treated the indigenous people of this country. at standing rock, they're not fighting for their water. they're fighting for all of our water. now it's our turn to finally fight for them. ♪ this episode is all about chicago, and we're going to the places they don't think we should go to because that's what we do on this show. people have a skewed perception because all the news about chicago is all about how the violence, the gang violence and people sort of take that and put it on the whole city without going to the city or doing research about the city. and i noticed we do that every now and again a city gets the label like you don't want to go there. you don't want to go to new york city. you don't want to go to washington d.c.. you don't go to detroit. you don't go to chicago. i'm noticing a pattern. those are heavily black cities.

nobody ever says, don't go to spokane, washington. don't go to butte, montana. you don't want to go to salt lake city. you're right, i don't, actually. actually, i don't, actually. the blackest in that town is the utah jazz. >> my name is w. kamau bell. as a comedian, i've made a living finding humor in the parts of america i don't understand. and now i'm challenging myself to dig deeper. i'm on a mission to reach out and experience all the cultures and beliefs that add color to thiscountry. this is the "united shades of america." chicago, illinois, not only helps define america to americans but defines america to the rest of the world, which makes sense because chicago has been home to many of the most influential cult aural icons. people like oprah winfrey,

michael jordan, kanye west, shonda rhimes. these two and even this cultural icon. hey. i spent my awkward teenage years on the south side. there's the restaurant that didn't hire me. and look at the two dorks with the cool guy in the middle. that's jason and rob. i'm the one in the middle. chicago isn't only famous, we're also infamous. like m.c. al capone. and chicago isn't ashamed of this history. you can literally go on a bus tour of al's greatest hits. that's where he sent his goons to murder people on valentine's day. "ooh let's get a bobblehead." 70 years after his death chicago is still plagued by gang violence. in 2016, there were 762 murders in chicago, making it one of the deadliest years in decades.

that's more homicides than new york and los angeles combined. these numbers led to chicago's all too depressing nickname chiraq, which makes it sound like it's not in america any more. this narrative being too dangerous to live in pisses me off. as many in the media, sorry, cnn, are painting this city with one big scary black brush, when in fact like all cities with crime problems, the violence is coming from very specific areas with very specific reasons. and in chicago, it's the south side and the west side. while there are many factors to this, one thing that shouldn't be overlooked is the other reputation that chicago has, which is being known as one of the most segregated cities in america. but how segregated is it? i am headed to the predominantly white neighborhoods of lincoln park where i lived at one point and bridgeport where i've never been in my life to see if they feel this divide. and just in case it's really segregated, i'm going to go ahead and bring my copy of the 13th amendment.

do people around here talk about the notorious neighborhoods of chicago, the south side and the west side? >> not really. >> so, why do you think those neighborhoods are so much worse? >> lower income, lower development, no jobs. >> yeah, and those seem to be the black neighborhoods. >> they're not the white neighborhoods. i actually used to work over there. police would stop, i'd catch the bus. the police would stop and ask me if i needed a ride because i was in the wrong neighborhood. >> really? i don't think i would surprise you by saying no police officers ever asked me if i needed a ride. >> i wouldn't be surprised. maybe not in the front seat. [ laughter ] >> since this lovely white man brought up the subject of unequal treatment by the police, let's talk about it. and if we're gonna talk about it, let's jump all in and talk about black lives matter. >> black lives matter. >> i know some of you out there tuned in because you're excited today hear about violence in chicago and gangs and the kids with the saggy pants in my lawn. slow down, we'll address that later. but first --

following the killing of trayvon martin in 2012, three activists started a hashtag, black lives matter. they had this crazy idea that, i don't know, maybe it shouldn't be cool to kill black people for no reason. their hashtag has turned into a movement and sparked a for some reason polarizing debate. polarizing for some people because for them, shouldn't it be all lives matter? have you heard the phrase black lives matter? >> yeah. >> what do you think about it? >> i don't know if it's a color thing, but i think every life matters. >> see. what does the phrase black lives matter mean to you? >> that is a touchy subject, but i think -- i want to say it means that all lives matter. but i know right now there's some hardships going on with black lives. >> that's a perfectly acceptable answer from a white lady on the north side of chicago. no, it's great. come here. >> can you kind of tell me a little bit? >> what you said is true. all lives should matter.

but right now, but not right now. to many people -- because all lives don't really matter in the same way. and then all lives matter is like an aspirational goal. white people, learn from her. >> i love the black lives matter movement. i think it's important. and i think -- i wish there was more a focus on education. >> well, lady who was such a big fan of the show she pulled her car over so she can talk, ask, and you shall receive. because my next stop is meeting with one of the leaders of black lives matter chicago, kofi. he is often seen at city hall leading protests for a multitude of causes going well beyond police brutality. he is joining the fight to provide better conditions for the teachers of chicago. >> the working class people in this city can't afford more budget cuts and teacher layoffs to our schools. >> in 2015, mayor rahm emanuel

conduct $200 million from the public school budget. this resulted in 1,400 staff layoffs. where were most of the layoffs? bridgeport? lincoln park? nope, the south side and west side where the black people live. that's like a really odd coincidence. >> why do black and brown parents, educators, students, why do we always have to fight so hard for what should be given to us? >> and we want to talk about violence in our communities, we have to talk about the support systems we have. teachers are our support systems. and that's what we're fighting for, and black lives matter chicago stands firmly on that. thank you. [ applause ] >> the thing i was interested in today, we're here to talk about the violence in chicago. parents connected the lack of schools and lack of school resources directly to the violence. >> that's right. >> i think that's something people don't really think about. they think violence is one thing, schools is another thing. >> that's the problem.

people want to individualize it and put it solely on the shooters or gang members. the reality is people, like you said, are connecting dots. >> i think that poverty brings on all of these problems. why do you cut our kids down to the bare minimum, you know? we pay our taxes. we do what we have to do. and i feel if we don't push back, we will lose this battle. this is an absolute class struggle. >> they're talking for the hood boys. you have art this morning. art, what's that? i was floored. you don't see any of that happening. when they do the school culture, they don't think about our children. they consolidate schools. they have to go across gang territory, things of that nature. what's going to happen here? kids are scared, they want a gun. okay, they get a gun, they kill somebody. school to prison pipeline. >> it's crazy. thank you very much. you don't remind me of my grandmother at all when i grew up.

>> four grand boys. >> thank you very much. i appreciate it.

all lives matter is just an attack on black lives matter. nothing else, just an attack on black lives matter. [ applause ] but some white people on the other side took it a step further. we're going to say, black lives matter, then we should say white lives matter. yeah, we know. [ laughter ] nobody needs to be convinced of that. that hashtag never trends. across the country, black lives matter continues to be one of the hottest topics in mainstream

and social media. and in chicago, police brutality has been well documented. black lives matter chicago leader has invited me to the south side neighborhood of bronzeville so we can talk about it. and just as i got there, i find kofi filming cops arresting black people. black lives matter has just clocked in. >> yeah, i was just cop watching. i will not sit idly by when they commit a harm against a black person. not going to shoot nobody or beat nobody up on my watch. >> i hear you. think he's overreacting? tell that to family members of kwan mcdonald. paul o'neill and ronald johnson. all teens killed by chicago police over the last few years. just this year, the department of justice concluded a 13-month investigation that showed the cpd repeatedly was racially biased towards black people and trampled all over our civil rights. out of the many maddening things in this report, this one stuck out to me. in order to get information from gang members, police would take

a young person to a rival gang neighborhood and either leave the person there or display the youth to the rival members, immediately putting the life of that young person in jeopardy by suggesting that he has provided information to the police. that is totally [ bleep ]. so, did they arrest those two people? >> took them away. what charges, we'll never know. >> as we were watching kofi watching the cops, people started watching us watch kofi, and they wanted to know what we were doing in their neighborhood. i couldn't blame them. >> i just don't understand, why was y'all filming right here? >> we came down here to talk about what's going on in the community. >> what y'all doing? >> for a cnn show called "united shades of america." >> you're going to exploit us. >> no, no, i have to be able to leave in my house. >> y'all got to come out here when the police do some real stuff to us, we're minding our

business chilling. >> we walked up here, saw the cops messing with some people. >> they were doing some real police work. that wasn't no harassment. black lives matter didn't need to be in that. >> what was going on down there? >> i don't know. sometimes people do bad shit. some do bogus shit. get them. all i'm saying is it don't be us all the time, or majority none of the time. >> you're saying you're fine with the cops doing good police work. >> i don't know what you're doing, but i'm assuming you're doing some real police shit. >> you hear that, they aren't anti-cops. they want cops there to protect them. you know, cops are doing some real police shit. the reputation online, especially among people on the right, but also on the left is that black lives matter only cares about police violence against black bodies. >> if people educate themselves, they'll learn about the movement of black lives. people have spent over a year working on policies to talk about reparations, to talk about resources, to talk about all

these different things that are going to improve our conditions in our community. >> you know you just messed up, right, you said the "r" word, reparations. [ laughter ] there's white people watching right now. no! that's a scary word. how do we approach that? how do we make that less scary, you know? >> it isn't about black people getting a huge check. that's not reparations. reparations is investment. what we're saying, if we have proper housing, proper education, access to food, that's the way you fight back against, you know, violence, not hiring more police and firing teachers. that's not how you do it. you do things that are going to support and help people thrive and have a high quality of life. they're doing the opposite. so, that's how we know oppression is real. that's how we know we are still colonized because we're not getting the same access to resources as other communities happening right now in this country. >> when black lives matter shows up for the teachers union, are you just supporting the black teachers? [ laughter ]

>> look, all teachers matter, all right? >> all right, all right. there is a real reason there is so much focus on the youth here. out of the 762 deaths in 2016, 75% were black. but 51% of those were people under the age of 25. hi. >> hi. >> if there is someone i absolutely need to talk to about this problem, it's diane latiker, a woman doing everything she can to put names to these horrific numbers. first, tell me where we're at right now. >> we're in the memorial tribute to young people killed by violence in chicago, illinois. >> it's a huge number of stones. and in some sense i think in my brain, i'm trying to make this be over the last 30 years, or the last 40 years, but this is just since -- >> may of 2007. >> wow. >> it started off with this young man who was killed in may of 2007 on a bus coming home from school.

>> so, what made you decide to build this memorial? >> when blair was killed, i knew his father, and i got angry because everybody wanted to march and rally, but it wasn't working. i saw these stones, and i wanted to show my community we were losing all these young people to violence. not only that, the families come here because they appreciate keeping the memory of their kids alive. >> every stone is a story. >> that's the very reason we do it. there is a 1-year-old in here. he was getting the diaper changed, and they're shooting her father. are you kidding me? where are we living? >> yeah. and now how many stones are here now, do you know? >> 500 here, and we're 500 behind. >> there's 500 more stones -- you have to make it bigger, i guess? >> yes, we're going to have to tear it down and rebuild it again. >> i also notice two american flags. >> i put them there on purpose. we're in america.

>> yes, we are. >> and these young people are part of the landscape that calls itself america. >> so in some sense this is the ultimate patriotism asking the country to live up to the ideals of the flag. >> that we're all created equal. we all deserve the pursuit of happiness and liberty. >> uh-huh. >> you know, these are lives. >> these are lives. >> they will not be forgotten. >> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, i have an important message about security. write down the number on your screen, so you can call when i finish. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. this is a lock for your life insurance, a rate lock, that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. but be careful. many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through

the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more. this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable life insurance that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. act now and your rate will be locked in for life. it will never increase, guaranteed. this is lifelong coverage that can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, guaranteed. and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. you cannot be turned down because of your health. call for your information kit and read about this rate lock for yourself. you'll also get a free gift with great information both are free, with no obligation, so don't miss out. call for information, then decide. read about the 30 day, 100 percent money back guarantee. don't wait, call this number now.

♪

having grown up in chicago, i know that some neighborhoods, even on the south and west side, are as safe as any neighborhoods in this country. but for much of the young black population growing up in the dangerous parts of the south and west side, gang violence has become a way of life. and the violence gets all the headlines. what's life like in these neighborhoods for real? and what's life like in a gang? or as they are called in chicago by some, street organizations. i'm meeting with somebody who grew up in this life and has worked hard to make a better life for himself and others. malik yusef, a grammy award winner who has worked with kanye west which means he earned that grammy. you grew up here. >> yeah, man, right down the street, about three blocks.

>> outside of chicago people talk about gangs. they don't know who they are, what the names are, how many there are. >> yeah, you've definitely got the stones from right here, the gds, the vice lords, obviously the bds, which is the black disciples. black gangsters, gangster disciples, black p stones, the latin kings, spanish disciples, mickey cobras, spanish cobras, you got the popes, all these different factions. >> yeah, what gang were you? >> 12, blackstone. ever since i was 12 years old. growing up right here it was crazy. every day, you know, it was like going outside was literally taking your life into your own hands which is something you became accustomed to for years being involved in street organizations. you look up to the dude saying stone love each other. i would do everything to hear stone love. go beat shorty up, i'm going to do that so they can say stone love, shorty. that meant everything. i still feel it right now. >> i can tell, yeah.

>> love is really -- to be accepted in a group, man, that's human, man. that's any -- >> everybody wants that. >> everybody wants that. >> i know somebody loves me and somebody has my back. >> yes, sir. >> you're still connected to the youth out here. >> oh, yeah, no question. i mean, these shorties is ebk. everybody kill them. they're not really -- gang structure is different. >> don't be fooled. that structure change was by design. in 1992, chicago had an even higher murder rate of 943 people. as a result, chicago police targeted gang leaders and successfully prosecuted heads of the gds, vice lords and the black disciples. many people thought the strategy worked great because it lessened the crime in the first decade of the 2000s. others believe the plan ultimately backfired because it splintered gangs into more factions. for more on this, google the gulf war, iraq, al qaeda, and isis. i'll wait. >> people grandstanding, this is

what we're going to do to fix chicago. get more police. really? y'all been getting more police the last 40 years, dog. stop playing. that ain't the solution. >> it's not the number of police that solves the problem. there isn't a magic number, once we hit that number, all of a sudden -- suddenly the houses get nicer. the winter is only 50 degrees. >> forcefully, no. >> yeah. to get a better understanding of what life is like in these neighborhoods, malik has set up a meeting between me and current affiliated gang members. i'm totally not scared. okay, i'm a little scared. >> this is general, of course. nice to meet you, brother. >> the general is the leader of his crew, the pirate gang here at dell gardens, one of the hottest pockets of violence on the south side of chicago. if you know me, you know i hate hot pockets.

>> a week ago, two killers out here, two sheetings. people die. it may look like it look now, but it ain't sweet. this is one of the most infamous projects. >> i feel like you just invoked the thunder. >> that force. [ laughter ] >> that was verification. no validation needed. >> blue checkmark, you got verified. nationally, when people talk about chicago now, it's like the most notorious city in the country. south side and west side gangs. do you think it's worse than people think or is it worse? >> worse. it ain't exaggerated. >> a lot of it don't make the news. we're in block 6. different blocks separate different franchises of gangs. you might have the stones and vice lords in block 2, 3 and 1. the gds, some of the bds in block six. at first everybody was separated, but now because of the no funds, the money not coming in, they brought all us together and thought it was going to be a good idea. but now your enemies live right

next door to you. so it's forced you to get out of where you is. all these residents out here have to suffer behind that. i mean, we ain't safe right now. i'm keeping it 100 with you. it might be calm, it might be peaceful. it's sweet. this shit ain't sweet. we got boogies protecting us because i'm all about y'all's security. everybody out here, we're watching each other's backs now. >> for those who need urban dictionary style translation, a boogy is a gun. what he's saying is there are people around me with guns. and i brought a camera crew to a possible gun fight. >> this is the norm. it's been kids that witness murders that happen right here, right in this block. and they were still jumping rope. they don't run no more. they see where the shots are coming from, or they duck on the ground. they're trained. you have cha out here, the blue and whites out here, you got the helicopters out here and that shit don't stop nothing. people who come from here, they

think it ain't nothing. they think you got to be a driller. everybody look up to the shooter. he can walk upon you like give me $100, give me $200. they respect that. and the other shorties coming up, they're like, damn, that's what i want to be. nobody want to play basketball no more, nobody wants to play baseball no more. >> they took the resources and the programs. what we have right now used to be basketball courts and stuff like that. you don't have that no more. but when you ain't got that, the first thing you put in your hand next is a gun or some drugs. you know what i'm saying? so we need the resources back. >> and if we give up, that's the main thing. don't give up. that's what i tell the people out here, don't give up because you find hope in anything. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> come together, be a family. >> come together, let's be a family. stop the violence. >> she said it all. >> those of you watching this show while you're on twitter, that lady did an old school live tweet. consider this a retweet.

#i'm with her. >> appreciate that. >> no question. >> appreciate it. any time. tell the truth, my brother. >> i appreciate it. i appreciate the security. [ laughter ] >> support mode. that's first and foremost. trust me. >> yeah, yeah.

after a day of visiting one

of the most dangerous neighborhoods in chicago, it's time to do one of my favorite things, hanging out with people who make me feel stupid. i'm meeting with dr. javon johnson at the black-owned business sweet cafe. he is a poet, author and professor of race and gender studies. his most recent book is a collection of writings from kids on the south side of chicago telling their own stories. the doctor agreed to school me on the current situation. talk to me a little about the term chiraq. for most people it is just a spike lee movie. >> i don't think we can fully pinpoint exactly where it came from like a lot of slang. the term is obviously part chicago, part iraq as a means of sort of mark chicago foreign, right, as a kind of place that we can remove america from. and i wouldn't even say chicago. i'm thinking parts of chicago. the term hypersegregation was coined because of how segregated chicago as a major city is, which is somewhat different than

a lot of other major cities. >> hypersegregation? >> yeah. >> what is that? i lived here. i think i get what that means. >> some cities are more progressive, somehow further along in the intellectual thought process of inclusiveness and diversity. chicago reminds us that is not always the case. >> in chicago, is it a sense it's happening, not a reason it's happening? put on people, they're just sort of violent. >> right. one of the things i try to talk to people about is the historical reasons how some of these things came to be. certainly poverty is one of those, and poverty isn't a happenstance kind of thing. there is a history of denying wealth to certain people, denying the ability to buy homes and have economic power. if the ability to take care of your family is one of those things that marks manhood in a capitalist society, and i am not given fair access to the labor market, then sometimes violence becomes a means. >> but a lot of this, from what i understand, people think is back to how black men in this

city feel like they have to express their masculinity in a lot of our media, in a lot of our role models, all about be a man. >> we have to allow for multiple types of masculinities to exist. partly in we're speaking about black folks, black masculinity. there is no stereotypical or one monolithic way of being a black man, right. you can be as black as steve erkel or as black as dmx. that's a range. >> that's a range, erkel to dmx. y'all gonna make me lose my mind in here. >> that's fantastic. nothing like talking black masculinity over carrot cake and tea. >> malik set up a meeting between gangster disciples and

my new friend wow-wow the general. despite how it seems, these are long-time rivals eagle to come together to talk about stopping the violence. >> it is very important that we keep the communication line open. >> this is e from broken wings, an organization that helps gun victims, and he has an unexpected announcement. >> it would have been more guys, but due to the situation that happened that will go down on 119th, you know, you know how it is out there. >> it turns out a gang leader who was supposed to be here was just shot. these issues are happening right outside that door, literally. >> yeah, so, something went down like an hour ago, huh? >> yeah. >> right near here. >> we're safe here. like i said earlier. >> while i'm shocked, these guys take this news as business as usual. has everybody here had a gun pointed at you? >> yes. >> i can't even reach out to you straight.

.45 straight through. >> what do you think people need know about what is going on on the south side of chicago? >> it's a lot going on. we just talk to about seven to eight youngsters, and it came across to me, as well as others, that we're reaching out, but the younger generation is not reaching back out to us. they're stuck into what they're doing. somewhere we failed them. we failing -- that one that i failed, that be the [ bleep ] that kill me because i missed out. >> on some level, weren't you failed by the -- it's a cycle, right? >> it's a cycle. >> see, a lot of older cats, they let it slide. but letting it slide so long, now it's out of hand. >> the people who are watching at home, they know the phrase gang banging. what does that actually mean if you're actually on the streets? >> it's all around protecting your neighborhood and people

took it -- the media took it into text as gang banging. we're not gang banging. >> for the younger generation, what does that mean for them? >> when we came up, there was no instagram or twitter. twitter and instagram is the new streets. y'all got beef, y'all facebook laugh at each other, tweet each other. that's where the clashing at. the social media -- >> yeah. >> these posts are serious threats and known as cyberbanging, which honestly i would have guessed was something completely different. when i became a father and had kids, suddenly things started to feel more crucial to me. so, is that a part of this, too? >> of course, you being a dad, you want everything. you want the world for your kids. but you try to protect them on what's going on, you try to make them avoid the mistakes that you made and try to make their life better. and within today's society, it's kind of hard. >> yeah, it is. >> if you could control all

these circumstances, how would you make it better in these neighborhoods? >> we need jobs, jobs. >> yeah. >> you can't -- everybody is happy with money. >> you got to get these shorties back some hope. >> while there is a call for hope, i can't help but think about how it started with the news of another gun victim and how when the meeting ended, everyone did what we all do. talk about dinner plans and took some selfies. to them, this is normal. this should not be normal.

>> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, i have an important message about security. write down the number on your screen, so you can call when i finish. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. this is a lock for your life insurance, a rate lock, that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason.

but be careful. many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more. this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable life insurance that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. act now and your rate will be locked in for life. it will never increase, guaranteed. this is lifelong coverage that can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, guaranteed. and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. you cannot be turned down because of your health. call for your information kit and read about this rate lock for yourself. you'll also get a free gift with great information both are free, with no obligation, so don't miss out. call for information, then decide. read about

the 30 day, 100 percent money back guarantee. don't wait, call this number now. ♪ allergy sufferers if you have symptoms like these

try new xyzal®. for relief is as effective at hour 24 as hour one. so be wise all take new xyzal®. two things you can always count on in black communities is a billboard of steve harvey and a church. and this is new creation church. pastor galinda wade is the mother of basketball star dwyane wade who recently returned to his home to show his city some love. he is a former convict, addict and gang member. she inspires with her story of salvation, not just spiritually, but personally. >> so, thank you for letting us come into your church.

>> i'm delighted that you would come here. >> you grew up in these neighborhoods, lived the life of these neighborhoods, and now you have a church. so, can you tell me a little bit about how that all came to be? >> yeah, you know, the violence that have hit our city of chicago, it's perplexing. even somebody like me who grew up in gangs, who grew up with gangs being around me, it was a little contained. it was structure, you know, it was something there that's not here today. and you wonder what is it all about? why is the rage the way it is? and why are the decision making that these young people are doing today, you know -- why are you hurting your brother? why are you killing your own -- your own? what is it all about, you know. i don't know if you know, but my niece, my niece got caught up in that, this particular year. >> yes, ma'am. >> going to school just to register the babies. >> she was shot in the head while she was walking and pushing her newborn in a stroller on friday.

she died a short time later at the hospital. >> instead of saying, ma'am, you know, get out of the way, get off the block, this and that, this is fixing to go down. you just shoot? you wonder, what were you thinking? >> these two offenders are the prime example of the challenge we face here in chicago with repeat gun offenders that don't care who they shoot, don't care whose life they take, and clearly, clearly don't feel the consequences of their actions. >> you know, your son is dwyane wade, and your niece's passing was used as a political tool by some people to talk about chicago. but not in a positive, healing way but to sort of use chicago as an example of a lawless place. >> republican nominee sparking controversy over the weekend for politicizing the death of chicago bulls' star dwyane wade's cousin, tweeting, just what i have been saying. african americans will vote trump. an hour later trump offered his

condolences. >> that had to be hard on your family. >> it was, it was. but you know what? you heard of the saying, i've got a choke-hold on you. we have a faith hold on jesus. we have a faith hold on what we believe in and we won't let him go. so, we refuse to allow what happened to make us bitter. we looked at what can we do with what happened to our family to actually be a voice since god gave us this platform. what can we do? we've got to get here. you know it's in the mind-set. i was an alcoholic, i was a gang banger before. ask me why, i didn't know, we did it to do something. but once my mind changed, everything around me had to change. so, that's where we have to get to, our babies at. the ones that's out here doing it and half of them don't even know why. >> i think there is a lot of power in the black community of the church. there is also a lot of power in the black community. somebody who has credibility, who has lived the life and been through some things.

you know what you're speaking of. you have both of those things. >> that's a good thing. they work very well together. and i'm there to share with them, i was once that person, or i hung with that person, a person that was like that. and then they get -- they start looking -- listening to the real message because i believe in being real. i am, i'm raw, and i'm up front because the streets didn't play with me out there. the streets don't play. so, why should we come in church and play with the people? >> i think this is the first time i've ever heard a pastor describe themselves as raw, the raw reverend, huh? >> i like that. >> you can have it. [ laughter ] >> what can we do to make this better? >> do you know love is missing? love is missing. i mean, i can go up and hug one of them and say it's okay. they'll start weeping. love is missing because we look at them as being little bitty old terrorists and all these other different names they have given them, and it's somebody's kid who got misdirected. let's not take from them, let's give them something.

>> one more thing i want to say. those are the nicest kicks i've ever seen on a minister in my life. i think i know why they're so nice. i have a clue as to why. i had to point those out. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> thank you.

music is always the voice for the street. and for some, it's a way off of the streets. so my last stop is a legendary blues club in chicago where malik accomplished something that was once thought to be impossible. he got two gangs, old school do or die crew and new school artists like jay-z protege. if you're just tuning in, i'm dr. cornell west. do these guys all know each other? >> not really. >> they all know you? >> yeah. >> but don't know each other? >> not really. >> is that anything that can lead to an issue? >> yeah, definitely. >> okay. all right. even though they are all musicians and cool with you, we don't know they are cool with each other? >> nah, nah. >> not only have they not met each other, it becomes instantly apparent to me they have no idea who the hell i am. this room felt like the tension, and i was cast in the role of

the uncool vice principal. >> i live in california now and when i tell people i was coming out to chicago, everybody was like -- there's this weird thing. uh-oh. >> get shot. >> yeah, you're going to get shot. you have to join a gang and this nonsense. >> when i hear people talk about coming to chicago and they are afraid to even come to the city, what they don't recognize is that so much of the violence is centered in very specific areas. you know, because chicago is so segregated. we're on the north side with lincoln park. people might tell you be careful coming to chicago, but what the [ bleep ] are you being careful about over here? >> it's nothing to be careful about over here. >> you run over by a baby stroller. >> this is a ridiculously safe neighborhood, and you have those in chicago just as you have hoods in every city. >> a lot of people in chicago, that would be the main thing. why y'all can't squash this?

a lot of people can. it ain't about what you can do. a lot of people don't want to. see what i'm saying? it even about being a bigger man as a human. you take one of my brothers or cousins, every day i'm going to wake up missing them. see what i'm saying? if i see one of your people, that's what makes me want to retaliate. >> they don't realize why we are where we are. when you're in the middle of it, it's like i can read books about the statistics behind this. when somebody on my ass, i'm not thinking about anything, you know, and i have to do what i have to do. >> you can't say i read a book this is not the right way to go, brother. >> social media and rap sheet really like [ bleep ]. and it started happening when the lights started getting on chicago. >> exactly. when there was no social media, think back there, there was more killers then. the killing going on now, social media. you can pull up on social media and see five people get knocked

off befuddle me. seeing a shorty live and then he get killed. >> we shouldn't be posting guns on instagram. we have to put different mentalities and blueprints for the shorties. you can't say that because you have people infatuated with guns. we have people into shoes. how we into shoes, why y'all post shoes? shoes don't kill. >> what is the solution? >> we have to rectify the problem and say, how did this beef kick off? we have to be able to come together and squash it before it gets bigger. >> you can say i'll put the rappers together -- >> you can do it for the look. it's not going to work, though. it's hard to do that. >> i understand that from y'all perspective, too, because i'm learning from y'all. >> does the music have a responsibility considering how critical the times are? >> yeah, music supposed to give you two sides. supposed to give you the problem and solution. we got to be mindful of what else we need to feed our other generation. >> you listen to the radio,

everyone talking about killing. then they turn around and say, stop the violence, the radio personality. it's confusing. you feel me? >> music can be part of it, but i also think the solution has to come down to investing in the communities because the schools lost gym programs and music programs because there is no money being put into the schools. you have schools in the same school district, but the black school is getting way less funding per student. >> is music the best way out now? you know, used to be people talking about having a good jump shot. >> hell, no. >> i really don't want the kids who aren't musically inclined, who don't know how to drop and do entertainment to feel like they don't have a way out. i want them to understand it's about the discipline, and rich is a behavior. it's about going to class on time. it's about washing the dishes. it's about any of that. you sending an energy wave to the universe like you going to get it right back. >> there need to be different avenues for shorties to be

starting tech startups and being accountants and lawyers. we got to tell them that ascending in society is dope. >> i'm real happy right now. this is a start, bro. i haven't seen this until today. the old heads and young heads have never really sat down in this manner where we really chopping it up. the cameras are here but i believe in my heart each and one of us can reach somebody and teach somebody and save somebody. you feel what i'm saying? this is that moment. the impossible is possible. >> once the conversation got going, i'm pretty sure if i had left the room, they wouldn't have noticed. it was like high school all over again. >> love to the legends, do or die. they pave the way for us to do what we are doing in chicago. these men are real chicago legends and pioneers of the craft. thank y'all for being here, man.

>> we ain't that old. that conversation was great. and just when we were wrapping up, something happened that i never saw coming. >> before we leave, why don't we all pray, please. can we do that? if it's okay with you? ♪ >> our father which art in heaven. >> as we bow our heads in prayer, i can't help but reflect on everything i have seen and heard this week. despite the war zone reputation, chicago's violence is hardly a new phenomenon. whether you want to call it investments or reconciliation or reparations, it's clear that chicago, just like the rest of america, needs to make amends with its black population. these communities just want to be heard. they have the solutions. they are invested in the solutions.

were you listening? >> we ask you and thank you in the name of jesus. amen, amen. the u.s. president's son-in-law in the spotlight again. the new reporting from the "washington post" saying jared kushner tried to set up secret communications with the kremlin. the russia investigation now reaching into the president's inner circle. plus new revelations about ex-fbi director james comey. comey knew a piece of inte intelligence related to the clinton investigation was ploonlt e planted by russia. and two more arrests connected to the terror attention in manchester. a live report ahead. >> welcome to our viewers here in the united states all around the world. i'm natali