tv America Tonight Al Jazeera August 5, 2014 9:00pm-10:01pm EDT
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real understanding... >> where you scared when you hear the bombs? >> al jazeera america real... news... on"america tonight", a fragile ceasefire takes hold. a more vulnerable community, gaza's children, by the hundreds of thousands suffers the fallout. drawing the line in texas. >> i want them to go away from the city. they don't have to be where they contaminate the air, the water and the people. a dallas suburb steps up with a first against fracking. can the home owners in departmenton texas keep the
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drillers at bay when they don't own the rites to what is understand them. it wasn't a fried shrimp - a miami institution that served justice for all. >> i kept trying to tell the black customer, you don't have to come in the back door, you can come in the dining room. >> did that take a while? >> it took a while. they were not comfortable. >> a time taste of jumbos, for more than 50 years full of flavour, and what was rite. -- right. good evening, thanks for joining us. i'm julie chen. after a month of air strike barrages and ground assaults, the people of gaza and southern israel are enjoying something that happened within weeks, silence. tuesday morning marked the start
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of a ceasefire, which so far is holding. israel's military pulled the ground forces out of gaza. they maintained position across the border. the stage is set for peace talks in egypt, and the delegation is expected in gaza. palestinian leaders are there. for the first time since the start of the war, u n.r.a. says the number of displaced palestinians sheltering in schools has dropped. more than 3,000 exited the shelters. some may return when they see what is left. sanding by in gaza city is charles stratford on this first day of the ceasefire. what do the gazans do? >> they have been trying to get back into their areas where they live, to pick up the pieces of their lives. the day started early, people went back into the areas where we have seen some of the greatest military action - scenes of destruction.
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we went down to rafah in the south of the gaza strip , where some of the heaviest fighting has been in the last couple of days, in the build up, and whole areas completely flattened, villages haven't - very little left. buildings totally destroyed. farmland. huge great craters left by some of the air strikes and tank attacks. a lot of distrust about the ceasefire holding. today was a day for palestinians, yes, to try to go back and sallage something out of their -- salvage something out of their lives. >> we talked about the skepticism over the last day, as we looked into the plans for the ceasefire. do you have the sense that the people are believing that this will hold, it will turn into a lasting peace? >> well it was interesting. at the beginning of the day there was a sense of far more, if you like, people more relaxed. there was a sense that now that
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they knew that the israeli forces have withdrawn, that the talks were being initiated in cairo. there were a lot more people on the streets when we went out. as an indication how distrustful people are, there were rumours when we were down in rafah in the south, that there'd been military action in the north. these were rumours. immediately that that happened there was a greater sense of urgency among the people there, picking through the debris. it was a case of getas much as we can on to the carts and into the cars and let's get out. where do they go. the schools down there, all over gaza are full of people whose houses have been destroyed. >> is there a sense of what will be done to rebuild if there's a way to rebuild solid infrastructure going forward? >> it's a massive task. billions - tens of billions will need to be invested to try to rebuild gaza after this war. you pass factories as you drive
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around gaza, the fundamentals of this - of these people's business lives as well, totally destroyed. we are hearing reports from our sources in cairo, who are privy to the talks, now that the israeli team, the delegation is there, and we know they'll have indirect talks with the palestinian factions in cairo. the israelis are trying to push the egyptians to get hamas to hand over their weapons. in exchange for a guarantee by israel that they will rebuild gaza. this is incredible news, if you like, an indication of israel possibly trying to go behind hamas, if you like, and put pressure on them amongst the population here in gaza. people here are desperate for this to last and want their lives rebuilt. they need gaza re-built. hamas, and the palestinian factions sticking to their demands that the blockade, the
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7-year blockade be lifted. that prisoners be released, that their fishing rights and the areas can be expanded, the rebuilding of the port. but certainly some indication from the israelis that there may be an offer for them to rebuild gaza themselves. interesting news coming out of cairo. >> charles stratford in gaza city. some signs of optimism in gaza, across wava the ebola -- west africa the ebola crisis wages, killing more than 900, infecting 1400 for in guinea, sierra leone and liberia. more than 60 of the deaths were health workers. forwards of infections in nigeria, where there are eight suspected cases, one of africa's popular cities. sierra leone and liberia deployed hundreds of troops.
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an outbreak is killing 50 to 60% of people infected. two american aid workers infected, undergoing treatment, and showing signs of improvement. the experimental serum may have saved lives, generating hope that more lives could be saved. >> he's a leading expert on infectious disease. we appreciate you being with us, doctor. a lot of people are interested in the drug and treatment that the two american medical workers have gotten. it seems to be making an impact. is it a breakthrough? have we learnt something about the effectiveness of the treatment? >> we don't know how effective the treatment is yet, but we are optimistic. this is a product produced in san diego by a biopharmaceutical firm, a cop koction of
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monochromal antibodies -- conkobz of monochromal antibodies, when ipp fused, should -- infused should envelope the virus us and further prevent them infecting cells, inhibiting the infection, allowing the body to recover. we have our fingers crossed that this therapy will be affected going forward. if this medication is created, used on the two individuals with some success, would it make sense to put more out there, making it available in africa. >> first of all, let me be cautious, because we have ipp fused is into two people, and they are getting better, we can't determine whether they would have gotten better even without it. that's why we need clinical trials to determine how effective a drug in. let's assume it is. how quickly could a
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biopharmaceutical firm produce enough for use in africa. it's experimental. couldn't the ministries require procedures for informed consent from the people who get it. >> i read that it's a complex delivery, this that it arrives frozen, it had to be thawed, thawed slowly, there was a real process for the two individuals for whom it's been used. >> exactly. this is not a little capsule you take. providing fresh, frozen plasma in the united states is standard operating procedure in our community hospitals. not so in africa, much more complex. >> there is also the issue of quarantine. a lot of concern has been expressed, but it seems that there are facilities not only at emory and atlanta, but other
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places in the country where quarantine units are established, ready, prepared. >> i'm happy to say that any community hospital, academic medical center such as ours, is well-trained in infection control. we have isolation rooms, we have taken care of other people in the normal course of business who have communicable diseases, who know how to do this. in case someone swept through the lecture in class. the c.d.c. sent us through reminders. they can be instituted in virtually any hospital in this country, done well and safely. >> it doesn't seem you are concerned about exposure to the hospital. there is concern when people travel to airports in the united states, that would be a greater level of risk and concern. >> watch this now. we are fortunate here, in a sense, in that ebola is not
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infectious to others when the individual is healthy. the moment they are sick, that's the time the virus is more hazardous to people caring for that person. so once they go to an emergency room or to a hospital, we ask the question - where have you travelled internationally. when we get the answer, west africa, we immediately think of ebola, put the patient in an isolation room and garb appropriately to care for the patient safely. >> dr william shatner, thank you for being here. >> thanks, joie. ahead - a modern day lord of the flies. a broken prison system for young inmates on new york's rikers island. we get an insiders view of the incarceration from the man that used to run rikers and later served time him. >> you were sent there to be
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degraded, moralized or diminished, you were not there to be physics lil or personally -- physically or personally abused. you were sent to deprive you of your freedom. that is your punishment. >> profits in texas. a dallas suburb, the first to stand against new wells. why. will it be firm in protest.
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>> a miraculous medical marijuana breakthrough... >> it's something we can all relate to, a sick child getting better >> a week went by, still no seizures... then we know we were on to something... >> tech know, every saturday go where science meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've every done, even though i can't see. >> tech know. >> we're here in the vortex. only on al jazeera america. the worst of the worst. a handful of prisons in this country have such bad reputations as torturous discipline. their names are fear, supermax, orleans parish, l.a. county's
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twin tower correctional facility and rikers island in new york. it's been called a broken place, especially for young inmates, and gives a tight timeline for the new warden to make change or risk federal intervention. rikers island some call it devil's island. not a single gaol, but a fear some complex on a half square mile island built largely on landfill hosting 10 separate gaols, 10,000 inmates, a place with a long stopping history -- long-standing history of abuse. earlier this man, a man that ran it said it earnt its fierce reputation. >> the time i ran it, it was one of the worst in the county. >> bernie carrick acknowledged that his resume had ups and a big downfall. >> i'm the former police commissioner of the city of new york. i've been a cop. i've been in the military.
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i've been a correctional officer and a warden. i was the interim minister of the interior of iraq. i've been a surrogate. i ran rikers island. took over the n.y.p.d. i was nominated for one of the highest positions in security and american government. i have been to prison. >> carrick pleaded guilty to eight felon tax and false imprisonment charges. his experience reshaped what he thinks of our system of incarceration. >> do you have advice for people that run prisons? >> the problem in prisons today is, i think, that the staff forgets. you were sent to prison as punishment. you were not sent to prison to be punished by them. you were not sent there to be
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degraded, demaralized -- demoralized, diminished. you were not there to be personally abused. you were sent there to deprive you of your freedom. that is your punishment. >> as carrick tells it during his years running ribbingers, there was significant -- rikers, there was significant reform. >> when i look back at my time in rikers, i achieved sa 93% -- a 93% reduction in violence. we had 150 stabbings a month when i took over. six years later when i was police commissioner, there was one. >> a lot of the people say you can best do that by clamping down hard. >> you can do it by a number of things. first of all, you can't come into prison and slash and brutally beat and slash others
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without anything happening. it was a safe haven for criminal activity, you could possess weapons, no charges. you could possess drugs, no charges. you could smuggle in stuff, no charges. they didn't prosecute the crimes. i started to prosecute the crimes. i started to search the inmates more. i wasn't out there beating down the inmates. >> the abuses carrick said he put an end to are reflected in the newly released investigation. the 2.5 year study concludes rikers suffers a culture of violence, particularly against juvenile inmates. citing cases of abuse, the report found rikers delivered excessive force by correction officers against adolescent inmates, as many as four. as well as high levels of inmate on inmate violence. specifically investigators says corrections used head shots, blows to the head and face too
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frequently. use of force as a punishment or retribution, and said the excessive force was common where no video cameras were present. the report found punitive segregation was suicide excessively against adolescence, and said the young inmates requested it, believing they were safer in solidary than the general population. carrick, who was kept in solitary too, warns against it. >> there's a reason for sol tare. there's a reason for it. it's to protect the facility, and it's to protect staff. sol tare is a mental torture, and the longer you are there, the worst it gets. i've been in solitary, i nope. it's not a good thing. it's mentally abusive. you hall use jipate. you talk to yourself. you -- hall usinate. you talk to yourself.
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it breaks the mental psyche. it's inhumane in many ways. >> rikers island is a broken institution for adolescence. >> the d.o.j. calls for more than 70 immediate remedies, including more experienced officers, better training and increased surveillance. if that doesn't happen in the n 48 days, the u.s. attorney in new york warns the city could face a federal lawsuit to impose reform. former laumann, bernie carrick, sees an opportunity for change. >> the american people believe, as i have, that we pay tax dollars to punish, incarcerate and rehabilitate those that we punish. the reality is we warehouse people. is that what the system was created for? the system is broken. the system has to be fixed. it's time to fix it.
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>> it's been more than a few years since bernie carrick was in charge of rikers. the current commissioner got the job in april. he said his agency cooperated with the justice department and will carry out whatever changes are feasible and appropriate. >> when we return, what the children saw. why aid workers say gaza's children may be more vul ner maybe than the new ceasefire. and respect. >> i'm going to be in mourning. a lot of others will be in mourning. this place is 24/7. no other place to go. there'll never be another place like it. >> miami says goodbye to a local favourite. jumbo serves its last plate of fried shrimp, in justice. @
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get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now now a snapshot of stories making headlines on "america tonight". it's a score for the n.b.a., san antonio spurs hired becky hammond as an assistant coach, the first woman to work full-time as a coach in the n.b.a. pro-russian separatist and ukranian forces traded rocket fire. ukranian officials expect more fighting as they try to secure the area. fighting across eastern ukraine
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forced 300,000 from their homes. >> u.s. army general howard green was gunned down in an attack at a training facility. the attacker dressed in an afghan army uniform when he opened fire, killing and wounding 15 coalition groups. the general is believed to be the highest ranking officer since the war ber ban in 2001. >> after 29 days of fighting guns fell slept, bringing an end -- silent, bringing an end to the violence leaving 400,000 dead. survivors will need therapy and support. >> we examine the heavy toll on the youngest victims. >> this is my third war that i have witnessed. this is the worst one. >> farah is 16. she lives near gaza's main hospital, and last week she
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thought she was going to die. >> they were bumping everywhere so they could bump our house any moment. the only sound we could here was f-16s drawn. people counting, and ambulances, fire engines. we could see flares. >> reporter: though scared, she tried to comfort her 6-year-old sister. >> she was shouting. because the bombs are too loud. she keeps shaking and crying. she is so angry all the time. i tell her "don't worry, this is okay, we will not die." she don't believe me. >> reporter: these sisters are like many - young and afraid. 40% of the population are less than 40 years old. half are under 18. most are too young to remember what it was like when israel pulled out of the strip in 2005.
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they have witnessed three wars. operation cast made, operation pillar of defense in 2012, and the counter conflict -- current conflict operation protective edge, the most devastating of the three. these experts are less certain about the long-term impacts on gazan children this time around. after operation pillar and defense in 2012 the u.n. reported the p.t.s.d. rate among gazan children doubled. gaza's psychologist and mental health workers feel hard work is being undone, and more of gaza's youth are falling victim to trauma. unicef estimates 373,000 gazan children have direct experience of children with trauma, and require psychological support. the latest ceasefire offers young gazans a chance to leave their homes and go to parks. >> we came here to breathe since
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there's a ceasefire for 72 hours. we came to ease our lives after the circumstances of war and shelling. >> reporter: it will take more for the children to recover from the devastation and destruction they have witnessed. the sheer number of palestinian children affected prompted harsh criticism. the top unicef official said: strong language coming from the united nations. dr james gordon is an expert on psychological trauma and the founder and director for mind, body and medicine. he joins us. we appreciate you being with us, dr gordon, we heard in the report the tremendous trauma that children have seen and witnessed in the current conflict.
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you know, some of the comments that came from unicef, that they have seen weapons, terrible amputations, maimings, shredding. what is the impact for a child who witnessed such things? >> well, what happens when children see things like this, and see them in people they can identify with, other children, neighbours, friends, family members. is that the image is indelible. it's in their minds forever. and it disturbs them often in an ongoing way. they will see these images before they go to sleep at night. it will keep them from sleeping or startle them awake. they really contribute to destabilizing the children, making them anxious and fearful that the same thing may happen again. to someone else or especially to
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them. >> you have been in the gaza strip and other conflict zones and talked to children in the areas. can you give us some idea how many are directly affected by what they see currently in gaza? >> well, every child in gaza will be affected. this is the third major israeli attack against them, over the last six or seven years. because it comes on top of previous trauma. i think that just about every child in gaza will more or less be affected. the techniques used are designed to help children to walk about what happened to them. to share in words, drawings, moving their bodies what they are going through. it will be all pervasive, the closer to the death of the tragedy, the more you are likely to be affected.
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the kids will need yepsive programs to help -- comprehensive programs to thep them move through it. >> you and others have been working with the children, and you mentioned some of the writing and drawing they are doing. we have the images. can you describe what is depicted, and how this has changed? >> the difference between these drawings and others that we have seen after conflicts, or in quiet times is very striking. the overwhelming image in all the drawings is that of bombs falling. of damage and destruction coming from the sky in a way that the child has no - no sense of predictability. no sense of control. no sense of power. you look. the figures are so tiny in the drawings. in many of them, the bombs are
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huge. always there's a sense of - it's like the wrath of some kind of terrible military god coming down on these children. so the drawings tell us what is going on right now. you can use drawings to help children solve problems. as we work with them over time, we'll be doing that. and the drawings will change over time. but right now this is their reality, overwhelming destruction coming from the sky. >> dr james jordan, founder and director for mind, body and medicine. appreciate you being with us, sir. >> thank you very much. >> now, on big sums of money - $16 billion - that's how much american corporations intend to spend on business deals in africa. it's an announced that came from president obama at the u.s. africa summit.
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it's the largest ever gathering in washington hosted by the white house. it's not your tax payer dollars, money companies have pledged to invest in a continent that is home to some of the fastest growing economies. president obama welcomed africa with his initiative, focussing on commerce between american and african enterprises, particularly with a generation of african movers and shakers. we are joined by chris johnson. let's talk about this. these event bring out big invite nations, meaningful for the guests. in this particular case most of africa was invited, but the leaders of a few countries were not. can you tell us who were not and why and what the significant is? >> there were five not invited, zimbabwe, sudan, west sahara,
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eritrea and the west african republic. >> is there something that ties the five together? >> probably not. our relations with all of these countries are strained in one way or another. we haven't recognised western sahara as a county, nor has the united nation, so an invitation wouldn't have been appropriate. we have strained relations with zimbabwe, and with eritrea, and with sudan, with president al-basheer. >> it's understandable why they weren't invited, but there were invitations for countries who you might spect leaders would not be welcome in the states. who were they and why? >> president kenyatta from kenya. that's before the elections in kenya, we were not - that was not the candidate that we had hoped would become elected in kenya, because he is on trial with the international criminal
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court. but i think we are now trying to kind of send a different message saying we'll work with kenya, it's been a strong friend of the united states. and because this summit really obviously it's a summit of leaders, it focuses on commerce. we are more interested in building ties in relation with business people and other actors within african society. >> underscoring the point, some of the other leaders invited, it's the value of that relationship that earns them an invitation. >> yes. certainly. i mean we have strong ties, obviously, with president obama, the administration cited nigeria, south africa and angola as three strategic partners on the continent. they were invited, we are wooing the leaders and business people, and looking to make more
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investments and greater investments in those three countries. >> when it's politically complicated, what they have done, to go back to the point about zimbabwe, a country where the leadership was not invited. yet president obama took a special time with a zimbabwe entrepreneur. why? >> again, i think the message here is we are interested in africa's future. we are interested in building economic ties, trade and investment in africa. and aren't necessarily focused on interactions directly with the heads of state. we are happy to build commercial ties and trade ties with africans on the ground, african entrepreneurs, which is consistent with the message that the administration is trying to put out there. >> chris johnson of howard university, thank you for being here. >> thank you. next on "america tonight" - wealth versus worries. in energy-rich texas, a community stands against new
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drilling. >> what will happen if the well explodes? you live in a state of terror, because you have no idea what they are doing. they don't tell you. i bought an explosive gas monitor and a carbon monoxide detector because you don't know what will happen. >> that's next. and next time, toledo, ohio, left without drinking water for days. scientists say we should expect worse ahead. why there's so much worry about the water in lake erie. that's tomorrow, on "america tonight".
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town that may be the first to say "not in our backyard." . >> reporter: you don't see many children playing outside in this north texas neighbourhood. >> i feel like i'm tracked in my home with my children. and it's absolutely not fair. the safety and the health of my family and community have to take precedence over oil extraction. over gas extraction. >> miley bush moved to departmenton texas before the industry came knocking. now she's sandwiched between a gas well and a fracking station. her dream home is a nightmare. >> what happens if the well explodes. you live in a state of terror. you have no idea what they are doing. i had o buy a gas mon for and a coim detect -- carbon monoxide, detector. >> departmenton sit atop the
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shale, a large natural gas government. it is home to the most intensive gas drilling operations attempted in an urban area. debbie lives across the street from blush. >> this is literally in your backyard. >> yes, it was outside my door. i could have thrown a tennis ball and hit the tour. >> when the well was drilled, the neighbourhood was unlivable, with around the clock noise, dust and traffic. >> gas and oil drilling - i want them to go away from the city. they don't have to be next to where they contaminate the air, water and people. >> hydraulic fracking pumps water into a formation that releases natural gas. >> there's more than 270 active wells within the city limits.
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the city established a 1200 foot setback, the rule doesn't apply to existing wells that could be fracked again at any time. this is what residents are concerned about. in april, after a gas well blow up homes were evacuated and flight diverted from the municipal airport. air tests detected 46 hazardous chemicals downwind. the same company that operates the sells failed to report the blow-out to authorities for hours - according to local reports. >> it never ends. i'm never going to go to sleep at night and feel safe and secure. >> reporter: alarmed local residents have taken things into their own hands. people like home health nurse cathy mcmullen, spear heading a petition for a fracking banment.
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>> we are prusk natural gas -- prusk natural gas, we are doing our bit. we are saying do not frack any more wells 180 feet from a child's bedroom. >> reporter: under public pressure the council netted a moratorium on new wells, ending in september. mcmullen said it didn't go far enough. >> my fear is we'll have a generation of children in 20 years with an illness like associated with asbestos and cancer, and they will not show up for another 10-20 years. >> her successful petition prompted the city to call a special session. for nearly eight hours city council members heard from 100 people. >> i plead you to please ban fracking, save our city, save our state, save our country. >> it's safe, and i challenge all the anti-energy activists
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with their accusations about fracking. it does not happen that way. >> i know there's a lot of emotion, i know there's a lot of passion, but also what - any time you want to resolve a problem, you want to figure out the best strategy in order to protect, and i wish i knew which one it was. >> shortly before 3 o'clock in the morning, in a 5-2 vote, the council voted against the ban, deciding to send the issue to voters in november. >> the notion to deny is approved 5-2. an issue the counsel had to take into consideration is na in texas -- is that in texas mineral rights and surface rites were separate, meaning home owners often do not own the minerals beneath their home. a ban makes mennerals worthless -- minerals worthless. >> they can say we are taking
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their property away from them, and we have to pay them for the value of the property. >> reporter: dalton gregory, a retired principal, turned council member, was born and raised in denton, if the ban pass, he says the oil and gas industry tore the state could -- or the state could come after denton. >> reporter: what would we be talk, millions? >> tens of hundreds of millions, it'd bankrupt the city. >> our interview requests were declined. the agency said it did not get involved in the issues. the chairman of the railroad commission sent a letter to the council urging them to deny the ban and suggesting out of state and foreign powers like russia might be behind it. then there were other mineral rights owners, standing to make profits in a shale boom. trisha davis, a mineral rights
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owner made a trek to departmenton to testify against a ban. >> something that came up at the city council meeting is you all are going to sue. where, you all being the royalty owners would have lost our property, it will be condemned if a ban passes. the courts will ultimately decide, and that is not a win for anybody. transferring the wealth of the mineral estate to trial lawyers is not a win for texas. >> well, the issue of local bans or control of fracking is an issue coming up over the country. >> tarpy jeff -- attorney jeff gabor specialises in environmental law. >> recreation is exclusively a state issue. cities may not be happy with how the states handle it.
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>> this fall the voters in denton will have to make a decision on the ban. miley says he will not back down. >> it's my duty as a mother to make sure my kids and everyone else's are protected. if i have the eighty to go out and -- ability to go out and speak and have the where with all to do it, i'll do it. i won't count on someone else to do it for me. ahead in the final segment of this hour - more than five decades serving fried favourites and healthy plate - respect. >> they would come in to the back door, and one of the cooks would wait on them, and serve them through the back door. >> this place was segregated back then. >> yes, it was segregate back then, until i changed that. >> he did, indeed. how the closing of miami's
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>> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. finally from us - a bag of history, and the flavour of change. miami said goodbye to a legend. jumbos was a bit of a greasy spoon, but with a flavour for change. chris bury travelled to miami for a taste of history. >> reporter: for 59 years bobby and his family ran jumbo, a 24 hour diner in miami's liberty city neighbourhood. is this a bittersweet moment for you. >> very emotional. i've been trying to prepare myself for this time for the last several years. >> reporter: that a tired looking all-night joint in a
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busy street in a rough part of time is closing its doors may be less worse a shrug. when they served their final plate of shrim, hundreds of we'll wishers crowded in to mark the moment. >> i'll be in mourning, a lot of people will be in place of mourning. this place here, 24/7 - no other place to go. the other place. there'll never be a player like jumbo. >> in miami, the cafe, and the man that ran it famous. for serving generous portions of goodwill, no matter the colour of a skin. >> this is my philosophy. treat the customer like you would want to be treated if you wept into a restaurant.
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treat them with the utmost respect. >> bobby flann took over jumbos from his father, who brought it in 1955, when this was a white working class neighbourhood. back then blacks were relegated to a second-class status. how segregated was miami in the 1950s. >> extremely, like birmingham, jacksonville. >> reporter: in miami blacks were forbidden from mingling with whites, each in public places. >> they couldn't share the same bathroom, water fountain. they went to segregated schools. >> a few blocks from july bows, you can see what is left of a concrete wall that separated the black neighbourhood from white miami. >> in the late '50s, and '60s,
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miami was so segregated that they could not sit at the same launch counter. they had to sit in a back room. >> they'd come in through the back door, and one of the cooks would wait on them and serve them through the back door. >> this place was segregated back then. >> yes, it was segregated back then, until i changed that. >> in 1967, fresh out of college, bobby took over, opening the front door to everyone. jumbos became one of the first restaurants in miami to integrate. >> i kept trying to tell the black customer you don't have to come in the back door. you can come in the dining room. >> did that take a while? >> it took a while. the black customer was not comfortable coming in the dining room. >> most of jumbo's white employees were uncomfortable when bobby announced he would hire black cooks and waitresses.
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>> a couple right away said "i'm not working with - they used the n word. i said "you're free to quit.". >>. >> reporter: did some of the white employees quit. >> within a month, i'd say 25 of my part-time waitresses quit, and five of my full-time employees. >> they didn't want to work with blacks. >> 100%. >> bobby said he never saw himself as a civil rights crusader. >> integration was something that had to be done. it was time for it, the right thing to do. segregation i did not like. that back room i did not like. the idea that the black customer coming in the back room. i hated it. >> he may not have demonstrated downtown, but he did something significantly. he took a chance with his business, his employment by opening it up to all races and workforce. for me, he put more in the line than your average civil rights
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crusader did. >> no matter who you are, what colour. >> soon july bows was the place in miami, where blacks and whites felt comfortable. ordinary customers might bump into the major and the police chief. everywhere loved the shrimp. >> coming from a gospel. seeing it at 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock in the morning, seeing it, can't wait to eat the nice pretty chicken wings. >> jerome star lipping, a miami minister has been coming to july bows for 30 years. >> once we came to july bows, it was a good -- jumbos, it was a good day. they knew we were good workers and people. much of miami erupted in violence after four white police officers were acquitted in the beating death of a black man. in liberty city, many white-owned businesses were burned to the ground.
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jumbos was left unscathed. >> the community came out and protected jumbos. they understood that this was a good institution. >> jumbos was a safe haven for african-americans. they knew that it was treated well, and that the opener had respect for african-americans. >> after the riots, white customers stopped coming. liberty city struggled more. in 2005, hurricane will ma nearly blew jumbos off the map. >> i loft a lot of money. >> hundreds of thousands. >> yes, over 4 4u7bz,000. >> as the -- 400,000. >> as the troubles piled up, so did the bills. at age 69, bobby sold to a developer. >> i'm sad. i'm ready to move on. it's been difficult the last nine years. >> you are ready to go? >> yes, i'm ready to go. here is one from 1985.
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30th anniversary of flann family. >> reporter: over the years the walls became covered with accolades, prom lambations from the city and country, a james beard award, honouring the diner, and this entry in the congressional record, recognising jumbos for its contribution to civil rights. >> that's 2005. that was great. it was awesome. it was probably the - one of the best awards i ever got. >> even now, customers who have not heard that jumbos is closed, stare at the locked door. the regulars are nostalgic. >> will the closing july bows leave a hole. >> of course, it leaves a psychological hole. there's knew places in or outside the neighbourhoods where
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the races can eat comfortably, share good times and discussions, it's gone. >> bobby has closed the door on july bows after -- jumbos, living behind the goodwill and the sweet aftertaste of the shrimp that everywhere loved. >> sweet, indeed. >> that's "america tonight." tomorrow on the programme people in toledo, ohio, were told not to use their water for two days. bans are lifted, but scientists warn things may get worse, and they have reason to believe other communities may face this too. lori jane gliha investigates whether the algae bloom can be a risk to your water too. goodnight. we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow. >> consider this: the news of
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