>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. show of force. new demonstrations call for justice. as anger over police tactics grows in baltimore. yemen campaign. the saudis declare an end to strikes. why the bombs continue to fall. earth shattering. >> i was sleeping and i felt like a little, and i woke up. >> new research looks to

fracking to explain hundreds of earthquakes. >> plus john ridley a conversation with the screen writer of "12 years a slave." we begin in baltimore tonight. the center of the latest controversial death involving police and an unarmed black man. freddy gray died from a spine injury to his neck a week after being arrested. tonight as the demonstrators grow the police union is speaking out rallying around the officers and criticizing demonstrators. >> let's put it this way. if they're tried convicted and put in jail, where's the due process with that? >> and we get more from jonathan betz. >> reporter: star brown is all smiems now with her young

smuls withsmiles with her young daughter, but it was the worst day of her life. >> when you are the first person victim of police brutality. >> for some reasons officers focused on her pulling her down the steps and slamming her down on the ground. her pregnancy wasn't affected but she was bloody and bruised. >> more difficult when i'm seeing it happening more now. >> reporter: she sued. the city paid her $125,000. a baltimore sun investigation found the city has paid nearly $6 million since 2011 to settle more than 100 claims of baltimore police using excessive force. >> kind of getting out of hand and they need to do something about it. right? >> reporter: tensions were high here long after the fear

gripped the city after death of freddy gray. he died a week after his arrest. >> the family isn't in a hurry except they want to know right now. >> family among the many that want answers regarding police body cameras. >> it's going to result in people being good to each other again. >> the city and the police chief were already rolling out body cams. >> we know we can't bring mr. gray back but his family deserves answers and the community deserves answers and that's what i want to give them. >> her daughter shares fear too. >> i can't teach her to look at the police as a form of protection. it's pretty sad. it's pretty disheartening. it makes you not believe in their system. >> jonathan betz reporting.

eugene o'donnell is a former police officer with the nypd. now a professor at john jay college of. and jonathan betz is live in baltimore, can you hear me? >> john, we had technical issues earlier. let me give you an idea what's happening now. a couple hundred protesters, protesting, very upset lot of anger lot of frustration. if i can step outside a liberal of anger we're seeing her. in the neighborhood where freddy gray lived. they were being kept away from the police department's doors. on the other side of that door, there are concrete barricades that police brought out today people standing on top of them, demanding justice and answers the answers that have not been provided by authorities which is what led to the death of this

25-year-old suspect. especially people here say his death is the latest example of long simmering tensions between the city's black community and the police department here in baltimore. this is the fourth straight day of anger in this city after after freddy gray died in police custody. the mayor says she knows there needs to be repaired relations between the police department and the citizenry they are sworn to protect. john. >> eugene, welcome. >> thanks john. >> give me your take of what you've seen in this case. >> a rush to make judgments we can't yet make. because there's been a delay in factual accounting. a person is dead and every reasonable person should say

what's the reason? the conversation has become polarized. in the absence of a full disclosure of what's the story here. >> let me go to the videotape and ask you what happened here. there's been a lot of talk what happened to this man happened after he got into the van. but i've got to tell you when i watched that video it's clear to me anyway, it appears very much appears, that he had severe damage there was something very wrong with him before he went in the van. what -- do you read that video any other way? >> i can't say for sure. it's a medical examiner issue,. >> sure. >> it's a medical issue. but you cannot be in a situation where the police are simply going to be criticized for outcomes. outside of something wrong something criminal, arrests can go bad if people do die in custody that is not to be trivialized. but mayors and chiefs and other elected officials have to step

up and nuance these issues, and don't just act like they're bystanders. the mayor and the chief need to fix them and stop acting like they're not connected. >> we have had a number of guests on this program that say black lives don't matter when it comes com to police. there's something about the police system but something systemic. what do you say? >> i say start at the top and fix the politics and fix the leadership and decide to make the police toot prints smaller. common denominator police are doing enforcement of junk offenses. this guy as a knife. if you tell the police not to make that kind of enforcement they won't do it. they deserve better leadership. the people in baltimore need better leadership and the cops deserve to be led well.

>> did all these cases exist before ferguson and we didn't just hear about them? >> the problematic policing is done in poor neighborhoods minority neighborhoods where the police are working but we're seeing more of it and it's good that we've heightened awareness. but we need a nuanced conversation. the problem is 24-7 cable culture that stops as soon as you get to substance. when you want to talk about reforms and what's behind this and how the political structure needs to fix that doesn't play well on cable. and on tv. >> right, but what is playing well is -- are some of these videos. and some might say that there wouldn't be arrests in cases there wouldn't be reforms if we didn't have videos like this. what do you think? >> the police when they use force and they are on videos are not going to look good. when they come and use force they trie not to try not to use force

but if we say that's wrongdoing on the part of the police, that's where the elected officials owe it to the community and the police to give them nuance. i assume a large number of people arrested in baltimore african americans that's not the cops fault. a prosecutorial system, that has been given to that system for a number of years. >> thank you for being with us. justin george, a criminal justice reporter for the baltimore sun. justin you have reported on crime for ten years. are citizens suffering at the hands of the baltimore police on a regular basis in your opinion? >> i wouldn't say on a regular basis but there have been several high profile incidents that have happened in the last three years. there has been three deaths,

in-custody deaths that have occurred and certainly the community is well aware of those. >> based on your reporting, what sort of light can you shed on the incident where freddy gray eventually was killed? >> well, i think everybody is still trying to figure out exactly what happened. i know that the mayor and police say what occurred, happened in the transport van. but you have some witnesses at gilmore homes where freddy gray was, who said they saw what looked to be him getting beaten. today we found out that five of the six officers that are involved have given police investigators statements. but one has not. so there's still not a complete picture of exactly what happened. i think police are trying to figure out what's going on. at the same time, residents just want answers. it's been you know several days since april 12th when this occurred. and i still think that they're not satisfied with what they're

hearing. >> we just heard from a former new york police officer who said that these problems need to be fixed at the top. how -- based on your reporting how do you think top officials in baltimore have responded to this? >> well, i think the police commissioner here was actually brought in a little more than two years ago to sort of solve these sort of issues. he came in because the mayor believed that a lot of the community didn't trust police and that, you know, his goal was sort of to repair that relationship. so i would say that, you know, that that was -- that has been the aim since he's been here. but whether he's been successful or not i think that remains to be seen. >> we watched the violence in ferguson. is there concern tonight in baltimore about violence? >> well, i don't know about tonight. but i did, you know, talk to some people and they said they want indictments in this case. just walk around hee talking to

residents -- here talking to residents they say time will tell. they want indictments. they want to see that officers are arrested. i'm not saying that is justified at all. but i think that is a general frustration and feeling here. >> what are we waiting to hear from the police department about this investigation? is this a question of what they believe happened inside the van? are we going to hear more medical information from the autopsy? >> well, they don't have a complete picture of the autopsy. i know that they said that the autopsy has showed them that they don't believe that any force was used, any kicking or punching on freddy gray's body but a complete autopsy would probably tell a little bit more. however the complete narratives of exactly what the officers were doing in gil gilmore homes was he running unprovoked, remains to be seen, was he properly

restrained from the van why did the van make a couple stops? these are questions what happened when those stops occurred exactly? why did he have to be restrained by leg irons? these are all questions you just want a little bit more details that would sort of explain and give a full narrative of exactly what occurred. >> and justin you are in the middle of the protest. does it seem to be growing? has it sort of stayed the same for the last couple of hours? >> well, it was much bigger yesterday and it has stayed the same here. that's because there are two protests going on right now. this is west baltimore where freddy gray lived and grew up, near the western district police station. there is another protest going on right now downtown near city hall and police headquarters. >> justin george the baltimore sunday, thank you very much, appreciate it. federal prosecutors have also decided to review a 2013 case out of west virginia where

a african american man was shot 23 times by police. the edited police photo a grand jury declined to indict the five officers involved in the shooting. the justice department agreed to look into the investigation after request by the naacp. >> after saudi arabia pledged to end a nearly month-long bombing campaign diseud of saudis saudis say the focus is on the ground campaign. jamie mcintire is in washington. jamie. >> saudi arabia had announced the end of operation decisive storm, its objectives were met and phase 2 shifted to,

operation renewal of hope. may have also been dubbed, renewal of air strikes. just hours after announcing an end to air strikes the saudi led military coalition bombed the southwestern yemeni city of ta'izz where battle was brought against force he loyal to abd rabbu mansour hadi. advancing on the port city of aden the saudi ambassador to washington said there are no evidence of the houthis ready for peace. >> we will use force in order to stop them from taking over aden. that will not change. >> the operation dubbed

operation decisive storm has been met. replies tick weaponsweapons, can counter houthi aggression and the u.n. estimates nearly 1,000 yemenis have died, both the saudis and the state department denied reports that the obama administration quietly pressured saudi arabia to call a halt to air strikes because of the gross number of civilian casualties. >> the path forward needs to be dialogue. >> it's being blamed for much of the killing that's a result of

fighting on the ground. meanwhile the houthis are calling for resumed dialogue under the auspices of the united nations, something the saudi ambassador today dismissed saying the houthi rebels aggressive moves were not the action he of a party that wants peace. john. >> jamie mcintire, thank you very much. the migrant crisis in the mediterranean is a crisis of all of europe. an emergency summit on the migrants is about to occur. taking 1500 lives this year. renzi proposed opening migrant centers where applications for asylum could be processed. here in the united states opponents of fracking has claimed for years that the process is causing earthquakes. now there's research to back it up. the oklahoma geological survey

says that fracking is very likely to blame for hundreds of earthquakes. at the same time, researchers say it's also to blame for dozens of earthquakes in northern texas. the mayor of one texas town calls the finding a vindication. >> they said forever that we didn't know what we were talking about. >> oklahoma's launched a website that plots where earthquakes occur and what the state's doing about that problem. fracking's not just an issue in texas and oklahoma. later on this hour we are going to take a look at how the findings could have an impact on the nationwide debate over fracking. coming up next, four texas women say they were wrongly imprisoned for sexually assaulting children plus. >> my conversation with oscar winning screen writer john ridley why he doesn't consider himself a success.

success.

>> lawsuit because brought by thousands of former players the agreements calls for payments up to $5 million per player. it replies applies to any player who retired before 2014 pep. a group of women known as the san antonio 4 were back in a texas courtroom trying to clear their names. convicted two decades ago of raping two young girls part of a satanic ritual. heidi zhou-castro is in texas with more. heidi. >> hi john. this is just the first step towards what these four women hope to be an official declaration of innocence.

20 years ago the state's case against them rested on scientific evidence proved to be inaccurate. two little girls seven and nine, told officials that their aunt and their aunt's friends raped them. told the judge they were lies made up by their father. >> he starts telling us that my pia lisa touched us and we know -- and this is how she touched you. it was from then on it was like constantly nagging on something that denied happen. he was like this happened this happened she did this and you know it was just -- we were coached. >> did your aunt liz ever sexually assault you? >> no ma'am. >> did any of her friends do

anything sexually inappropriate to you? >> no, ma'am. >> john, jaw dropping testimony that destroys the state's case 20 years ago. it was the admission of a lie that stole nearly 20 years of these is wom these women's lives. it's been nearly a year and a half since the san antonio 4 united outside the bexar county jail. >> i've had a chance to reestablish relationships with my kids, spent time with my grand baby and my niece. >> sometimes i have to sit back when we're joking or playing. and i just cannot believe that we are all out here once again together. you know?

>> reporter: though freed they have not been cleared. >> and does it feel real to you yet? >> no, i don't think it will until the exoneration. >> elizabeth christy cassandra and anna were convicted of a horrific crime. in 1989, the young children claimed the women had raped them. the women claimed they were lies concocted by their father. the state targeted them for being lesbians. the four were convicted of aggravated assault for a child. >> how can you go to prison for something that never happened? but i did. >> reporter: then in 2010, mean a decade into the women's

imprisonment, one of the victims recaptained and a doctor who had said there were signs of physical abuse on the girls' bodies withdrew her testimony citing advances in forensic science leading her to doubt her conclusions. >> it took many years of our lives accusing us of something that we weren't -- that is pretty harsh and we want that name that label taken from us. >> reporter: they've all found jobs during this past year. >> i get off at 6:00 too. so come home get ready and let's do something. >> sounds great. >> reporter: but their futures depend on whether the texas court of criminal appeals will agree to overturn their convictions. this week's hearing may lead them closer to that goal. >> we just want to be cleared that we're innocent. and it's for them to believe it and to justice to finally prevail. >> reporter: are you at all afraid that that might not

happen? >> a little bit i am, yeah. just because of how i now know in the justice system you know, it has its faults. >> now john, the state has been vague about just how hard it will fight against this effort for an exoneration. they declined al jazeera's request for comments but today state prosecutors declined also to give any opening statement and they asked virtually no questions about cross examination of the state's witnesses so indicators that perhaps the state just wants this case to go away now john. >> we'll continue to yuvment the update the story, heidi zhou-castro, thank you. coming up. fracking and earthquakes. the connection made in two more states. how big is the danger. plus. >> i'm jake ward, just about to

go into san quentin maximum security. i'll explain. i'll explain.

is

>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. shaken new research suggests a possible link between fracking and earthquakes. at san quentin. >> i've heard so much about the job opportunities, as long as i know how to code i'll be employable. >> bringing silicon valley skills an opportunity to men behind bars. plus john ridley, the oscar winner talks about writing race. >> what it comes down to is that black lives do not matter, and to some folks even in 2015, that remains the fact. >> and why the time is right for his new project "american crime." tonight a major new development in the fight over fracking.

it is coming from oklahoma where officials now say the link between the drilling and earthquakes is becoming clearer. a the earth shook in oklahoma nearly 600 times last year alone. initially the state wasn't so sure but it changed its position after scientists said underground disposal of waste water associated with fracking away likely to blame. oklahoma launched a new website that track where the earthquakes happen near 3,000 fracking waste water sites. says more study is needed. oklahoma is not the only state dealing with the issue dozens of earthquakes in north texas meredith perry hall says her

land hasn't been the same since drilling began next door. >> do you see how low it's sitting, there was a sink house below the house. >> ohio residents have results too. bumping up u.s. oil production from 5 million bearms barrels a day in 2008 to more than 9 million barrels a day in january of this year. fracking has provided a major boost to some state and local economies but many are critical saying the chemicals used in the process are polluting the environment, polluting the groundwater, and producing earthquakes. denton texas also prohibited fracking. opponents are furious. >> what the state is telling us is that we don't have a right to

say we don't want earthquakes. you know that the industry can come in and do whatever we want to us. and that really bothers me. >> governor greg abbott is expected to sign the bill if it reaches his desk. as we talk about the battle over fracking it is important to know the facts and figures and the importance it has to the country. take a look. >> conventional drilling, they would have a vertical hole. and it would use maybe 100,000 gallons. in fracking they are drilling down putting in a horizontal well and they inject a lot of water to hydraulically frack the rock. you are talking about hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that's fracked.

>> john vidale is a seismologist from the university of washington, he's in seattle tonight. john welcome. does fracking directly cause earthquakes in your opinion? >> yes it's clear fracking causes earthquakes. and more than the fracking, the process of getting rid of the waste water afterwards generates most of the earthquakes. the correlation is kind of undeniable. >> what other forms of oil and gas production could cause seismic energy -- seismic eruptions or activity? >> well, i mean there are a number of ways to cause

earthquakes. one can do the fracking process or just taking water out of the ground or taking gas out of the ground or pumping water back in. and many earthquakes happen naturally. so any one earthquake or swarm of earthquakes could have been natural and wouldn't have needed any oil exploration to trigger them but it seems pretty clear that many if not most of the earthquakes we're seeing in oklahoma and texas do come from the fracking process. >> does that mean more fracking means more earthquakes and are they getting bigger? >> well, yes they are getting more common and it's probably because there is more and more fracking and more and more water pumped into the ground. often, when they frack they don't cause any earthquakes. the problem so far is small compared to the benefits of the oil exploration but there's definitely a connection and we need to understand it better. >> you say so far. so how dangerous could these quakes be?

>> well, the earthquakes that have happened so far you know up to magnitude 5. and magnitude 5 earthquakes can cause maybe millions of dollars of damage. but of course, the energy is a billion dollar industry. if they were to trigger a magnitude 7 under a city we could cause major effects the question is -- go ahead. >> i was going to say is that the tradeoff, energy or earthquakes? >> that's right. we're getting a lot of you know economic benefit out of pulling out that oil. but there's the risk that we could have catastrophic earthquakes. you know the risk so far seems to be small. but we really need to look carefully to make sure that's the case. >> is the problem primary waste water injection associated with fracking and is there another way to do it? >> well, there's probably alternatives. but they probably aren't as inexpensive and wouldn't let us pull out as much oil as the

current practices. they need a lot of water to get the full effect and the water has to go somewhere. if it doesn't go deep underground it might go somewhere where it causes evenly more pollution. what they're doing now works well except for the cause of earthquakes and the contamination of waste water. >> john vidale, thank you very much. it's the first experiment like this. take prisoners and train them. jake ward is on this. >> john, u.s. is the number one jailer we put more people in prison than anyone, including china and brazil, i got to meet a select group that have been allowed to do something very special. this is home to some of the most

violent criminals in the united states. san quentin a maximum security state prison outside of san francisco holds serial killers drug traffickers and 731 people sentenced to death. to get inside, i signed a form, saying if i'm taken hostage they will not rescue me. i gave up my cell phone. then inside this notorious place i got to see something amazing. it's graduation day for a small group of prisoners trying to join the technological revolution that they've missed. men like harry hemphill serving 16 years for assault. >> and i'll be turned into a grant, a world full of mobile apps and ipadipads and i don't know for me. >> first of its kind programs for me called the last mile. that teaches programming to

inmates. there's one problem. >> there's a reference work, java script up on screen. this is not connected to the internet. you're not allowed to have the internet while you're in prison. they are learning to code for a thing they will never see while they're in the penal system. >> occasionally inmates get instruction vie video conference but otherwise they are cut off. so the instructors created a simulated internet. >> what we did was create, along with a hack reactor who is our partner, a program that simulates live experience. allowing the guys to have somewhat of an online experience that we update on a regular basis. >> when he gets out harry is ready to see the real thing. >> i feel like i'm missing so much.

i want to have a cup of coffee, maybe a big mac and then start programming. at that age 56 as long as i know how to code i'll be employable. >> but harry won't be released until 2021. and his fellow graduates will be inside for at least that long. the california prison authority which provides basic manufacturing and other services at a price of roughly $1 an hour per prisoner plans to hire these coders out at a price of $41 per hour or more. prisoners could soon make sites and software very luke raative thelucrative.after 19 years behind bars, kinata layal started at a san francisco startup. >> i used in entrepreneurial spirit in the wrong way i sold drugs, marijuana robbery which

i ended up doing time for in prison. now this is a solid respectable job. >> why should kenyatta has changed the company's perspective on prison. >> like what were we thinking? it's such a bad system. by teaching code we give half of the people coming out of prison a better opportunity that's a great thing for society. >> for harry it is a chance to be part of a new industry, even if for now it's all behind bars. john really the extraordinary thing of this program is it seeks to head off this system, the recidivism rate is unacceptably high. this could have a role in stifling that.

kenyatta really the prisoner we spoke to, said this is rewarding rewarding. >> thanks for bringing this to us jake. >> thank you. >> a former auschwitz guard oscar gruening, was asked to explain how the nazi prison camp functioned. the trains filled with jewish prisoners were constantly arriving. gruening said the camp was efficient and able to process thousands of prisoners a day. >> gene kline a survivor of auschwitz, with the trial of this former guard on the way. here is what he has to say.

>> my name is gene kline i'm a hello cawft survivor. springholocaust survivor. it was our turn now spring of 1944, in hungary. hungarian soldiers waking us up early in the morning and they're telling us you are going to get on trains and be moved to places, we don't know where and start marching towards the train, which consists mostly of cattle cars, russ colored cars sliding doors very small windows, barbed wire. our journey takes three days three nights. finally we arrive at our destination which we don't know where it is what it is. and the doors open. we had maybe a few minutes just to hug whether the order comes. women and children on the left-hand side, men and boys

from about mid-teens up, always rows of five and you start marching on. then i get up to the front. my father is next to me. so this ss officer points to him you this way points to me, you this way. they were playing god. if you went to the left, you would be going directly to the gas chambers. after i talked to a polish prisoner who because i asked him how come my father went to the left and i went to the right, he told me come with me, and he took me outside the barracks once we were there and he points in the distance with the big tall chimney spewing smoke and sparks and he tells me your father is going up the chimney. and i tell smiex what myself, what is he talking about? i was with my father yesterday how can hing be going up the

chimney? he says this is auschwitz berkenau. i've got to come up with some sort of goals in my mind and i came up with two. i told myself my mother and two sisters are alive and well, and they're going to make it home. i have no idea what happened to them. you know, in auschwitz. they could have been dead but i told myself they are alive. and the other thing was these nazis if they kill me, they win. if i stay alive i win. and one morning when they're coming out because you could only spend a couple of hours because you are sometimes laying down next to prisoners who are dying and it's just awful. we come out and the first thing we notice, no guards at the machine gun towers. all of a sudden, there's a break in the fog. all we see is two horses approaching with one human being on one of the horses.

one of the polish kids said, look at his head, and i look, red star. what a feeling. know that you made it. so the three of us, as fast as our skinny legs could carry us, running to all the barracks, opening the door, all the languages we knew, we are free! we are free! this is something that you don't forget. >> gene kline's mother and sisters also survived auschwitz. you can read more of his story in the book, "we got the water." coming up next on this broadcast. race in hollywood. my conversation with oscar-winning screen writer, john ridley.

>> today is earth day and president obama used the occasion to tout his administration's progress on the environment. the president went to the florida everglades to deliver a speech on how climate change is affecting the economy. he says the storms droughts and wildfire should bewildfires can be

enough to convince the skeptics. >> nowhere is t going to have a bigger impact than here in south florida. no place else. it has to be paying closer attention to this and acknowledging it and understanding that if we take action now we can do something about it. >> the president also announced a plan to give every fourth grader and their families free passes for admission to u.s. national parks. that will begin this fall. a new documentary series on hbo is looking at environmental issues through the eyes of children. the third episode "saving my tomorrow part 3" airs tonight. pollution, deforestation and climate change. the director explains in our first person report. >> my name is amy schatz and i'm the director and producer of "saving my tomorrow".

"save my tomorrow" is a look at the environment through the eyes of kids. we wanted to hear what kids were thinking about what they were concerned about what they loved and the nature around them and what they were worried about. >> what concerns me most is that we use things as if there is no limit to how much there is. like we burn oil like there's no tomorrow. like there's no limit and we school food and the amount of food that actually duets wasted is crazy. >> i think that the subject is very relevant for kids. it's on their minds. i you know was very clear that they had a lot of knowledge about the world around them. >> it's one thing when a -- when a political leader says it. because then it's a big problem. but also once kids start realize what it is, then that's when you know okay, something's wrong. >> i think one of the most

poignant messages that's come from the kids that i've been talking about is that the grown-ups haven't done enough to take care of the mess that previous generations have made. >> i really am worried about the future of my grandchildren and their children and generations past after that. sometimes it's just people don't care or people don't know. but that's really rare. so most of the time people don't care. >> i hope that the series offers a hopeful message about making change and about the difference that anyone can make. >> there is a time to start caring. there is a time to make sure that we are caring about our one home. >> you can see saving my tomorrow part 3 on hbo and hbo now. today the international community is reflecting on a century of chemical weapons and the ongoing efforts to end their

use as well. barbara serra is here. barbara. >> a grim anniversary the use offing of chemical weapons in world war i. during the course of the war 1.3 million soldiers on both sides were killed or sickened by poison gas. today there is a coordinated effort to destroy the remaining stocks of chemical weapons. >> chemical agent destruction is a hard role. it is a high hazard operation. >> coming up in the next hours a look at which nations still have chemical weapons and how effective efforts have been to destroy them have been. john. >> thank you barbara. john ridley is a playwright and oscar winning screen writer of "12 years a slave." i talked to him about diversity in hollywood and how he went

from "12 years a slave" to "american crime". >> the morning after the academy awards i got on a plane and met with felicity huffman i was on a plain i was down to austin, texas where we filmed the show and we were shooting about six days later. so it was from a night that i never expected that would have happened, was like a dream and the next day it was working on something that was a dream and of itself a show i never thought i would have an opportunity to do. >> you won an academy award for "12 years a slave" you about the talk this year was what didn't get nominated. talking about lines that people continue see. this again has become a discussion about hollywood about race, about roles about writers and about directors and

producers, what's the problem about hollywood? >> i think the problem is large he than what we look like at the end of the year. the academy the academy award that is a result of a lot of work. in defense of the academy, when you are sitting in that audience and i got to sit there as a viewing member this year, which is a lot more relaxing i'll tell you that, but you see cheryl boone isaac a woman of color don hudson, ceo you see the winner best director, an individual from mexico, you see women being able to speak about pay equality, you see people from all over the world getting to share their stories. >> very political this academy awards this year. >> very political. and you realize that certainly on the service and certainly i have my opinions what films should get nominated who should have been in there. in my opinion andre benjamin got snubbed, he did an amazing

performance for me. the larger issue not those things that are root in front of us bus the opportunities women as directors are never given enough opportunities. that's a real problem. the makeup of writer's rooms and television are not reflective, i don't like to use the word diversity. diversity was something we strived for in the '70s. it is about reality. we are living in a different reality, the reality in hollywood is that reality is not in place in so many places in so many departments long before we get to the end of the year and we start handing out awards or who should be recognized. yeah i have an opinion. i think some of the films were absolutely phenomenal. i think there was room for one or two more, one or two more performers who i held in high regard. but i know those performers they don't do it for the awards themselves. it was a wonderful thing i was blessed. something i never thought would

happen. >> how did it happen? >> i don't know. >> you are unusual when it comes to success in hollywood. >> i don't feel successful in that regard. >> you don't feel -- >> no. success, you certainly can't pin it on -- there are people who i admire. people who have done amazing work who do not have one of those. the reason i have that is because of solomon's memoir. i can't pretend that it was something that just came from myself. i had the opportunity to work with one of the most amazing documents that was ever written in any regard. so the fact that the headline would have pen john ridley screwed it up. i know i worked hard, i know i put a lot into it, but that memoir was singular. so i can't talk in terms of success like that. i feel successful because i'm happy for the career i have. i feel very fortunate that my parents have lived long enough to see all of the things that they truly worked for not just for myself but for members of

our community. and then i had an opportunity to pay it back. my sons have two wonderful boys, they get to see it, my wife gets to put on a wonderful beautiful dress, we get to share it toque. in that way it is a -- together. >> in that way it's a success. to live the this dream to be in a space where i can tell the stories i want to tell to have the kinds of reactions these stories is very very special . >> for the young kid growing up in wisconsin who wants to do the things you're doing in life what do you tell them? >> don't do it. >> don't do it? >> doctor like my father, pick something else. >> but they have that dream like you have that dream. >> do it because you really truly want to do it. not because you want to be rich or famous or you want to be on tmz or meet famous people. all those things i have an

opportunity to do. the writing i've done that has had the most impact is the stuff i've done for free and i did because i had the opportunity to tell the story of the tuskegee airmen. those gentlemen were successful. i just got to tell their story. what solomon lived through i could never live through something like that. so to tell that story i feel like a shepherd, a good partner but not necessarily someone who's successful in his own right. i'm just fortunate and i'm blessed an i take that very very severely and i hope i have the opportunity to tell more stories. >> you've blessed us with i think one of the best films of all time, "12 years a slave." >> thank you. >> now to "american crime" it's terrific also. thank you for stopping by. >> i deeply appreciate it. >> that's our broadcast. i'm john siegenthaler, we leave you with the picture of the

empire state building lit up in green in honor of earth day. next up is world news with antonio mora and barbara serra.

you. >> gambling on peace in yemen. >> i'm not a gambling man but i hope they will keep one promise. >> and rolling out the welcome mat. >> i'm looking for a safe place to live. because our country is so dangerous. >> refugees risking it all escape war and poverty at home only to find they are not welcome abroad. >>