that's it for they addition of al jazeera america news. thanks for watching. [ ♪ ] on "america tonight" - in the heat of a mississippi night. >> what could you do so bad to make a person choke you for at least 20 minutes. >> correspondent sara hoy with a death and the latest flashpoint between a community and the officers meant to protect it. and the promise lands. >> no one chooses to be a refugee. it's not - it falls on them.

>> they escaped terrifying dangers in syria. now there's a surprising message to those thinking of fleeing home. lisa fletcher with the refugees who want to return thanks for being with us, i'm joie chen. it's a tough call. those moved by the plight of refugees who flooded into europe. many wonder how much the u.s. should do to help. the latest poll taken out of the picture of the toddler washed up. shows most think president obama's promise to give refuge to 10,000 is too great. there is sympathy. what do those that have made it here find. lisa fletcher found a family with a surprising answer. >> reporter: a father-son scrimmage on the east side of chicago. but on this sunday, there's a

new player trying to sharpen his skills. 12-year-old sagaria, who -- zacharia who arrived in the u.s. in december, his mother and five siblings, all refugees from syria. zacharia has a powerful message for those at home, one that may shock americans. the youngest of the children are a 4-year-old and 8-year-old - two inseparable sisters - their father murdered by a sniper whilst walking home from work in 2011. he remembers that day.

>> reporter: the family lives in this 2-bedroom apartment in chicago. the united nations put them there. every month they receive food stamps and a cash allowance. the money is not enough. >> i was shocked, honestly. i know the stories. the syrian community network is a group of volunteers helping the 14 families in chicago. this is one of those volunteers,

and helping us interpret. >> you were with me when i talked to the kids. how surprised were you by the intensity of the statements, particularly those of the little kids, 4, 8, 12. >> for me it was really heavy. because it seems after eight months of them being here, the resources that might be her fault is not enough. on the contrary, they kind of feel the bitterness about being here. nobody chooses to be a refugee. it's not - it's forced on them. >> reporter: the eldest child is zaid, going to work here at this distribution warehouse. and supports his family on an income of $10 an hour. 1600 a month, before taxes. at age 19 zaid postponed his dreams of going to school.

like a younger brother, he desperately wants to go back to syria. >> reporter: 18-year-old zana and 14-year-old here bear psychological and physical scars when their house was bombed. this girl nearly died when the wall of her room collapsed on her. both carry shrapnel wounds in their bodies. >> can you feel the shrapnel in you. >> yes. >> can you feel it in your leg. what does that feel like?

>> like the other person... >> reporter: when you talk about it it's a release, it makes you feel better. it's monday morning, 6:30. like any household the chin are getting ready for school. putting on shoes and combing their hair. there are differences. breakfast here is olives and pitter bread. it's the sound of the school bus. time to race downstairs. kids gone, we have a chance for alone time for their mum.

the trauma is clear. she is a professional counsellor. it's difficult for her to put that aside, even temporarily. and focus on the most basic - pressing needs. >> i know that they have witnessed those dramatic events, seeing their dad killed. those home, those in the town. their friends, family members. and here we are talking about helping them with language, finding jobs, helping them feel that they have an agency over advice. everything was taken away. parts of their lives are scattered. this one human being with all

the pieces. >> the suffering in syria is obvious. the suffering that you and the family described to me here happens behind the scenes. do you feel like you've exchanged one set of circumstances for another? >> : >> reporter: none of the kids wants to stay here. it's too difficult they say. despite the death and destruction in syria, everyone would rather go back home than stay in the u.s.

>> what are some of the difficulties that, i guess, that you wish people knew so they could understand your situation better: >>: "america tonight"s lisa fletcher is with us. i know you were very moved by the situation. the family. give us an idea, really, what limited circumstances these folks have. >> well, it's limited in a couple of ways, one, the biggest, is the language barrier, dropped in the united states, given limited resources and expected to get on with listen. and they don't speak any english. something as simple as reading a street sign is nearly impossible. the kids don't get any classes

in school. english second language classes. >> they are sitting there listening to something making no sense. and they are dependent on the eldest son for income. before taxes that's $1600, and there's seven people. now they get some assistance, they get $750 in cash, 700 in food stamps, that's for seven people. it breaks down to about $2.61 per person, per day in terms of cash, and a little over $3 for food stamps. >> and now you see the limited food they were eating. i have to play devil's advocate. a lot of people say, look, there's poor people in the united states. at what point should we be held responsible to take care of people. after all, they are safe now. >> it's a little unclear what they were promised.

our translator and aid worker, she was explaining there were two things at play. one, they are desperate to get out of danger, they may not be doing everything accurately, they want to get the family to safety. she believes they are told things that are not true. expectations are high. you'll get there, you'll rest. kids will be in school, you'll have money and you'll have a place to stay. none of that is quantified. none of it is realistic. >> next - a worry. underwater. a deadline to save the coral reefs. later, death in the dark. what happened on a country road, why it raised new fears in stone wall mississippi. hot on the website now, not in vain. the murders of two college students and how their deaths

changed the fight against sex crimes on campus. ataljazeera.com/americatonight

in our fast-forward segment - under water. with climate change, the oceans are growing warmer and in jeopardy. things that other species depend on. sheila macvicar looked below the surface in the marshall islands in. >> do you have a map? >> yes. >> on the boat. okay. >> reporter: this is a dive master on the island of majero, located in the vast pacific ocean between australia and hawaii. it's the most populous of dozens of atolls that make up the marshall islands in. the waiter takes a living by taking tourists scuba diving here. among them a spectacular coral reef in the world. last year, the waiter was

shocked at what he saw when he returned it. >> i saw bleaching coral, october last year. >> reporter: and what happened. >> white. very white. >> reporter: normally it should be full of colour. >> green, purple, red. one, two, three... >> reporter: as we descend blow the waves and explore the reef, there's none of the telltale patches of pure white that signify the stretch, but live coral that was awaiting last october. >> it is disspeakersed between -- dispersed between colourful corals. many coloured with a thick layer of algae. others have begun to collapse and crumble to the sea floor

fast-forward to a warning. the world wildlife fund - it is possible that coral reefs could be lost by 2050. they are home to a quarter of the world's species, and are at risk next - stone wall mississippi, the latest flashpoint after the death of an unarmed man at the hands of the police. >> and a new life - friday on "america tonight", a special look at transgender tweens and the challenge of living through to their identities. and transition at 12, friday. shady investments. limited oversight. >> super pacs are part of the wild wild west of campaign finance. >> could actor daniel craig be the latest super pac scam victim? an ali velshi, on target, special investigation. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

the list grows longer - ferguson, communities, and the growing suspicion of law enforcement after the death of unarmed black man. now a hero of the confederacy is the focus of new concern and an fbi investigation. the dead man speak exclusively with "america tonight"s sara hoy. >> i want the truth to come out of what was done to him to cause him to take his last death. >> reporter: death at the hands of police officers has become an all-too familiar story. it happened again, this time in a rural town of stone wall

mississippi. although there are accounts of what happened that night, those who know jonathan say one thing is clear. the man is now gone. >> i lost the best son in the world. >> reporter: stone wall is a town named for a hero of the old south. general stone wall jack on. summer brings sweltering heat and the air is heavy with humidity. to escape the sun, jonathan exercises his forces at night. the horse trainer had planned on competing in the harness races in the local county fair that month. however, jonathan would never make it to the races. while riding his horse through down, the 39-year-old father of two ran into a friend, teasing him about his slow-moving horse. as the two made their way down

the road chatting, 25-year-old police officer suspected jonathan's friend of drunk-driving and pulled him over near this gas station. even though jonathan continued riding along, it would not be the last he saw of officer harrington. around 10:30, jonathan encountered officer harrington again, this time more than a mile away on a quiet residential street. here is where accounts of what happened next dramatically differ. he says officer harrington, seen on the local news at his police academy graduation in 2013 approached jonathan because he pictured him of having drugs. according to the sanders family attorneys, witnesses say officer harrington drove up behind jonathan, flashing his blue light. >> when he got up to retrieve his horse, officer harrington

got out of the car. unbeknownst to jonathan sanders, dragged him to the ground. upon that, for approximately 20 minutes or so. >> witnesses say officer harrington instructed his wife, who was riding along with him to take his gun and put it in the car. a contention that is central to the case. >> it was placed in the police - in the squad car. it continualed are -- continued. the last words he stated was "i can't breathe", twice. meanwhile jonathan's mother francis was settling in at home. she had returned from choir practice when she received two strange calls about her son. >> when the second one came in, the second phone call came in,

i'm, you know i don't know what to think, you know. i'm really losing it. i'm really losing it. >> after waiting nearly an hour at the local hospital, francis was finally sold jonathan died and that the coroner had taken his body. she had yet to see her son. the report concluded jonathan died from manual asphyxiation, he was choked to death. >> every question that went through the my mind a fight. they have not been answered. i don't know what happened to my son. i don't know what they did. i don't know anything, really. >> is that the hardest part, the not knowing? >> the hardest part, really, is that he's gone. and i'll never see him again. that's the hardest part for me. he was in my life for 39 years.

we need to take a break. >> reporter: it's okay. we wanted to speak with officer harrington. he declined. bill reedys junior is his attorney. >> based on informs he developed from the stop, what he observed, that could have been a drug transaction, trying to take place at around 5:13. >> speaking with your client, how does it escalate from the pat down to the run, to anybody that is dead. >> as i said to anyone, and everyone has asked. it was an unfortunate accident that came about as a result of mr sanders breaking to a run, and grabbing officer haring tonne, and arresting him, getting possession of the officer's weapon. >> reporter: as for the weapon,

witnesses say the gun was holstered and the officers called him to come get it. >> kevin harrington - mr anders, went for his gun. with regard to this we hear this. bit by all witness accounts, that never happened. >> when he tries on what happened? >> when he grabbed mr sanders spun around and grabbed officer harrington and the wrestling match was on, and mr sanders was attempting to - and, in fact, did finally get officer harrington's gun out of the holster. >> you are saying that he was actually able to take the officer's weapon. >> out of the officer's holster. he was not able to hold on to it and the officer's weapon fell to the ground or knocked to the ground. and officer harrington was in a

wrestling match there, where the weapon was. >> the officer involved said that the shooting death of mike brown, the death of eric garner put a spotlight on the issue? stone wall, francis says race matters when it comes to the death of her son. >> did you have to have the talk with your children about how they are going to be seen, what to do if they are stopped. how you speak to people, is that something you discovered. >> every black in stone wall had to instill that in their children because of the way, you know, that we had to live in the town. >> knowing that you would be treated different lip. >> tell me what there is that indicates this is a racial motivated killing. all i see is a white officer and a black man with an unfortunate,

unfortunate outcome. >> ordering to state prison weapons, jonathon was sent to five years for selling cocaine in 2003. he was arrested in april for allegedly possessing cocaine, for something that is being used against him. the officer had his own run-ins, including a dispute and traffic violation. >> the second that an unarmed black man who was riding a horse, riding a horse, riding a horse is killed, they try to assassinate his character. in some way, in some skewed way he becomes more of the threat than an officer who is stalking behind him with his lights off. >> what could you do so bad to make a person choke you for at

least 20 minutes. what could you do so bad to make someone choke you that long. do you think we'll ever be able to forgive the officer? i can't even ask that question. i'm honest, i know i should. i'm not at that point right now, where i can say i forgive him, and he took my phone away from me. >> the death of jonathan sanders had sparked protest and fear in this close-knit community. the case is now in the hands of the mississippi bureau of the investigation. the agency is yet to respond to request for comment. >> no justice, no peace. when they issue their final report. the case, like others involving the police officer will be

presented to a grand jury. >> my son is dead. you know, they killed him and he can't fight for himself. and i will fight for him. i will speak for him. i will do whatever it takes until i get justice for him. until i can't breathe that's "america tonight". tell us what you think at aljazeera.com/americatonight. talk to us on twitter or facebook. come back, we'll have more of the "america tonight" tomorrow. complz be a boy... it's not working. >> transgender children. >> i'd sit alone, i'd eat alone, i have no one to talk to. >> some dismiss it as a phase. >> we're trying to pigeon-hole him into "tom boy". >> but is it reallt a crisis? >> when your child wants to die... that's what changes parents. >> meet the families on a life changing journey. >> i finally get to blossom into the beautiful flower i am!

i'm ali velshi. the tale of two economies, the haves, have not and why the pressure is building on the most powerful bank in america. plus middle class collects. why black americans are hurting more than most. it snoop the federal reserve's decision not to raise interest rates tells you about how lacklustre and meaningless this economic recovery has been for many americans, and the level of debate protest and speculation before today's decision speaks volumes about why something as dry, dull and