doesn't america love us? why do they do this to us? he wasn't just talking about this latest case. he was talking about all of them. and by america he meant me. he meant you. the white majority. and you can listen to those who put it on the minorities, violent, outrageous, lazy, hate the majority, they don't comply with the police. they are the tyrants. look what they're doing in the streets. you're judging symptoms and missing the illness and you know it. it was nelson mandela who said when a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw. and you know this is true. more poverty means more crimes, means more interactions with police, means having power to change for hope and respect for the law and for optimism that drives ambition to live the american dream. please don't just see the death of george floyd. see all of it. yes, this one is on video, and yes it's so obvious so that you

can say this one i get. it's not just this one. it's that the officers in it seem to be saying we know it's wrong and we're going to do it anyway. that's why the minority screams, not just this video. it's the prosecutions that don't happen, the cases that aren't on video that you don't see, and the prosecutions that do happen of the wrong people, the punishments that are too harsh for the crimes minorities commit. it's the laws that make it harder to vote and easier to be out of a job. you can listen to those that say put it oen the minority, they're the tyrants. but it's still going to be your problem. do you know why? only the majority can fix it. the minority doesn't have a power. my father joined a generation leaders from and for the minority calling out this tale of two cities to you, the majority. and here i am, his son, almost 40 years later, and we've yet to answer the call. a house divided cannot stand. united we stand, divided we

fall. e plur bus unum, one out of many. we are all in it together. how many times must we try to teach the same lesson? the pandemic will pass. the case will fade into the others. but our real problems remain. they'll only go away when we finally realize that minority and majority must come together or america will never be her best. thank you for watching. d. lemon right now with "cnn tonight." if you read of what some of what people are saying and watch conservative media, you would think people are mourning a target. when you look at the pictures and what they are focusing on. okay. so, people should not be rioting. do you understand what is behind that rioting? people should not be looting. do you understand what's behind that looting?

do you have as much outrage for that or for a man on the ground with a police officer with haze knee on his neck for 8, 9 minutes? what are you more outraged by? what matters more, as you said, a highly insured store. no one wants to lose their business. don't get me wrong, and don't twist what i'm saying. there's nuance. don't say i'm encouraging rioting. i'm not encouraging rioting. i am trying to explain to you what is going on there and why so many people are outraged and upset. when you really think about it, why are you mourning a target store or an auto body store or an automobile store and you're not placing that same emphasis, if not more, on the conditions that led to this happening on the injustice that that man felt on the ground?

that wasn't just police brutality. that was torture. that is torture. we saw a man in the span of two weeks or so we have seen two deaths happen right in front of our eyes, chris. we saw ahmaud arbery. we saw him gunned down on video tape. but people who thought that they were the cops when they aren't, that they had the authority of police officer when is they don't. no badge, just a gun, okay? and then we saw a man in minneapolis dying on camera because an officer put his knee on his neck and had no regard for a life. so, this is what we're watching playing out. which one enrages you more? which one is more important? what are you going to focus on? the conditions that the people

are living under, the conditions that got them there? or things that don't really matter in the long run? you can go buy -- you can reclaim and get back clothing, any material object, food, gum, whatever they sell in those stores. those people can get it back. sorry it happened. but you cannot get a life back. and there have been so many people who have lost their lives, so many families who have grieved or who are grieving and who have lost a loved one can never get it back. put your focus on the right thing and maybe you won't have to grieve the looting of a target store. i have to run because there's stuff happening in minneapolis. my producers are in my ear. thank you, chris, i'll talk to you soon. this is "cnn tonight" i'm don lemon. outraged protesters on the streets of minneapolis. they are there tonight. we want to get to it right away.

miguel marquez is on the scene. sara sidner is on the scene. i understand there is breaking news. we want to get to miguel, but it appears -- can we go to sara? where are we hearing this noise? is that coming from sara's shot or miguel? sara sidner, what's going on? >> whreporter: it appeared that protesters are trying to breech the third precinct. they have knocked down the fence that was put up overnight because of the back and forth with protesters and police. i'm going to give you a scene setter here. on the top of that building there, that is the third precinct. there are a couple of officers who are pointing their non-lethal weapons. you can see some of the smoke rising up there. that is tear gas. you're also seeing a lot of loud bangs. a lot of that is fireworks. but you are seeing rocks being thrown and that being met with

tear gas, that being bet with bean bags, that being met with rubber gloves. and every now and then you'll see people start running, just simply running as they start seeing projectiles coming from the crowd and then running back as the police return fire. but there used to be a fence that was surrounding it. and if we can get just a tiny bit closer, that fence has been pushed down and we heard a lot of folks cheering when that fence was pushed down. the at t tenor and tone of things that were calm this afternoon here in minneapolis compared to yesterday when we were here when the activists were here with a human shield standing between the police and the protesters. the situation has fired. there's a car fire outside target. there's a battle going on between a few police officers and hundreds of protesters out here on the street. >> sara, i want you to stand by.

please be safe. let's get to miguel marquez. miguel is in st. paul. protesters there have been throwing rocks and bottles. police are responding. what are you see, miguel? >> reporter: yeah, i want to show you what's happening here. this is a fire they've been fighting off. it's a napa auto parts. there are several buzzes that are on fire in this location. police have their full riot gear, have their masks on. there's been a running battle with protesters in this area. they started another fire down the block here and all these police officers here have moved in to sort of clear the protesters back. most have left this area or at least the immediate area, but they are hanging out nearby. and as the sun goes down and as the tensions go up, it is increasingly worrisome what we are seeing here and just how far this is going to go. there are round after round of your flash bang grenades, temper

balls and mace and pepper spray that is pushing the crowd back but then encouraging them to gather in strength and come back even in greater numbers. so, we've been watching this fire burn all day. we haven't seen it burning like this. it's also night, so that certainly helps. but it smoldered for many, many hours and now it's completely engulfed. started a second fire down the way. there are several stores and shops that have been broken into on this strip. we're about two miles from the state capitol in minneapolis, st. paul. it's pandemonium. it's not clear where all this is going to go. the police have brought in additional forces but it's not clear they're going to have enough. the crowds here have grown throughout the afternoon. >> stand by, both of you. if you're joining us on cnn, we have breaking news happening in

the twin cities. we've got st. paul as well as minneapolis where -- these are live pictures from our affiliate, wcco, thank you for this. they have been bringing this to us and we're happy they are so you can get a look at what's happening. these are live pictures. this is minneapolis. as you heard from sara sidner on the scene there, they're trying to breach the police department. miguel marquez has been talking about what has been happening in his area and how police have been moving them back and fires and so on and so forth. sara sidner standing by again. we'll get back to miguel marquez in noemoments. sara, you're standing by with josh campbell to get an update on what's happening. what do you know? >> reporter: so we've been watching, josh and i, as a few more police have come to the top of the roof there. instead of firing tear gas, they're literally lobbing it down. so, they've created a little bit of space between protesters and

themselves. have you seen something like this? some of the tactics being used here, non-lethal, but there are quite a few officers? >> it's interesting. this is a police facility that is basically targeted right now. you have people that are throwing rocks. you've seen a number of thechlt there are fire crackers out here that people are throwing as well. every once in a while you'll see the police throw some type of dispersement, whether that's tear gas. we saw earlier flash bangs. this is non-lethal but the goal is to push the crowd back. seems like the police are reserved letting the crowd get the energy out. people here are very unhappy. you're seeing a lot of their unhappiness playing out with the fire crackers and flash bangs. >> also, to be clear, there are people using lasers to point out where the police as it gets darker. this is a very different scene than yesterday when police were outside the precinct. they came in a line to try to push people back. they did manage to push the protesters back.

but let me get you a look at the scene because a new fire as started. this was the auto zone where the first started. excuse me, we're trying to see this. we are now seeing the fire billowing out of now another, at least a half a dozen businesses have been on fire. but you are really seeing the scene deteriorate here from what it was like earlier today. it was much more peaceful here. there were a lot of speeches for activists trying to get people to channel their energy in a different way. as the sun has gone down, the more the sun goes down, the rowdier it gets. there's a lot of folks here that are really acting out of pain and frustration. but this is one of those things where someone's life can be lost and we're really getting a big whiff of tear gas. >> just a look at the depth of the crowd here. we're surrounded. as this tear gas comes in which

is very pungent right now, the crowd is dispersing. so, the police is trying to get the crowd back. not everyone is being pushed back. there are still people right near the area throwing rocks and the like. it seems it is working with part of the crowd, not all of the crowd. >> let me talk to you guys before you go on, sara and josh -- if you guys need to get tie safer spot, please let me know and we're going to continue on with this. so, sara, it appears that your eyes are tearing up there. if you can talk to us -- >> i'm not crying. >> i get it. if you guys want to move -- it's understandable. this is, in essence, a war zone, a war-like zone, as we look at these pictures. can you put the pictures up from the camera, please. as we look at these pictures coming from wcco, minneapolis, minnesota. we have josh campbell and sara sidner on the ground. according to them as they work

to get to a place hopefully where they won't be overcome by the tear gas, there is another fire that has been started in the area. and according to sara, they were trying to breach at least the perimeter to the police department there in minneapolis. i'm not sure how successful they are. but again, josh and sara are on the ground. we have miguel marquez who is in st. paul not seeing the intensity of the pictures we're seeing in minneapolis. again, sara and josh are working to get to an area where it is -- there they are. i think they're fine. sara, you said they were trying to breach the perimeter of the police department? what happened? were they able to do it? >> reporter: so -- no. what they were able to do -- what they were doing is trying to push down the fence that was put up. that was not there until overnight. this whole perimeter where you see those sort of barricades there and there was a big black

fence that had been put up, erected, to try to keep some space between the protesters and the precinct, the third precinct here. that fish wence was pushed over you heard a lot of people yelling and talking about how they felt about the police. as a reaction we saw more and more police show up on the top of this precinct here. what is really troublesome is that this area is really kind of a gatherer. and what you're seeing is yet another building. and it is hot. it is really, really going now. you can see the big black smoke billowing from that. all of these places -- this needs to be made clear. grandmothers, mothers, fathers, if you thi uncles, aunts, they live here, they go to the grocery store. . it has been destroyed. >> do we know what is on fire? >> reporter: no we don't because it's quite a bit aways from the building that's in front of it.

we can go check that out for you, but the truth of the matter is, before this was one of the areas you can come get food and now folks living in this neighborhood are going to be dealing with this for a very long time. even as people are expressing their anger and frustration and pain this is going to cause a lot of pain down the road for folks that live here and have to go to these stores to get themselves food and for work as well. >> you are absolutely right, sara. we want you to stay on top of this. so, stand by. we're going to get back to sara in just a moment. this is happening again in the twin cities, minneapolis/st. paul. we're going get to st. paul now. look at those pictures in minneapolis. my goodness. are you sure we want to go to miguel. >> yeah, this is -- this is a -- you guys got me? >> yeah, go ahead. >> reporter: this is a napa auto parts that's on fire there. it's been burning for several hours now. the flames are already intense. the fire department has been putting tons of water on it.

just after the last live shot they cleared out the crowd here using flash bang grenades and mace or tear gas to get people to move out. the crowd keeps coming back. it will move back for a while and starts coming back. they're creating more space. they're getting them out of this particular intersection here so they have more room to operate and more room to maneuver fire trucks in. they've been bringing fire trucks in as a liner truck on the far side there putting water down on this and they're trying to save other buildings that are on fire. a short time ago, there was a second fire. it looked like a car fire just a couple of blocks from here. i'm looking down university avenue here. you can see the state capitol on the other side. so, it's an incredibly crystal clear beautiful perfect night except that there is absolute pandemonium in this city tonight. this did not happen last night. this is new. this is the anger boiling over

since the death of mr. floyd has now come to this part of st. paul. and protessers do not appear to be going away. they shrink back but as we're standing here you can see the people starting to come back to police to challenge them. there are a lot of rocks being thrown. there are fireworks, bottle rocks and the like being shot at police. protesters are becoming more br brazen. they're grabbing the tear gas canisters and sweeping them back at police. police have on masks to protect against that but it is going to be a long night here in st. paul. >> miguel, let me ask you as we had on the screen moments ago the st. paul mayor has been requesting the national guard comes in. do you know if there's any progress made with that request? >> reporter: we don't see any national guard here. we do know that the governor had the order today, issued an order

calling the national guard in. we haven't seen any national guard on scene here yet, but we did see a large number of police in riot gear come in to help clear at least this intersection in front of us so that firefighters and others could do their work here and try to keep the protesters back as far as possible. they don't seem to be going anywhere. they shrink back and then come back and they've been coming back in bigger and bigger numbers. i don't think it's going away any time soon, don. >> all right, miguel marquez for us on the ground in st. paul, minnesota. sara sidner and josh campbell on the ground in minneapolis, known as the twin cities there. you see the twin pictures on the scene right now. the st. paul mayor has requested the national guard come in for help. and the mayor of minneapolis has been speaking out as well talking about this horrific

tragedy. cnn's cameras are trained on these events. we have our crews on the ground. we have it covered for you i don't. we are going to take a quick break. we'll get back to it shortly right on the other side. we'll be right back.

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so protests spreading in minneapolis and other parts of the country. i want to get back to sara sidner and josh campbell, live on the scene in minneapolis, not far from this fire you're looking at. this fire started just moments ago as sara was reporting live. sara and josh both join us with the very latest on this. josh, talk to me about -- because these protests have spread and they have a tendency to spread once they get started. can you talk to me about your experience with that in law enforcement and the fbi. >> this is the challenge for the police.

we were showing you images earlier outside of precinct three where you had a large crowd that was gathered. the goal of the police was to get them from throwing projectiles at that building. now the crowd clearly isn't going to stop. what i think we're going to see is this is going to continue but in a dispersed way. we're going to see this throughout the night i would imagine in different communities. you can see fire raging behind us is blocks away from the police station. so, the crowd has moved from that area now to this location. we were looking on a map. this appears to be a financial money exchange store. but if there are people out here that are going to commit this type of act they're going to be moving out throughout the community. and that is the challenge for police right now. they had them in one location, they tried to push them back, and now the people are dispersing and setting fires. one thing we heard in the break was there was a member of the community yelling at people throwing rocks into windows

saying don't do this in my community. not everybody here behind us is a protester. some are trying to keep the peace and stop people from committing this type of sabotage we're seeing behind us. >> of course not. if you look at the pictures and responses you would think that's the majority of the community but it is indeed not. sara, you're trying to point out something. sorry, go on. >> reporter: i just want to point out something, the very thing that's happening, people telling folks to break into this building right here with all kinds of things trying to knock into the building here, telling them stop because this is their community. you're seeing folks getting real riled up. there are more people it looks like out here tonight than there were last night. so, that is a problem for the police, for the third precinct. but for these folks, this is

something that's been in their heart for a while and this is blowing up all over again tonight. >> that was my next question, as you've been covering this, have you seen an escalation in the number of protesters and the intensity of protests since you have been on the ground? and the answer appears to be yes. >> reporter: tonight yes, but it was calmer today. as i mentioned, several activists came out who were part of the community and really calmed down the tone and tenor of what was going on. let's move beyond these people who are clearly upset and want to express that so you can see what's going on behind them as well. these people are trying to figure out exactly what to do when it comes to how to handle this. the folks that are from here are also very angry. but these fires are going to impact this community. and yes, we are seeing an intensity tonight that rivals or is more than what happened last night and even the night before that, don.

>> it's interesting because people are comparing this to baltimore and ferguson. the interesting thing is that minnesota is far less black than baltimore and minnesota, i think it's 7% black. from what i'm gathering, the protesters i'm seeing from your angle, it is a very diverse crowd out there. these are not just african-americans who are protesting. this is a community of people who are sick of these things happening. >> reporter: yeah, yeah. yes, that is a very, very good read. we were both in baltimore. we were both in ferguson. i was in ferguson for three months where there were 100 days of protesting in a row. the crowd is different in its composition here. there are lots of black folks. there are lots of folk of color. there are some native american. but you see quite a few white folks out here too taking part in this. actually i don't know if you can see this, but there's another fire started it appears just

over there. you see that dark black smoke on the horizon there. that is in the area near the cub grocery store and the target which is completely destroyed inside which has been looted, which people are still going in to get groceries out of the cub store which obviously no one is in at this point in time as far as it being open. and so this has deteriorated in a way that a lot of folks who live in this neighborhood were hoping that it didn't. understanding the pain that's here, but also understanding the pain this is going to cause in the weeks and months to come when there's nowhere to get their groceries and nowhere to go shopping. in the meantime, there are flash bangs coming from the third precinct which is just two blocks up and you are seeing more people gathering there as well. >> when you say seeing from the cub store, c-u-p or c-u-b?

>> there's a cub store. that is not the place where george floyd had to be -- >> that was my question. >> reporter: the police officer telling him over and over he couldn't breathe. >> you answered my question. that's the reason i was pointing that out. sara sidner on the scene. sara be safe. we'll get back to you in moments. in the meantime we'll continue with the pictures coming from minneapolis and st. paul. i want to bring in laura coates. laura, this is what's playing out, the anger and resentment and frustration. again, not condoning the actions here, can understand the frustration and anger, but it is sad that it has evolved into what it has evolved to now. >> it absolutely is. and for me, it's particularly close to home. my parents still live in st.

paul, minnesota. you know, i was raised in st. paul. i had a house in minneapolis. i had a sister who's there. and the idea i'm watching images of places i've frequented for most of my life from a childhood up until now, to see my city, my hometown burning, it's really surreal for me. it's also surreal, many times to, see when you hear about the any number -- and we could spend the entire length of your show saying the names of so many people who have been the victims of excessive police violence and police brutality. and the idea that it hits home. it never -- you never seem to quite be prepared that it happens. but then again, we shouldn't be that surprised that the idea, like air and pollution, inequality and bigotry and discrimination and unlawful tactics spread throughout the nation. it's no one geographic boundary. but seeing it tonight is very poignant for me as is the reason

why so many people turned out today, you and i included, to watch that press conference from the u.s. attorney of minnesota, from the hennepin county district attorney who will be the main prosecutor if a crime is charged in this case, to the fbi and the bureau of criminal apprehension asking people to be witnesses and come forward and testify in some form or fashion. you are seeing that everyone was waited on bated breath, will there be charges? will the firing of those four officers be the first step in the path toward justice for mr. george floyd and his family? you see even in a case unlike what happened in new york which is garnering a lot of attention from eric garner and resonating from people thinking about the "i can't breathe," p remember that officer pantaleo, he was put on desk duty. a grand jury never even indicted him. you're seeing what happens when the cup has runeth over, so many

cases similar and some not similar. you're seeing what happens even when you had instantly within hours fired an officer that there is a recollection and a memory of so many people across this country and in places like minnesota and my hometown from philando castile to jamar clark to jemel blevins and the list goes on from seeing and knowing that if a firing is an only step, people are not satisfied that justice is served, no matter how long the arc of justice is supposed to bend. and it's just so disheartened to see this at play because you will have people now who are looking at what's happening and their attention is immediately diverted from the fact that there was a man, a human being, who had his neck knelt upon by an officer while he pled, while there were -- for his life -- while onlookers looked at it and

begged for his life, while other officers stood by and did nothing and were come poliplace some form. and now the reaction of people in the form of this way. and that is one of the most frustrating and disheartening and counterproductive aspects of protests that turn into rioting or looting in another form or fashion because it really does take the focus away from what should be our mr. george floyd and what was done to him by police officers. >> and you are right on with that. laura, we're going to keep you throughout the broadcast, however long we have to be on the air this evening. and we're going to talk about the legal angles of this and what was announced at that press conference today. i want you to stand by and we'll discuss that in moments. with the protests spreading over the death of george floyd, my next guest says racism is a public health crisis.

she's the vice president of the minneapolis city council. she's here next but i want you to look at our live pictures on your screen. these are live pictures from denver, colorado. our affiliate kngh, thank you for that. they are broadcasting these pictures because police have lined up there. it looks like they are trying to stop rioting or protests in that city. and i would imagine that it is -- night fall is beginning to happen there and they're trying to off set what is happening in minneapolis and st. paul, keep that from happening in the city of denver, colorado. we'll keep an eye on these pictures, this city, as well as others around the country as we take a short break. dear freshpet,

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. we are monitoring pictures from all over cities from all over the country. but this one you're looking at is minneapolis, minnesota. and you can see that there are protesters on the ground there. cities around the country really on edge tonight. people on edge. all outraged by the death of george floyd, pinned to the ground by a white police officer

with his knee on floyd's neck. what we're seeing there is an expression of the pain people around the country are feeling. but my next guest says we cannot solve the root of this problem until we call it what it is. so, let's discuss with andrea jenkins, the vice president of the minneapolis city council. thank you very much council woman jenkins. we appreciate you joining us on cnn. >> hello don. hi. just to be clear, i'm the vice president. thank you for inviting me. >> thank you. we appreciate having you on. when you saw this video, the sheer inhumanity of that policemen kneeling on george floyd's neck and him pleading for his life, pleading for his mother, what was your reaction in that moment? >> all right. so, i saw the video about 1:00 a.m. on tuesday morning, and i couldn't -- i couldn't go back

to sleep. it was a "here we go again" moment. it was clearly another -- yet another -- hash tag moment. and as you know, don, you know, i am an african-american transgender woman. so, not only do i see these images on social media of black and brown men and women being killed by state violence but also have to see trans identified, mostly black women, who have been brutalized and murdered by the state or if not by the state, it has been deemed sanctioned by the state. so, you know, the trauma in our communities is devastating and it's brought on by this really

horrible disease that is racism. >> i'm glad you said that because i want you to talk about this. i've been talking a lot on my show about these two viruss that america is dealing with right now, the coronavirus and racism. i say corona -- covid-19 racism 20 because this is how it's playing out in 2020. earlier today you actually called racism a public health crisis. explain that for us. >> so, it absolutely is a public health crisis. and when you think about the covid-19 and the coronavirus, who are the people that are dying that are most likely to die from this disease? and it's black and brown people. it's elderly people. but even in -- even within that population of elderly people, it's still mostly black and brown people. and so it's a public health

crisis because we are relegated to these jobs that put us in harm's way. we are relegated to substandard housing in overcrowded commune tis. our communities are overpoliced. we don't have full access to health care. you named these things on your show all the time, don. and it creates to having higher levels of high blood pressure, higher levels of diabetes, higher levels of the misuse of drugs and alcohol in our communities. and all of that is a response to the stress that has -- that is perpetrated by racism. so, if that's not a public health crisis, then i don't know what is. so, i'm woreally want my

colleagues to bring together a resolution declaring racism as a public health issue so we can then again to create policies -- >> and create change. >> -- and programs -- >> yeah. >> -- that can hope to effectuate change. >> we appreciate you joining us. thank you and stay on top of this. keep strong. thanks. >> thank you so much, don. >> thank you, absolutely. listen, this is what is playing out now. we want to get back to these live pictures. i want to show you what's happening on the ground. this is what's happening in minneapolis, minnesota. there are fires that are burning. there are people who are protesting, tear gas that is streaming through the air. there's outrage. there is sadness. there is anger. there's a whole caldron of emotion and images and feelings happening as we speak. and we are watching it as many of us are still in quarantine at

our homes watching all of this play out. to denver, colorado now. and you are seeing those pictures of what looks to be a peaceful protest at this moment, just a peaceful gathering as we speak. and we hope it stays that way. but we did see police in tactical gear earlier moving into the streets, not exactly sure why. but we will figure that out as we move along here live. so, this is all unfolding. you are here watching it with me. i will take you all the way through it as long as it takes. so we're going to take a quick break here on cnn, but we will be back momentarily. don't go anywhere.

we're back now with the breaking news tonight. protests spreading over the death of george floyd at the hand of police officers.

mayor of minnesota declaring a local emergency due to the disturbances. these protestors are strarting to happen. not similar to the ones in st. paul and minneapolis. people are gathering in other cities. this is denver, colorado. where this the number of people have gathered within the last couple minutes has grown a lot. we're keeping an eye on denver, phoenix, columbus, minneapolis and st. paul. phoenix, arizona. no justice, no peace. you can hear protestors chanting there on the street of phoenix. your anger is a gift. one of the signs reading. i want to bring in now the author of new memoir called my vanishing country. i'm in the middle of reading it now. it's fascinating.

and it couldn't be more time lie. thank you for writing it, i'm enjoying reading it. i no e this is hard day for you. you are angry and fed up. another black man has taken his life taken from him. tell us what you're going through and how it translates to the rest of the country. >> i'm channelling -- i'm sick and tired of being sick kp tired. first of all, thank you for giving me this platform. two black men in the front of the world discussing this. we have to define what racism is. defined as this, he said if you want to lynch me that's your problem. if you have the power to lynch me that's my problem. they're lynching us in the streets. ahmaud arbery, now george floyd. just think about all the

lynchings that we're seeing with our own eyes. and i have to say this, i don't get caught up when people call me nigger. i am worried about the systems of oppression that people live with. the systemic racist on a daily basis. i got emotional because for me i look at is as black man in america. now a father to three beautiful children and one son. what do i tell them? he complied and they killed him dead like a dog with a knee to the neck. i wrote about this in my book. talking about the trama and i asked a question and i say when are they going to stop killing us? when we see the riots around the country i say king said, it's the language.

it's the voice of the unheard. i want this country to change. i believe in what lincoln called the better angels of our nature. you and i having this conversation pushing this to be a perfect union. >> i don't need to add anything. i don't need to ask a question. well said. and i thank you. i appreciate you joining us. >> i love you and i appreciate you. i think that there are a will the of black men in the country that are feeling as if they are a target. they don't get the benefit of humanity. we have to lift them up. lift up god's children. and it's just the tough time. i want to let you know in front of the world that we love you and appreciate you. it's necessary to reach out to our brother and let them know that today. >> i love you too. and ellen and your kids.

>> everybody, stop asking me. i'm talking about everyone. he is married happily with three beautiful children. i appreciate it. we'll continue this important conversation. i'm hosting a cnn special. i can't breathe. black men living and dying in america. sunday night. sunday. 8 eastern. tune in. please. we'll go to the scene of the live protests over the death of george floyd in police custody. that's next. stuff like foot-long bills and fees from nowhere. time-wasting stores, misleading ads, unhelpful help centers. and saved the stuff that was working. like verizon's 4g lte network. plus unlimited data, messages, and minutes. it's a simple system. trim the bad... make the good better... and way cheaper. meet visible. unlimited data on verizon's 4g lte network.

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protests spreading tonight in parts of the country.

i want to go back live to minneapolis. you have been on the scene of this protest. watching them escalate this evening. what are you seeing? >> giving you a look behind me and josh, a little brush fire here in front of the cub. where there's quite a bit of folks going in, pulling things out and breaking down the doors. there's a charter school behind us. that is destroyed. there's a dollar tree that has been looted. and destroyed. the target is also destroyed inside it's a smoky shell of itself. and you'll see more fire sort of burning. it really does look like an apocalypse situation. it has calmed down some. josh, we were here and watching as this escalated. how difficult is this to police at this point? this is i have been to a lot of protests around the country and

the world, i have never seen fewer police out at a protest that has gone this way. >> exactly. there are two key things to realize at this scene. the first is that the police have made the decision, they're not going to enforce the law here in this area. we have seen no police officers. we have been walking around. there are buildings on fire. people looting. people are attempting to break into the store behind us. yet there's no police enforcement. they made the judgment call that they are mere presence right now is going to escalate this. of course if you are a business or live in the area, that concerns you. you don't see that police presence. the second thing i want to point out, all though we're in the area of people are breaking into things, this doesn't seem to represent the protestors that we saw closer to the police station. who seem to be purposefully upset at what occurred with the death of mr.