these kids and. the rest of the able to breathe so. the city of houston. where. the jobs they. used. while i was the mayor of houston sylvester turner designating today june 9th from now on as george curry day he was also mentioning the name of the public housing complex which george floyd grew up in an area rife with poverty drugs and gangs and saying how things were going to change and that he's going to be issuing an executive order not only to ban chokeholds but that he is also pledging to invest more in communities in houston well let's now bring in our white house correspondent kimberly how he's in washington d.c. can be i want to go back to what we were hearing from joe biden earlier when we

started hearing from these dignitaries as we've been saying very different responses from joe biden and president trump biden and his video message saying that he shares the family's pain and that it's time now for that pain to turn into purpose what are we hearing from the white house. yeah well to be clear the u.s. president did call the family of george floyd and he did speak at length about how george floyd would not have died in vain that was a speech that he spent about 15 minutes talking about but it's was many days ago since then it has really been joe biden who has capitalized on this in an effort to propel what he says is a jenna genda to try and bring about change not just at the presidential level but also we've seen this from members of congress specifically the democrats in the house of representatives who have introduced legislation looking to bring about a number of police for forms at the federal level for federal policing ending

things like racial profiling creating a police registry that would make sure that bad cops don't stay on the streets and also banning things like chokeholds you heard there in the service the applause line when that was brought up by that member of congress this is clearly something that this community feels that it is experiencing disproportionately and wants to see stop so we've heard there the message from joe biden but joe biden has been speaking about this for days saying that when george floyd said the words i can't breathe this was a wakeup call to the nation a country crying out for leadership to bring the country together and that's where we see the battle lines being drawn that expect that this will be something that both donald trump and joe biden use on the campaign trail potentially against one another one deciding that the need for leadership involves reform the other saying that it's time to project strength that there is nothing wrong with the police

forces at least in the eyes of donald trump that essentially what this is is there are a few bad cops that need to be rooted out but that overall as he said 99 percent of them are good and serve their communities so expect that these are themes that will carry on the u.s. president for his part has said there is he does not believe. systemic racism within police forces but that's exactly what joe biden says he believes there is and if president he would choose to combat can be helped out there for us our white house correspondent thank you very much kimberly well let's take you now briefly back to george floyd's funeral and listen to them on tires answering some images of his life. this. hour. i. believe.

for. 3 minutes to. that point still. in ways so stupid its. name felix was sick. and god please fix me. he needs. to know. you should leave. this.

world leave. me out. of these. ha ah. ah. a.

slow. it's. comfy this was. wormley.

well i found watching that a montage of images from that george floyd's life remarkable they're seeing images of george floyd from has childhood and his lifetime and his family then turned into the iconic portraits that we've been seeing pop up at protests all across the wild while we will now hear directly from members of georgia floyd's family that's messing. with human. i just want to thank everybody you know what i think. what he has done for my family today is 50 george and i just want to make this statement the world knows joyce full and know perry jr.

he was a pesky little rest of. it but we all lived it and i just want to thank all the mothers that are here today and again if you and. just them and just let them know we are full of the phlegmy and that are coming up in this world today and just heard them and love them because we'll ever know in the book. i just want to thank each and every one of you. who gained such a huge family all over the world i have so many system brothers and i have answered

enough. and i just want to thank you all. there's too many names to remember but god moves. in his heart. this lowered them. i love my sister and i can't talk about george harrison and is a bring up his mother snake. everybody thanks everyone know her. as mrs c. in 3rd ward q down home takes. thank . you i love all the support in my family until i do. and we all are one thank you thank. you i. was once

a. and when this member. whole and. thank you thank you. i was once a home to mother and. i think god forgive me give me my own personal superman publish your. thank. you. thank you. first off i want to say hello my name is brooke williams and george floyd is nice and that can breathe long as i'm breathing justice will be served for pay 1st off i want to thank all of you for coming out so the 3rd point george curry floyd smoke was a fart or butter uncle in a cousin to me spiritually grounded and activists he always move people with his

words their officers so no remorse watch moco so leave his body he bade him plead it many times just for you to give but you just push harder why must a system be corrupt in program laws were already put in place for the african american system to fail. and these laws you could be shy used know for hate crimes police so i said make america great again but one has america ever been great. those 4 officers were literally on him for not and means and the him so they have a whore or so this is not just murder a crime. a sure happy memories from. now that's all i have.

i still can't pull myself together as to how you call them my grandma name i believe my grandmother was right there overall i'm saying come on baby you should if you're just trying to know what she thought it's crying. most very memorable moment was when you play paid me this great to see at the lone days of work we're out there home we've created a song about it caught scratch right here scratched by hate yet. at the day i know you as a comedian he always told me baby girl you're going to go so far with a beautiful smile and brains of yours. and that of fame is with me my grandmother was so worried i mean she was cry all i remember is me saying grain is ok we'll find a way but i wasn't sure about how we're going to get to my uncle's peaches when we had no what it could take anyway because bush didn't put it down like me i was

young by the way probably until i living my grandmother was also was also handy at this big truck with a rod. i wonder how was my grandmother going to gain it for him he just placed in a truck like it was light work and never question anyone stream. broke their backs always see their children smile and made away when it seemed impossible. to pick them it's a. shame to see you see the always wasn't working so it's on us to do what we got most of america it is time for a change even if we show up again with more but there is no justice no peace my brother and basically my own mom till. this all the time but god says how he looks low thank you think it's always love in a home town. thank

you are on the owner has. a really no know what say the money's worth she told the whole story but. i wake of the middle of night thinking about my brother alive because i couldn't believe it infers. when i see you know all i think about is when he was jealous of mom oh huge ed i know well mommy is she just right there she got to him. every moment felt it.

but. when he you please please i came. i stopped when times i didn't want to wear tom no more because i wanted to be in a brewery i want to moreas no time i could have want to know but right now. i wont justice for my brother my big brother. that's big flaw a it everybody i know will be floored is now. 3rd war kuniholm of death when we were born to it but we got to be remember everybody going to remember him around the world he's going to change the world. while mom if she was here today honestly can say he is dead she will be only a casket right now trying to get in there with him she's

a real mom. a real mom she's not going to separate from anybody she's just lying animals they clean today among. young showed a lot of support. and species right now. good afternoon my name is cyril white and the director of to gabi to glory sports. before i came to director to gabi deplores sports a bit big floyd i spent so many of my college summers basketball with him. he had a good friend named mike riggs who want to wear the and i will go pick up my grit and we will go get a big floyd we nettleton park in mcgregor park

a sunny sa park well we go find a good game with him fast forward to the 1998 i started a college exhibition tour team torn around the country going to play different colleges in exhibition games and big floyd i was my 1st power forward be calling around trying to get contracts with the different schools and the cut the coaches would ask me who's your big man and i would say george floyd is oh you got big floyd ok your team must be pretty good and so then we will go off and play and not only did george play on a team but he recruited a lot of other guy wharton cuny holmes to come and join me and i got college scholarships and some of those guys even play professionally overseas so it's been well established how much george floyd was an avid sports fan and always about sports and i was we'll know were aliya this week that i've already secured a commitment for 3 acres of land here in houston to do a george floyd memorial sports center.

i just kept thinking about what can i do look at i do and i have a lot of support from around the world from my different sponsors and yes i have one guy step up and said hey cyril i can definitely provide the real estate we just work on the vertical improvement so that's where we are what that. one thing that we did i'm going to get out here fast add to god be the glory sports we were at the proverbs that's what was our spiritual exercise to try to grow in practical wisdom as young men who read a chapter of proverbs everybody or read 2 verses out loud and in a pass the bible to the next guy. right so sylvester turner on a boat mayor said that today is george floyd day so i'm going to read proverbs chapter 66 and verse 911 and this is big floyd speaking this is how long will you live there you sluggard when will you get off from your sleep

a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief in scarcity like in our man well i can definitely see how big floyd is walking us up out of us libra i mean we're all from us that we're not slumbering anymore this poverty and this scarcity talked about a scripture that is how we treat each other humanity we are poor in humanity we are poor in empathy but i can feel that everyone is going to rise rise against injustice and be sure that all human beings are treated the same so that george floors memory will not be a faint to the family thank you for allowing me to speak and share this memory about big floyd and to god be to glory to you all thank you very much how. well we've just been hearing from torrance points farmer oh i'm from. bravo

have me no matter who brings the big floyd or perry has you're not a common member found me great grow the got a great family list a grave family and this church house today curio family extended family found a priest church thank you everybody and one day you know i'm being strong for my family they were big about big for it to me right now libro. be strome. be begging for a day to day. and just just to celebrate his life and happiness he will want to weep in so ho a but you know trying but he's very aware. i mean i got so many great memories to share stories a tale but you know to just get stuck inside. and and again you know. no no no no

that's. the but the one the one of the best on things and i'm honestly we got a 6 is just stuff my brother and we go get it together everyone in his church the great city councilmen and women in this crowd thank you very much she will. like. she would definitely thank you bass vesa turn of grain in the rest of us for comforting in college and let us know for the last couple days and weeks given to me to support and everyone in the world again for as a major supporter love sharing and given back since shani beautiful pictures thank you guys and we all keep this fight oh no we got to do this together and we alynna together we all face this together united we stand and again we stand for just flawed and thank everyone who came show our love of.

his life. all our lives madame black lives matter his death would not be in vain what's his name. thank. god i'm just tearing off from family and friends. for his memory. and papa's mom wants me a chance at life and meet my little brother for giving him his 1st security job as a brother. my little brother was framed as a mental. he was a father he was a basketball player he's a football player. a most of all he was a human being. you have facts here you never could say no

to this. at all the flaws the trials and tribulations that we go through what we went through while it's had to get make me made and make everybody mad steal love him i couldn't say no so when the family training me n.h. me if you go speak i will speak i will keep on speaking i will fight i will fight i will fight because i've been fighting full and i would keep on the fight for. you know where it's at self who we meet and who we come when i don't know which in life i came mcconnell and we all came in common with you know him again elaine.

a getaway angel a brother you know you hate evil. but you love good. and when my brother was my little bro was good. you can you slim is nothing with me. you can talk bad about him to me as a new wheel and if you knew full well if you knew fart if you know you if you knew june. you understand the words coming out my mouth and i actually fight for my brother help me fight my brother help the family fight for my brother because he was someone. saying you family things you and i would not give up only you bro i love you love brother. and i got.

you should be on your feet right now given the blow over the guard right now get out of me give them to go. give him the public. give god the ball over to follow the money. get his keys in the palm me. give his family diploma. to my pastor. and of you me to a friend of george flo anybody in here played football for jack cakes which jack aches. while the how the jack yanks all run. we don't say cut and so stand up. stand

up. george draw was an all american tight end george saw it all was i powerful that was my power florus i'm speaking on behalf of my brother the blood sweat and tears every single day is how not sad it had in the gym not one time did i ever see george floyd complain not one time he without seeing cast the 1st stone. he without seeing past the 1st stone i hear everybody talking i want the real oh yeah i want to face. what the real today right my brother.

he said here he don't have to be seen here today. those mean they stood oh my brother name change the world. they took somebody from us that was great when i say great i never heard him complain at one time he was a brother to all of us he was 60. any rain came our way he made sure that he could come up with for us from the tyranny home to check things high he was everybody shelter everybody shelter i don't care what josh claudie i don't care i mean say out something he was a human being 1st of all i couldn't sleep monday night i don't know why i couldn't sleep i must house an attorney memorial day in my bed i don't know why

as i woke up the next morning and got so many tapes and i said what i haven't even seen the whole tape hurts my heart we are hard in america right now and my right to roam but one thing but god but god because we me right now in this world today is what love turned to your name and tell him you love them right now hearts all right now tell him you love them that's all we need. you see how they feel just throwing told me he loved me he told everybody out here that he touchy love them josh fraud is love that's who joss claudius' this is for him we love him if you love joe his flaws and you know how

jealous lot was with you. you know you won't always be jealous law i am god's role you watch a lot slower that could have been anyone us in here but god go i say it well done floyd. so as i see it here to you all right now. just thought is in the bosom of of god he's in the bosom of god these are right down so i'm here to tell you know stay positive america is a bit that you have to be paid but god see in not this that you don't have to be paid this is the legs so as i see it and i see so many people coming together so many races and i say you know what because of the love of joe it's flowing we are all

here together today so make sure you tragedy if you never know how we got young you never know the key is low. love yeah right above. well we've been hearing that from george so it's family and friends remembering him perry his nickname and and big floyd's not only family members but also people that he played sports with and and all of them remembering him and his life. with him and let's now go back to mandy casa she's an assistant professor of

political science at howard university she's speaking to us from washington d.c. i wanted to speak to you because i watched you wipe away a few tales that you're watching george fights family speak can i ask you how you are feeling now what's going through your head in this moment. you know i a you know i can that. myself in the shoes of their family now we're now wanting but i was just thinking about you know the fact that my nephew is 16 and on the precipice of his life beginning and he's about to start driving you know i think about him in his life in the fact that that my could be extinguished because someone doesn't value him and doesn't see him as a person with the full range of people there not him george floyd is dead because officers show within the others who were there in washington that didn't see him as somebody who was valued as somebody who was married and i mean i'm on i have

a knee in a net in several net. that has really touched it because those moments are so sure in so mirth in human as a person beyond what we've what we've been hearing in the news in the media so while i do not know the floyd family or you know most deployed personally it was just devastating because it is less as a less egregious it you know but for god right there i'm still hearing that something like this is not happened to my family but we always know that they are there yet at the end of their sentence and it could happen to any of us because no one expected they're not one to dad reality or spend it expect to lose. this way to lose in a market our. father in family and in others didn't expect at the very best day and i think that the uncertainty that bed hours really connecting with their

attitude off of this well today and go do my normal run or walk away every day. and ask to be mishandled in treated this way i could be. not could be he'll. and that's a heavy burden so it's a barrier. that so refrain that we've been hearing from so many people across the protests across the united states but also in other countries too this idea that george boyd could be someone's brother someone's friend someone's phone and obviously it's over the course of time become a very politicized issue even we saw a number of dignitaries speak today around the policies that they're hoping might change some of what you're talking about there i do want to ask you about the politics that we're seeing play out here i mean as our white house correspondent pointed out markedly different responses today from the 2 men who'll be trying to

win votes come november what do you make of them. well i mean i think you know that donald trump is not there in part because i don't think donald trump will eat it at this moment right donald trump that been anything helpful or has that done anything helpful during this entire period but don't own division in discord. and so you know i think his presence there was i don't know if it was welcomed or not but i certainly don't think his presence would have anything and i think donald trump to set himself up to be apart from people like george floyd in others radke is that he's not even sell as being a part of this community. for these very communities i mean i think joe biden i mean certainly we know this is a bit of politics here he wants to win but if you do definitely need to keep black

voters in more into his coalition to win in november but we are also have to remember a day job and his last 2 children and i do think that that was a genial win message even though it's of course in the context of a political campaign and i think it's very difficult right for me and i'm sure there will be criticisms too to keep that message in take it with any kind of sincerely because. because of the election cycle but i would caution us all to remember you know that joe biden has lost a wife and 2 children in his lifetime and i think that's a lot of of hurt that no one wants to every experience and i think it least his message was trying to convey that today. in that where he was speaking front but yes in the back of our mind we're always very clear that he's a candidate. we also heard from

a number of those dignitaries today about what they want to see change that the police reform bill for instance the democrats are putting into the house is that enough you're talking here about really fundamental systemic issues of racism isn't a bill like that even if it does get passed enough to change that. while of course not i mean that bill is a percept it will certainly have to go through the senate and we know that the republican led senate is far less likely at this moment to pass something like this . let's hope that public pressure is another to have the senate pass something like this but i think the truth is legislators can only do what they can do they make laws that's all that they can do and so to the extent that these laws are in bohr's once parents. you know will determine their back to me it is but i think. the legislation is in their purview in these are the kinds of things that we are asking

legislators to do so this is the kind of step that they're coming up with what i think people want though is you know something more extensive because we nobody cameras have that reduce brutality we know all their crime reporting is is a very funny business but i do think trying to at least some of cross the border uniform mandate for police will go a long way to trying to start the conversation but we know it's going to take much will work then what congress is proposing right now and i think the state legislatures and local legislators who are where we want to need to see some of that actually happening as well. there assistant professor of political science at howard university will continue talking to you throughout the day and the thanks for staying with us. let's now go to natasha can aim

she is in minneapolis minnesota and keeping an eye and eye on what's happening there at the spot where george floyd took his last breath as people are remembering him across the country natasha how are people marking this moment. it's been a very solemn day here the crowd has been rather consistent but quiet walking around the federal radius where a tribute has been created for george floyd seen a lot of families with small children. i spoke to a woman who was here the night that george floyd was killed in meanwhile in minneapolis police custody she says she saw the commotion she saw george floyd in the back of the squad car and that was that and then a few minutes later a friend called and said quote they killed him she said that she's really at a loss today just to for words to talk about how she's feeling but she did say that

quote god is judging this country and so should another african-american man who says that he's been coming here over the last 2 weeks since floyd died and he's in by secluding from his home in downtown and he says he needs to be here he's a hairstylist and he said i've been thinking a lot about what if a customer handed me a counterfeit $20.00 bill unbeknownst to me and i tried to use it but i end up dead like george floyd i spoke to another woman who said that yes this is been a sad and somber day here but she says what she has seen in this neighborhood in the last couple of weeks has given her a source of she's seen a multiracial multiethnic community coming together she says to help heal the city of minneapolis is also talking about healing and building about $250.00 buildings were damaged at

a cost of $55000000.00 doing the looting and the mayor says that he has formed a coalition for those who do not have insurance that would cover the losses the city will be helping minority owned businesses homeowners and landlords to help them get back on his feet and he says not only will minneapolis rebuild it will look at addressing the systemic inequity in this city natasha going to. streets of minneapolis at that memorial thank you very much natasha. well now we can speak to dr franklin and rather he's a new york city he is also the nation's 1st professor to teach a black lives about a seminar at new york university he's also the founder of black lives about a set of us dot com dr roberts i'm going to start by asking you the question i've been asking a number of people today because this really feels like somewhat a seminal moment for america we've seen back lives not a protest before so how is this different this time around and is it. sure

all in some ways only time will tell in terms of long term repercussions but i will say this what makes this moment feel different is that we are witnessing a kind of unprecedented convergence of 3 begin tics essentially happening at the same time a public health epidemic that has klyn the lives of 100000 americans disproportionately black and brown the whole 'd economic it could be an epidemic where you have the 1000000 americans newly out of work disproportionately black and brown and the police. ties and symbol of an symbolized in the public lynching of george florence saw the convergence of all 3 of these epidemics if you will happening at the same time is part of why you see the heightened atmosphere of civil and social unrest or we're also now hearing these promises of police reform and legislation being proposed not only in congress as we've been hearing but also by state and city

legislators across the country but that doesn't necessarily address the systemic racism that the black lives mashes movement wants addressed so where does the movement itself go from here. well in many ways the question is not so much for me where the movement goes from here to whether or not the public is with is willing to listen to what the movement has been saying for quite some time right the calls for a systemic transformational redoing or read reawakening of america are not new they're not new from the movement for black lives and they're not new for black people in general so it's really about how do we finally listen to the voices of grassroots activists on the ground who have been telling us that we need a new society when we need policies that help us get there but we also need a transformation in the way that we treat each other the way we think about each other. and so forth you're talking about the need friend new society did does seem that these calls for police reform going beyond calls on specific accountability

mechanisms but really calling for almost a reimagining of the entire role of the states and that security apparatus what do you think that should up like. absolutely so when you talk about up calls perenna sins for dismantling the institution of the police or abolishing the police or defunding the police the language is often shifting but really what it generally refers to are 3 things divestment diversion diversion decriminalization so number one divestment which simply means of a divestment for home budgetary resources that are disproportionately allocated to who are law enforcement at the expense of communities of color on the ground right so so so retracting from that model number 2 diverging meaning diverting away resources that traditionally might be going to war law enforcement salaries or hiring a 1000 new police officers instead diverting those resources into the community

right so instead of hiring a 1000 more police officers what would it look like to hire a 1000 more social workers like that's what diversion looks like in practice and then finally decriminalization which is just an instrument for making police officers job actually easier because they are fewer things the police as well as making the public more see so for instance when you hear people calling for the decriminalization of marijuana that is independent cell wards dismantling some of the functions of the police because in many urban centers a disproportionate time i spent on behalf of police officers policing some of these criminal offenses which actually need to be rethought and decriminalize so again diversion. divestment diversion in decriminalization are the way that we get to. defunding or restructuring of how the police show up in society in order to get them and tens of progressing this movement i want to ask

a question about how to protest because there's been so much discussion of nonviolent protest over these last 2 weeks and and many of reprise the ads for instance of dr martin luther king jr and it does seem though that needing to be willing to die without fighting back in order to progress and movement that's incredibly brave but also a huge ask of any individual in modern day america in that market that you know then is there another way what is it. well the reality is we have to remember that protest is a form of public mourning justice is what love looks like in public so when you see people taking to the sharifs in whatever form that looks like that is an act of love it is also an act of public mourning also the reality is there is a long history in the united states of black people of especially to be quite candid white americans disapproving of any form that black protest takes so black protest takes the form of kneeling as in the case of college happening the public

disapproves of black protests takes the form of legislative change the public disapproves if protesting not takes the form of looting and rioting the public disapproves of the reality is there has been in the history of the united states there is really been no formal black protest that has been deemed appropriate by the masses and so for that very reason we need to stop acting as though this is a genuine conversation right off people are always going to be upset at black people doing what they've always done which is keep their eyes state on freedom and so my advice would be that activists on the ground regardless of race of color need to keep their eyes state on freedom and doing what they have to do to lure in public and dr frank. and professor professor to teach black lives not a seminar at new york university great to get your insights on al jazeera thanks he gets at leisure thank you so much. well as we speak about how this whole process

has become incredibly politicized democratic presidential hopeful joe biden did speak to the foid family yesterday and he also sent a video message to those attending the funeral. why in this nation too many black americans wake up knowing that they could lose their life in the course of just living. why does justice not roll like a reverse racist like a mighty stream. raised john. to turn away you must not turn away we cannot lead this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism it's stains that are very soft. well let's bring in our white house correspondent now committee health issues in washington d.c. kennedy we've been saying very different responses from joe biden on president trump today and biden in his video message there saying that he says the pay and it's time for pain to turn into into purpose what kind of messages are we hearing

from the white house today. well the u.s. president for the most part has stayed away from talking about george floyd at least today he has certainly called the family in recent days and also gave a fairly major policy speech shortly after the death saying that george floyd's. death would not be won in vain but since then the u.s. president has been relatively quiet of course he has been criticized for his response that heavy handed response to the outpouring as a result of george floyd's death the fact that across the country we saw historic social unrest in demand for change particularly when it comes to the police force and really at this point the message now at the congressional level taking the lead passing the baton if you will from these presidential candidates we know that there

will be a hearing on capitol hill on wednesday and we will be hearing from george floyd's brother philip meese floyd giving a very personal testimony as he begins to make the argument that there needs to be che's change in policing in the united states whether it's ending systemic racism whether it is ending police practices that affect blacks and whites when it comes to chokeholds when it comes to a national registry to see that civilians can file and lodge a complaint and that that will be listened to and that a police officer can't just change and find a new job so these are all things that need to be addressed that will be addressed in the house of representatives the question becomes will it be picked up in the republican controlled senate will this republican president sign it i suspect that this is something that's going to be discussed on the campaign trail as we march towards the presidential election in november candy how can

a white house correspondent thanks very much combining. well we can dig into this a little more with eric can he is joining us via skype from washington d.c. is a political analyst he's also the author of the g.o.p. civil war every president trumps approval rating has already taken a dip from the coronavirus pandemic in terms of his response to that his response to the protests that we've seen over the last 2 weeks where does this leave the political calculus now for november it appears that he is already in campaigning word. oh absolutely here is in what we're seeing is a confluence of the perfect storm we have a revision of the 1918 pandemic the civil rights unrest of the 1960 s. and the great depression of 1929 and it's all culminating right now just as the president is appearing to try to gain his footing politically and now we're seeing even the president's wants a lot to base is beginning to hemorrhage of particularly as it relates to

evangelicals and those white suburban women that the president so desperately needs to actually secure victory and 2020 now of course after 2016 we knew it was always going to be a very difficult 'd role for president obama trump because because he is so reliant on his base he doesn't have much room to grow however when you look at the calculus right now there are so many different layers in which joe by they can actually put together a number of states to actually get to that much needed number of $270.00 electoral votes and right now it's going to be difficult at least at this moment in time for donald trump to be able to get there particularly given that we now see that he's losing in states like arizona north carolina ohio and now even texas reliably red republican texas could be in play ed is there a danger here as we watch as a country and mourning and just and watching the funeral today and joe biden with

his video message is there a danger that joe biden could potentially look like he's trying to politicize this process at a time when people are grieving. normally that would be an issue that i think people would be concerned about however what we are hearing from a number of people particularly at many of these rallies in if you speak to people at these demonstrations one overarching threat that we continue to hear is people believe that there simply is no leadership at the helm right now who is guiding the united states through a pandemic through an economic downturn through the civil unrest and it looks as though joe biden is attempting to not necessarily feel that vacuum but actually to be seen as someone who is listening and trying to take a be a pulse of what is happening of course we know he's political he's running for the highest office in the land but when so many people believe that the federal

government led by its commander in chief is not at the helm or is not engaged and i think people are looking for someone who they believe at least wants to take the helm to be a part to be an active part of trying to solve many of these challenging problems and before i let you go i do want to ask you about this democratic bill this one foot wide ranging police reform and we were just speculating that with candy how about whether or not it will make it through congress well that's what even if it does make it through congress unless it's got the veto proof numbers 2 in the senate when it passes the president has already made clear that he simply will not sign this legislation so it's very clear at this point not only is this a political lightning rod for both democrats and republicans but it's potentially dead on arrival because president donald trump is made clear that he will focus on not sign this legislation in the stands with police and law enforcement on this

issue so let me ask you a quick follow up then does that affect his approval rating given that there does appear to be brule and ranging public sentiment that doesn't want to see police brutality addressed. absolutely it will affect his standing because now what we're seeing across the board many americans even white americans believe that racial discrimination is now a problem and they want to see it addressed and if they don't think the president will they will say they will get behind someone who big think will eric for us a political analyst who will often have an out as there always great to get your insight eric thank you. thank you well let's now go back to neon because she is an assistant professor of political science at howard university and she is speaking to us from washington d.c. neon be as you watch this funeral with me i want to ask you what your thoughts are because it does feel like there has been a shift in tone somewhat there are people remembering george floyd celebrating his

life but also this this very clear push for change and there is a palpable anger there what's your take. well i mean definitely i mean i think people have been angry i mean in this country black people of every country for centuries it's just that nobody cutey here in now that it's not just black people because you also have white people and others who are stepping forward now people can understand it. i mean this with james bone and their right to be born black and be reasonably conscious is to be in the state in rage all the time i mean i'm paraphrasing and i think that the thing that now people under stayin with black people have been expressing to them and it's not as if they didn't have other evidence it's just that it didn't seem to affect them in the same way but now that all these labs as dr robert smigel earlier they're all these things are intersecting it's not just happening to black people it's not it's happening latino

people is that it's happening there americans now way people are facing some of these things now and now they see it and yeah people are upset people have lost loved ones and friends since asli in needlessly. just a session balance or to state sanctioned vigilantism and that's been a part of the american story in this country for over a century and so it's not like 2020 is going to magically undo what took centuries to build up to but certainly no one can say in 2020 that they don't know and they don't know that this is a problem anymore even joe biden who again who spoke at this funeral so eloquently has to admit that the crime bill was a disaster right that it made something wrong right that it is designated things that require there are not rights of drug use for example that's

a symptom of crime and now because we have rates of incarceration that far outpace our peers in part your ballo deflation. people their job and that was a good idea 30 years ago you now have to answer for that you have to talk about there you have to be arsed about that because this isn't just a democrat or republican issue right to be raised trayvon martin you know all these many people die under democratic leadership so this is not a new issue in this matter issue that one party is doing better and the other everybody has to account for here only on the let me ask you then because it is obviously an election year and you're talking about a need really for the country to come together and we've seen cause for that as well throughout the funeral service today how do you do that how do you bring americans together at a divisive time like an election year when when people are really trying to

emphasize how they would do things differently rather than than unify people are around some kind of common cause. well you know it's hard to unify people who don't see others as levelly human you know if you don't see black people as fully human human right and worthy of life they respect then that's that really if there are people that you can really unify with and that i think so much of the work that has been done lately is trying to convince people or people finally being can bits of the few for the many of black people are really does make it difficult to have unity because my dignity should not be up for debate and we shouldn't have cells on the back and be a congratulatory because now we see their black people are people too so those people are less concerned when but i do think there if you don't think that there's anything wrong with the way that policing operates in this country with the way

that housing inequality works in this country the way the lack of excess health care works in this country then i don't know that we can unify i mean muzaffar the ways in which people are arguing over whether they have to wear face masks in the middle of a pandemic that we know of a barrier that has halle transmissible i don't know that there is unity to be had with folks who feel their way and they will always be around they're not going anywhere because they're socialized to think this way and they came from somewhere but i do think that there are people of good conscience and i'm using their very ruefully who see their i think another 4 years of the trumpet ministration will not be helpful and those are the people who i think. you get at least motivated to participate if people had switched their votes to donald trump after voting for barack obama these people that exist somewhere on the apprentice i'm not sure much

can be done there their real key is going to be motivating people who are likely to vote democratic but who stay home. 60 they have to be motivated in the democrats to go after those votes and that assume that they will look at the disaster that donald trump president you've been in show work in november or look at this moment in their anger that they feel in this moment in the hurt they believe compel them to the polls in november democrats to give them a reason to show up in november. they're professor of political science at howard university now we will continue speaking to you throughout the next hour as well thanks for staying with us. let's remind you of where we are we are in houston texas at the fountain of prayers church and it is now just after 19 g.m.t. mourners have gathered there to pay their respects to george floyd you're watching live pictures now.