it's so specific. one person talking loudly on their cell phone has no problem with someone listening to the conversation. at the same time, you can have someone trying to have a private conversation and they go to great lengths to be somewhere that is secluded. we're not just dealing with cultural context but individual, different purposes around privacy. >> monday night on "the communicators" on c-span 2. >> the reverend al sharpton and his group national action network lead a protest and rally in washington, d.c. they are addressing racial violence and protest. taking part are family members of michael brown, eric garner and tamir rice who were killed in separate incidents by police officers. the march began at freedom plaza

in downtown washington and ended near the u.s. capital, where speakers outlined the legislative agenda for congress. this is about two hours and 15 minutes. i can't breathe. [indiscernible] >> no justice! >> no peace! >> no justice! >> no peace! >> no justice! >> no peace!

♪ tell me what democracy looks like. ♪

[indiscernible] ♪ no justice. no peace. i can't breathe. i can't breathe.

♪ >> what we want? >> justice. >> when do we want it? >> now. ♪ on]e: what's going

♪ [marvin gaye: what's going on] >> if we could all do this together.

let me introduce myself. i'm not really important. joe madison. i will be running this program. if we could all do this together. let me say something before we get started. there are a lot of people in the media that want to try to suggest there is a division among us. that this is young versus old. white versus black. when my son walks out of the house, i pray every day he will come home. i don't care what color he is. all human life is sacred. and so, let us gather here for a purpose. let me tell the people in the

media something right now. there's a lot of pain on the streets. but where there is pain there is a purpose. and we are here for purpose. and we are going to be here together. this is intergenerational. and with a few and weairs on her chin are proud of the young people who are standing up and speaking up. let them hear you. you are the john lewis. you are the people who started this. it is you who are targeted. and you have a right to stand up. hands up. >> don't shoot. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> i can't breathe. >> i can't breathe.

>> ladies and gentlemen, let us do this. let us all grabbed each other's hands in unity. every single hand. every single hand. -- i don't care if you have a phd or no d. ged or whatever you got. grab somebody's hand. when there is a funeral, we all bow our heads and hold hands. we praise our god, or whoever we want to. hold your hand. every hand should be held. i'm going to bring forth for prayer the chairman of the board of directors of the national action network. chairman richardson.

>> we have gathered here today because we believe in the value of all human life. we gather here today, because we know we have to move from protest to problem-solving. we have got to go back home and take on the issues, and bring unity to our community so we can transform behavior. and transform expectation. today, join together in our diversity. join together in our multiple faith expressions. i went to ask you to join me. whatever your spiritual grounding is, i want us to focus on our spiritual center. on the thing that gets us through the night. the thing that holds us when everything lets us go. the thing that gives us hope

when despair is all about us. let us pray. o god, our mother, and our father. we thank you to the legacy of struggle that we embrace in this hour. we confess our pain. we confess our frustrations. we confess we have to come back here time in and time out. generation after generation seeking justice. we are tired, but we won't give up. we come today, god, asking you to bless these families. these families who have gathered around. they are hurt and have lost children. their pain inflicted by

insensitivity. we pray, god, for this nation that is on its way to catastrophe unless we turn around and come together and speak hope to each other. we thank you for al sharpton, who has been a clear voice in this difficult time. not just his voice but the multiple voices of men and women all over this country. the voices of the young people, the voices of our children. we thank you, god, for the voices that are being heard. we thank you for those who put their feet on the pavement. who walk through the streets. who, by our presence, demonstrates there is an unsettling spirit in our midst. we asked, god, that you drive out the things that would destroy us. drive out the violence in government hands.

drive out the violence in the hands of our brothers and sisters. that black on black crime will not continue to be. drive out the pain, the frustration that leads us to turn on each other. drive out police officers who act without accountability. drive out government officials and corporate leaders who are insensitive to our pain and struggle. and god, then open the window of hope so we can believe in tomorrow. help us believe in tomorrow. help us not to be encumbered by the burdens of today. we love you. make us whole. we are broken. make us whole. amen. >> amen. [applause] >> while you still have your

hands -- as far back as i can see. grab the hands of your neighbor. hold those hands up. everybody put your hands up. this is interesting. the cameras are still focused here. they should be focused out there. look at the hands. black, white, brown, asian. come on, media. wake up. there they are. nobody is doing nothing wrong. everybody is doing everything right. that is right. we will make you look today. congress may be on vacation, but we will never take a vacation until we get what is right. ladies and gentlemen, a young man who hails from these parts, powered university, isrsity

now mayor of newark, new jersey. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> i can't breathe. >> i can't breathe. >> i can't breathe. >> i can't breathe. >> we said i can't breathe not just because eric garner lost his life senselessly in the streets of new york from an illegal chokehold. we say i can't breathe, because we are being suffocated by a system of jim crow justice in america. a system that allows the murder of trayvon martin to go free. we say we can't breathe because

we are tired of jim crow justice in america. and we are out here today to say that we will fight back. we will stand up. in 1911, miss nelson and her son hung from a bridge in 1911. they say we have come far in america, i say not far enough. in 1955, a man was murdered and dragged from his home and dumped in the tallahassee river. they say we have come far in america, i say not far enough. they say that jim crow is dead in america. and i say eric garner is dead in america. that mike brown is dead in america. there is no justice for people of color and poor people in this country. and until there is justice for

all, there will be justice for none. anywhere there is injustice, it is a threat to justice everywhere in this country where we are. i want to say, that finally, we are not just out here because we want police reform. we're not out here because we want the police to wear cameras. and though we think that will help we are not out here because , we think the police department is the problem. we are out here because there is a systematic and consistent effort to dehumanize and criminalize people of color. that has been going on for decades in america. we are out here because we want we reform in the police

departments, congress, our states. we need reform in our cities, institutions, colleges. we need reform. thatntil america realizes they have to invest in every citizen in this country, it will always be a problem that this country will never have peace, rest, justice, and until all people are treated fairly and equally and treated like human beings. god bless you. keep up the struggle. keep hope alive. keep fighting. keep pushing. >> there were 400 people who came here from ferguson, missouri. 400 folks came from ferguson, missouri. hands up. this all began. hands up.

gentlemen, we are going to -- we want you to understand. everybody is going to have a voice. sharpton,t what al joe madison would do. you have to ask the question, what are you going to do about it. everybody can do something. my next speaker, a young man, , jostle williams, decided he was going to do something. give joshua williams of round of applause. [applause] >> how are you doing? how are you doing? how are you doing? all right. i came all the way to washington, d.c. to support you and us.

the reason why we came appear is we are are tired of being shut down in the streets like dogs. the police have a trigger finger. control the trigger finger when they see a black person in the street. there is no reason why we should walk down the street and look over our shoulders because the police are coming. is no reason why we should get followed around the store because we are black. we should be black in america and be free. watched over like dogs. we are going to stand up to these police officers. we are going to tell them that we are going to put an end to police brutality. you're going to stop beating our kids. i went to jail for five days. five times a week to joe for protesting. every night i got out of jail i was back.

that shows them that i don't care about them. you can lock me up all you want i get oute next day of jail i'm going to be in your face. the next time i get beat and get out of the hospital, i'm going to be back in your face. i was beaten to. too, during the ferguson protest. officers rushed in. they stood at tackling the people. i got beat on the ground. they took me to jail. i checked out and it took me to the hospital. anyways, after the hospital visits, i went right back out there that same night in their face. they did not like it at all. these people you see on the stage, this is my protest family. right here.

you are all my family right here. i wenzhou to put your hands in the air. -- i want you all to put your hands in the air. i want you all to put your hands in the air. the cops do not understand we are surrendering. they took a young man's life. they shop to that man's body. he was about to be in college the next day. he was about to be earning his education. he did not understand that they took -- sun away from her. now she's got this been all the holidays without her sun. they don't understand how hard it is to have a family member taken from you with bullets. so, we need to tell them to stop doing the stuff, man.

we all want to live. --all want to see our kids we all want to see our kids grow up. we all want to see our kids have an education. we want to make it. forget when we go back to ferguson. protest with us. this.m in this with i see a lot of good signs. i can't breathe. murder is illegal. that's nice. i see that. i see that, too. that is nice. no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> i love y'all. i love y'all, man.

>> my name is tony sanders. i'm originally from north carolina, but i have been a washingtonian for 10 years. i want the people out here in the streets. i am one of the organizers who , anddown 395, 14th street shutting down the streets everything will not. i want to tell you why we are outer shutting down the streets. this is not an issue of police brutality tonight. this is a human rights issue. own's human rights were violated. he did not get the rise to a fair trial, due process treaty did not get the rights to be judged by a jury of his peers. we are here fighting human rights tonight. it is not black against white tonight. it is us against the system.

it is us against white supremacy. if you make a mistake of calling , an issue ofghts police brutality, the system will win. what we are doing right now is exactly what the system does not want to see. black faces, white faces, asian faces, hispanic faces, together today. they don't does is united. salsa --othing but a social construct. it is been invented to divide us. with our race to the side. we look at one another as humans. we do not say, hands up, don't shoot in washington, d.c. we say, best up, fight back and washington, d.c.

>> fight back. >> fist up. >> fight back. universal sign of surrender. that is why we don't say. we try to that way. we tried to be nonviolent. we try to throw our hands in the air and say we surrender, but nothing has stopped the killing of black and brown people in america. nothing has stopped it. and so we say, this stuff, fight back. up, fightwe say, this fight back. >> and then she looked at me and said, sorry. i ain't mad at her.

you've got a lot to say. folks, they on the program. president of the how would university student association stopped by to say hello. up.ands >> don't shoot. >> in the three and a half years since i have been at harvard university, we are about troy davis, trayvon martin, eric garner, michael brown, we , anded, we protested we got zero guilty verdicts. all that says is that the system is working for the people that it was meant to work for. that is not how the story ends. the people that you see back here in ferguson have been

protesting for 127 day straight. they were not let the story in the process of the new york are saying, i can't breathe, let the story end. we are here in washington, d.c. by the thousands to say, that this is now the story ends. if they thought this is how the story is going to end, up america better wake up. this is our time. this is our fight. this is our chance to tell america that we are tired of police getting away with murder. america, a black man is 17 times more likely to be killed in a white man. according to the department of justice report, a black man is killed by a white officer twice a week. -- not up here becomes because i am an activist, i am up your because this is personal. tom someone who is not

middle class into comfortable to understand that it could of been my parents there were sitting back here crying over me being in the grave. i'm someone who can't look at those people in their eyes and see the pain and see their grief and not do something about it. i could care less about all the media. i could care less about the press. to i want is for this event not become an annual event. what i have come to realize is that america is really a living, breathing contradiction. this is a country that wrote that all men are created equal, but then in the same document said that people that look like me and you are only worth three this of a person. put is the same country 115,000 japanese in internment

counts in california. we don't like to talk about it, but it happened. people that are commissioned to protect us and service are instead harassing us and killing us. is american as apple pie. has alwayse task been to narrow the disparity between the justice that has been enumerated in theory and the way that justice is continually operated in practice. the question becomes, what next? what we going to do about it? we need real community policeman . i'm not talking about cultural sensitivity policeman. i'm talking about the dude you play basketball with on the court. the girl you went to get your hair done with. we need police to debt programs

that go back into those -- police cadet programs that go back into those high school to get those kids to become police officers. that is community policing. the second thing is, we need accountability for these officers who were acting with impunity. i believe that the president should expand the department of justice to include a division specifically dedicated to deal with cases of police misconduct the result in death. that needs to happen. that is amended to do on his own. he doesn't have to wait for congress. he doesn't have to wait for the house. he can do that on his own. there are things we can legislate, but we alternately can't legislate people's presumptions and stereotypes. what we need is a cultural shift that identifies black lives as equal to any other life in america. , nobodyyou with a quote can give you freedom, nobody can

give you quality or justice or anything. if you are a man, you take it. malcolm x.. >> the next speaker is the director of the national action network from atlanta, georgia. >> hello, everybody. how are you? let me say can everybody give themselves a round of applause. you can, you march, and supported the movement. dr. martin luther king jr. said -- we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. that directly affects us all indirectly. it is the echo of

our young people. without america, our young people are dying in the hands of those two serving protect us. when i looked out into this crowd, and privacy different , genders, affiliations, and organizations. it takes all of us working together to make this change. every millennial standing up against police violence and other atrocities. from the daily human relations -- humiliations and counted with the police, assume the position in chicago, or up against the wall and logan -- in oakland. they make it clear that we are the reason you have no rights. it is our request for justice that we embrace the truth of

america's promise and we must hold america accountable. so, what will we do? we need to use our $1 trillion buying power and support our communities. [applause] in this country today and every day until we see change we will make you uncomfortable. african-american people in this country have been uncomfortable for too long. we will march. we will protest. we'll rally. we will come back to this capital as many times as we have to. another is enough -- enough is enough. what if we come to do? , why have weking come to washington, d.c. congressome to tell that police misconduct and retarded it would lead to legislation. we will tell congress to enact

legislation that addresses the jurisdictional threshold regarding the department of justice. today, we come to dz to tell congress to do their job. thank you. no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> thank you very much. >> i made a mistake and said that congress was on vacation, but that is not all of congress. some folks decided they were going to stay. i have a congressman from houston, texas. ladies and gentlemen, congressman al. >> let me start by complement the convenernding of this great march. i believe that when a person takes the initiative to a copper

something for others, that person ought to be recognized. i ask that you now kindly recognize and show some love to the honorable al sharpton. the leader. the man of courage who convened us today. let's show him some love. let's hear it for him. [applause] who question why we are here. i want to let them know that we are here for the same reasons that the pilgrims came to plymouth rock. we are here for the same reasons that people through tea into the boston harbor. we are here for the same reasons tractors to got on traverse the country and bring their complaints to congress big we are here for the same reason that rosa parks took a seat on a

bus and a racist southern town could we are here for the same reason that dr. king march from, to montgomery. here because we refuse to accept injustice. that is why we are here. that we ando know congress who are members of the congressional black caucus have heard your cry. legislation.ding you are demanding that we take up the duty that you have given to us when you elected us to congress. i want you to know that the honorable marcia fudge has made it clear that we will take up legislation to bring about change in the way policing takes place in this country. [applause] we have bobby scott, who has

just not the piece of legislation through congress that will again require the reporting of death at the hands , thee constabulary do police. we want to make sure congress gets an annual report on what is happening. that is not enough. pendinghave legislation , which will require body across on peace officers the length and breadth of the country, because we understand that although body cameras don't make all the difference, it will make a difference when we can see what happened to people like garner.rte without the camera, he would be like michael brown. pass legislation for body cameras. not enough.

we must give the justice department the additional authority so that it can investigate every one of these questionable shootings. we must take it to the federal government so that we can get a greater degree of transparency. that is not enough. takely, it's going to people like me saying to young people that we are not here to lead you. we are not here to be in your way. we are here to get out of your way so that you can continue the movement that started before we all came to this podium. that theu to know congressional black caucus will do its part. i promise you that we will take up the legislation that you bring to our attention, regardless of who you are, where you are from. we believe that this movement

has to continue. it started before i was born, and we wanted to in before we die. got bless you. thank you. >> for those of you who think onlythe next speaker showed when he got a tv called politics nation, let me give you just a brief sketch. he is a preacher. , long inong time ago this business, many civil rights marches. when called upon, he answers. we all answered. you answered good ladies and gentlemen, the reverend al sharpton. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice.

>> no peace. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice. >> note these. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> all right. we are here today because we nation deal with the fact that just like 50 years states had taken a rightsn to rob the human and civil rights of citizens with states rights rejected laws. this empowered federal law.

we have seen in ferguson, missouri. we have seen in staten island. s havestate grand jury suspended the right of due process. to call onwashington this congress and national government to do what was done before. we need national legislation and intervention to save us from state grand jury's that say it's our right to choke people, even on tape. and you won't bring them to court. right to have prosecutors, have private themes, and if we question , we are starting trouble. we did not shoot anybody.

we did not choke anybody. asdon't come to washington shooters and chokers. we come as the shot and the choke to as few to deal with american citizens who can't brief and their own communities. -- who can't breathe in their own communities. look at these thousands of people, black, white, young, old. this is what america looks like. i stood in the city and was inspired when i saw black man put his hand on the bible and become president. i have also been inspired today when i see young white kids old enough -- holding of signs that say, black lives matter.

i know the media won't show that. hadow they will say we only 500, but i don't care how much you try to distort it. united will never be defeated. castigate the leaders. you can try to divide us by generations. you do not understand my -- itst daughter ashley says, you may bury yes, but you did not know you were bearing seeds. yes, we sprout up and start blocking traffic. our seeds grow into civil

disobedience. our seeds go into nonviolence. we will grow stronger and last longer. this congress, we are here for three things. one, we need a law on judicial thresholds. high fore threshold so you to protect citizens? not saying all police are bad. we are not saying most are bad. we are not anti-police. we are anti-brutality. must havel government a threshold to protect that. second, the justice department must have a division funded to deal with this. sadly, we must have the power of

special prosecutors, not the local prosecutors. those that work together every day and depend on each other to do their work to non-conflicted inquiry of each other. was led by they victims. they say you don't speak for nobody yet. when we come marching, thousands come. they get other people to denounces. this is about the victims. we don't all agree with each other. we don't all have the same tactics. ,ut we have the same goals equal protection under the law.

and that is not blacks against whites, is right against wrong. that is why whites and blacks are here together, showing the world that this is not a black march or white march. this is an american march for the rights of american people. [applause] let me say that there are those as the what wet says is unreasonable to what is unreasonable about asking for court cases? abouts unreasonable asking for due process? what is unreasonable about asking for the constitutional -- constitution to work for everybody question mark what is unreasonable about saying that and eric garner

had rights, too. what a lot of people don't understand is that just like policeman have the right to get unions and others to defend them , citizens have the right to get civil rights and human rights organizations to stand behind them. you thought it would be kept quiet. you thought you'd sweep it under the rug. you thought there would be no limelight. we are going to keep the light on michael brown, under gardener -- eric garner. way you makenly roaches run is you got to cut the light off -- on.

-- i don't have the words that others may have. i don't have the polish that civil rights leaders before me had. i don't have the understanding of law that some of my brothers and sisters have. me,some of you may be like you, the rough side of the mountain. side,ou come up the rough sometimes you might get scarred. you might get a little mud underclothes, but i come to washington anyhow. , andave me a little light i am going to let it shine. [applause] i am going to shine on michael brown. i'm going to shine on eric garner. god gave me my light.

let it shine. let it shine. let it shine. [applause] >> i want to bring to the stage before we bring our closing speaker. i know it's cold. some of you wrote all night long. some of you have a long ride home. but we want to stand together. -- me ring to the platform and fathermother and family of michael brown junior from ferguson, missouri. michael brown sr. [applause] , on.

come on. where is the mother and father of michael brown junior. ? garner.er of eric of eric garner and her children. junior. a 12-year-oldir boy shutdown include, ohio. we are standing with them.

john crawford, also shot with a toy gun in ohio. mother theresa is here. father john crawford is here. the families here. -- the family is here. >> ease right here. -- he is right here. >> where is the family? his -- this is his partner and mother of his child, both of them came to stand up for him.

>> they were writing in the new york tabloids that she was not here. she's here. >> we are joined -- and we are joined by the mother who has -- the mother of trayvon martin. mother of --. now i want -- and were going to bring my partners to the stage, the national president of the national urban league.

.he president of the naacp of national black civic participation. -- thenhe families we're going to move and let the others speak. this is not a revival to we will not be her all night. -- this is not a revival. we will not be her all night. here alll not be night. i want to thank all of you that said you and got to call my name, but you are here.

who is see my home boy --ting his around the world the legendary filmmaker spike lee in the house. tobrought his daughter march. do the right thing. [laughter] do the right thing. gresham. thank george randi weingarten. i want to thank all of our partners that made this possible. -- i wantl, i want to congress to know we are serious.

it was the wednesday before last that the grand jury came back. we will be back. over and over again. [applause] let the congress the where about the three things we raised. when you get a ring ding on christmas, it might not be santa. it might be reverend al coming to your house. first -- e >> how are you doing? all the way from st. louis, the brown family. our respect.

man, you kept us alive. we love you. we really do. .he mother sister >> hey, washington. thank you. wow. what a sea of people. , i don'ton't see this know what we have got to do. thank you for having my back. [applause] >> hands up, don't shoot.

>> hands up, don't shoot great >> hands up, don't shoot. >> hands up, don't shoot. >> hands up, don't shoot. up, don't shoot. >> hands up, don't shoot. >> hands up, don't shoot. mothers start with the of eric garner. >> good afternoon it, everyone. overwhelming to see all of you have something to stand with us today. i mean, look at the masses. black, white, all races, all religions. just a great moment. this is a history making moment. and you know we need to stand like this at all times.

sun -- he mayur not be here in body, but they are here with us in each and every one of you. you all brought them here today. and i thank you. i thank you so much. haven'tyou, we would empty podium, ok? we just love y'all so much. said, we willal come here as many times as it takes. we will come here over and over and over again. but the next time we come, we -- we want to come for a celebration. not an assassination. again, we thank all of you.

we hope they hear our voices. you are helping us have our voices heard. hopewe go home today, we that they have heard our voices, they yield to our commands, because no justice, no peace. thank you, everybody. the wife of eric garner. >> hello, everybody. each and every one of y'all for coming out here. like i said in the beginning, my husband was a quiet man. his voice will be heard. i have five children in this world, and we are all fighting .or everybody, not just for him for everybody's future.

for everybody's past. for everybody's present. it strong.make i want to hear everybody in unison say, i can't breathe. >> i can't breathe. >> -- everybody who just supported us and, you know, my father, he was a great man. the way that the media has per trade him to be, he was not that man. he was a family man. he loves his kids. he did anything for his kids. and about is all i want to say. thank you for the support. and, i can't breathe.

>> amen. >> i can't breathe. >> the mother of tamir rice. who has come from cleveland. just yesterday the autopsy was released. but with her heart in pain, she wanted to stand with the people today. give a big hand. [applause] >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> we are all family here, right? i just want to thank everybody for coming out. for all of your support. and across this nation, we will get justice for our children.

believe that. said,everend al sharpton the autopsy came out. ok.t's >> so, -- the autopsy came out. my son's death was ruled as a homicide, like everyone should know. and, with that being said, let that officer get arrested, and bring him in front of a criminal -- criminal jury -- so he can get the opportunity to prove his innocence. and we can prove our justice. my son was 12 years old. just a baby. a baby. my baby.

the youngest out of four. and he is here with me right now. and this is what he would want me to do. i want to thank the nation, and the world for their support. because that's only way i'm standing up right now. that's the only way. [cheering] and for everybody who doesn't know, i'm a mother -- i keep my kids away from toy guns, water guns, bb guns -- because, boys , boys of all color, they like those types of things. you know? they just like those types of things. and, you know -- 12 years old -- had a promising future. a promising future.

may god bless this nation, all the families, we share the same pain. all of the mothers across the world that have had police shooting for the sons. -- for their sons. hands up, don't shoot. i can't breathe. >> i can't breathe. >> we got your back. >> please don't shoot. i want to grow up, too. thank you. you are family. >> give her a hand. [applause] the family of john crawford the father who lost his son. to a toy gun in ohio.

i am a john h crawford junior -- >> i am john h crawford junior .ea slain johnher of the crawford iii, who was murdered in august in the largest retail store in the world. in walmart. let me say the name. walmart. where most of america spends the money. even myself at one time, but that is no more. i am here today to support the rest of these families in the

is wall of shame. i'm here today to let everyone know my son's name will be vindicated. i worked under the system often -- off and on for almost 20 years -- under the criminal justice umbrella. never before have i been so ashamed. that the same system under which i carry out my duties, is the same system that i'm saving an that i'm receiving injustice from, the same system that we all are receiving injustice from. i would like to let everyone know to please stay focused. don't forget the name john crawford iii. don't forget the name walmart. associate the name with the place. he was not killed at a department store. he was not killed on the street. he was killed at the biggest retailer in the world. and we did not get even one

condolence. walmart was under no prohibitions whatsoever to not the footage when he was murdered, but did they do so? absolutely not. did we get an i'm sorry? absolutely not. shame on you. shame on you walmart. shame on the walton family. but i tell you, please stay focused. on what is going on, really. what's going on is simply, we have prosecutors who are not prosecuting. we have prosecutors who are not prosecutors. -- prosecuting. these cases -- most of which, are what we call cases, open and shut.

these should not even make it to the federal level, let's be frank about it, they should be handled at the state level. the attorney general can handle most of these cases. so let's please, stay focused. on that. we need for you to continue to apply pressure where pressure is needed. when we have people in office not doing their job, that is the biggest injustices that we can have. when you do not have an agenda in congress -- it's almost from the inside that works the way to the outside. when you do not have balance on the inside, you will not have balance on outside. so we need more people -- we need more people -- we need a more diverse community within congress to make things happen. i'm going to close it by

just saying that we thank you. do not forget my son's name. and they all will be vindicated. thank you much. [applause] >> how are you doing? i'm the brother of taril junior. a lot of you may not know who he is. but they never, st. louis never wanted the nation to know about this story. they shot my brother 21 times -- with his hands up -- standing over him with 18 of those bullets. full of holes in the sound from was a list of his back. -- timothy ground for how his back. -- bullet holes in the ground from when they went through his back.

since the day he died, i have been determined to get his story out there. this broke my mama, aand my daddy down. i'm going to keep on fighting. i'm going to fight with these families -- all the families -- so we will get justice for him. i want you to remember his name. the prosecutor in st. louis did not indict the officer after six months of so-called investigation. we are taking it to a higher investigation. they keep wanting us to accept a civil suit. we don't want that. we want indictment. send them to jail. i love all of you. >> just under a month ago, in a public housing in brooklyn, new york, the pink houses, a young man was killed, named gurley. we the national action network responded to his partner.

he has a two-year-old child that she will have to explain where -- what happened to their daddy. disputestrying to get going, and she said, i do not care about disputes. i want justice for my baby and for my partner who i bared this child with. ode down here with the baby to stand up in the nation's capital for him. give them a hand. kimberly. [applause] >> i think everyone for the -- thank everybody for the support. we really appreciate it. he was killed for no reason, walking down the stairs. on his way home. all i really need right now is justice.

how do i explain to my two-year-old that daddy is not coming home. as we yelled "justice for akail gurley, i'm calling for justice for others as well. thank you all for the support. >> keep the spirit alive. unity, education. united we stand. >> united we fall. >> alright. we have this man that many of you saw -- he pulled into a gas station in south carolina, and for no reason a state trooper shot him, and he said why did you shoot me? he is in washington today with us, saying: hands up, don't shoot. hands up. >> don't shoot. >> hands up. >> don't shoot.

>> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> our family taught us that the race was not given to the swift or the strong, but to the one who endures until the end. america, i hope you are listening. i hope you are watching. it seemed like we were in a race to get somewhere. and the spot was not this stage. i do not think so. we are in a race to get to justice. no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> the officer in this case was terminated. the officer in this case was charged. the officer in this case was arrested. and we're waiting for justice --

a grand juryg for indictment. in the future is yet to come. -- and the future is yet to come. >> thank you. i would like to thank everybody for coming out, and putting themselves into something bigger than themselves. on september 4, my life changed. god showed me that there is a reason for me to be here. not just as a black man, but as a human being. all right? all of you out here, when you leave here, don't let it end here. ok? can i see the hands of black men here that whenever they get pulled over by the police they automatically get nervous? no, no, no, no, no, no.

i know we have the supporters of all kinds are here so how many of white or caucasian supporters out here get nervous when they are pulled over by police officers? ok. right now, we know what the problem is here. we know the problem is. -- we know what the problem is. we are being targeted. ok. the only way we're going to get somewhere is if we work together -- and if we don't stop. as soon as you stop it is that. -- dead. as soon as you stop, it is dead. all right? god -- i think god -- i thank god every day that i'm here. god every day that i'm here. i believe in this movement. i believe there will be change

in america -- from coast-to-coast, all 50 states, even in alaska. right now, this is our team. we got to work together and stay in touch. our social network so we can communicate with each other. if you meet someone out here, exchange cards, figure out how to make this network work in your community. when you come to south carolina, i would like to see every phase out here, so we can all lift our hands when we get a conviction. we're going to stay active. i would like to thank everybody for being here. thank you for your support. >> give him a hand. [applause] 1999, young man shot dead, 41 bullets, in the bronx, new york. his mother came and stood for him. she is still standing for him and others.

the mother of i'm a dutiable -- the mother. [applause] >> no justice. >> no peace >> what do we want? >> justice. >> when we wanted? -- do we want it? >> now. >> we have been there so many times. it has been 16 years. reverend sharpton, thank you for your leadership. you have been fighting all your life for righteousness and justice. you fought for my son, you fought for sean bell, you fought for ingram, you fought for -- and the list goes on. why are we here today? let me tell you something.

i know in 2000 when the white -- four white officers were acquitted of killing my son of all charges, i thought the world was ending. we had then a conversation that we began in this country. i want to lift this one up and show the world. the cover of the "time" magazine. what did we say then? we said cops, brutality and race. and today, 16 years later, we are standing still and demanding the same thing. just think about that for a moment. think about all these young children who were taken away from us.

b faith and humanity behind the headlines. -- the phase and humanity behind the headlines. my son's wallet looked like a gun. when sean bell went out to celebrate the best time of his life, for his wedding, he looked suspicious. thought the 41 bullets shot at my son were so much, but with sean bell, 50 bullets. i went to the hospital to see the survivors of that brutality and violence from police guns. i went and saw them chained on the bed. and i cried. nobody can imagine the trauma. in that for me.

because i was seeing this young man, for no reason, being gunned down and he came out of it. my son never lived through that. he didn't stand a chance. i'm here today to support the eric garner family, michael family,mily, tamir rice and the young man killed in brooklyn. in the end, we all have to ask the same question. why do our sons look suspicious? sons areeach time our gunned down, are they stereotyped and portrayed? why? leslie's son was supposed to go to college, but in the news, you see something else. trayvon martin went out to get something to drink. but in the news, it's something else. time and time again, we are going through the same history. i relive my tragedy every time.

but i tell you, as long as i have a bone in my body, i will not fail my son. i promise him i'm going to fight -- stand for him and speak for him because he is no longer there to speak for himself. this is something we demand. we paid a horrible price to be here. [indiscernible] that eric garner was killed. i am so sorry for that. michael brown, i'm sorry that it has to end like this. but this is not the end because of the sea of people who said we

-- who stood up and said we need justice. we cannot close the book. we have to carry on until justice for all, equal justice for all the victims. despite where you are coming from. whether sean bell or leslie work or gwen, we are all here. please do not forget us. don't forget that our sons died. so that we can open up the book and review what is happening, so that we can open up conversation around the nation, so that we can start building communities, community relations, and finally, when that happens, when we have strong laws, good cops

policing our neighborhoods, then we can heal because we want to heal. we need healing, america. thank you. god bless you. [applause] >> we must here and we -- must hear and are going to hear from our partners in leadership. but we must hear from the mother who has symbolized the challenge of our time. the mother of trayvon martin. sabrina fulton. [applause] >> we love you! >> first of all, i love you guys, too. from my family to your family, from all of these families up here, you guys mean the world to us. and if we don't know how to

express it all the time, we can -- if we can't touch you all the time and take pictures all the time, just know that our hearts and our minds are with you. we have a few things to talk about. since i have the mic. first thing, this guy right here to my left. reverend sharpton, where would we be without him? [applause] people don't quite get it. they don't quite understand. they want to talk about we are not together. look around. >> amen. >> look around. take a look around. we are together. we are united. we are standing and we are going to fight this fight, together.

together. it hurts me to my heart to know that so many men are getting away with shooting and killing our young people. and not being held accountable for it. but i truly believe by us being here together and united that god sits high and looks low and the light is absolutely shining on what's going on. this is not something new that just started. this is something that has been happening. this is something that has been going on. it is just that some folks just woke up. some folks just woke up and realized, hey, this race of people is being treated a little differently.

we want to make sure we not only are talking to ourselves and our own groups and organizations, but we have to make sure they understand what we are going through. because some people don't quite get it. don't preach to the choir. because they get it, they understand. i don't have to tell one single african-american about racial profiling because you guys know. so what i challenge you to do is talk to somebody that does not know. talk to somebody and make somebody else knowledgeable and make somebody else aware and educate somebody else about what you are going through. because as long as we stay to ourselves, we are going to stay in our same circle.

and we have to get out of the circle and make positive change. the last thing i want to say is, don't just come to the rally and then go home. the numbers look nice and look good. you guys look good out there. and we are very proud to stand here. but it cannot stop here. i want to challenge you to also commit yourselves with a nonprofit organization, somebody that has purpose and meaning. something that -- an organization that supports the same ideas that you have and the same goals you have. we are going to fight this together. god bless you all. thank you. [applause] >> sabrina fulton. give her a hand. [applause] thank the families as they step down.

i want to thank the black eagle, that is hosting us at our request. and then he will bring on the national bar association and brooks,book -- brother who co-convened this. judge mathis is in the house. we will hear from the judge. and then reverend jamaal ryan will send us home. hold on. don't leave us. hold your bus. totally the luster not charge over time. -- tell the boss to not charge over time. >> i have the pleasure of introducing one more family member. the daughter of eric garner.

where is she? are you here? please, ladies and gentlemen, thank you. >> i just want to start by thanking everyone for coming out and supporting our families. [indiscernible] >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> i just wanted to stop by and take my new family on the stage. -- think my new family on the stage. i joined a national action network after the march in staten island. i go every sunday and monday to

the house of justice to figure out what i can do to make the policing better in our communities. i have come up with a list -- i can't find it right now but -- i have it. i came up with a few pointers i want to outline so that we can work together to get these policies enforced. public protests are important because we all have to come out and get our voices heard. and if we don't make our voices heard, they won't listen. so we have to make them listen. we have to go out there and protest together, peacefully. today was so peaceful, i cried the whole way from down pennsylvania avenue until i was right here. all the love and support being given. we have to learn how to speak to each other. if you don't know somebody and they are going through something, give them a hug. go to a young person and tell

them, you don't have to riot and lived and flip cars. that is not what my father did. he wanted young men to take care of their kids. my father took care of his kids until his last dying breath. when he said, i can't breathe, he is saying, i can't feed my family. hands. >> don't shoot. >> i can't breathe. i can't breathe. i can't breathe. if there is no justice? >> no peace! >> no justice? >> no peace! >> thank you all for coming out and supporting me. [applause] >> let's bring now -- and we're near the end with our speakers. i have judge mathis here, spike lee is here, the naacp is the urban league. we know it's cold and just cuddle up and warm up and we're going to get it right and

everybody, archie elliot, 14 times they shot him in prince george's county. ladies and gentlemen, bringing to the podium now, melanie campbell, president of the national coalition on black civic participation. >> no justice! >> no peace! >> no justice! >> no peace! >> i can't breathe! >> i can't breathe! >> we can't breathe! >> we can't breathe! >> black lives matter! >> black lives matter! >> all lives matter! >> all lives matter! >> i want to thank reverend sharpton for your leadership and your leaf time commitment to justice -- your lifetime commitment to justice for all people, for our people. you have been there for the families of the victims of police killings and brutalities for decades. i'm going to age myself, but i can remember way back in the

1990's you were there for the family of philip pinel from englewood, new jersey. any new jerseyans in the house? [cheering] he was killed unjustly by police. you have always been there for our community. when the cameras were off more times than when the cameras were on. you are our go-to guy. you fight to the end and we love you. i want you to repeat after me. we love you, reverend sharpton! we love you right now! all i want to say, when we stand here today we can look behind and we can see the congress. you see that white building back there? we are here today with all the families representing the black vote. we're here to pledge to our families to stand in solidarity with you until justice is

served. we need congress to do their job. president obama, attorney general eric holder, they're doing their jobs. but they can't do it alone from a federal level. we need congress to act. there needs to be an end to police brutality and excessive force. i have two brothers standing before me, reverend tony lee and my brother sherman justice who spoke earlier to close us out. thank you. i love you. tony? >> i've come today to tell you that we have to call this united states of america into a sense of repentance. you've got to understand the word says that what does the lord require of you but to do justly and love mercy and walk humbley with your god. we have got to call this nation not just to talk justice but to

do justice, not just to act justice but to do justice, not just to fake justice but to do justice. and if it won't do justice, we'll shut this sucker down. is there anybody here who says this nation will do justice so we cannot stop until justice rules. no justice? >> no peace! >> no justice? >> no peace! >> all right. we're rolling on, ladies and gentlemen. please, now, welcome the head of the national urban league, my main man, mark morial. >> no justice? >> no peace. >> no justice? >> no peace. >> i want to thank reverend sharpton and the entire team of the national action network but also thank the labor organizations, civil rights organizations, the young people, a big round of

applause, the young people who stood up. this day has been a day when some will ask why do we march? we march because of trayvon martin, eric garner, michael brown, tamir rice, john crawford, lavar jones, and marlene pinak. we also march today for the many people not named today who have been victims of pleas violence across the nation. we march today because it is our right as americans.

we march today because we are united, black and white and brown and asian. we are united, young and old. we are united to say, it is time for change. we want justice and we want it now. a generation ago, or many generations ago, the death of emmitt till, the bombing of the four girls in birmingham in the 16th street baptist church, the death of schwerner, goodman, and cheney, young people down in mississippi gone to help people register to vote, awakened the conscience of a nation. that awakening spurred a people's movement of unprecedented proportions, and that people's movement knocked down the walls

of segregation, passed a civil rights act of 1964, and the voting rights act of 1965. i am outraged by the grand jury decisions in ferguson and staten island but i'm even more outraged by the -- and that is why -- that is why this movement cannot be a movement without objectives. so i want to just share with you 10 action steps for police reform and police accountability that each of you must bring back to your local community and we will advocate for in all 50 states of the nation. number one, we want widespread use of body cameras and dash board cameras in every police department in this nation.

we want an end to broken windows, police strategies, and the implementation of 21st century community policing strategies. we want a uniform, deadly force policy that's transparent and understood by all police departments across the nation. we want all police officers to be comprehensively retrained to learn how community policing should work to develop relationships between police and the communities they serve. we want, where appropriate, special prosecutors to be appointed to investigate police misconduct, because the relationship between local police and local prosecutors is too close for them to always be fair and impartial.

we want the f.b.i. to create a clear and transparent reporting system for lethal force incidents involving all law enforcement anywhere in the nation. and we want a national data base of citizens complaints against the police. we also want a national police accreditation system, which for those departments that don't meet this accreditation, they are ineligible to receive federal dollars. we want -- we want this congress -- this congress that meets behind us to pass a national antiracial profiling law. no one based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, or gender or gender orientation should be profiled

by the police. so we've come today to rally, we've come today to stand with these families. brothers and sisters, we've come because today is a beginning, a new beginning for justice in this nation. no justice? >> no peace. >> no justice? >> no peace. >> the next speaker is the new president of the naacp. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> no justice. >> no peace. , we leftle while ago

stones on a plaza marching towards polished -- the polished marble of the u.s. capitol. over a mile,little we marched together. jew and gentile, black and white, catholic and protestant, gay and straight, latino and asian. when we march together, we the people marched together. the distance between these two points is a measure of determination. it is a measure of our commitment. it is a measure of our resolve because we believe all lives matter. every child matters.

every citizen matters. all of our children matter [applause] we have been asked a question. why march? why us? march because when we see our children go out day in and day we march because when you have one out of every men african-american young being mistreated at the hands of the police at any given month, we march. we march when african-american men are 21 more times likely to

lose their lives at the hands of police. inmarch because we believe our children. we care for our children. yes, we will protect our children. you asked, why march? from michael brown's hometown to the hometown of governor jay nixon, 134 miles across missouri, we marched. we marched because all of our children matter. we marched, and we will yet march again. when you ask, why do we march? i answer in the words of the civil rights leader from the said, we willho march until hell freezes over. we will march on

the ice. [applause] why us? it is not your children being profiled. it's not your children born suspect. you that if to you've ever held a child in your arms, if you've ever held a baby in your arms, you know that that child's name is not democrat or republican. called by theot name of the urban league or naacp. that child's name is known by god, and every child matters.

we march together because we care about our children. when i came to the naacp, my youngest son was the same age as emmett till when he was killed, 14 years of age, and my older thewas 17 years of age, same age as trayvon martin when he was killed. i march because of my children. we march because of our children. we stand together because of our children. afternoon, you this as we march, let us be mindful of that great hymn of freedom. lift every voice and sang. ring with the harmonies of liberty. let our rejoicing rise high as the lifting sky.

let it resound loud as the rolling sea. sing a song. sing a song full of the hope that the president has brought us. let us march on. let us march on. let us march on. on till victory is won. one for every child. one for every member of this republic. let us march for our children. [applause] upi am going to now bring the legal arm of this demonstration. three of the baddest folks that ever worked to the bar. ladies and gentlemen, first, you know him as the judge, judge greg mathis. [applause] reverend sharpton, the family of our fallen boys who are

changing this world, and you all here today, very quickly, i want to comment on what justice looks like or what it should look like. justice should look like federal intervention with federal and state legislation amending the laws on secret grand jury's. we want grand juries to be open and transparent. justice should look like using the police data that we gather around the country, the same police oversight. theant justice to look like police and our community touching us and loving us. to love us is to be a part of us. we want justice to look like

choosing employment and education for our black youth rather than last incarceration -- mass incarceration. we want justice to look like the stopping of guns and drugs being dumped in our communities for our young people to kill themselves with. finally, we want justice to look likeyou, like me, like he, she, like they. we want justice to look like all of us so that we can get equal protection under the law. god bless. stay strong. we love you. >> reverend sharpton once said, i wish johnny cochran was alive.

he's not. attorney crump is the attorney of our generation. darren park is the attorney of our generation. mike brown, trayvon martin, and tamir rice -- ladies and gentlemen, the attorneys of our generation. >> when trayvon martin's killer profiled, pursued, and shot him in the heart, we said that was bad. was when oure criminal justice system profiled trayvon martin while he was laying on the ground.

[indiscernible] didn't they profile us all? for thele who came out killer of an unarmed teenager theyg dead on the ground, called them supporters, and when all of you cannot for the black teenager laying dead on the ground, they called us protesters. when the people came out for the police officer, they got police protection. when we came up on michael brown junior, we got police enforcement. --thers and sisters, [indiscernible]

you know, they demonize our children. they profiled trayvon, and they demonized trayvon, 17 years old. michael brown, they profiled and demonized michael brown. 18 years old. brothers and sisters, now we come to tamir rice. ohio.rs old, cleveland, are they going to demonize and profile this face? it don't matter what they say about our children. we believe in our children. we love our children. are going to continue to speak up for our children. children.ur

we are going to stand up for our children here on the nation's capital and in every courtroom in america. brothers and sisters, without -- ado, i want to introduce our president of our national bar association, the largest association of lawyers of color, who are going to make sure we get due process in missouri, staten island, cleveland ohio, and your neighborhood wherever you are from. we are going to represent. people got water hoses turned on them. we can be safe and go make a lot of money.

those sacrifices for us to represent our people. give it up for our president. >> who said an african-american lawyer is either a social engineer or a parasite? reverend al sharpton, families of america, i came to let you know that the lawyers of the areonal bar association social engineers. we are not parasites. we should ensure that not another black brother or sister is laying dead in the streets.

them, when we have lawyers and when we have police officers that escalate force in communities in white communities like they do it in the black communities, we will stop speaking out. when another brother in a fights with a police officer, tries to take his gun three times, but he's white and he lives, i say, give me the police officer. when they apprehend a brother like they did the white boy that walked into a theater and shot --14 people

[indiscernible] when they apprehend a brother similar to the man that went in for people and a , they didn't shoot him down. they called him down. when they start doing that in the black community, we will start -- stop telling them our system is broken. association,al bar we are going to tell you as legal scholars the system is broken. some of y'all say, take it back to the grand jury. as a great scholar, i'm going to tell you, i don't go back to something that is broken. i fixed that which is broken. implement state laws that say, health much -- must be

care infrastructure. when an officer sees a demon in somebody, there is something wrong with that brother. there must be diversity training not at the start, but in the middle, the middle, and at the end. most of y'all were surprised that there was -- [indiscernible] black lawyers, we were not. we understood that in 1982, the if the court said opposite or felt his life is in jeopardy he could elevate force to the level that he deems reasonable.

we call that the law of capricious standards. , put someing definition to excessive force. put some definition to what it means to elevate force, and then train your officers did the escalate force and of escalating force in black communities. you get a little sensitive when we paint you with a brush that says, all caps are bad. i challenge you to stop painting us with a brush that says all black people are bad. we want you to make it a felony --

[indiscernible] crime if i go in a store with a brother, and i know nothing about him. you call that felony murder. i say, you should go to jail with him. [applause] [indiscernible] we are social engineers. >> warmed this crowd up.

we were supposed to have a performance. becausetime factor c-span and other networks are going to close out, and we just want to say thank you for coming out. stacy francis of the x factor, thank you so much for being here. give her a round of applause. she is here, folks. that is the most important thing. hold on a second. bring the president of voters latino, maria teresa kumar. [applause] >>