night. on "america tonight.".. >> i got involved in the civil rights movement in mississippi around 1955, when emma teal was murdered. i saw people my people being shot at with tear gas in their own neighbourhood. [ chanting ] >> they not going to let no

one... >> i knew that i had to get up and go and stand with them. ♪ ♪ we're going to keep on walking ♪ ♪ keep on a-talking >> reporter: today this is all that is left of the hospital. israeli bombs dropping thousands of bombs on this neighbourhood. >> the blood of my sister and the blood of my daughter thanks for joining us. i'm joie chen. in the first days after the end of the bloodshed, there was a strong sense, not just in the strip, that the international community needed to help after 50 days of conflict with israel. despite promises around the world. what sign is there of hope among the ruins. we returned to see the

desperation of today. >> today in gaza the ruins of homes are the children playgrounds. factory floors filled with machinery. the only power plant storage tanks are a crumpled heap. and the damages, destruction, devastation has obliterated neighbourhoods. gaza's never been well off. today it is worse off than ever. that could lead to another war. >> nice to see you. how have you felt for the last six months. >> the story begins in the esca finishing y family their home in a shattered neighbourhood. during the war no area was more fiercely targeted.

no area looked more like a war zone. and more homes were destroyed here than anywhere else. on july 26th we filmed the family as they sifted through the rubble. the israeli military said the target was a single member of hamas. he lostate family members in the strike. >> it was great. today where the uncles died the children played. not a single brick, not even a discarded car seat has been cleaned up. what do you need to rebuild the house. >> materials, stones concrete cement. we need iron like this. so we have nothing. in gaza we consume. we can't produce everything. >> reporter: the extended family

lives in neighbouring houses. none were spared. on that same july day i was shown the damage next door. the strike gutted this house too. >> the blood of my sister. she is 25 years old. and the blood of my daughter. she is seven years old. >> reporter: today the blood is still there. why haven't you washed it out. >> still alive in my mind is to keep it fresh in my mind. >> reporter: back in july in the kitchen, plates cups and bowl were in place, but covered in dust created by the wall that was blown out. today he's fixed the wall. many lightly damaged homes in gaza have been fixed. almost all that are destroyed remain that way. why hasn't your family been able to rebuild. >> all building materials are expensive.

according to our builders we can't get. >> part of the problem is poverty. he is a government teacher, and received 60% of his salary after the israelis cut off revenue. that man has no job. they have blueprint, but cannot rebuild without help. >> translation: the process is slow. a week ago i went to the ministry. the funds from the u.n. have not arrived yet. >> that's another problem. >> the u.n. agency is broke. countries promised donations but have not delivered them. i find it as an organization that has run out of money. robert leads the effort. and says the donors have not paid up. >> there's a lot of bad blood.

there's two different strands of civil administration in gaza. that needs to be resolved. >> until it is there are no plans to rehab it tate devastated neighbourhoods. we filmed this on july the 26th. this street was the epicentre of the war. here is the same street from the same vantage point today. israel is about a mile from here. hamas flags flutter from homes, fighters used as bases. israel says they use the hospital as a base too. today this, is all that is left of the hospital. israeli planes dropped thousands of pound of bombs on this neighbourhood. half a mile from the border you see house after house totally destroyed. that is the 'em of the hospital. to this -- edge of the hospital. to this day none of this neighbourhood has been

reconstructed. >> reporter: over seven weeks 70,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped by israel. more than 2,000 killed. 100,000 homes damaged or destroyed. gazans have access to some supplies. every day 400 trucks cross from israel in the gaza. the u.n. struck a deal between israel hamas, to send in supplies, and restrict them. it's not enough. but 45,000 families whose homes were damaged or destroyed received cement. many feel they need to survive before rebuilding. they sell it on the black market to by food. if i want food i go to the black mark. >> reporter: this is gaza's story, like two-thirds, he's a refugee, because he was born in

what is now israel working up from nothing to be the c.e.o. of the largest sweets factory. during the war, an israeli strike caused 22 million in damage. >> look out. >> reporter: he rebuilt with black market cement. the factory is operating about 70%. every day it produces 75 pounds of waivers. 350 people are employed. even though he doesn't need that many. workers are desperate. >> you see people walking around normally but emotionally they are destroyed. emotionally they are demolished. 12,000 people whose homes are demolished are homeless living in schools. nine members of this family live in this room. it's a classroom, but also the kitchen. and bedroom. they have lived here and the

kids played here for six months. we first met them during the war. they fled their home quickly. for three weeks, they lived in a church courtyard. >> i brought absolutely nothing with me. if i waited to take anything for myself and kids, we would be dead. >> today the u.n. offered them rent money so they could move out. they refused to take it. the u.n. could only pay for four month. >> we are suffocating. we can't cook we don't sleep, we can't shower. until a wild gets there, he wets his pants. >> some are worse off. in the shadow of the u.n. school, this family lives in a tent. it has four sections. there's no protection from the elements.

all of the walls and roofs blow in the wind. this family was promised a caravan. the government has not provided one. 25 people live here. >> he urges his children to sleep. there's one missing. last month, at the age of three days his daughter selma died of hypothermia. you have lost your daughter. you can't work because of your injury, do you have hope for the future? . >> translation: i'm injured. my daughter passed away. my house destroyed, our land bulldozed. i don't know what i will do. >> reporter: down the road he hose nee what is is left of his house, and -- he shows me what is left of his house and mimics the missile. this is as close as it gets to the border. everything beyond that is israel. >> reporter: do you think you'll

come about and rebuild? >> we live close to israel. i don't think we'll ever come back. hamas is trying to seize on the hopelessness in billboards across gaza it advertises exploits. they recruit young men. gaz jans say they don't want another war. if there's no construction no jobs, no hope if things go as they go now. we should not be surprised what may happen. >> i don't remember war. >> another war, of courses. >> reporter: in gaza it feels like there's nothing to lose. >> a thought, a poll conducted by an israeli think tank found less than half of those polled believed their country won the content and 20% believed the victor was hamas. next in fast-forward - altered states a crop of

communities where recreational weed is legalized. what is holding other states back? later this hour - new voices old struggle. >> what i have here are people... >> we have young people rising up. you want them to learn from that experience, that you don't do that you have to listen to older people, they'll be the ones to lead you out. >> a look at america's young rev lookings ris, and the lesson they learn from a generation of fires. hot on the website. when a michigan police chief faced proof his officers were guilty of racial profiling, what did he do about it? find out on aljazeera.com/americatonight

tonight in our fast-forward segment - going green.

it's been more than a year since colorado led the way to legalizing marijuana. many call it a success. as lori jane gliha found, some say that legalized pot has been nothing but a buzz kill. >> all the border towns along colorado nebraska oklahoma wyoming are seeing the same thing. >> reporter: bj wilkinson is the police seize in sydney nebraska 12 miles from the colorado border. >> we'll make a traffic stop for running a stop sign or speeding in plain view. or we'll go in a house for domestic disturbance, and on the table is a dispensary bottle or a bong, and we have not seen that before. >> reporter: since legalitionation has gone into effect. wilkinson says his police load has gone up 50%. >> it's not unusual for the gaol to be full and we have to

decide what to do with others. >> this is a strawberry cow girl... >> the proof that pot is making its way into nebraska is in the evidence room. >> all the vials have the name and address of the dispensary in sedgwick. which is the closest to sydney. all this came from there. >> reporter: "america tonight" went to sedgwick, across the border in colorado. to see the dispensary for ourselves. sure enough a car with nebraska plates pulled up to the store. now, fast-forward - despite serious concerns the cannabis club is growing, nebraska the third state to legalize pot, and growing and possessing weed could be legal by the end of the week. congress is keeping the district of columbia from setting rules about how it will be sold.

next voices for justice. >> all the peel have lived their lives, they have been through hell and high water. each generation has to speak for itself. america's young revolutionaries, women in the mott. how their fight was influenced by the death of young plaque men and a voice celebrating justice with a touch question. >> have you found my generation is responsive to you, in getting what you need. >> yes and no. >> the legendry harry bellafonte with a dream measured and deferred. wednesday on "america tonight".

this year marks the 50th anniversary of major moments in the civil rights struggle. the passage of still rights act, voting rights and selma. it was a struggle that leaders knew would take generations. the last few months sees the rise of a new movement. we turn to voices old and new carrying a new generation in the fight. we look at young revolutionaries, looking at two women, pushed forward to action inspired by the lives and deaths of young black men.

here in their own words, erica tot am and joy lather. [ sings ] >> you know music soothes the soul calming everywhere down. everybody is saying. and then you get the momentum if you were apprehensive about going out. once you get the adrenaline up and everyone is singing, you go forward, you didn't care. if you don't go, i'll go. i'm on my way great god, i'm on my way. [ sings ] >> i got involved in the civil right movement in hattiesburg, before i was born or reared around 195. i saw the men who murdered edward king the men went to trial, they were not punished or

found guilty i wanted to know why weren't they punished. that was not the question that came into my head. i wanted to know more. i was young, i could understand what was talked about. parents paying taxes, and you should have new textbook sidewalks, street lights the same things as the white kids had. i was lucky to have the people in my life. and developing a passion for justice. how i got involved was during the trayvon martin trial. when they had the non-indictment, i went into a deep depression. so from there, i had to process you know how we are viewed in this country. and then what can i do about it.

... the legend of regan looms large... >> the home of the 11th court appeals, the court for this jurisdiction and your rights th regard for a petition for discretionary review with the court of criminal appeals in texas, will remain in your custody for the cher if country to carry out the imposition of the judgment in this court and in this matter. do you have a legal reason to state why sentence should not be imposed? >> [ inaudible ] >> finding nothing there i enter judgment and remand you to justice of the sheriff to carry out the judgment of this court, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the texas department of criminal justice. now, turning back to the jury.

certainly appreciate your effort in this matter. is he lying or what? >> probably lying. that's a situation there where we don't have enough material and equipment that we can get to the battlefield. >> should we send it? >> it will just cause more death and destruction. we have no element of surprise. you are free to discuss the case, i want to issue a statement to you, that is it that the lawyers in this matter are professionals. and they are not going to bother you about the verdict. i can assure you should anyone else attempt to bother you about your verdict, you make it known immediately to any one of these officers for court, the bailiff or anybody, and we'll get it stopped, quick fast and in a hurry. i have been asked by the media, that they want to talk to

you ... we lost the signal from texas, where a jury convicted eddy ray routh of killing chris kyle, the man known especially in light of the "american sniper" movie, and the judge imposed a sentence of life without parole for eddie ray routh. heeldsburg has covered the case and joins us by phone. >> antonio mora. good to be here. you know i think that this verdict came quickly, and it may have been surprising for some given that the trial was two weeks, and the jury was in deliberations for no more than two hours. it was a jury of 10 women and two men. and throughout the trial.

throughout the trial it was emotional testimony, starting with the prosecutor case having chris kyle's widow testify, and the mother of little field. it was apparent that the jury was moved. really, what they had to decide in this case is not whether or not eddie ray routh pulled the trigger. that the defense said was a fact. he killed both of these men. the jury had to decide whether eddie ray routh was sane. with the guilty merd ict, it -- verdict they believed that he was sane and he is guilty of capital murder. >> that has been amply debated in the court with different experts, but in the media. raffle had mental issues, he was on medication, it was a big part of the case.

does that surprise you that this verdict came down quickly because of closing arguments. that was a big issue to be discussed. >> yes it is surprising in some ways because a lot of testimony from the defense was medical experts, trying to explain what ipp sanity is what -- insanity is what the different diagnosis that eddie ray routh had. a lot of that you can get by but it took the jury two hours to reach the verdict. the best guess is they had their mind made up before getting - mostly made up before going to the jury room. >> it was a very quick day. john terrett sth -- john terrett's here closing

arguments were quick. >> the jury was out for two hours, a small amount of time for a jury to deliberate a case like this. we heard from the defense and prosecution in the last 24 hours, both given about two hours each. cameras not allowed in the courtroom at that time. at one point the cameras were rolling. we were able to see one of the prosecutor's time witnesses taking the stand. this was a forensic expert who said chris scil the american sniper, never saw it coming and chad liedlefield -- littlefield never had a chance to react. the defense never disputed na eddie ray routh killed kyle and littlefield but argued that he was insane. the prosecutor had none of that calling it hogg wash and he

knew right from wrong and point to the fact that eddie ray routh led police on a wild car chase. as heidi said the jury was made up of 10 women and two men, the sentence imposed, life imprisonment without parole for eddie ray routh, 27 years old, after the guilty verd dict which came up within less than two hours. we remember the case this is the "american sniper" case. we have seen the movie. there are some jurisdictions where this wouldn't be allowed, the court case with the top hollywood movie. everyone has seen the movie, and the moving pictures of chris kyle's movie. this was held where he and littlefield were killed. some argue there should be a change of venue. back to heidi, what did routh's family expect.

they put on a forensic psychiatrist who described how he was a troubled veteran and medicated for psychosis. >> that's right. i spoke to eddie ray routh's aunt. and she and other family members, getting into this didn't expect for it to turn out well for eddie ray routh. they saw it more as a procedural thing, this trial, and knew that in the end, in their view he was going to be found guilty and sentenced to life without parole, or found not guilty and expected that he would have been put in a mental institution for the rest of his life. this family was obviously - they are not happy with this verdict, i imagine. but they kind of knew getting into it what it might be. >> again, quick verdict in the trial of the killer of the

american sniper chris kyle and friend chad littlefield. the jury found his guilt why and the judge sentenced him to life without parole. thank you both for being with us "real money" is up next. see you again at 11. the legend of ronald reagan looms large. they have taken the torch and learnt a tough lesson. opportunity necessarily trickle down. i challenge the man who probably has more influence over your taxes than anyone you voted for. plus president obama uses the power of the veto pen to rejects a bill authorising the keystone xl pipeline the political implications, and where the pipe line battle goes from here. i'm ali velshi this is