get the country to the vision they see, a place with freedom, dignity and everybody invested in this their country. >> so opposition to the average syrian means peace and democracy? the >> when americans think about the opposition, think look at the political opposition, or the armed opposition on the ground. i know when americans think of syria this is muslims killing muslims in a far away land.

this is a country that has been stable for many years. but they had the same jobs. they are children that went to school, architects and pharmacists and so on. and these are the syrian people, and they work to try to get their country to a state where it is function under proper governance, and that's while barrel bombs are dropping down on them, and with absolutely zero support from the international community. >> our community wants to care, lisa, but they are deeply cynical . . . >> well, playing outside, going to school, common childhood ebb peernss but for kids in this

syria that is all happening in a war zone. you'll meet a woman who is working to give syrian kids a chance to play outside.

consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. ♪ welcome back. we're discussing innovative ways that syrian americans are combatting apathy and drawing at tepgs to the ongoing conflict.

you were listening to dillon conner who is using music to draw awareness. joining us now is artist kendra who helped cofound the program which works with displaced syrian children. welcome to "the stream." >> thank you. thank you so much for having me. >> you went to syria in 2013, saw? >> no, absolutely not. i think shock is an understatement. i think i had an idea because of what you read, and you know it is going to be bad, but the first time i was on syrian soil and in tent city, we were in a refugee camp along the syrian-turkish border, when you look around and you see these are your fellow syrian people and you are looking at how this happened, and i remember coming back from that trip. i was there

for two weeks, and i was not just disturbed, but i came back depressed for a good month. you are so traumatized by what you see for the first time that it is just a lot to digest. >> a lot to wrap yourself around i would imagine. >> absolutely. >> what you do is really so much more than arts and crafts. talk about what the project gives to the kids of syria. >> well, in essence what we're trying to do is give them a sense of hope, a sense that they haven't been forgotten. i recruit a team from around the world. experts in their field, creatives in their field, and we go there and make sure these kids know we're here for you. we care about you. we are also there to inspire them to be better, and the program is a way to give positive memories. we're investing in creating

positive memories for these kids who have been traumatized at such a young age. >> this trauma -- and [ inaudible ] has been great giving us fantastic community . . . check this out . . . some stunning numbers there. you were talking about the humanitarian crisis. polio has become resurgent, talk about these new medical certains and also solutions that have emerged from syrian americans to try to help?

>> the problem is the area [ technical difficulties ] >> just try to -- to fix the issue, but -- but the problem is we can't get medicine to many people in the besieged areas, and during the geneva talks there was a deal where they said in the place of holmes they would let aid in, but the regime only let people out, and didn't allow aid in. we have 800,000 people in the suburbs of damascus, they have no water or food and no medicines for these treatable diseases that we don't even think about like high blood pressure and so on, there are some creative

syrians on the ground who have figured outcry at ittive ways to get this aid in. the bravery to cross across the border and go into the area and trying to get people help knowing that at any point assad could drop a bomb or random thugs could harm people, but these are the heros that really make a difference, but at the end of the day the true heros are the syrian people that are there every day, and watching, getting sick and dying out of diseases that they never thought would be fatal to them, and finally the most horrible weapon is starvation, watching your child or mom and dad die in front of you because they don't have a food or medicine, breaking the siege that's the most creative way i have seen

syrians on the ground try to get help in. >> talk a little bit about what your connection and commitment to syria has done in the community where you are mayor? i'm guessing that it has to have inspired your constituents? >> absolutely, i -- i receive very positive feedback from all members of the community. they are very supportive whether it's in my local community, county wide or statewide from even elected officials. the -- the problem is the american public -- it's not about fatigue. i think's the lack of knowledge that is really going on there. if they see what we see and know the magnitude of the suffering, i don't think anybody would be opposed to alleviating the

suffering of the syrian people. because of my involvement the people around me know what it is like, and i don't think many oppose involvement. but the average american does not really know what is going on there, and again, that has to do with the lack of resources for us to convey, to tell our story. but that -- just to go back to the aid situation. one of the problems that we're having on the ground is also the -- the condition of isis of certain areas, which puts many roadblocks in front of us. isis sometimes opposes aid coming from what they would consider non-muslim countries. i was basically told don't declare your aid coming from america. and i said even if it's coming from muslims in america? to the syrian people? i was told don't.

we're just bringing aid. >> the mayor was talking about how important it is to tell your story. what is the trick here to americans? >> i think it's all about -- when we go over there, the number one thing you hear is you ask people over there, what do you want me to tell the world? they say just tell them we're here and we need help. tell them we will continue to survive but we need help. so it's almost putting a face to this huge issue. we see it and hear these huge numbers, hundreds of thousands, millions displaced, it's about -- still about a person at the end of the day, so it's putting faces to these people instead of these grand numbers and grand things -- >> yeah. to. >> i totally agree. the idea of a number is just a number. there's no face to it, so when

you say one or a thousand or a hundred thousand, that doesn't mean anything. as syrian americans and people like us who have been there on the ground, it is sort of a responsibility. i have felt as i'm sure the rest of the guests have felt. the moment you are there, your take away is i'm not responsible to relay the message of what i'm seeing. and i feel like we all kind of take that away with us, and try to present it to the average american to people that haven't been there, because it is not the kind of thing that just anyone can pick up and go and be on the ground to see this. >> speaking of the humane face face,y -- mikey tweeted in . . . >> tweet us your thoughts, we're going to share them right after the break. ♪

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al jazeera america. ♪ >> enough. >> enough. >> enough. >> to all involved in this brutal conflict, and to all them. >> use your influence now. >> to save the syrian people -- >> and save the region -- >> from disaster. >> welcome back. in march the conflict enters its fourth year. this video was created last year by the heads of several united nations agencies. so waj what is going to take to bring the conflict to an end. we posed that question to our community. >> yeah . . .

and we just got these two . . . and on facebook kate says what can we do to help? this gives me the same anxiety as global warming, because i feel like we can do nothing. ideas, please. >> give us some ideas? >> the idea is anything and everything. it's about tweeting. it's about having a dialogue. starting a conversation. getting more knowledge on the situation on the ground. speaking to somebody who has been there. our foundation that goes there twice a year and works on the border with these kids. we believe that hope is a game changer, and we believe in concrete baby steps. those steps that you can put together that can create a

bigger picture for these kids. >> mayor why is it in in the u.s.'s interest to act? >> well, the -- syria at this point is becoming a hot bed for radicals, specifically al-qaeda. we have appealed to the administration, two years ago to get involved before al-qaeda becomes stronger in syria. it fell on deaf ears, but now we see al-qaeda becoming stronger and stronger, but they have a partner in the syrian people. syrian people have proved that they are not prone to radicalism. they are fighting al-qaeda while fighting the regime. i think the syrian people are a peace peace-loving people. if we think economically along, it opens new markets for us, it creates friends. the united states is losing

credibility, and we need to regain it by standing for what we always preach, peace, democracy, freedom and liberty. left. >> just to say quickly as far as why the united states should act in putting humanitarian situation aside, you have a regime that is a [ inaudible ] regime that doesn't cater to western governments or society or democratic values that supports organization like hezbollah, that is a magnet for is sunni extremists, we must be -- the credible -- credible force. we're not asked for armed intervention per se, but we must force a political solution as soon as possible. >> all right. thanks to all of our guests for a wonderful discussion. until next time, we'll see you online.

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