>> hi, every, this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler. >> prayers for the nine victims and extraordinary court appearance for the suspect. >> charleston is a very strong community. >> a bond hearing becomes something much more with a personal statement from the judge. >> there are victims on this young man's side of the family. >> an emotional words from relatives of those who were killed.

>> god forgive you. and i forgive you. >> tonight the tragedy in south carolina. the national discussion on guns. violence . >> a few moments ago. there were prayers hymns and tears as the community continues to grief. >> if that young man thought he was going to divide this community or divide this countries with his racial hatred we're here today and all

across america resoundingly saying he miserablebly he failed. he failed because in our broken hearts we realize we love each other more. >> hundreds of people included members of the victim's families attended that memorial at the arena. it was memorable in many ways from the personal comments from the judge the hearing to determine bail was short. it was also powerful. we want to bring it to you tonight. we'll talk about it after. here is the video. >> today is june 19 2015, charleston county bond court. i'm the chief magistrate of charleston county. this is the case of state versus dylann roof. mr. roof is charged with nine

counts much murder and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. before the hearing i would like to make a statement. charleston is a very strong community. we have big hearts. we're a very loving community. we're going to reach out to everyone, all victims and we will touch them. we have victims, nine of them. but we also have victims on the other side. there are victims on this young man's side of the family. we must find it in our heart at some point in time not only to help those that are victims but to also help his family as well.

it's all done and said they will have done the best job they can do. they're some of the finest. our law enforcement are the finest in this state and they will do their job honorablebly. i trust that they will. with that being said we will move forward today with this hearing. mr. roof, nine counts of murder and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. your hearing will be october 23, october 23, 2015, 20:02 p.m. your second court date appearance will be february 5 february 5, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. mr. roof, you have the right to a preliminary

>> i'll go through this, susie jackson, is there a representative of the family of susie jackson?

sandra singleton. you have the right as representative. ethel lance, would you like to make a statement in regards to this hearing regarding ethel lance as a victim, ma'am? would you like to come forward please? >> you're representing the family of ethel lance. >> yes. >> you are whom, ma'am? >> her daughter. >> i'm listening, and you can talk to me. >> i just want everybody to know

that youing you took something from me.

>> four decades later after fierce debate and boycott led by the naacp the state adapted a law in 2000 banning the confederate flag from flying over the state house. instead it was moved to the south side of the capitol complex. there have been no indication that the lawmakers will come back to vote on the lowering of the flag for one of their own killed.

reverendcally men todayclemente pinckney. >> inside, he has been honored with a black cloth draped over his desk. legislator able to display it in their offices. when it was remove from the dome to the memorial, supporters chanted "off the dome and in your face." there has been a petition to remove the flag with nearly a quarter million signatures.

>> how is our country still fighting over the confederate flag? >> i think because it's so rooted in the south in the region that those in the midwest, west, and northeast don't necessarily have that day-to-day interactions with those symbols. but it is a conversation that is full deep and vibrant in the south. >> i'm from the south. when you look at--when people talk about this, it's hard to see that people who support the confederate flag don't hear the pain. >> yes, it is an one-sided conversation. today i was having a social media discussion with someone who conflated the term "south." we in the south believe in this flag because it stood for the freedom to express our beliefs.

wait i'm southern. before the establishment of the united states my ancestors lived in the con noel of south carolina and they were not consulted. it's one where the white southerners who are supporting it andy minute initialing minorities. >> as they get older. >> yes supporting that symbol they don't include other voices. >> what would you compare this symbol to? >> i mean the most readily present symbol is that we can grasp on to is the swastika. it was not only as a group difference but racially different. >> you would say that it represents not only hate,

torture, slavery murder, mass murder. >> i would. and there are two reasons. the designer of the con succeed second confederate flag stated that the flag with that symbol, which was in the upper right-hand corner, the flag, symbols mattered to him because the white stood for the supremacy of the white man over the colored or inferior race. this is not me conjecturing. this is the archival source. when you have that kind of statement, that designer of the confederate flag that in fact, it deals with race, it deals with race. i don't know how people are able to pars out race and not understand that this was used as

a quite supremacy government and then taken up by those who bombs churches. >> the kkk. >> it really was about the murder of people of color. >> professor, it's good to have you on the program. thank you for your insights. >> thank you for having me back. >> we appreciate it. coming up, charleston and race. why some say the murders are about more than just black and white.

>> hi everybody. this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler. >> the charleston church shooting. prayers for the nine victims. and an extraordinary court appearance for the suspect. >> charleston is a very strong community. >> a bond hearing becomes something much more with a personal statement from the judge. >> there are victims on this young man's side of the family. >> an emotional words from relatives of those who were

killed. >> tonight the tragedy in south carolina, the national discussion on guns, violence, and race in america. >> this was a racial hate crime and must be con fronted as such. >> tonight the city of charleston, south carolina, held a prayer vigil in honor of those killed in the emmanuel ame church. [ bagpipe music ] >> thousands gathered to honor and pray for those who died and to send a message of unity. >> and it was in this sanctuary our sang aware that god took his in the hands of shondara single

tear suey jackson depayne doctor. reverend simmons and myra thompson, and gave them their reward for a lifetime of service to his glory. >> earlier today the accused gunman dylann roof made his court appearance. the families of the victims came forward to express their grief call for peace and often forgiveness. now this attack happened at an historic black church. a symbol in the fight against racial injustice and the scene of past violence against african-americans. for many these killings are about as much aboutas much about the history as well as hate. >> as a society we're used to and sometimes we demand the easy answers. was this racism? was this a rate crime? was it an act of terrorism.

but i found in charleston, south carolina, these days things are not always black and quite. and in charleston, south carolina there are no easy answers. emmanuel have now become that that.church, that church where a white man is accused of ol'ing fire and killing nine as they prayed. some see it as selma, where white hatred claims black lives but it is different here, now. now the color lines are blurred. 51 years ago in alabama a white govern declared the south would never change. >> i say segregation now segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.

>> but this governor shed tears over the black lives lost. >> we woke up today and the heart and soul of south carolina was broken. >> still change comes hard. she says that racism in charleston is as plane plain as the skin on her face. >> i'm on the job and they try to put you in your place. >> she said what happened here was a hate crime. >> there is a history of the black church being terrorized by white. >> reverend anthony evans works in washington, d.c. but came here when he heard about the

shootings. he said what happened here was far worse than a hate crime. >> it's very clear that this young man plotted this attack on this black church. not a white church, a black church. >> by sharp contrast tisha threw five hours from tennessee just to pay her respect. as she choked back the tears she said it's not about black and white but good versus evil. >> i think the world is full of hate. that hate is not only about skin color. it's deeper. >> and she is not alone. she is joined by an endless line of whites who came to lay flowers at the entrance of the church. when thomas and caroline first heard of the shooting they had to come. they say paying homage is their gift to their father. >> we were deciding what to do for father's day and our dad decided to come here. and so we just thought about

something we could do, and thomas brought up bringing flowers. we all agreed on it. >> not bad thomas. not bad. that's what with you gave your father for father's day? >> yes. >> what do you think now that you decided to do it and you decided to come down here? >> i feel great about it. i think that it did a lot. >> the story here is go black and white, and rich and poor, and north versus south and young versus old and racial wounds that have been allowed to fester for decades. >> well, at this point we have no power when a young white guy 21-year-old old can walk into our church murder nine african-americans and assassinate their pastor. >> i see white people coming up and dropping off flowers. >> yes. you'll see this right now. >> i hope that we'll come

together. it's time that we face it and deal with it. >> it's as confusing as a city that now counts a slave market as a tourist attraction. a city that is still trying to come to grips with a painful past and face as future that seems to be equally troubled. >> john, everyone here agrees on one thing and that is what happened here. what happened at this church behind me was wrong. but there is widespread disagreement on the anger that lit the fuse. you hear it on talk radio. you hear it on the campaign trail. the need to take back this country. words that dylann roof is accused of uttering as he pulled the trig that are ended nine lives. >> del walters. thank you very much. there was an powerful emotional statement from the leader of the naacp. let's listen to what cornell brooks had to say. >> that stranger was welcomed

into the house of god by the children of god. he spent an hour in fellowship. an hour in study, and then he laid down a bible and take up a gun and laid nine people into untimely graves. tragic deaths deaths are unconscionable. it is morley incomprehensible. it is clear that the time and time again our members our leaders and the country we represent has been victimized by hatemongerrers, pressure purveyers of, we have never capitulateed to racism in this

country. we have refused to do this. we've seen demonstrations over the course of this tragedy a climate of caring and compassion. we've seen people could from all over this country because they care they love, because they refuse to let this one racist murderer in our midst to define our values. the fact that this shooting took place in a church, in a bible study where the shooter asked for the pastor by name, it says to us that we are to examine the underlying racial animus racial hate. this was not just mayorly a gun shooting but a hate crime. >> naacp leader car nell brooks today. councilman gregory represents

charleston's sixth districts he's also on the board of trussees of the emmanuel ame church. thank you for joining us tonight. where is charleston, how is charleston coping? >> charleston is healing tonight, and at mother emmanuel we're in a state of getting ready to bury our dead and go through the healing process. we are one charleston. this kind of racial motivated terrorism only draws us closer together as a people in this city of charleston. >> sometimes i think we forget our history or maybe i'm guilty of that when i watched del walters' piece tonight and he talked about the slave market that is now a tourist attraction in the city of charleston. you can't get away from--go

ahead. >> yes, we do have a market, but that market that you're probably referring to is really not the slave market. the slave market is on queen street. but more importantly as we move forward we are building an international african american museum in our city. the museum will be where 40% of the slaves came into this country. it's important for our city to tell the true story to make sure that the history books reflect what really happened in our country. we feel that by building--building the international african museum on the this site will give testament to our commitment to make sure that the truth is it told about the african-american

heritage in this country. >> that's why this crime in charleston, there are so many symbols here. how so many slaves came through that town, and now we're talking about this crime here. can you talk about that a little bit? >> historically i would agree with you. this was wise to the city of con confederacy confederacy. the person who led the slave revolt to build a statue in his honor, i think we need to take a closer look at the evolution of this city because we're slowly, slowly making sure that all that history is told.

we're truly one charleston, and only a major catastrophe like this that brings us all together proves that we're strong and resilient. emmanuel church is a church that has gone through so much. we've gone through hurricanes earthquakes, our church has been burned down after the revolt. but we rebuild. and just as we rebuilt in the past we'll make sure that our church is something that is more define. i think when things like this happen we have to be able to read the tea leaves. it is a great sacrifice but our church, the beacon of african-americanism not just in the city of charleston, but in this state and in this nation, will just become stronger. >> in many ways the people of

charleston are showing the country the way. councilman, it's good to have you on the program. thank you very much. >> we want to feel as though we are the light. we've been chosen because we are the light. for what is to come in this nation. >> thank you very much for having me. >> thank you. >> the debate over gun violence has beenry ignited by the shooting. >> if congress had passed some common sense gun safety reforms after new town, after a group of children had been gunned down in their own classroom reforms that 90% of the american people supported, we wouldn't have prevented every act of violence or even most. we don't know if it would have prevented what happened in charleston, no reform can guarantee the elimination of violence, but we might still have more americans with us.

>> president obama has tried but failed to get tighter background checks since the 2012 killing at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. many fear efforts to change gun laws even amp the after the charleston shooting will meet the same fate. >> after each mass murder president obama shows his rage and resolve. after tucson. >> we cannot and will not be passive an in the face of such violence. >> after aurora. >> such violence such evil is senseless. >> and after new town. >> we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics. >> this time the rage was there. but instead of resolve there was resignation. >> i say that recognizing the politics in this town will close

a lot of those avenues right now. >> the president all but conceded gun control can't pass congress. thursday mr. obama made another point. >> at some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other countries. >> in fact the yearly gun homicide rate is triple the rates seen in most of the developed world. in december 2012 came the unthinkable horror of new town. 26 people killed, 20 children massacreed by a man with a semiautomatic rifle. gun rights advocates led by nra's wayne wayne la pierre pushed back. >> what if adam lanza pushed his

way into the sandy hook elementary school had he had. been confronted by armed security. >> the push for new restrictions collapsed. now public opinion appears to be turning against more gun patrol. for much of the last two decades most americans thought it was important to control gun ownership than to protect gun owner's right. but in a poll last december that opinion flip: they say that protecting gun rights is more important than protecting gun ownership. not everyone is buying it. colin goddard is a survive of the virginia tech massacre. 32 people killed. despite the defeats in washington he says the tide is turning at the state and local level. >> we've seen a lot of activity over the past few years promoting good gun policy and defeating efforts to repeal the

basic public safety laws we have in place. >> but even advocates like goddard admit despite what happened in charleston and horrific shootings laws in congress are not going to pass any time soon. >> we talked to former south carolina state representative bacari sellers, he was just blocks away when the shots were fired. his reactions were candid, raw and moving, and since then many have responded to his comments online. he began by stressing the importance of how we talk talk about this tragedy. >> our verbiage does matter. this was racism at its worst. there was an act of domestic terrorism. more importantly today is a day that we grief. today is a day that this community begins to heal again. >> can you describe what is happening in south carolina in the way that people talk to each other? >> well, i can give you a better

description by simply telling you that today at our state capital capitol, our august body, the united states of america flag flights at half-staff. the flag of the confederacy flies as high as it ever did. that speaks to the world. >> why is that flag still there and what does it tell you? >> that flag is till is there because we've not had the political will or the political courage, we haven't had the pressure of the world looking down on the world to ask that question. we have not had enough hillary clinton or jeb bush or rand paul interjecting on the issue. but today this is about daughters who will not be able to fix their father's brunch on

sunday. >> i looked at--i know this has been a long day. i look at people across the street. i see them with their children. what do we tell the children? >> i'm not sure that i know the answer to that today. i think that what we tell them is that we can do better. we must be better. we will do better. this is a time when we must come together. those nine lives depend upon it. >> it's great to have you on the program. very difficult night for the community of charleston, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back.

ries... fault lines invisible hands only on al jazeera america >> for three weeks now wikileaks founder has been julian assange has been seeking refugee in london. the cost for his welfare is soaring. it's in the millions just to patrol the embassy where he's holed up. in the next hour we'll look at what the future hold for the wikileaks leader who is wanted in the u.s. in a sexual assault case in sweden.

the battle of waterloo, what would have happened if the french emperor had been victorious. and a deal for fighter jets are being negotiated right now. and the actions of the woman is the company's first female executive who happens to be an america. we'll talk about what she did. >> i'm interested to see the assange story. thank you. >> we want to take a minute to honor the victims of the charleston, south carolina, shooting. >> the reverend clementa pinckney was the father of two. he became a pastor at the age of 18 and was elected to south carolina's house of representatives at the age of 23. in 2000 he was elected to the state senate.

reverend sharonda singleton was part of the ministerial track as well as a track and field coach. tywanza sanders only 26 years old, a 2014 graduate of allen university division of business administration in columbia. he's described as a warm and helpful spirit. myra thompson was the wife of reverend anthony thompson. she was 59. ethel lance 70, she was a sexton at the church. her grandson described her as the heart of the family. cynthia hurd, 54, an employee of the charleston county public library for 31 years. reverend daniel l simmons sr. 74 was a retired pastor from another church in charleston. he attended ame church every

sunday and every wednesday for bible study. reverend depayne middleton doctor was 49. susie jackson served in the choir and a long-time member of the church. she was 87 years old.

>> you hurt me. you hurt a lot of people. god forgives you and i forgive you. >> stone cold. run on the banks. >> of course if it hatches the next thing that happens is catastrophe. >> greeks pull money from