collided with a truck which burst into flames. three carriages toppled on to their sides. emergency services are still at the scene. there's more of al jazeera's brand of real new and analysis at our new-look website at aljazeera.com. today a special preview of the ground breaking new documentary freeway cracking the system. the effect of literacy, the need for collaboration and the edition instruction of the police. i never read a book. and never tried to read a book. >> we will examine the contributing factors to ill

literacy and it's consequences. >> we'll introduce you to a drug dealer turned football coach. who changed his ways when he came to terms with how selling drugs impacted him and his community. there's olot of guys out there that have taken my place that are good cops and they are going to earn it and they should be respected for it. i [bleep] up. >> and we talked to a once constructed cop about his work to rebuild the police force. ♪ ♪ truck for joining us. to my left, my co-host and digital producer. nothing lost on our community in terms of the fundamental value to reading and

successful. >> our communities is all about the power of reading as a former english major i plus one this. reading is so important, and it depends on the kids, books were everything to me, they open up the world the universes, and made things seem possible. it depends though on what level the kids are at, what their interests are and a bunch of factors. >> the new al jazeera documentary freeway crack in the system, following the rise and poll of freeway rick ross. the man considered responsible for ushering crack cocaine into los angeles and eventually across the country. he talks candidly about his upbringing and what led him to drug trafficking and his eventual arrest, including the fact that he was illiterate until he was 28, as his friend explains his inability to read cost him his ticket out of poverty. >> we had to fill out the enrollment application, i was like you filling out your application, what this say

and what this say. that's when it hit me like the ugly truth that it was that he couldn't read and write. >> when they found out i wouldn't read and write, they said there was no way i could come to their school, and that basically ended that. critics say that's as a result of the failed educational system. to appeal to kids from multiple backgrounds. here to discuss this more, who wrote and directed freeway crack in the system, and from new york, associate professor at new york university, and author of the book a search past silence, the literacy of young black men. thank you to you for being here. so mark, you covered iran contra for years with award winning reports so i know that this is a top take was very close to you you know it inside and out.

i think the one that is most relevant with the discussion today, is i was amazed that not only rick, cornell who you will have on, norm who we just heard of, that rick and the freeway pois this small group that was in the middle of the beginning of the crack epidemic that these guys are alive and that they are free. part of what motivated me when i got into the story i lost friends to drugs. and to think these guys that awe knew each other, and went through this whole thing that they survived and they are free, and coaches will hear from later is now a commute organizer, working with pete carrol, and coaching kids fifthing them a path out of the get coe, norm runs a tax

return service rick has written his own ought biography, and wouldn't even be able to read today. so i am amazed that these guys are out there and that they are doing something positive now. >> this theme of literacy it was one of the high point oz if movie, and really revolutionary in terms of drawing these lineds how it effects kids coming out of these communities is it time to rethink how we are aetch proking literacy in these communities. >> it think it's time to rethink how we think about literacy. a lot of these young people that we see coming out of these communities are ill lit rate but in ways we don't netly understand. i think we have to rethink the abilities of these young mark said that he was amaze tad these young people have made it, we have to remember are

that these young people come from a history of resilience. they have made it through a lot worse than the crackup dig, they have made it through slavery, jim crow, and they are going to continue to make it. in terms of the conversation around literacy they are reading and writing and reading and writing in very sophisticated ways. i know that freeway rick ross said that he couldn't read or write that he was ill lit rate until he was 28, however he made millions of dollars on the street. in some way he was able to read opportunities and write his own ticket, in interesting ways to navigate that situation. you said they were literacy in ways we don't understand, is that what you are referring to the example of rick ross? yes, the issue with schooling is there's a particular type that we endorse. we call it academic literacy.

and certainly sometimes in schools that we criminalize are the literacy that these young people are proficient in. they come before the ability to read and write print the ability to understand situations that you are in, the type of cultural confidencesy, that have their own markers that have their own treatments of symbol, and otherwise, and these are the types of literacies that we need to think about to imagine in order to include people like rick ross, and other young men of color into the conversation of literacy. if we don't schools will continue to perpetuate the cycles of in opportunity, or to increase this opportunity gap that we see across the nation. >> well, david you mentioned rick ross, he was not literacy until the age of 28, we have this great community comment very similar story.

my brother used to write to me and i couldn't read it. >> david you know, if the kids aren't really responding to the literature that is coming down to them from the universities and schools how can we make it cool to them. >> here is the problem. the problem is that we put the on news on the kids. how can the kids come to school, we aren't asking the most important what i think is the most fundamental question, and that is how can the school come to the kid. hour can the school become more responsive to that they come to school with. we can't we start with the kid and end with the kid? why can't we start with the themes that they enjoy writing in the first place and build a foundation of letters and words and other forms of companysy based on that, not a

problem, especially when it comes to urban communities. especially when it comes to poor black and latino boys. instead we start by criminalizing them, and we finish when they are criminals. i had an interesting experience in making the film, where at 1 point i was trying to raise money to finance the film and i came across people that were working working in the literacy field. and they said there's massive amounts of money now going in to try to develop software, because social media is so popular, and a lot of kids do have these skills they have the social media skills. they were basically saying nobody can reach the at risk youth, this guy rick rosss story is this is real, how do we turn it into software, put

it on mobile devices as part of a reading software. that would come to the real life of young people. >> i was amazed i must say because they saw the budget of a film, half a million to $1 million they were like oh that's nothing. we are talking about a software that is going to reach 1 billion people. >> definitely an invasion, david, we have about 30 seconds left, tell me about when you fell in love with words. >> well, i fell in love with words when i was 12. i was told that i was dislexic, that i would have trouble reading and writing i picked up a poem. and i am not at all endorsing tearing pages out of a book, but i did and it was sympathy i tore the pages out because the words spoke to me. and that's what we aren't doing, we aren't allowing young people to have an opportunity to allow words to speak to help we talk about

the basics but the basics aren't reading writing and arithmetic, when i first fell in love with words when i first became a read ever i had an opportunity to find pleasure in words. i had an opportunity to play with words. david, now you are an inspiration. i am sorry i have to cut you off, we have to go, but you are an inspiring man and we appreciate you joining us today, mark you are sticking around, coming up, a drug dealer comes eye to eye with the havoc that he sowed. >> this baby smoked crack at ten years old. a crack addict. and all i do is take the pay by and i told him i said man if you don't get out of here and never come back, you are going to die. that bailey looked up at me, and said are you going to die too? >> that man now playing an entirely different role in his community, and with at risk kids we will hear from him next.

program

somebody 16 to 17 years old got somebody 11 and 12, selling crack, and they are selling to their friend who is 10. and what i did is i said i wasn't going to sell drugs. >> that was cornell ward, rick ross' childhood friend and one of the top drug dealers at the height of the crack epidemic.

especially among the most vulnerable group kids. now, ward and ex-drug dealers like him are some of the most influential change makers in their communities. they are running centers that teach sports, and these reform drug dealers act as surrogate parents for at risk kids in their neighborhoods. so what led to the about face? and what are the challenges that they experience? for answers we turn to cornell ward, he now coaches football and heads up the nonprofit unity one foundation, welcome to the show. >> hello, how are you. >> very well. directors of freeways is staking with us for the conversation cornell you were one of the top drug dealers in l.a. by the time you were 21, you were making 40 or 50,000-dollar as day what set you on that path. >> well, i guess there wasn't very hard we had access to a lot of drugs. in the early 80's, and so i excelled because i was a student athlete and i played

quarterback. go figure, and most quarterbacks have decent leadership ability and so what happened is when i went into the street gang after i came academically ineligible, i just kind of grew really fast in this gang. and i went from $1,000 to $100,000 a day. >> and you had a quick assent, tell me about the descent when did things start going wrong? what was happening. >> well, you know, you never realize a lot of the things that are going to take place. it kills everything you love, everything around it. you know i -- my -- it was my gill friend back then, but now my wife today who birth add crack baby and neither her nor i smoked crack, but because i was around it and cooking so much of it day in and out that stuff got into my system, which allowed my wife to birth a crack baby.

>> mark, in documentary about drug dealers and the drug trade, there are a lot of unsimilar thinkic characters cornell is not one of them how did he effect you. >> i still remember the afternoon that i sat with him in the back of the store front, where we did the interview, and there were tears in my eyes as he told the stories some of which he is relating to you today. i mean i met cornell before, and was aware of his story but his openness, his candor, his honesty, and just his opening of his heart and i had the privilege two weeks ago of meeting his daughter who he just referred to at the screening at the pan african film festival, and that was very moving to see her grown and becoming a successful professional, a tremendous respect for cornell and what i would say is in my experience, some of the most effective agents of change are people who have been through

it, look at the a.a., and n.a., the whole rehab movement well, it is similar in the street gang. it is people who have been there. people listen to them. they are preaching from an academic or an authority point of view they are preaching from i did it. >> talk about turning things around. in terms of setting kids on the right path, what are you doing, what are you saying that is getting in their heads in. >> well, you know, we have a code of ethics to speak life into a dying situation and i work with groups like detours cease fire, southern california crease five. project, second call, second chance chapter two, other collaborations together, guys that have past histories and we just come to an understanding that we have to

get out here and -- urban war zones as we call them. and give them an opportunity because somebody stepped in for us. my head football coach when i was at community college who knew that i was in trouble in the streets but never turned away from me, so when it was time for me to get out of the gang, and go back to school, he gave me another opportunity, he spoke to me, he said you can come back, so long as you leave the streets behind you and i never forgot that, i am able to speak some things to kids and they are doing well. and when they fall and make a mistake, you know we don't give up on them, we lend a hand and pull them back up, and give them another chance. >> there's many crimes committed against poor people, there's police brutality speaking about the police, we

ask our communities should communities defer to local law enforcement to come back gang violence, or have community led initiatives. make it paris, new york, tokyo or even moscow. coach, how do you as a change agent of community leader, engang with local law enforcement to make our communities safer? >> well, we have to have effective communication, we do have to sit down and get on the board and figure out what the best strategy is to build a collaboration, and a relationship so we can do this together. i think there's rights and wrongs on both side, that once we have this fine communication, and work things out, we are able to do it together. >> i think a house dividing will not stand so we have to do id together. >> you mentioned the impact your coach had on you as a young person, i know you are a big advocate of mentorship talk about that well, you

know, i have one of the young brightest student athletes i have been working with since he was about eight years old. he is one of the topp quarterbacks in the country by espn. i believe they have him ranks number one, he is a junior, he is committed to florida state. and he has some issues when he was in middle school, where guys were getting high, and wanted to smoke drugs and he had the opportunity to come to me and we sat down and talks about it, i said listen, you know, your coaches history that's a bad situation if you want to get high in order to play, just leave that out, and go throw the ball the best that you can and that was three or four years ago and now he is the number one quarterback in the nation. >> a testament to you and the work you and your team are doing, thank you and please keep us posted on the unity 1 foundation when we return, in the moments he had to make

a decision. >> here, this is your share. now look in the paper bag and this' some money. and that's when i am thinking do i take it and stay part of the crew, do i say no, i don't want this, and then get label as snitch. >> his decisions consequences and what he is now doing in the aftermath.

>> welcome back, al jazeera america documentary crack in the system exposes some cops involved in the war in crack, who were as greedy as the drug tealers themselves they kept loads cash and drugs from the very people they were supposed to be pursuing. joining us is a cop features in the film that did just that, he is a former l.a. sheriffs deputy in the narcotics unit who was indicted by the federal government in operation big spender one of the largest police corruption cases in the country. thank you for being here, and director staying with us. robert l.a.p.d., thanks to you, is now getting anticorruption training from one of the forces most corrupt officers, very egg tore talk to you about what co oyou are doing, and how that is being received. explain what drove you to cross the line.

i have to believe most corrupt officers don't join the force intending to break the law? >> well, it is true and nobody joins the department with the intent of crossing the line, or becoming a criminal, doing something illegal, it was at that given moment, when i was offered money, and that given situation, i felt that was the thing to do and i didn't want to be considered an informant and i wanted to stay a part of the team, so i took the money. >> how much money? >> it was about $2,000 i believe, first time i received money. >> we have community questions for you you can imagine here is robert, what event caused the turning point for you? there were circumstances in my life at that time that brought me to that point. a lot more can be discussed in the upcoming race by the badge, but at that time, it was right for me to take the money, and the other thing too i was concerned about see you have a choice, if you don't take the money you are

considered an informant eventually something can happen that's drummed up on you and you are forced out of the department, or accused of something else. for you take the money you cross the line and become a part of the team. >> you said it was right to take the money what did you mean by that. >> at that time, if i wanted to stay in the unit i was in, i had to take it and keep it, if i didn't take it i would be out of that unit, and possibly out of the sheriffs department at that time, given moment, it was the right thing for me to do as an individual, i'm not saying for everyone, the decision i made i felt was right. >> one of the reasons i am so glad that i got the opportunity to work with robert. was that i felt we had to have some law enforcement perspective in this film. because the war on trucks part of it is about the hypocrisy and corruption of our own government it not only destroys communities, upper

city communities it destroyed a lot of police forces. we militarized our police, we made them an occupying army, and put them in these positions where they went in with kids 13 14,-year-old kid whose had more arms and more money than them and so that lestsy is part of what we are living with now in this whole movement, black lives matter and what has happened in ferguson and other places. that is why it is to robert's credit that he has turned the corner. >> you are trying to rebuild the police force from the inside out your advising lapd, helping officers not get trapped in the same trap you were in, we have about 30 seconds tell us about that. >> well, i was sited by the lapd, which i have to congratulate on their forward thinking they are looking to find answers and it was a friendship developed by my son and an lapd officer that

convinced many eto go in there and talk to them about my life as a police officer. howbeit starts off with a small mistake and it moves up to moving evidence around to make sure the guy is guilty, to eventually leaving words out of a respect to taking money, and in the end so it is a gradual process and i warn them to be careful and also of the partner thes they may have that will bring problems to them because of the way they police. that's why i try to teach them. >> that you mentioned raised by the badge, and thank you to you for being here, and for spearheading this effort. before i leave, i do want to share a brief clip. it was one of my favorites he described the inner struggle of being a drug dealer, and the epiphany he had when he realized his actions were wrong. >> you two through the phase

if i don't do it somebody else will. you know then you go through the phase where i don't want my girlfriend getting high continue you sell to her, i don't want my uncle getting high, i don't want my mom getting high. and once these things start to effect you, and then you start to look and you say well if i don't want my people getting high, how can i sell to his mother. then when you start to ask yourself these questions then you start to make a change. but until you are brought to your senses, by something these things never really phase you be sure to watch freeway crack in the system. 7:00 p.m. pacific that's it for the stream until next time, we will see you online.

this is al jazeera. hello, and welcome to another news hour. at our headquarters, coming up in the next 60 minutes. isil abducts 90 people, from christian villages in syria. john kerry accuses russia of lying about having troops in ukraine. while britain announces it is going to help train the ukrainian army. spy agencies losing focus al jazeera investigative unit discovered how some are being used to for politics rather than security.