turn around and come back? >> our teams find out first hand how treacherous the migrants journey can be. >> we make them take a trip of death >> it is heartbreaking when you see the families on top of the rail car borderland continues only on al jazeera america on "america tonight", the weekend edugs - water so dangerous half a million were told not to turn on their taps. the bloom on lake erie, and the toxins in it. worse? >> the treatment at the water facility is a band aid. the lake is not as healthy as it should be correspondent lori jane it. an indepth report on what poisoned the water, and why it's likely it spread. texas.

>> i'm for gas and oil drilling. i want them to go away from the city. they don't have to be next to where they cop tam nate the -- contaminate the air, water and people. a dallas suburb steps up with a first. can they keep the drillers at bay when they don't own the right to what is under them. it wasn't just the fried shrimp, a miami institution serving justice for all. >> i told the black customer you don't have to come in the back door, you can come in the dining room. while? >> it took a while. they were not comfortable. a time dast of jumbo, for more than 50 years, full of flavour and what was right.

good evening. i'm julie chen, thank you for joining us for "america tonight", the weekend edition. we begin with the water woes in ohio. the water is safe to drink now in toledo, the problems are not over for the 11 million that livers around lake erie. algae threaten the life of the lake. lori jane gliha tells us that the problem is bigger than lake erie. >> reporter: at wade smith's toledo home no one takes clean running water for granted. his family of five was among nearly half a million people who couldn't use the tap water over the weekend when toxins from a blue-green algae bloom contaminated the water supplies. >> you couldn't drink the water, do laundry or dishes. >> contact with the water could cause liver problems, vomiting and diarrhoea.

the kids skipped bath time. >> the neighbours had a large pond worse case scenario we would have thrown them in there with a bar of soap. scientists warn the source of the drinking water, lake erie, is still at risk. done? >> fish could die, plants in the bottom of the lake could die. we could kill the lake. >> reporter: of the great lakes, lake erie is the smallest by volume, and shallowest. it's surrounded by four states and canada. this is part of algae. >> yes. it's all algae growing, yes. some has the tox irk in it. >> yes. >> this environmental engineer says when it comes to the lake health, environmental problems goes deep.

toledo. >> yes. all the water people drinks comes from there. >> reporter: 73 million gallons filter through the intake system. in order to supply drinking water to half a million people, like the smiths. this is the algae there today. the other day how much was it? >> it was solid green. >> reporter: what do you think when you see it like this? >> the wind turned it up and it's better. >> reporter: algae feeds off foss ferrous that runs into the waste. >> it's like a man made candy. we are giving it to them, and it's growing, multiplying. >> excessive growth farms maps or blooms. it's not knew. in the 1960s, lake erie was declared dead because the toxic blooms cut off

oxygen. the lake came back to life. in 2011 lake erie was hit by a large algal bloom. regulators realised the problem went beyond the known polluters to individual farms and land openers with foss ferrous run off and leaky septic systems. climate change made it worse. will things get worse? >> the treatment at the water facility is a band-aid. i would suggest to the patient. the lake is not as healthy as it should be. deteriorating. the blooms are pref leapt. they are happening with greater intensity. there'll be the chances for water systems to be caught offguard going forward. the fert loising factor for our agriculture business and farmers need to adjust the type of

fertiliser that uses less foss ferrous, less nitrogen. >> reporter: how many tomato plants do you have. >> there's about 500. >> reporter: wade smith is a farmer and feels the blame coming his way. >> i don't want anyone to be a scapegoat. there are multiple players among different industries that play a role in the health of the lake. finger pointing and scapegoating will not help. >> reporter: he uses phosphorous, or newtry ents, to grow his plants. >> reporter: what would the fertiliser. >> it wouldn't be existence. >> this man uses them as well. >> i farm 1500 acres. >> without it the plants wouldn't be as tall or full. contimer. >> i would not be in business.

we cannot farm without having nutrients for the crops. >> reporter: he says he'd like to see more research before changing his farming methods. what would you do if regulations were implemented saying you had to use less. >> like anyone, you learn to adapt. i hope we get the research done so if there are regulations, it's based on science. >> reporter: farmers cross the state are working with ohio state to gather data about foss ferrous run off, and they utilized technology to fertilise the fields. do you think farmers are partially to blame? >> anyone that says they are not part of the problem are putting blinders on. >> reporter: wade smith says she's trying to be frugal with his fertiliser. how much do you tent the leaf? >> ever -- test the leaf? >> every two weeks.

>> reporter: he sends samples to the lab so he can utilize what he needs, no more, no less. he's willing to listen to farming ideas. patients is key. the process must be fair. >> we can't fix the lake tomorrow. we need to make sound conditions. if we pick the wrong one, and act too soon, we could do more harm than good, coming out of the gate. >> that was "america tonight"s lori jane gliha reporting. >> from the tainted water in ohio, to concerns about a toxic situation in texas, a growing number of towns have said no to fracking, setting up clashes with state regulators who see the boom as ben initial. a state that is friendly to the oil and gas industry, "america tonight"s sara hoy has the story

of a town that by 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 trapped in my home with my small children. it's absolutely not fair. the safety and the health of my family and community has to take precedence over oil extraction. over kath, "traction. >> miley -- extrabz. >> miliary moved to texas and is now between two wells. >> what will happen if the well explodes. you live in a state of terror. you have no idea what they are doing. i had to buy a gas mon for d carbon monoxide detector, because you don't know what would happen. >> departmenton sit atop the barp et shale -- barnett shale, a large gas government.

the barnett shale is home to the most intensive gas drilling provisions -- operations attempted. rrments this is literally in your backyard. >> yes,it's right outside my back door. i could throw a tennis ball and hit the tower. >> when the well was drilled of the neighbourhood was uplivable with the round the clock noise and truck traffic. >> i'm for oil and gas drilling, but i want them to go away from the city. they don't need to be next to where they contaminate the air, water and people. >> reporter: hydraulic fracking pumps water into a shale formation to release natural gas. there's more than 270 active wells within the city limits. the city established the 1200

foot setback, the rule doesn't flyto existing wells that could be fracked again at any type. this is what residents are concerned about. in april, after a gas well blow-up homes were evacuated and flights diverted from the airport. 46 hazardous chemicals were found. the same company that operates the gas wells near bush and ingram's homes failed to report the blow out for hours, according to local reports. >> it never end. i'm never go to sleep and feel safe and secure. >> reporter: residents have taken things into their own hands home health nurse cathy mcmullen helped to spear head a fracking ban petition. >> we are putting it in there,

doing our bit, saying do not frack wells 187 feet from a child's bedroom. >> reporter: under public pressure the city council netted a temp wry moratorium on fracking wells. mcmullen says it didn't go forward enough. it end in september. >> i fear we'll have a generation of children in 20 years that will have an illness like associated with asbestos ande cancer and they will not show up for another 20 years. the drive prompted the city to call a special session. for eight hours, city council members heard from more than 100 people. i plead you to ban fracking, save the city, save our state, save our country. >> it's safe, and i challenge all the anti-energy act cysts

with accusations -- activists with their accusations about fracking. it does not happen that way. >> i know there's emotion and passion. any time you want to resolve a problem you want to figure out the best strategy to protect. 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 a ban, deci deciding to send the motion. >> the moggs is improved 5-2. >> an issue that the council had to take into consideration is in texas, mnerral and surface rites were strait. a ban would make mineral states worthless. >> they could sue us saying we are doing regulatory taking and take the the property away from

them, and we have to pay them for the value. >> reporter: dalton gregory, retired principal, now council member was born and raised in departmenton. if the ban -- denton. he says if the ban passes the state and oil and gas industry could come after departmenton. >> reporter: what are we talking millions? >> tens of hundreds of millions. it would bankrupt the city. >> the texas railroad commission declined our request, saying the assy does not get involved in the oubs, but the chairman of the texas railroad commission send an alert to the denton council urging them to deny the ban, suggesting out of state and foreign powers like russia may be behind it. there are the min areal rights own -- mineral rights owners that stand to make a profit.

trisha made the electric to denton to testify. >> one thing that came up is youal are going to sue. you all being the royalty openers would have lost our property. it would have been condemned if a ban on fracking passes. the courts will probably 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 that is coming up all over the country. >> attorney-generally jeff gabor specialises in environmental law in dallas. >> regulation of fracking has been almost exclusively a state issue. cities may not be happy with how the states are handling and and may be trying to deal with the impact on their citizens.

this fall voters will have to make a decision on the ban. miley bush says she won't back down down. >> it's my duty as a mother to make sure my kids and everyone else's are protected. if i have the ability to speak and the wherewithal to do it, i'll do it. i won't count on someone else to do it for me. >> detroit home openers shooting and fighting back against criminals. the city's police chief has gip his blessings, but -- given his blessings, but could a murder trial change the chiefs too? >> a lot of these mining sites are restricted >> a silent killer... >> it's got a lot of arsenic in it >> you know your water's bad, and you know you're sick >> unheard victims... >> 90% of the people will have some type of illness from the water. >> where could it happen next? >> i mean they took away my life...

fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the door... ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... truth seeking... >> award winning, investigative, documentary series. water for coal only on al jazeera america

welcome back to "america tonight". just a few days ago a jury in michigan found theodore guilty of second degree murder in the shooting of mcbride. she crashed her car.

when she wept for help she was gunned down. it raised questions from detroit's police chief. there's more to the story. lori jane gliha reports. critics say the chief is enkornaling home owners to shoot first -- encouraging home owners to shoot first. >> reporter: where is the safety on the gun. this woman had not touched the semiautomatic rifle in years but the 27-year-old mother at home with two small children knew exactly how to pull the trigger when a group of teens tried to break into her detroit home. this is the first hole you shot. >> yes, that is the warping shot. this is the next few shots, out the door. here. >> from here. >> reporter: surveillance showed the boys had been casing the house for half an hour before making a move to force own the back door. mitchell was ready for them.

[ gun fire ] >> run, now. >> reporter: were you prepared to kill someone if that was the end result? >> killing someone was far from my thoughts. i didn't think i was going to kill no one. i doesn't want to till anyone, i was -- kill anyone, i was wanting to scare them. >> reporter: mitchell was one of four others that shot at ipp truders before police arrived. four were killed. mitchell doesn't want to kill anyone, but knew her gun would provide protection. the law protects home owners when they feel their life is in danger in their home. in detroit home owners say safer. >> this is my wapon of choice.

>> reporter: yvonne bought a handgun. she fired it at a range until a pitch-black warning this year. did you see him enter? >> i was here. >> reporter: you were this close to the window. >> i was here. >> reporter: she said she was on the phone as a man with a window. >> my son was in the hall. i said if you come in i'll shoot. my son yelled "shoot him", i was like, no, he needs to come in. he reached in, he saw me. i saw him, and i discharged my weapon. he yelled so loud. >> reporter: what was that moment like when you realised "i might a killed this guy.". >> i would have felt bad had he died. at that moment i felt anger like "how dare you come in my house?" i was angry at that moment. i felt good. i felt great.

>> police officers cannot and will not be on every corner in front of every house every minute of the day. detroit police chief james craig joined the department in the bankrupt city. >> i came here 10 months ago, it's fair to say that many who lived in detroit had no confidence in the police kept. >> reporter: during the short tenure, there has been successes. violent crime is down 10% in 2014, compared to the same period last year. these days craig is getting the most intention by encouraging home openers to defend themselves. he appeared on the cover of an n.r.a. magazine, and reported his message in television appearance. >> i have been very clear. i don't support vigilanteism. what i have continually stated is that this is about defence. this is about a person threat.

>> reporter: what is your message to the teens considering breaking into somebody's house? will they get what they deserve if they are shot and killed? >> that is a terrible statement, get what they deserve. the message should be make a better decision. >> ron scott is with the detroit coalition against police brutality, and worries that the police have made it too easy to claim defense. >> you think he's encouraging the gun. >> they are not hitting options taken. i think you can retreat to an area in the home which is safer than the other place. i think you can use other weapons if you have to use them, that are left. do you think that the police are doing a good job when it comes to helping assess whether these are justifiable homicides. >> not when the shooting is get.

>> my comments are not to ipp site. this is about defense. people -- insight. this is about self-defence. people in dedestroyed are sick and tired of being victims. >> reporter: these women say self defense saved their lives and if faced with the same situation in the future, each would pull the trigger again, in a heart beat. ahead an "america tonight" investigation - athletes at the top of their game playing out olympic dreams, but vulnerable to those guiding their careers. >> of course you tell your kids don't get in a car with a stranger. you don't tell them don't trust your coach. what the u.s. olympic movement is doing to trust the next generation, and why young athletes are coming forward to say "it's not enough.". >> on tech know,

>> the system is paying attention... >> life saving technology... >> i definitely slowed down as a result... >> transforming the way you drive... >> maybe crashes won't happen any more... >> smart cars of the future... >> whoa...i would have driven straight through that... >> 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.

>> now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. 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 it's a horrifying tale we have heard - a vulnerable child sexually abused by an adult - a tocher, a relative -- teacher, a relative, a clergyman. and now evidence of another arena where children can be victimized - elite junior

athletes, olympianians, where they choose winning over anything else, including protecting children. >> of course you tell your kids don't get into a car with a stranger. you don't tell them not to trust your coach. >> monica could have kept silence about the coach that raped her daughter for years, but chose to speak out. >> as we are speaking i am sure a wide-eyed 12-year-old olympic wannabe is being abused. the situation sets itself up in every club team in every state in the country. >> anna's dream began at the water's edge. by middle school in western massachusetts anna had the makings of a star athlete, a distance freestyler. at 12 she was the baby, the youngest on the national team. recruiters called when she was in eighth grade.

>> this was the first time i made a top 16 national time when i was 12 >> reporter: you were 12. >> yes. >> reporter: and you were one. top 16 swimmers. >> yes, for my age. >> reporter: as the medals and winnings piled up. anna's relationship with her coach at the y.m.c.a. took a dark turn. she was 13. >> it was not only rape, anal her. >> people ask me "why didn't you scream, yell, kick, tell your mum?" i hated it, i hated what was happening and it was terrifying and ugly and disgusting. it was horrible, but i loed him. >> reporter: he was your coach. >> i didn't think he was my boyfriend, i thought he was the world. >> reporter: looking back her

mother admits she should have seen the warning signs. >> once she said it's like co-cape, he yells at -- cocaine, back. >> reporter: sexual abuse experts say the rapes were not about sex. anna says it was another way for the coach to control her. >> he screamed at me in front of coaches and parents and praised me and made me feel amazing. i was young. i thought "okay, well i don't know how to handle this, other than to go with it and he must - i must have done something wrong.". >> reporter: you were being sexually assaulted. >> yes. >> reporter: you didn't understand that that was rite. >> i didn't know if i told somebody that they would say it was wrong. >> reporter: the strain began to show. anna was diagnose with anorexia.

she crawled into her parents bed, considered suicide. finally she confessed to a friend who called her parents. knowing how crushed her mother anna. >> it's unimaginable. it hurts more than anything ever will again. to see them try to guilt. >> i was the helicopter parent on the other side of the door while he was raping her. i was working out in the gym. so you can be as helicopter as you want and miss it. >> reporter: furious and determined to protect her daughter and other girls she reported the coach to the y. he was put on leave and forced out eventually. "america tonight" reached out to the coach multiple times. he never responded to our interview requests but the extreme cos found themselves -- but they were ostracised by other families.

>> parents don't want changes when their kids are swimming fast. sexual abuse is nasty, dirty business, and nobody wants to admit that it happened in their back quart. >> reporter: she said he sh less support from u.s.a. swimming, a governing body, facing a disclosure that rick curll, a top coach in the country from one of the nations on the powerhouse team sexually abused one of his stars for years. he was sent to prison for it. monica expected u.s.a. swimming would act quickly in her daughter's case and ban the coach. i thought "this will be easy, he's not a first class koch. they have a statement by a young girl raped by the guys, this should be easy, they could ban him." >> reporter: was he banned? >> no. he could coach now if he wanted to >> reporter: bridie says it's a

familiar story, not just in elite swimming. >> it's a huge epidemic across the olympic sport, whether it's in rowing or it's in taekwondo or wrestling or volleyball. it's across all sports. >> beryl has her own story. an olympic speed skating hopeful. she was in 10th grade when 4-time ploip, silver medallist andy gable allegedly sexually abused here. she was 15, he was 33. gable did not respond to our request for an interview, but admitted an inappropriate team-mate. >> andy makes the point we didn't have sex. but you are not allowed to touch 15-year-old girls, put your fingers in 15-year-old girls or kiss them. it does not matter. it's not a justification for

what he did. >> gable was never prosecuted by the time farr ale came forward the statue of time limits ran out. he was investigated but no action taken, as far as farrell knows. bodies are under no mandate to investigate claims of abuse. >> because the olympic committee subsidiary and national bodies are not education institutions they don't are to go by title 9. if it happens in a school, there's rules and guidelines. >> the u.s. olympic committee, u.s.a. swimming and u.s. speed skating declined our requests for interviews. after safe sport, the s abuse prevention -- sex abuse prevention programme.

some say they can be stuck between a rock and a hard place. often there's no prove and they investigation. >> the attitude was to attack the victim. >> mike is a former u.s.a. swimming vice president who served on swimming's insurance board and wrote a proposal with guidelines to protect swimmers. >> no one on one contact, an athlete shouldn't travel with a coach. they shouldn't share hotel rooms. if a complaint was not acted on, that member of the hair staff should be disciplined. >> the suggestions made him a community. >> i was called and told by a ranking folks that i made a huge, grave mistake, that i should not have written it. i should not have published it. >> sports programs adopted guidelines, but the organizations do not investigate

aggressively, that the burden is on victims to report abuse. opportunity. >> i loved swimming. i was good at it. i wanted to swim division one. i wanted to go to olympic trials. they were me. >> reporter: bridie continues her campaign to get her former mentor out of speed skiting and get him removed from the fame. >> my purpose in coming forward is to make the sport safer. taking no action creates a culture where athletes will not speak up. >> reporter: athletes may not. strong mothers like monica, will truth. >> people ask me "don't kids lie?"

more. they continue to follow develop on the case. learn. ahead after the break - stepping out into the political limelight. maryland's first lady speaks with adam may, why her husband's political future may mean changes for her career.

. >> the 26th campaign for the white house is under way. hillary clinton is the most mentioned democratic candidate, another name is emerging, the governor of maryland. he is considering a run for the presidency. ha has been getting -- he has been getting key indoorsments and building rgsships in iowa. there's one person missing, his wife. adam may introduces us to katherine o'mallee. >> reporter: do you feel you could be an effective first lady for the nation? >> that's a tough question. i'm not sure what will happen in the future. i hope what happens i'll be able to adjust and hopefully do as well as i did here. >> reporter: do you guys entertain in here? if you have not heard of kath

line o'mallee you will in the future. the first lady of canada is the wife of martin o'mallee. between his trips to iowa, and meetings with top donors all signs point to o'malley running for nomination in 2016. >> i think he is a contender. >> reporter: professor todd everley from st. mary's college. >> he's young, dynamic, appealing with a regard of accomplishments. i think he has a lot of appeal for the folks that vote. >> reporter: tell me something about the governor that know. >> i don't know that he'd want me to do that. he may not be happy if i do that. the thing i tell people, because he's serious when i see him on tv is that he has a wonderful sense of humour. >> reporter: so does mrs. o'mallee who insists on being called katy. she seems at ease in first lady mode.

we spent time with her at a celebration of agriculture and local chefs at the governor's mansion. working a friendly crowd. on stage she is the woman behind governor o'mallee. observers expect that to change. katy o'mallee could find herself froupt and center in the 2016 campaign. until this interview katy has stayed out of the national spotlight because there's a lot more to the first lady than being a politician's wife. he is a district court judge in baltimore, a career that helped fuel her passion for social issues, but also muzzled her. state ethics laws prohibit judges from engaging in politics legislation. >> reporter: has that been tough for you as a judge that you can't be more active, do you wish you could? >> there are times you get frustrated when you can't get

out and do what you want to do or respond to stupid stuff that you read in the newspapers. rrments including criticism against you or your husband. >> usually not me so stuff, stuff that is ridiculous. you simmer down and let it take its course. it does. >> katy o'mallee has been connected to politics since birth. her father was an attorney-general your. >> she would be an incredible asset. she's from a maryland political family. i don't think you can grow up in a family like that without learning the treks of the trade room. >> i'm a proud daughter of a wonderful politician and i ended up married to a politician, which was not in the grand plan. >> reporter: did you think you'd marry a politician? >> no, it happened, lucky for me kids. >> we have four great kids.

>> reporter: what is it like to raise kids in the public spotlight like you have? >> there's pros and cons to all of that. if they do something that is stupid everywhere hearse about it. anyone else that makes a mistake, no one hears about it. there's pros and cons. they have been great, and helpful to their dad and their dad's career, which sometimes i can't do, because i'm a judge. >> reporter: instead, katy o'mallee put her experience as a judge and prosecutor to use in a different way, becoming an international advocate for victims of domestic violence. another cause close to her heart, stopping school bullying. >> we have had a few situations in maryland where children have tape their own lives. before that had happened, i was sort of interested in the issue and worried about the issue. working in the truancy courts i found a lot of reasons, kid were

not coming to school was because they were bullied. >> what have you done about it? >> we try to take kids to do a policemen saying hey, if you see in happening, if someone is bullying a kid that is a little inferior and different you need to take a stand. >> reporter: based on the issues that you are passionate about, progressive. >> i would rather be progressive than regressive. >> reporter: katy o'malley avoided controversy except one time. a few years ago when the general assembly refused to pass a law legal acing gay marriage, she referred to an act of cowardize to those that were going to vote and wept against it. many felt that crossed the line for a judge in the state.

statement. >> reporter: did you learn something from that? >> no, i didn't think it was a political issue, it was a civil rights issue. when it comes for civil rights judges have to stand up for the rights of poem. >> reporter: as a judge o'mallee has not been able to venture on to the political trail yet. if her husband makes a run, she has to make a difficult judgeship. >> i can't imagine it. i love being a judge. >> reporter: you may be faced with the decision in the near future should your husband run for president, that you may have to say "i can't do this any more." wouldn't that be tough? >> well, we'll see. that's the easy answer, right. and ahead in the time segment of this hour, more than five decades serving fried respect.

>> so they would come in through the back door, and one of the cooks would wait on them and door. >> reporter: this place was segregated back then. >> yes, until i changed it he did, indeed. how the closing of miami's jumbos is more than the end of some great fried shrimp. alk to.

>> only on al jazeera america. >> oh my! and finally from us - a bite of history that you can't

forget. miami said goodbye to a legend recently - jumbos. it was a bit of a greasy spoon but with a flavour for change. we travel to miami for a taste of history. >> we'll miss you, see you down the road. >> reporter: for 59 years that man and his family ran july bows in the liberty neighbourhood. you? >> very emotion al. i've been trying to prepare myself for the last several years >> reporter: a tired looking all-night joint in a busy street in a rough part of town is closing its doors may not be worth a shrug. when jumbos served final plates of fried streets, hundred of customers and well-wishers crowded in. >> this was famous.

open any time of day or night. they'll grill this or that. >> i'll be in mourning and a lot of others will be in mourning because this place is 24/7. no other place to go. there's other place, but never another like jumbos. >> reporter: in miami the cafe and the man who ran it were famous, not only for the shrimp and wings, but serving portions of goodwill, no matter the colour of a customer's skip. >> this is my philosophy. treat the customer like you would want to be treated if you wept into a restaurant. treat them with the utmost respect. >> bobby took over jumbos from his father who brought it in 1955 when this was a white working class neighbourhood. back then miami was like any

other city in the deep south. blacks were relegated to second-class substance. >> how segregated was miami in the 1950s. >> extremely segregated like jacksonville. >> reporter: in miami blacks were forbidden from mingling places. >> they couldn't share the same bathroom, water fountains. >> reporter: a few blocks from jumbo, you can see what is left of a concrete wall that separated the black neighbourhood from white miami. in the 1950s and '60, miami was so segregated that black customers could not sit at the lump counter. they had to go -- lunch counter. they had to go to a back room. >> they would come in the back door and a cook would wait on them and serve them through the back door. >> reporter: this place was seg

re kated gabbing then. >> yes. until i changed that. in 1967, bobby took over. he opened the front door to everywhere. jumbos became one of the first 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." while. >> it did, the black customer was not comfortable in the dining room. >> reporter: most of jumbo's employees were uncomfortable when he announced he'd mire black cooks in wait tress. a couple said "i'm not working with", they used the "n" word. i said "you're free to quit." >> did some quit?

>> i'd say 25 of my part-time full-time. >> reporter: because they can't want to work with blacks? >> 100%. >> integration was something that had to be done. it was time for it. it was the right thing to do. segregation i did not like. the back room i did not like. the idea of the black customer coming, i hated it. you may not have demonstrated down up to, but in his open way he was doing something more significant. he was taking a chance with his business, his employment, by opening it up to all races. for me, he put more on the line than the average civil rights pursuiter did. >> no matter who you are, what colour you are. >> soon jumbo was the place in miami where blacks and whites felt comfortable. ord customers might bump into the mayor or police chief and everybody loved it shrimp.

>> coming from a gospel tipping singer, can't wait to eat the nice pretty chicken wings of good shrimp. >> jerome starling, a miami minister has been coming to july bows for 30 years. once we came, it was a good day. the people was glad to have us. people like bobby was glad to have us. they knew we were good workers and people. >> in 1980 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-opened businesses were burned to the ground, but july bows was left unscathed. the community came out and protected july bows, understanding that this was a good institution. >> jumbos was spared because this was a safe haven. they knew they were treated well by the opener and he had respect for african-americans.

>> reporter: after the riots white customers stopped coming. liberty city struggled more. and in 2005 hurricane will ma nearly blew jux bows off the map. i lost a lot of money. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands. >> yes, over 400,000. >> reporter: as the troubles pile up, so g did the bils. at age 69 he decided to sell to a developer. >> i'm sad in some ways. i'm ready to move on. it's been difficult the last in my opinion years. go? >> yes. here is one from 1985, 30th anniversary. >> reporter: over the years the walls became covered with accolade, prom lambations from the city and county, sa james beard award honouring the diaper

as an american classic, and this entry, recognising jumbos for its correction to civil rights. >> that's 2005. that was great. that was awesome also. that was probably one of the best awards i got. even thou customers who have not heard that jumbos are closed stare at the locked doors. >> reporter: will the closing of jumbos leave a hole? >> it does, not because there's a wonderful gathering place, but leaves a psychological hole. there's knew places in the neighbourhood where the races came together comfortably, shared good files and discussions and things like that. that's gone. >> reporter: bobby closed the doors on jumbos after six decades, leaving a legacy of the goodwill he shared, justice he served and the sweet aftertast

of the shrimp everywhere loved. >> a taste we'll never forget. that's it for us here an "america tonight". monday on the programme - getting a shot at a college athletic scholarship. that's a dream. now the carter school in texas is selling the diagram. not everyone is buying. why the school started to buy famous football players, leaving some parents crying foul. if you would like to comment on any stories log on to the website aljazeera.com/americatonight and join the conversation any time on twitter on at our facebook page. >> we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow.

♪ this is "al jazeera america." i am thomas drayton in new york. let's get you caught up on the top stories at this hour. quiet as day dawns in gaza as we look live. it is 6:00 a.m. as the new three-day cease-fire appears to be holding, at least for now. the crisis in iraq compounded as the prime minister accuses the president of violating the country's constitution. >> fighting continues in eastern ukraine in tonight's segment, "the week ahead," we look at the growing strain that's putting on u.s./russia relations a