>> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america on "america tonight": the fallout. an legislated campus gang rape and the controversial reporting anreportingaround it. >> suggest that jackie hurt their trust by being untruthful. >> what exactly happened to jackie and what's next in the fight against sex crimes in campus. also, raise the wage. it's a battle of fast food

workers. what about the clause that's keeping them behind the counter? >> why did they make you sign this noncompete agreement? >> to make you not share trade secrets. but what is in a trade secret about making a blt? >> why more low wage workers are being forced to sign them? and a powerful voice in the autistic community, brian kramer, goes silent. >> what do you say to other autistic adults, who are afraid to move away from mom and dad? >> i tell them look at me and you can do it too. >> chris bury brings you this heartwarming story. tonight, we are back in santa monica, we'r to pay respect to e prince of the promenade.

>> good evening everyone thanks for joining us i'm adam may in for joie chen tonight. more fallout after rolling stone magazine apologized for not being thorough in its fact kc checking. the story about a gang rape, about sex assaults on campus. "america tonight's" lori jane gliha, talks to a rape survivor and she has a message for the woman whose story of a gang rape, is called into question. >> i've been where you have been. it's very hard to have so many people disbelief you but there are to many people that do believe you, i'm one of them, i know there's many more and every survivor goes through this and you will have a better day in the future. i hope that more information comes out but don't for any

moment think that you're alone. >> laura dunn is a rape survivor. at the university of wisconsin at madison two men fellow students assaulted her after a fraternity party. >> it was like it almost wasn't happening to my body. at one point one of them got on top of me and started pressing himself into me and i remember pudding hi hands up and saying no, i'm -- my hands --s -- putsing my hands up and saying no i'm virgin please stop. >> she was even quoted in the now controversial roalings stone article that featured ooshes rolling stone article that features a woman named jackie. >> i'm myself a survivor of two person assaults and to hear that they were digging into this issue and really unpacking it on the campus i was actually

excited, i thought it was important for others to no. jackie's story of college gang rape garnered worldwide attention, sparked attention on campus and caused the campus to shut down social activities at fraternities and sororities. >> could you describe what was going on in your heart and your head and realizing it was get sog much substantiation? >> i was thrilled. i was glad that people were reacting and having conversation. obviously there's been some changes and people are calling it into question so it is kind of a tenuous moment. >> after the washington post reported discrepancies in jackie's story, rolling stone admitit didn't independently reach out to the attackers. one of the accused who said he didn't meet jackie and wean wasa member of the fraternity in question. there was no event at the time

of the attack. rolling stone retracted, misplaced, done, calls that language victim-blaming. >> what's wrong with saying her story doesn't add up the way we thought it did, why does that become victim-blaming? >> saying they misplaced trust in jackie, survivors cannot remember details not because of dishonesty but simply because of trauma. i had a lot of sympathy, i didn't know the date i was raped. it was only after i went to the police, they said what date was it, i had to go to a calendar and figure out what else happened that day. hi no idea. >> tell me what details in the mind of a trauma ma victim get distorted? >> you're in survivor mode. i myself know enough i was

harmed and i know immediately the next morning i had degree memory of what happened. i woke up in a strange place next osomeone, i was naked, in that moment i was just -- there was no thought, i need to get away right now. >> were you skeptical of the details, knowing what you had gone through as orape victim as well? >> i think when reading a story, i was surprised how detail it was. just all the nuances. but there is some aspect to we'ving togetheweaivingweaving . >> the inconsistencies in jackie's story brought about a response from the political action committee who asked the university to apologize and to reinstate greek life social activities. a group of fraternities have

held former senate majority leader trent lott to lobby congress on how are congress treats rape victims, sexual assault on campus could get lost in the fallout. >> maybe it wasn't the best to nonot fact-check it. to make sure somebody wasn't living 30th with jackie. that doesn't mean the story doesn't have an important role in leading forward our conversation but i think it speaks to making sure you're really careful about moving forward. we are changing a culture that doesn't want to believe victims so the way you do that really matters. >> "america tonight's" lori jane gliha. i think a lot of the people would like all the information ton case but simply we don't have the details. especially what happened there with that fraternity. what new reaction are we getting from the greek community there? >> well, the fraternities and sororities are definitely

expressing lots of angry attitude because the school had a strong reaction. >> right away. >> once that article came out. and on a national level, fraternities and sororities, felt their reputation had been damaged. before any of the resulting punishment or before their social activities had been cancelled for the rest of the semester. the question though are schools prepared to do that type of investigation. >> that is the big question isn't it? i mean are these schools really able to carry out an investigation of this magnitude when we talk about the student affairs investigation wii could have -- which could have big complication of students being kicked out of schools impacting fraternities. are schools able to carry out these investigations? do they have tools? >> whether or not they have the ability to do this, we've reported the schools underinvestigation for title ix

investigations, the fraternities and sororities that are calling on congress, to see how these things are being handled and they've suggested that anything that has to do with bodily harm, a sex assault for example, should be handled in the criminal expwruft justice systee could be push from the fraternity, sorority and let's put this in the justice department and do it the criminal justice way rather than handling it our sestles. ourselves. >> he told me the burden of proof is quite different, versus the criminal investigation that police departments would carry out. i wonder if there's any way to try to meld these things together so we could get a clear sense of what actually happened before people' lives are turned

upside down? >> the criminal justice system has a completely different burden of proof than on campus. there's different ways of handling this, some are favor of one versus the other. there are questions this could be handled a third way. perhaps the department of education needs to step up and come up with a way that these two things could meet in the middle and make everyone happy at some point. >> clear that there does need to be some change as to how this is investigated. we'll find out what ideas surface, "america tonight's" lori jane gliha, thank you. >> after the break, sandwich shop workers in a serious pickle. >> i can't work at a gas station, i can't work at omom and pop shop. i can't work at subway, panera anything like that. >> a controversial employment

document that keeps them tide to are jimmy john's. jimmy john's.

real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can.

>> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america now we have more on a subject we followed closely here on "america tonight." the difficulties facing low wage workers. now these workers are confronting a whole new challenge. some of them are told they have

to sign so-called noncompete clauses that prevent them from taking other jobs. think of this the next time you get your lunch. two fast food workers from the chicago area are facing a difficult situation. christof putzel spoke with them for their first television interview. >> this is the jimmy john's blt. there's nothing that anyone would consider a mystery unless you are jimmy john's. to them this is a trade secret that is to be protected at all cost. for emily and kaitlin, whose salary amounts to less than minimum wage. until recently kaitlin, 25 also worked as a local jimmy john's. we met them in a nearby restaurant. >> we wouldn't be able to work here. >> you wouldn't be? >> no, end of discussion.

they serve a handful of sandwiches. >> kaitlin talked about this, an agreement which all jimmy john's workers must sign. for two years, it prevents any of the workers for working from if that business is within three miles of a jimmy john's store. >> even my restaurants that aren't fast food joints you aren't allowed to work for? >> yeah, waiting tables is pretty much out of the question i guess. >> and is this a place you'd like to work? >> yeah, i'm sure people would tip well here. >> under the jimmy john's agreement kaitlin and emily can't work for any competing food establishment in any capacity, not as an grow, but as owner, partner, investor, manager, or advisor. this map of chicago area shows just how limited their prospects

are. >> i can't work at a gas station, i can't work at a mom and pop shop, i can't work at subway, panera, anything like that, anything that serves sandwiches about. >> for kaitlin and emily, jimmy john's was a starting job. they are suing jimmy john's to declare their noncompete agreement declared illegal. this is the first of their kind and this is their first interview. >> why did they have you sign this noncompete agreement do you think? >> well it's to make sure you don't share trade secrets but how much is really in a trade secret about making a blt? >> did you think anything of it when you signed it? >> i assumed you know it was all necessary. i knew i had to fill out the w-2ss, i had to sign my name on the t dotted line, i needed

that job. >> hello jimmy john's. >> what took you so long? >> jimmy john's is one of the largest restaurant chains in america. the average worker makes about $8 an hour. one of the fastest growing chains, they are located in 44 states. the sandwich worker answer national footprint has consequences for former employees. remember are within two years they can't work in competition to jimmy john's anywhere. >> a demographic that is already struggling. >> kathleen chavez is the attorney representing kaitlin and emily. she says noncompete agreements limit the ability to negotiate for better pay while still on the job. kaitlin and emily says jimmy john's has denied them promotions and are raises.

>> i don't know why someone would have an entry level unskilled employee signing a noncompetition agreement. >> you don't know why? >> that's baffling. the only possibility i can see if you are going to target an entry level employee would be to somehow box them in and control them. it's a way of controlling individuals, and essentially subjecting them to whatever employment practices you want. >> jimmy john's declined our request for an on camera interview. we followed up with an interview asking why junior employees like sandwich makers and delivery drivers have to sign these disagreements. they declined that request as well. >> jimmy john's. >> it's not just jimmy john's that's taken up this practice. according to the new york times workers ranging from hairstylists to summer camp counselors to yoga instructors are now required to sign such agreements. that's gotten the attention of

congress. linda sanchez along with 36 of her colleagues wrote the department of labor asking them to investigate. >> i thought it was ridiculous. you're talking about workers on probably the lowest end of the pay scale. these are not corporate executives that have inside information and trade secrets. and it's using fear and intimidation to just try ocontrol what you know employee choices are. >> as for kaitlin and emily both would like to go away to college. kaitlin recently got engaged and wants to become a vet. emily's thinking of pursuing a degree in social work. as students, a part time job would help them with expenses. >> i want to try to leave and try something different but i feel like scared to leave. i don't know if i'll be able to find something else. >> when i was thinking of leaving the first couple times it was looking at other

service-industry jobs and is then i would have the reminder over my shoulder that i can't leave. >> we're being treated like we're property of the company essentially, like we can only work there, and all the experience that we have there is useless anywhere else. you're just a tool for them. >> reporter: now because of jimmy john's even a job in the college cafeteria could be out of the questions. christof putzel, al jazeera, chicago. >> well, joining us to shed some more light on this practice is saruja ramen, co-chair of restaurant opportunities united. thank you for joining us. i've seen instance he of restaurants who have required their workers to sign noncompete. how unique is this situation with jimmy john's. >> it's not unique, in that other restaurants have required to sign noncompetes and keeping

workers from speaking up for themselves. what is strange about this being jimmy john's, is anything that produce east sandwich within the two years, which is pretty ridiculous. >> sandwiches can you get them at basically any kind of restaurant. >> any restaurant. you can't work at any other place for two years, most jimmy john's workers most fast food workers, are so underpaid they need to work at other places while they're working for jimmy john's. >> i've seen reports that say restaurants are doing this because they want to retain workers, they want their workers to stay there for an extended period of time. wouldn't paying them better actually keep them and help them

with retention versus these questionable noncompete clauses? >> absolutely. this is the fastest growing employer in the united states that pays the lowest and has the highest turnover, some put it at 300% turnover, our research has shown you can cut that in half by providing better wages and better benefits and better conditions for workers. if these employers really wanted to keep these employees, pay them better and provide better working conditions. >> is there any way to enforce this? are they enforcing this in the court of law? >> no, they are not enforcing this in the court of law because they realize it would never stand. it is overbroad and overreaching. when workers stand up for themselves as you're seeing now thousands of fast food workers stand up for themselves. we're in an age of social upheaval where workers are

saying enough is enough. they'll try through these noncompete clauses, they're not successful so they'll try through nonlegal means and tell other employers, don't hire this person they're a troublemaker. it's not going to work. >> so you're basically black balling -- >> i've seen that happen. the industry is too big, consumers are demanding change alongside workers, i don't think this is going to keep people from getting what they need. >> sarujai raman, president ever restaurant workers united, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> i've been stopped and frisked, a normalized part of your life, can you expect it to happen. >> the nation's top cop, do the rules go far enough? and also, the oldest missing persons case solved.

science history and royalty collide. richard the third and are "america tonight" ponders, are the royals really royals?

♪ ♪ the top >> political scientist anne-marie slaughter shares her provocative viewpoints about women >> we need to rethink the arc of careers... >> and international issues >> the united states has to use force in a way that has lots of partners... >> every saturday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera, only on al jazeera america >> welcome back. now a snapshot of other stories making head lines on "america

tonight." arson investigators are working to determine the cause muc of an early morning inferno, the size of a city block, melted street signs, closed freeways, and tore through an apartment tower under construction. took 230 firefighters to put this one out. 13 years after the 9/11 attacks, the u.s. and nato end their combat mission in afghanistan. the mission will switch to training and support of afghan forces. by 2015, the u.s. troop total will shrink to under 5,000. 2200 service men and women have been killed in afghanistan. washington is bracing for release of what's called the torture report. some officials are warning the document could insight violence

overseas. expected to detail cia interrogation techniques, the cia's alleged use of torture in the post-9/11 era. new steps to stop racial profiling. the federal law enforcement will undergo additional training but these new rules will will not cover local police departments, which have been the focus of numerous racial profiling. >> when i'm coming generosity, the officer says hey you come over here. on the one hand it is like this is another day but i really feel like on that day i was like oh man i'm teaching. i'm like a professional. and i'm really on lunch break like a guy can't work? >> malit clarkson was on his lunch break when he was stopped

by new york city police officers. he was teaching second grade and just left this corner story when police stopped him. >> my story is no different than any other young people in this city. >> clarkson was a subject of stop and frisk. clarkson says the officers claimed he was coming from 19 drug area and wanted to know whether he was carrying something legal. he says it's not uncommon to be stopped. >> i have been stopped since i was 13. it is normal and you expect it to lap. >> in 2008, clarkson was one of many who filed a class action case against the city of new york. arstop and frisk, 533,000 stop d

frisks in 2012. with blacks and latinos making up 84% of the stops. a trend u.s. attorney general eric holder wants to stop by attacking racial profiling on a federal level. the ban to include religion, national ager, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. >> we can't afford to profile, to do law enforcement on the basis of stereotypes. it undermines the public trust ultimately but also makes us not good at what we need to do. >> reporter: the guidelines applies to all federal agencies. exceptions that have drawn criticism from civil rights groups in the past.

darius charney, lead attorney for the lawsuit against new york city, says stop and frisks have destabilizing for people of minority communities. >> the message is you are viewed as a criminal by law enforcement. they view you as a criminal not by what you're doing but by who you are and how you look. >> stop and frisk practices constituted racial profiling and were unconstitutional. last summer after a nine week trial a federal judge agreed. >> when it happened it was sad, because this was something that everyone in our community knows but a judge has to say that it's unconstitutional for city to recognize it's unconstitutional. >> for new york mayor bill deblasio putting an end to stop and frisk was top on his priority. >> there will be no stop and frisk.

>> we have come to a settlement. >> what is the settlement? >> what i said is, it's a simple idea, bul bratton says you can't break the law to enforce the law, simple as that. >> the heart of civil unrest across the country. when tensions boil over, grand juries decline to indict, in cases like erik garner. >> i can't breathe, i can't breathe. >> mock die-ins at the apple store as well as march through maimacy's flagship department store. trying to block a major highway outside berkeley. as for clarkson he was empowered by the lawsuit and has since become a union organizer. for him the lawsuit was birth sweet because it took the lawsuit for the city to change.

it's a new day for he and his eight month old daughter. >> i want her to walk through the streets without feeling like she's a villain, a criminal, protected by the police not from the police. ing. >> sarah hoye, al jazeera, new york. patricia rose, director of the center for race and ethnicity. professor rose i would like your reaction to the are attorney general's announcement, this will affect federal law enforcement not local law enforcement. that is the focus of the problem, will this make an impact? >> i think it always matters when the federal government sets guidelines for requirement of equal treatment under the law. african americans have long had to plead to the federal government for protection and for acts and the like that do extend those rights. at the same time, there's always

been a significant gap between federal sort of legal expectations and local and state and municipal and county operations. so that gap may still continue. but with this expanded law and expanded terms with greater data, more legal cases can be brought to bear on unjust situations. right now there's very little data and a very loose kind of set of guidelines. >> well, there is no question that this is an expansion but some might say look this is a little bit of political posturing. we've already had safeguards in place. any concerns that that's really what this is? >> well, i think there should be always some concerns if there's political posturing going on, politicians, that's their first job is to posture. at the same time, things like groups like women, people of color, queer constituencies and muslims for example as a

religious group, face profiling that doesn't get discussed in this conversation. so i think it's important to think about how various categories of vulnerability, disregard, fear and anxiety, generate a kind of profiling that when in the hands of those given legal rights to basically assault you and search you and control and detain you, matters a great deal about. >> you're talking about stop and frisk there is what you're alluding to. what is the long term imlimtion oimplication of stop and frisk? >> the larger picture of racial profiling. you can profile people without stopping and frisking them. you can profile people in cars, kids in school, people argue that young african american students face a certain type of profiling in the classroom when it comes to punishment. profiling is a bigger issue,

stop and frisk is a new york spolg policy that has d detained nearly every young person, the fact that it hasn't yielded anything in terms of drug or gun or gang related arrests of value it has terrorized the whole community. and more importantly it has also helped the community see itself as its own problem. so that young black men become the sign of the problem of the community. not its future, not its mechanism for creating a sense of opportunity, and strength and support. so it's a terrible policy. >> professor rose, i want to ask you about how all this playing out in this country now, the brown, the garner incidents, how this is affecting the broader level of the component now? >> i have to tell you i'm completely tired of the phrase

racial tension. what we have is a substantial degree of existing racial inequality and discrimination. if people don't want to address that and if they want to keep racial privilege then we have racial tension. we don't have racial tension, people are color are not wandering around, saying we don't like white people, nobody wants to get along, what we're saying is we want fair and equal treatment under the law we want it to be acknowledged and addressed. that is not racial tension. i balk at that phrase, because i think it sounds like if we could just get along everything wa wod be okay. all that attitude got us stop and frisk and expanded number of people who have been mistreated. the deaths are a small fraction. to me it's an opening of a space that we need to open up to have a serious honest fair and balanced but really tough conversation that we're not in a

post-race era, we're not in a color blind era, race is prominent in every walk of life and should have gone by the way side 40 years ago. >> thank you for that insight. thanks for joining us. >> my pleasure, adam. >> up next, bloodlines don't always run thick. >> they look at the dna and it's completely different. so that means there's some hanky-panky. >> evidence of a royal affair. remains of king richard iii raises some question about the current rulers at buckingham palace.

>> coming up on "consider this," an explosive report, will its release put americans overseas in danger? also the backlash the new federal guidelines on racial profiling. plus 15 million children caught

in violent conflicts around the world. unicef's desperate plea for kids and how it could affect. plus vladimir putin keeping his reputation soaring in russia. we'll see you at the top of the hour. >> a royal invasion tonight. the duke and duchess of cambridge. prince william and princess kate took a bite out of the big apple. prince william spoke with president obama, and while william was in d.c., his wife met staff at a harlem daycare center. and another king, lebron james, taking on the nets in brooklyn. the royal couple is planning to visit the 9/11 memorial and museum. now while the william and

kate may present that you know that perfect royal image, their royal ancestors are actually full of scandalous relationships, a vicious fight to the death, even a vanished corpse. we're talking about king richard iii. "america tonight" host joie chen tells us the recent discovery of his remains is raising some questions about the credentials of the current royal family. >> it was a humble end for one of england's most legendary and notorious figures. >> with your blody life! >> richard iii long portrayed as the last king of york, you might remember him from high school english. >> now is the winter of our discontent. >> richard iii, for all intents and purposes disappeared until researchers tracked him to a

parking lot just two years ago. >> it's absolutely incredible the fact that somebody can be killed in battle 525 years ago, thrown away, buried somewhere then all these years later the body gets discovered in a car park? >> but it took scientific sleuthing to find and confirm that the bones found in the car park match the last seen description of richard. >> he was age 32 when he died and we know that within his lifetime he was described as having one shoulder being higher than another. >> i need to get a sample of your dna. >> the team tracked down richard's known descendants. >> this is 99en 999% these are the remains of richard. >> that confirmed the remains were richard's but it turned up skeletons in the closet. for one thing yes, the back

showed the gruesome curve of richard's scoliosis. but otherwise he didn't look quiek as wquite as we had been o believe. >> because of this sort of ambiguity about richard's hair and eye color it was interesting to bring the genetic data to that. >> turns out richard was likely a towhead and light hair and eyes and genetic evidence he wasn't exactly who he thought he was either. >> they look at the dna. they trace from his sister the dna into living people and they discover, on the mother's side it's absolutely identical and then you look on the father's side and it's completely different. that means there's some hanky-panky. >> what he's saying is science has turned up evidence of royal

indiscretion. the dirt unearthed on richard is that he wasn't the king's son. which means those folks at buckingham of palace today aren't his direct descendants. >> the possibility that because the male line is faulty because obviously somebody crept in between the bed clothes who wasn't royal to father this current strand of dna a, that ds throw a question mark over the legitimacy of the present line of the throne. >> well, that's a bit of a royal kerr fulfill isn'cackerfuffle t? talk about high drama, rest assured her majesty, during the

visit to the royal game of thrones set, had every reason to carry on. life will not imitate art in this case. the queen is under no threat of losing her crown to richard's less than legitimate ghost. still, royal watchers hope the secrets unearthed in the shadows of gray friars may be in the era of richard. >> this picture of richard iii literally curled up like a villain, killing his little nephews who should have inherited the throne, the princess in the tower. killing his great rival, having him stuffed in a vat of wine, waging war all over the kingdom it all comes to life and it is

modern science. the boring science of dna, which proved that history is actually true! >> and there is still a royal mystery left. two english cities, york and lester, have laid claim to richard's remains. they will have to sort it out before a royal funeral next year and for the guest list? the queen might send her regrets, after all one sniffs, they weren't proper relations. joie chen, al jazeera. >> when we come back let's talk about the different prince, the prince of the promenade. he inspired other autistic adults to live prominently. now it's time for his friends and family to say good-bye, very inspirational guy, brandon kramer, up next.

the new middle east on al jazeera america

real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight.

>> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> all right, let's take a look at what we're going to see tuesday on our program. more than 3.5 million americans are living with an autism spectrum disorder. >> are you pretty confident that

one day there will be a cure and that cure will very well connected to this treatment? >> i -- i think so. i think we're getting closer. i think i would love to say yes. i think that this -- this opens a lot of doors. >> they're stopping just short of calling it a cure. correspondent michael okwu shows you how early and intensive intervention actually helps children at risk for autism. autism and intensive intervention, that's tuesday here on "america tonight." >> well, finally tonight, earlier this year we brought you the story of a california man who was serving as a motel for autistic adults leading independent lives. sadly brandon kramer has passed away, "americ "america tonight's bury reports he blazed a trail for individuals like him.

>> in santa monica. >> there's a lot of tears a lot of heart. >> brandon kramer made a distinctive and unusual mark here, standing up with others with autism. >> he was smiling, it disturbed me a little bit because he was a clipper fan and i'm a laker fan. >> local activist jerry reuben organized the memorial service. >> it was the honorable and right thing to do. if santa monica promenade were a three block long island, he it should probably and rightly be named brandon kramer island, this was brandon kramer's world in many ways. >> in a visit last february, brandon kramer gave "america tonight" a guided tour of his world coping with autism. >> what is this like here? >> the promenade, it's easy for

me i can walk everywhere and it's nice. >> good place for you to be independent. >> exactly. because there is everything for me to do. >> brandon spent his days walking the crowded streets of santa mon cap ca because epilepticons monica because epileptic seizures left him unable to hold work. sometimes he would fetch coffee for the jeweler, visit with the paramedic who helped him to the hospital for his seizures. >> i would see him daily on the promenade, and he would make a bee line to me with a smile, and you know, tell me what was going on in the promenade. >> he would always gravitate towards us and you know it was such an amazing person, such an amazing man. to see how happy and content he was with his life, despite his challenges. and so he always brought hope to

everyone that he touched. >> so thanks for letting us come to your apartment. >> you're welcome. >> appreciate it. >> brandon lived here in a small but cozy apartment in a public housing project. >> this is my stereo and entertainment center. >> your entertainment center is right here. >> and my chair and my bed and my light and another -- my computer table. >> oh nice. >> on his own for 16 years. brandon treasured his independence. >> yeah, i like it a lot because i can like come and go as i please. i don't have to worry about -- and i just feel happier. >> and you don't have to worry about somebody checking up on you, you're your own man. >> exactly. >> one of his favorite gadgets was this bright red button familiar from a tv commercial. they told us it brightened his

mood. >> that was easy. >> that was easy. >> this makes me feel easy too. >> but things were not easy for brandon and his mother amalia. he was tiny from newborn barely four pounds. and brantley don's mother knew he was not developing like other children. >> i noticed his speech or lack of it. words would come out jumbled mixed up. i thought when he was two and a half it would be good for me to put him in preschool or nursery school. when i did that, the teacher said, he won't play with anybody. he just plays on the side by himself and he does one thing over and over and over again. >> reporter: by the time brandon was 9 he was having seizures, the diagnosis, epilepsy, back then the doctor

urged his mother to keep it secret. but brandon continued to struggle in school, socially he was a target, for bullies. >> he would play basketball but his eye-hand coordination was so poor that he had very slow movement and therefore couldn't make a basket, couldn't catch the ball. and the kids were smart. they knew that he couldn't catch the ball so they would just throw it at his face and he couldn't stop it in time. they had broken his nose several times. >> reporter: eventually brandon was diagnosed with autism. >> can't make friend, communication difficulty. >> had all the attributes of an autistic person? >> every single one. i remember being so relieved, and yet, saddened at the same time. >> for amalia star and other parents of autistic children support for public education typically ends at high school, a

few including california provide some support until age 22. then the families are on their own. >> what's it like for parents of autistic children when that educational support suddenly ends? >> parents are scared to death. the number 1 question is, what will happen to my children or my child after my husband and i die? and along comes, with that, is well what will happen to him as an adult? >> in california more than 70,000 individuals have been diagnosed with autism. most of them are children. and over the last ten years, the number of cases across the country has exploded by more than 80%. that means, a tidal wave of autistic adults are on the way. nearly half a million over the next ten years. brandon's mother is on a mission to help other parents help their autistic children carve out a path to independence.

>> i have such an admiration to all of you on the trail for the rest of us. >> in a recent conference in atlanta, mean thousand came to hear her keynote speech. >> we become stuck like glue and how could we be anything else, we're co-dependent. we let our children grow and maybe go, they'll have a better life now and after they're gone. >> and after living on his own for so many years, bra brandon d advice for others. >> what do you say about autistic adults who are maybe a little worried about going off and leaving mom and dad alone? >> i tell them, i'm independent, and can you too. >> last month, brandon died in his sleep at age 41. no cause known. >> he came here to serve a purpose.

he came here to show people that when you're different you can still be accepted and fit in and be beautiful. he came here to live an independent lifestyle. he conquered it. was his mission. he did a damn good job. and he left in peace. >> reporter: here in a community that accepted brandon and all his quirks, he left a lasting impression. serving as a model for other autistic men and women confronting the challenge of succeeding on their own as adults. chris bury, santa monica. al jazeera. >> log onto our website at aljazeera.com/americatonight. join the conversation on our twitter or facebook page. good night. we'll have more of "america

tonight" tomorrow. teaching the most. >> can unprepared teachers make a difference? >> why are we sending them teachers with 5 weeks of training? >> the controversial release of a senate report on enhanced interrogations after 9/11, concerns its publication will cause a terrorist backlash. also why new federal guidelines on racial profiling are getting a lukewarm reception. and how unicef says 15 million children worldwide are facing unspeakable