and he wrote you the guy up and seized the taser and immediately, as you would expect, he was we don't deal with you. i was the only person who showed up. him and his dad were the only two people who showed up in support of him. every other officer in the union was aligned against him. how dare he stop him from -- stop him from threatening this suspect and ruin his good name. incidents like that, i cannot impress upon you enough. these are not isolated. these are part of the daily lived experience and the collective experience of black people all over this country. 15 years out of your

experience in the st. louis police department. i have a picture from demonstrators who are reacting after learning about the police officer who shot michael brown would not face charges outside of the police station in ferguson missouri. this is just about a year ago on november 24. 15 years out of being out of the police force, what was your reaction when you heard officer darren wilson would not be charged for michael brown's death? redditt: disappointed and not surprised. i knew whose hands the case was in. it was clear early on that he was going to do everything he holding darren wilson accountable. i was not surprised, nor was i surprised by the reaction of the community. me show you something to give you a sense of the community. when you see those young people turn up, here is what they

believed. here is that their parents have lived. i gave a know your rights workshop about four months ago in st. louis, during which at the end of it a gentleman, mid-50's, early 60's stood up and said when i was coming up as officerman, a police saw me moving furniture out of an apartment and came to question me about it. it, but was stealing no, he was moving from one apartment to another apartment. it was a white officer. .e explained that he was moving later that same day, in the evening, that same officer had in the mud with a shotgun at his head. he accused him of stealing, and saying he was taking things from an apartment. same officer. ago inok place 30 years the town where mike brown lived.

imagine the accumulated experience and history of the people in that community. i told you, weas had credible witnesses that contradicted darren's story, which he got together. he was never sent to trial, and nobody ever got a chance to hear an incredible testimony against the version of facts that darren wilson presented. ,ven if you accept his version as an officer, if i'm using deadly force against you because i am threatened, why did you fire any shots at michael brown while he was running away from you? m i a threat to you now -- am i a threat to you now? threat?eat -- and i a

you retain your weapon. he did not get it, so he has nothing. it should have gone to trial. in addition to your work with looking at police behavior, you have also done some research on human rights abuses in particularly the st. louis city jails with aclu. the released the report, "suffering in silence", which is available online. what has changed since then? not much. and initially the city was in complete denial. we were told we had an agenda, and none of that was true. everything in the report was proven to be true, and then some . they are facing a number of lawsuits now based on the kinds of behavior we described in the

report. systemic change is very difficult. you have to have people in the system who acknowledged the problem and work to change it. we have not seen that. they are facing lawsuits as we speak. what ie trying, from understand in recent months, to make some changes inside the system, but it is very difficult. the prison system in america is what it is. rapid abuse, rapid human rights abuse. we as a society, even if we do not believe it, we tacitly accept the idea that the moment youcrash -- the moment cross the threshold of a prison your human rights are suspended, which is particularly ironic in jail settings where you are being in many cases held over for joe -- over for trial. innocent until proven guilty still.

if you have medication and you beingcarcerated and it is denied you, that is a problem. we found all of those things when we did that report. i am glad we were able to shed some light on it, but i know that is widespread. take more work, and it will take the commitment of us collectively to come to a place where we understand the value of living up to our stated ideals. i think the questions that i have for my students -- as part of the dears, there is a class associated with this. my 25 students ask questions, they do research on the speakers, and many of them are concerned and interested about these body camera's. sophia and tony are asking, are body camera's and efficient solution? is there something else that should be done to hold police officers accountable. redditt: i think body camera's

are a great part of solving the issues that we have with police abuse. the issue is accountability, of course. with the body camera's you can rest assured there will be a fight all the way through that process to the point where we are uniformly and consistently used by the majority of police departments. many departments right now are accepting the idea that the body camera's are a good idea. they provide is an objective record, but at the same time, they are trying to limit the theic's eye ferris that's public access to the footage that the body camera produces. they want to hold it before it is released. that is ridiculous, and i do not think there is enough trust in this relationship for anybody to become to double with the idea of a police department having sole access and custody of video footage gain from an officer's camera who may be under

investigation for some potentially criminal act. it is the fox guarding the hen house. think empowered civilian review oversight is something that should be in play , although i have not seen very many models nationally that i would describe as wildly successful, usually because they lack the kind of authority and autonomy that would make them effective in the role of oversight of a police department . the argument there for a police department is that civilians do not understand what we do. you do not understand our process and you do not understand what it is like to make split-second decisions. do not ever discount common and the value of explanation. if you can tell me why you did what you did well and i can look at what you did, i can still make a good decision about which side is right or wrong. i want to hand over the

questions to our audience in just a minute, but we had a pretty exciting day on campus. we have a new president of the university as of today. redditt: he couldn't come to this? today, in addition to all the pop and circumstance surrounding our new president, it seems that ud and other campuses had the national campus blackout, standing in solidarity with students of color. it has been largely motivated in light of recent events at the university of missouri. you live in misery. misery --e in missouri. redditt: it is a long history in misery. -- missouri.

know whoe people i attended the university, people who were older. they were all talking about what happened when they were there, and how it lined up with what is going on now. collectively very proud of what the young people at the university of missouri were able to do under these circumstances, and we think it has implications nationally only atthe issue is not that university. there is no state university in the country that does not face that kind of issue on some level from coast to coast. i think what students can do is what they are doing already, which is get involved. a beautiful synthesis of like-minded students from all backgrounds. it is black students, but it is white students, hispanic students, you have international students coming together to say that we want a world and we won

a country where we are all equally valued and respected, our dignity, our lives, our futures, and we will work together to create that, in spite of this nation's history and in spite of the powers of play who would fight against these young people to sustain the system that has put us in the position we are in now. host: before i handed over to -- i think weions will get microphones set up so people can ask questions, but do you have any strategies and find that can kick off these -- strategies in mind that can kick off these changes? what are some real practical things that can happen now? redditt: there are two. i do not believe in these broad programs. , and they dovetail nicely. the one is on me and us and those who are in the system.

i am a firm believer in the fact significant part of the change that we want to see has to come from inside the system. the people in the system have the most immediate opportunity to really force change. the second thing is to add that effort to the already existing movement that is on the ground, from coast to coast to work together with folks everywhere, black lives matter, any other positive movement that is moving in the direction for positive change and reform to work in coalition with those organizations for the changes that we want to see. with pressure coming from the outside, and a critical mass of people inside the system, willing to have the same commitment to change, i think we can see it happen. i think the climate in the country is right for it here. it is not lost on anybody.

it is not lost on anybody that the demographics in the country are changing. unfortunately, many of the worst opponents of equal treatment under the law and equal access to opportunity are the people who have been fighting hardest to get the changes we want to see. coincidence that when barack obama was elected , the covers came off. as soon as he was elected president, we saw with this in pockets, and vocal a growing number of races who are vehemently opposed to black progress and black leadership. we do not have to succumb to

that, we do not have to give into that, because collectively, at the end of the day, we are il americans, and we all, think, what what is best for our communities, and our families, and our country, and together we can move in that direction, but it has to be premised on the idea that equal treatment under the law has to become a reality and not just a narrative. quest thank you for answering my question so honest in -- honestly. we have microphones on either side of the auditorium here. i am opening it up for questions. if you raise your hands, are two students can come down and had you the microphone if you have a question for our speaker. mr. hudson: did i do a really good job? professor hoffman: he answered

all of your questions. mr. hudson: don't answer that. i'm setting myself up for the abuse when i ask that question. there comes the abuse. >> you talk about making the conversation between police -- mr. hudson: i hear him. you cannot hear him? >> you talk about what the conversation -- it could be a statement or something you can respond to -- i think we need to feel the uncomfortableness because people cannot understand without some kind of vulnerability. mr. hudson: i think your point is well made. i agree with you. maybe i should add a different choice of words. rather than comfortable, i should have said accessible -- the way to get us into the space

where we could be a little uncomfortable is to understand at the bottom of it nobody is under indictment. nobody is going to be guilty and innocent in the sense of people that are present and willing to work for change. so, yeah, there is going to be some discomfort. it is unavoidable because of who we are as a country, and when i say that, i am going to go ahead and share this -- well, i will say this for the end. there is a story i tell and i am sure it will be the guide, but it is -- vilified, but it is true. i will go ahead and tell it now. in three minutes. my dad died at 96. my mother was remarried three years later. nice guy. i would go by their home. the guy she married with joseph jones. he was an avid reader.

he had a book on his table i happened to pick up and it was called "the black press" as media. it was about the black press in america from the mid-1800s to the early-1900s, and first of all, i was floored. i did not realize we had a black press at that time in our nation's history. and to see -- you can imagine the kinds of things they were writing about. they were all intelligently written articles, coherent, just really. -- brilliant. i came across one. when i see the conditions we are trying to address the exist -- i came across one article, a response from an editor to a speech that he heard. this speech was given by a white man that he longed to the american, -- that belonged to the american colonization society and the american

colonization society advocated for the repatriation of african-americans back to africa. they said they do not belong here. we want them out of here. they should go. let's put together an effort -- especially free blacks -- have to get out of the country. the editor of the paper angrily responded to -- the rage was coming off the page -- this comment. i will do their research because i talk about it so much, i will be challenged, the book exists, but i am not clear if he was directly quoting the guy or paraphrasing, but either way the words on the page where these to the effect that" blacks to get out of this country. need them out of here because

this country, america, the united states, will never treat them equally and value them equally. not god nor conscience, nor the bible, could make it so. let that sink in. not god, religion, the bible -- not conscience -- the things that animate human conduct, behavior, and life, he believed, could let them treat blacks as anything they have ever been treated. see quoting or freezing -- francis got key -- francis got -- francis scott key's, the man who wrote the national anthem. that is what he believed.

when i say we were born into this reality, i mean it. when i say we have a real opportunity to bring substantive change to the nation, i believe it. we can do that, but we have to acknowledge the reality of who we are and where we have come from, and not just the narrative. professor hoffman: we have a question from twitter as well as some of my students, and jordan and brooke, and parker from twitter -- basically, you mentioned in several articles that racial sensitivity classes are not enough to help stop brutality. what are some other tactics you recommend for either preventing that, or repercussions? mr. hudson: the only one that

works is punishment. the only thing that will get us to where we need to be his actual punishment for misconduct or violation. everything else will fall short. until we see officers incarcerated for their violations, their criminal acts, that is it. many officers can be dismissed from a department for misconduct, but only to be hired by the department in the next municipality over, or county over. that is it. that is the bottom-line. professor hoffman: let's open it up to the audience for another question. raise your hand if there is a question over here. christie. christie: hi, so -- oh, gosh.

as a student, i am studying public policy, and this is something very interesting to me. what can we do to solve this -- what actions can a normal person take or someone that wants to go into public service could do to help resolve this issue? mr. hudson: first and foremost, keep your foot on the gas. keep doing what you are already doing -- mobilizing, taking actions across the country. don't stop. don't give up. don't slow down. then, as you advance your career or career path, your ideals with you and get yourself in a position -- some public policy position, to affect public policy change, and be the same strong advocate in the public arena after you leave here as you are right. -- as you are right now.

professor hoffman: and this is a question our students often have -- what can they do, where can they go from here? mr. hudson: pretty much what i told her -- keep doing what you are doing. you are having a tremendous -- it is furious from the standpoint that somehow you would watch an officer doing his job prevents him from doing his job, what an indictment of the system that is. what they are telling you is that you watch me, i cannot work. that is ridiculous. you have an impact on the national discussion, the national agenda, which, in turn, is going to affect policy, ultimately. you are having an impact. continue to maintain your enthusiasm, energy, your clarity, and your conscience, and do the work that you do as

you develop yourself individually, and keep it in the relationship that you are building. keep showing us to build unity and bridges across the spectrum of people that come into contact with you. professor hoffman: i any technology and the impact of technology on politics, and i think around this issue we have seen people using cell phones and smartphones to capture incidents like a few weeks ago -- a viral video showing a research officer at a south carolina officer slamming a student to the ground, tossing her several feet across the floor. what rattled me the most was that none of this evidence reacted -- none of the other students reacted. this was a normal reality. the officer has been fired, but what can we do? mr. hudson: we need to remove these officers from the schools period. we never had officers in school.

i was appalled. you talked about the students not reacting, i was more appalled by the african-american administrative said it was all right -- i am good with what happened. you must be crazy. for him to walk in and assault that child like that was beyond the pale, totally unnecessary, unjustifiable, and he should have been hired. it is that kind -- fired. it is that kind of reaction that reflects -- i am harking on it tonight, and i did not the guy was going to, but it is exactly why you hear people say black lives matter. had that been a white 16-year-old girl, he would not have touched her like that. he thought he could do it in that setting with that child,

and that is a problem, and it goes to accountability. i am glad to see him gone, and i hope he is out of law enforcement altogether if that is going to be his approach to the children in my community. professor hoffman: i know we will have more questions from the audience. i hopefully will wrap up my questions with this 1 -- in delaware, as in other states, there is no minimum age for a child to be charged as an adult. this varies by state, but in a recent report by al jazeera america, black youth are over-represented. the suicide and sexual abuse rates of young prisoners are much higher than older prisoners. how should states and prisoners be treating youth as opposed to adults? mr. hudson: like youth. their brains are different. i would not want to be held accountable for a decision i

made at 12, 13, 14 years old, for the rest of my life. i understand accountability, and there are serious crimes by young kids they need to be held accountable for, but to deprive them of the opportunity of redemption, of ever having the opportunity to give something back from those they have taken away from to become a productive member in our society -- that is not who we really are, and luckily, all of us should understand -- i would venture to guess there is not a person in this room -- i am not looking at a room full of angels. no, sir, and no, ma'am. i am under no illusion that anyone in this room, including myself, could easily have done some things that you got away with -- whatever, but here you are now at this stage in your life and this is the person you are, fully positioned and fully prepared to do something positive and great. i think that opportunity should be afforded to everyone after we have held them accountable for

the things they do, but particularly the younger you are, and for drug-related offenses and things like that -- errors in judgment more than anything, we need to understand that our youth are our youth and treat them differently than we do adults in our system. mr. hudson: let's take a request -- professor hoffman: take another question from the audience. down here in the front. thank you, abby. >> thank you. talking about accountability, i go back to want, -- why, detroit, the fires in 1967. i look at sharpton, and what was her name -- marley. mr. hudson: i know sharp. >> he had the rally when it was

found out it was incorrect she got raped. mr. hudson: the little girl. >> right. also looking at duke and the lacrosse -- where is the accountability from that side, and for you not to speak for issues on that side -- you were talking about police matters, but not the other side. why are you not standing up in questioning some of the people on the other side? professor hoffman: so, when people are falsely accused of a crime that is race. mr. hudson: that is always wrong, but i came to talk about police committees, not to talk about sharp, duke lacrosse team -- sharpton, the duke lacrosse team, or anything like that. i can specifically to talk about what i am talking about. however, what we are talking about is equal treatment in the wall, and people being equally valued and treated in the

process. when it was discovered that the duke lacrosse players were falsely accused, they were exonerated, and the woman was i think help to some there are incentives of people exploiting situations, sharpton has been accused of that. the have lady was guilty of that. instances of the or defaming people whites in the public sphere, personally, i think pales in comparison to the number of blacks who have been targeted and minorities and poor people have been targeted and injured by a system that has been in place since the country genesis it has persistent is this very moment. -- persisted to this very

moment. wrong for the false presentation of facts and the unwitting was wrong and i'm glad the duke players were exonerated. >> another question from the audience. the girl with the green shirt on. considering the events the past week with terrorists and refugees, president obama has been out multiple statements regarding them yet the one thing that became a turning topic -- trending topic or popular, unfortunately, was that he said pop off in one of his speeches. do you think the media is perpetuating these stereotypes things? unquote black >> probably yes. but that is the national media.

i think people are not sophisticated enough, the majority of people now that the mainstream american media is not necessarily the best primary source of information. i think people take what they present to us at face value. we glean from it what we will. and other sources to get a more complete picture of whatever the issue is. but the media and this president, have had that kind of relationship for some time but particularly the outlets that would vilify him at every turn. i'm not always in 100% agreement with the president. thatnk that is a myth black, no matter what, we roll with the president. yes we support them. i support him and i'm proud of him. but there have been issues. subsequentlywould

disagree. the media is going to do with the media does. they have to generate viewership and a lot of times it is red meat for some of their viewers. >> one more question on the side. yes. back there. i'm going to stand, if you don't mind. >> yes sir. >> i'm standing because a way to see who i am. this past saturday we had a center,ce here at the of our auditoriums downtime, there were about 500 people there. a mix of black and white. it was all about this issue. i would to is because it was an opening event of things to come. i'm offering the group here, the young people who are asking what they can do, they can john black movement -- join black movement

here in the delaware area. there are lots of things going on and i will get to a question. >> take your time. i'm tired. [laughter] >> we only have a few minutes left. i'm a few years older than you. i probably have a daughter your age. really, of question is where do we go from here? are we undertaking an impossible task? you went back in history. my mother worked this issue until she was 92. i don't know that she ever learned to like people during the period. she worked with them in an effort to try to change the world. she did shut down a number of

drugstores that would not treat or serve black people. history in my life. as a look at my grandchildren, particularly my grandson and all the issues of police. i have been through a lot of those issues. solution? is it just a matter of staying with it and working at it? and you mentioned that there was time,a time, a pleasant between the race of the country. will they ever be? >> i will build off this question. it sounds like, is there hope? re: fighting a losing battle -- are we fhting a losing battle? >> yes there is hope.

and yes, i believe we are in a position to see that if all. that condition of a better relationship between the people who live in this country of different races coming to play. factn a small part to be a that the democrat -- demographics are taken. in 30 have been for years, the brown people will be the majority and that is not anything to be afraid of. he find that people are people. it will not be about using those numbers are not, turning the tables. now, i don't believe that. , theeneration front of us greater focus on human rights and equality in many preceding generations. notwithstanding the civil rights movement and all the great work done by whites and blacks. now we see a confluence of changing numbers in our country racially and

changing ideas and motivation. i think there's an opportunity, if we have enough courage to acknowledge the reality of the country and what we want to be and do the work of getting to that place. i believe it can happen. i feel like i have to believe that. you,fore i formally thank i want to thank everyone here in the audience for being here. this is been a really important semester and talking about race, not just in america, but on this campus. i want to come as director of the series, continue the dialogue online, on twitter, and other forms. these do not hesitate to contact me if you want to talk more about this. thank you so much for being here . and thank you joining us.

-- for joining us. [applause] >>: last night shootings of police officers in dallas, president obama made a statement in poland where he was attending a nato summit. >> good morning, everybody. thank you for the opportunity to meet today. with your understanding, i want to begin with a few words about the situation back in the united states. specifically the situation in dallas, texas. my team has been keeping me updated throughout the morning.

i spoke this morning with mayor rawlings of dallas to convey the deepest condolences of the american people. i told him that the federal government will provide whatever assistance dallas may need as it deals with this tremendous tragedy. we still don't know all the facts. what we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated, and despicable attack on law enforcement. dutye in dallas were on doing their jobs, keeping people safe during peaceful road test. these -- protest. these law-enforcement officers were protected and nearly a dozen officers were shot. five were killed. oner officers and at least sibling were wounded. some are in serious condition

and we are praying for their recovery. told mayor rawlings, i believe i speak for every single american when i say that we are horrified over these events. and that we stand united with the people and the police department in dallas. according to police, there are multiple suspects. we will end more undoubtedly -- learn more undoubtedly about the twisted motivations. let's be clear, there is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks. or any violence against law enforcement. the fbi is already in touch with the dallas police and anyone involved with the senseless murders will be held fully couple. justice will be done. -- fully accountable. justice will be done. i will have more to say about this at the fact become more clear. even as let me say that yesterday i spoke about our need

to be concerned as all-americans about racial disparities in the criminal justice system. i also said yesterday that our police have extra ordinarily difficult job and the vast majority of them do the job and outstanding passion -- in outstanding fashion. and the integrated date -- indicated the degree that we need to be supportive of our officers doing the job everyday, protecting us in protecting our communities. today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. we also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes the fact -- attacks like these more deadly and tragic. and the days ahead, we will have to consider those realities as well. in the meantime, today, our focus is on the victims.

and their families. .hey are heartbroken the entire city of dallas is grieving. , aice across america tightknit family, feels this loss to the core. we are grieving with them. i would ask all americans to say prayers for the officers and families, keep them in your thoughts and as a nation, let's remember to express our profound gratitude for the men and women in blue. >> the u.s. flag is flying at half staff over the capital today because of the shootings in dallas. all flags on capitol grounds will remain at half staff until sunset on tuesday. in the aftermath of the police shooting, president obama will travel to dallas when he returned from his european trip. the white house announced this evening that the president has excepted in invitation from dallas mayor mike rawlings.

the white house has yet to release specific details about the trip to dallas. >> in less than two weeks, c-span will have live coverage of every minute of the 2016 republican national convention followed by the democratic national convention and every saturday night at it got you think, take a look at past conventions in the presidential candidates who went on to win the party nomination. this saturday, we will focus on incoming president to rent for election. dwight eisenhower at the 1956 republican convention. the 1954 democratic convention in atlantic city. richard nixon at the 1972 republican convention in miami beach. 1980, democratic convention with jimmy carter in new york city. then i can 84 republican convention and doused with ronald reagan. george h w bush at the 1992 republican convention in houston. bill clinton in chicago with a

1996 democratic convention. and the 2004 republican convention in new york city with george w. bush. past republican and democratic conventions saturday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span. the democratic national committee platform committee is meeting today in orlando florida to debate and vote on the democratic party platform for this years election. the platform committee is in a break right now. the committee will reconvene this evening at 9:00 p.m. eastern. committeelatform meeting resumes, you can see it live right here on c-span. while we wait for the democratic party platform committee to come back into session, we will show you some of the platform committee meeting from earlier today.

>> good afternoon. [applause] welcome to the meeting of the platform committee of the democratic national party. i served as cochair of this committee along with my fellow cochair governor dan malloy. thank you for joining us today to represent your state or territory. i will now call the meeting of the platform committee to order. [applause] as we begin, we must acknowledge tragedyle tragedy -- that have taken place over the last week. so much senseless violence has

taken too many innocent lives. it is a sad irony that we are meeting today in orlando as the city recovers from a horrific tragedy. mayor, i have seen such violence and how it can devastate the community. it breaks all of our hearts. we were taught that every life is precious. >> let me say that shootings like the ones that played out in this rouge and st. paul past week are a shock to all of hearts and souls. this is not who we are as a nation. certainly not who we aspire to be. or who we want to be. we must technology that things must change in our nation. that things must

change in our nation. as the president has said, all americans should be troubled by these incidents and we have seen too many, too many of these incidents late themselves out. -- play themselves out. it is heartbreaking. in the face of injustice, our country has a proud tradition of preschool protest -- peaceful protest. yesterday we saw the fundamental right of americans being exercised and their rights being abused. americans stood up to demand change, to seek action and to raise broader awareness about critical, accomplished issues that are facing our nation and they did so largely in a peaceful way. that should be celebrated. what we saw in dallas, however, was un-american. it was those please officers, the very same -- police officers, the version officers shot and killed and injured. for freedomr right

of expression. the event in dallas twisted a proud american tradition of protest and turned it into a tragedy. what happened is acceptable and it must be condemned. let me also say that i pray for our president, i like others in this room have had to share occasions like those that played out in two cities, three cities in our nation. he will be called upon to respond to americans how we move beyond where we are and where we need to go. he has done it eloquently in the past and he will find the right words and the right sentiments to move us forward. let me also say that we should be proud of our system of law enforcement and those who we have asked to protect us. responders put themselves in harms way day

after day and although compensated, perhaps not fully appreciated, and certainly the sacrifices of their families are not fully appreciated. we need to work to build trust amongst our community. need to bring a stronger and -- build a stronger and safer america. we need to get away from the violence that has plagued us and seems to be increasing every day. we need to support our troopers, police officers, our first responders. andlet me say as a governor like my cochair, a former mayor, i have been proud to serve with those individuals in the past. i'm going to ask you all to for a moment to remember the lives lost throughout our country this past week and to remain standing so that we might have a pledge of allegiance. please join me in a of silence.

and not to demonstrate who we are and the principles we stand for. these dummy in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance, to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. please be seated. here with us today is the democratic national convention

committee ceo. reverend daughtry. [applause] reverend daughtry has previously held this position in 2008 which makes her the first person and the democratic art history to serve more than once as ceo of the national convention. [applause] reversely heldry senior leadership positions at the u.s. department of labor, and the united states congress. these join me in welcoming her. -- please join me in welcoming her. [applause] >> thank you. good afternoon. my sister and brother democrats. this week, communities across this nation have been plagued i relentless, senseless violence. from the gunning down of two

innocent black men in an apparent police abuse of power to the tragic murder of five law enforcement officials last night. we are experiencing troubling times. ceo of thee as the 2016 convention. my first training is as a pastor. as a pastor, your training takes you through many exercises designed to help us help our communities navigate challenges and grief so that we can drive crying eyes and mend looking hearts. -- broken hearts and answer nagging questions, sue grieving souls. -- soothe grieving souls. today in the aftermath of the

shootings, i can sense that i just don't know how to do that. hearts you mend a broken when my own heart is broken? how can i drive crying eyes when -- dry crying eyes when my eyes are wet with tears? how can i answer your questions when i am seeking answers myself? e grief when ih am angry and grief stricken? i don't know that i have the right words, but i do have my unshakable faith in god and in the innate goodness of our people, and in our ability to rise above adversity and rage and grief, to see the truth and to speak truth to ourselves and our nation.

something is wrong when people feel that their lives are valued less because of the color of their skin or the color of the uniform. something is wrong when people feel unsafe in their home and on their jobs. something is wrong when people do not feel free to be who they are or to love who they want. just 25 days ago here in orlando, the nation stood still and our hearts were broken as the deadliest mass shooting in recent history took place at pulse nightclub. once again, someone whose heart was built with hate was able -- filled with hate was able to obtain a gun. my heart breaks for those victims and families who must

now grapple daily with the loss of their loved ones. this cannot be who we are. americans and we can do better than this. just this week, two young men of color lost their lives in an apparent police abuse of power and some mother, some white, some dr. have to bury her child as a result of gun violence. we are americans and we can do better than this. last night in dallas, five officers on the job protecting us, protecting those who were exercising their rights, lost their lives by someone filled with hate. this is not who we are. we are americans and we can do better than this. through some strange twist of fate, we gather this weekend as

democrats to set a vision for our party and our country. and as we engage in what is sure to be spirited debate, let us remember who we are and what we fight for as we discussed the issues, let us remember to take but miles from here, families are grieving. in dallas, five families will cut this morning without their husband, brother, father. in louisiana and minnesota, wives and daughters are planning funerals. let us remember that as have a mission, a mandate and a moral obligation to speak, work, and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. , color, orof race ethnicity, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, those with plenty and those with

little and those with more than enough and those with not enough, all of our people we are mandated to fight for. that is our mission. votes at the bottom and the top. the business owner and the day labor. the student and teacher and parent and firefighter and police man, people of all faith, no faith and little faith. this is who we are. cities,we live in suburbs, indian country, rural or indigenous communities, we all want the same things. they feel safe, secure, empowered and heard. and to have the tools and support we need to achieve the american dream. let this be our north star today. discussed,e, as we les, let us remember why we are doing what we are doing. let us disagree without being disagreeable. let us do all this work and have

all this discussion holding our north star as the families with whom we work, fight, march and pray. god bless you. [applause] >> we are fortunate to have reverend daughtry leading the convention and to give our encouragement and inspiration today. we thank you and we look forward to working with you throughout these next few days and the convention. also here with us today is mayor buddy dyer of orlando. who has served in this position since 2003. in the wake of the pulse nightclub shooting, mayor dyer showed tremendous leadership by establishing a amalie assistant center to help the victims and

their families, and he established the one orlando fund to provide financial assistance, to support first responders and volunteers who worked on the front lines, he brought in grief counseling to help them process the information and also the experience. he has shown incredible strength and this community and he shown that strength to the world. and set an example for other opingnities hoping -- c with tragedy. the join me in welcoming mayor buddy dyer. [applause] >> good afternoon. i welcome you to orlando. i also want to thank all of you. our city has changed a great deal in the last month.

on june the 12th, we had the darkest day in our city's history. but today, i could not be more proud of our community's response and the response and support we have saved -- received from the country and around the world. i see many to my face is an old friends today. and i want to take this opportunity to personally thank you for your messages of support and assistance and guidance and advice. there are many more of you that i don't recognize, but i also to thank you. we received your heartfelt messages as well and we will never forget that. if the words and thoughts were not enough, we have the jewels all overthe -- vigils the country in small towns and big cities. lit up public stations with rainbow colors. messages of hope and love for the people in orlando and you

sent your prayers. on behalf of everyone who calls her land a home, let me offer my things. you reminded us everyday that we were not alone in this morning i had the opportunity to be in touch with mayor rawlings of dallas to do the same for him as his community is with the aftermath of a horrific loss of life there. one month out, i can cut you that we are stronger in a better city than we were on june 11. the people of orlando have refused to be defined by a single act of hate, brother because chosen not to react but to respond with love and compassion and unity. much like the grinch who stole christmas, our collective hearts grew 3 sizes. nowhere has this been stored in in the hearts of the latinos.

many parts have changed as we have shifted our focus to how we are all alike rather than superficial ways that we can be different. as you gather these next few days, i will leave you to decide what lessons should be taken away from our spirits here that could be complaints -- become ourks in art democratic -- democratic cap on. gun control. planned parenthood. i will continue to focus my energy on helping our community to heal rather than money legislation. i live with one request. that listen to the people of orlando. we need real unity. the kind that the world has seen here in orlando and the country in the wake of all these tragedies. the unity that moves us beyond the artificial divisions they stop and consider -- and significant differences like race or cultural heritage or sexual preference. it provides for equality and

fairness for all of one -- everyone. thank you and welcome to orlando, and god bless you. [applause] you for mayorhank dyer for welcoming us to his city and for his welcome. it is an honor for me to be to cochairy the dnc the democratic national platform committee. bridge -- privileged to work with my colleague governor malloy from connecticut. an important effort on our party and our country in the world. it would be inappropriate for me not to knowledge that there are -- acknowledge that there are two women from georgia on the podium. dr. hale and i. we are well represented from georgia today. [applause] the georgians appreciate that.

few days, we will have the opportunity to hear, review, discuss, deliberate, debate, and hopefully listen to each other as we discussed the draft of the democratic party platform. i want to take a moment to command chairman cummings who we will hear from shortly and the other members of the drafting committee. for your hard work and accompaniment. -- a compliment. i and many others are looking to the adoption of the platform in a few hours. on behalf of this committee, i would like to also thank the 114 individuals who presented testimony and took their time to share their perspectives and recommendations on the issues confronting americans today. we appreciate your sharing of

expertise at the dnc mid-atlantic form and washington, d.c.. the southwest forum in phoenix, arizona. i'm also delighted to give a shout out to the more than 1000 individuals from 43 states and the district of columbia who made time to share their post, written, or video testimony on the website. input so that every viewpoint could be expressed and heard. the platform draft put forward a vision and a specific proposals to address the challenges we face as americans today. it is a blueprint for our country's future. it is based on the core values of democrats. and the belief that we are

stronger as a country when we work together and recognize that everyone, that everyone has a role to play in building our future. i want to thank you and i will now turn it over to my cochair governor malloy for his comments. >> thank you, surely. ley.nt to -- shir i would do think some other folks who have not yet been think. thank someke to other folks who have not yet been thanked. thank you for your leadership. [applause] i have artie thank the ceo of the convention -- already thanked the year of the convention and it is remarkable that she has done it twice in a row. we are going to hear from punishment cummings.

i do want to thank him for his great leadership of the draft committee. i also to thank him on a broader basis for his great leadership of standing up to bullies and the congress of the united states. in the congress of the united states. the role he played in making sure people understand what did and did not happen at benghazi and for his strong statements on the matter as well. and finally, i want to thank mayor shirley. we have worked together as mayors and we have the opportunity to work again together over the next couple days and i truly appreciate that. let me say this. historicform is a achievement for the democratic party. platform we're-- here to consider reflect the input of thousands of democrats across the country and as shirley said, and contributions

of 114 experts, advocates and concerned citizens who came out to be heard. it also reflects the priorities and values of secretary clinton and senator sanders. and make no mistake, this is a historically progressive document. draft --irst time that the draft but from called for an end of mass incarceration. sitting down the school to prison pipeline. ending systemic racism. [applause] it also contains the most ambitious job plan and years inh old investments infrastructure, clean energy, and manufacturing. specific policies to crack down on corporations that ship jobs and profits overseas and a robust standalone plank on youth jobs. this platform reflect strong progressive principles on wages. it says that all americans should earn at least $13 an hour

-- $15 an hour. [applause] reaffirms oury party's commitment to protecting worker rights to organize and collectively bargain. [applause] and it calls explicitly for eliminating the sub minimum tip minimum wage. [applause] reflects on wavering commitment to take on climate change which is one of the greatest challenges we face in the nation even if donald trump does not know it exists. the platform we are considering today contains historic commitments to building a clean energy economy. it also reflects the need to secure by mental and climate justice for communities that have been left out and left behind, including america's coal community.

-- communities. this is a platform with you be proud of as democrats, as punishment has said -- congressman cummings has said, this is a platform that does not merely reflect common ground, it seeks higher ground. this is the spirit that i would hope we will guide one another through in the coming days as we finalize our platform. there is another thing that congressman cummings has emphasized and has artie been said today, we have work to do. there will be disagreement. we don't have to be disagreeable in the process. with this platform, we are putting forward a bold, aggressive vision for our country's future that respect the diversity and use of the party. . cannot -- views of our party i cannot emphasize enough how different this process is then what we will see on the other side. i hope everyone is proud of what

we have already achieved with the document and i know when we are done, this will be a stronger and better document and we will be a stronger and better party for that. thank you. [applause] serving along with mayor frequent and myself, we have vice chairs over here on my far right. rhode island secretary of state. she has held this post since 2015. she has improved the election system by acquiring new state-of-the-art voting machines , instituted online but registration. ushered in tough legislation to increase government transparency and made it easy for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. she is the first hispanic elected to statewide office in new preachers the only latina to

hold statewide office as a democrat the united states. great to have you. [applause] dr. cynthia hale is the founder and pastor of a church in georgia. established a elaoring program known as past oriole ministries .ncorporated to assist in september 2005, she can being her first women and ministry conference to focus on developing coaching and mentoring christian women for ministry in the 21st century. in july, 2009, dr. hill was appointed by president barack obama to serve on the president's commission on white house fellowship. thank you for serving. [applause] the mayor was elected as the

mayor of him for cisco in 2011. well he was serving as the city's inter-american he is the first asian-american mayor and san francisco history. he previously served as the city wre hetrator spearheaded government efficiency measures and reforms that reduced the size and cost of government to save tax dollars. he first began working for the city and county of san francisco in 1989 as an investigator for the city's first whistleblower ordinance and has since served as executive director of human rights commission, director of city purchasing and rector of the department of public works. thank you for serving. of the department of public works. thank you for serving. [applause] equity firm based in bethesda, maryland. he was previously a consultant of the boston consulting group

and from the buyout firm. in 2013, president obama appointed him to the united states holocaust memorial council. the governing body of the united states holocaust memorial museum. in 2011, mr. rosenbaum was named to the board of directors of the national jewish democratic council. elected as the council chair. thank you for serving. [applause] now we are to start to get that back to business. ey.will go to shirl introduce oure to parliamentarian to determine if we have a quorum. we would need each committee member to please vote yes, not the one aessing

button on the top of your clicker. introduce miss mcfadden and we will go through the details. >> good afternoon, again. we have a screen up and if you on your clicker s, we will watch it up there. as you can see, it is totaling up the number of you here and a quorum in this instance is 91 .75. there is a quorum present. given ahave also been

.opy of the proposed rules those were sent out to you last week. these are essentially the same rules we have been using for better than 20 years. you will be asked to adopt these rules shortly when our chair returns here to the podium. i want to point out a couple of things. i have artie said some of these to you. labeled forne is and against for the purpose of this chair being able to alternate speakers. will go to that microphone, the chair will ask you to line up on the chair is right. and on the chairs left if you are against it. the chair is going to come of the sheep and goats will be

there and the chair will take a now, i havee goat you are being, if requested to second something or to show your consent to something other than using your clickers, if you would put something in your hand so that it will make it easier for the chair to see you. sometimes the chair is going to be looking for 15 of you, sometimes the chair will be looking for 20% of you. whenhair will let you know the chair has ascertained the correct number. used toickers will be vote for substantially every vote that you are going to make. chair will be here and i will be here. if you have any parliamentary questions.

if they're a motion to adopt the rules of procedure? a second? our 15. is there any discussion? we will move to a vote to adopt the rules of procedure. opposed. the rules of procedure have been a doctor. we should applaud -- adopted. we should applaud that. [applause] >> unanimously! each platform committee member should have received a draft of

the platform in an e-mail. you'll find a fresh copy in the folder on the table before you. the draft doctrine was developed by the platform drafting committee pursuant to the call to the convention. this 50 member committee was appointed by the chair of the dnc with the platform drafting committee members here, please rise so that we might acknowledge and thank you. [applause] the drafting committee is chaired by a great democrat and i purposely referenced congressman cummings. again, i would to say how much i appreciate all that you have accomplished on behalf of the people of maryland and on behalf of the people of america in your role as an outstanding punishment. i also want to thank you for the work you have done and getting to this point where we have such

a an aggressive document which we will amend. your straightforward approach, your ability to get people to work together and i do and voice is greatly appreciated. congressman, would you please join us? [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you. thank you. [applause] thank you very much. and mayor governor franklin into the distinguished members of the democratic platform committee. as i was getting back there, i was thinking to myself, about

all that has happened over the , minnesota, baton rouge, dallas. i cannot help but think about face on, when i got here i was reminded a little late, when i got here, the governor, the first thing i saw was on the table back there was a sign that love trumps hate. dnaeed to put that in the of every cell of our brains, particularly at this moment. it reminded me of something else. that, ladies and gentlemen, i saw this and i want us to keep focus on this, we can spend a lot of time concentrating on who we are fighting against, but ladies, the people in america what us to

concentrate on what we are fighting for. [applause] what we are fighting for. [applause] today i'm proud as a public servant and i have not always felt this way. i have seen things in the congress, i know kurdistan thompson and congresswoman waters, it has not always been that way. there have been many times where we have been embarrassed. we have seen colleagues of both parties vote against the poor, the infirmed, the homeless and the helpless. against the meek and the week. .- weak i have watched people vote against the america i live every day and the americans are

proudly represent. i know why they have done so and you did too. long, the powerful and influential in our society have shaped the policies that have come out of our government. theu overly influenced not only the laws that come out for congress and out of our state legislatures, but also the edict and administrative orders that have come out of executive offices. in washington and across the country. that, ladies and gentlemen, is a real problem. it is a problem because the powerful and influential have either built or inherited a position of privilege in our society. a position that leaves them to oppose change.

try to limit the right to vote. limit access to wealth, limit access to power, close doors to millions of hard-working sawicans, the ones that i getting up at 4:00 in the morning. 14today, many, myself and hard-working members of the platform drafting committee and it was an all-star group. i got to tell you. give them another hand, please. [applause] we have not only stood up, we have stood tall. we do not merely strive for common ground, we reach high ground. i beg you as you go through this

process, reach for higher ground. that is what the market people want. we offered a party platform unlike any other. a platform which you and the members of the committee can be proud. you don't have to mess with it that much. no. you all have feedback here by 12 noon tomorrow. sometimes people assume they have to mess with something. i'm telling you that it is a good platform. nominee,rm which our our next president can be proud. a platform in which democrat from coast-to-coast, from congress to city and counsel can be proud. platform that speaks directly to the real needs of hard-working americans. runatform that does not

from the tough issues confronting americans. wouldform that is enacted raise incomes and provide economic security to our struggling middle class. and lift people out of poverty so they can get into the middle class. if i form if enacted would ensure peace of mind to those americans in their golden years. talk to protect social security and medicare, we would expand of them. [applause] you walk into better than that. -- all can do better than that. [applause] a platform that is enacted can grow our economy by investing in small businesses. the economic engine that drives our nation economy. it would rebuild our manufacturing spectre. -- sector. a puppet that recognizes that could paint jobs -- a platform

that recognizes that good paying jobs and a clean environment are not adversaries that allies. and that our children and our youth are the greatest resource we have. [applause] when you go to disney world, there is a sign in one of the villages and it says, it says we environmentit our from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. we have a platform that if enacted would promote economic fairness. against income inequality. corporatetop concentrations, reverse corporate outsourcing and repair our rigged financial system.

[applause] a platform it enacted would remove barriers to success and create letters of opportunity for all americans and in doing so, bring us together as a nation. a platform it enacted would put our party on the right side of history by championing the rights of those who too often are overlooked were left behind. rights,ing up for civil voting rights, disability rights , lgbt writes and by honoring our indigenous tribal nations and by recognizing the many contributions of our immigrants in our newest arrivals. that is what our platform and city. -- aims to do. [applause] a platform if enacted would

ensure that no committee -- community is left out in the cold. rather that each of value, but publicly welcome by the arms of a grateful nation. a platform if enacted would , fix ouroting rights rigged campaign system and , hope, people's trust and faith in this great democracy. and the principles first articulated by our democratic .orefathers as a platform drafting committee went through this, we cannot help but to keep an eye on our children. and we realize that if international security would be the failure to properly educate every single one of our

children. everything one of them. -- every single one of them. [applause] so we drafted a platform that if enacted would provide the children of our great nation with an education that is not merely affordable, but equally femme with higher-quality -- equip them with higher-quality first-rate education that enables the children to reach for the stars and to make their unique mark based on their own god-given talent. a platform if enacted would ofure the health and safety all americans because it would value each american. stand firm against gun violence, domestic violence, and violence against women.

[applause] a platform that would embrace the fundamental principles that health care in our nation is a right, and not a privilege. [applause] a platform that if enacted would stand firm against our many global threats and at the same time recommit america to be a leader in the battle for a more secure world always on supporting our troops, our veterans, and everyone who so proudly wears the united states uniform. yes, i am proud of the platform. project have worked with my 14 colleagues. footnote,e you a , 30 ofere 41 amendments

them passed. i want you to know, this was not a simple process for us. we stayed out until 2:00 in the morning addressing the issues that we are all concerned about. platformwe created a and we are proud to have worked with impressive work with all of my college. result, as i am of the and every bit as proud of the open, honest, transparent process we have collectively undertaken to get here. read -- heldhave six hearings across our great nation. probably incorporated the views of thousands of democrats who submitted their comments online. proud of the way we took the drafting process out of the back

rooms and into the light. and produce this document and the most transparent manner any party committee could have ever undertaken. [applause] so, i am proud of our drafting committee. my 14 men and women colleagues on the drafting committee. we were neither linton appointees-- clinton or sanders appointees. instead, we were proud democratic members and i'm proud that were the national media depicted division, guess what, we delivered unity. disarray, predicted we delivered unanimity. much of the credit for this goes

to our committee members themselves. rose aboveently petty local battles and always kept their eyes on the prize making life better for working and middle-class families that we are here to serve. don't forget what i said. it is not about what we are fighting against, it is who and what we are fighting for. there is a big difference. [applause] close, our what to leave it up to you all. i credit also are distinguished already chairperson. congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] who not merely appointed each of us, but also provided thoughtful

leadership insight and valued counsel. as proud as i am of our committee members, i'm every bit as proud and grateful to the and areonal staff numerous and immensely talented volunteers for all of their excellent work. the ability to have people from all walks of life come together and work together with determination for the betterment of their party, the community, the country. something that never ceases to me.e and inspire on behalf of myself and every member of this committee, we simply say thank you. mostly, ladies and gentlemen, i am proud of the lasting nature of our platform.

my fellow democrats, this document is meant not for the selection. if you think it is best for this election, you're thinking too small. it is meant for generations yet unborn. it is to pave the way to a more perfect union and it will serve as our gps to get there. to the powerful and privileged, i say i am sorry. but your time has come in your time has gone. -- and your time has gone. [applause] we stand at the , andng of a new america

america were the light of inortunity shines through the road to success begins beacons forward. on behalf of each of my colleagues on the plot from drafting committee and on behalf of each and every one of the hard-working americans to which this platform gives voice, gives trust, gives hope and a commitment, i proudly submit to you in this committee the draft platform for the 2016 democratic national convention and i say simply, thank you and i think all of you for being a part of this process. this is what democracy is all about. thankthink all of you -- all of you for being the democrats that you are. thank alll of you --

of you for wanting to lift up people's lives. ank all of you for helping the sentiment to sharecroppers with a third grade education to rise to the congress of united states of america. happenlike you made it and now we have to make it happen again and again and again. may god bless you. [applause] >> we certainly join together to

thank congressman cummings and the committee. the drafting committee worked ng, thoughtful, visionary and cold, not afraid of difference and they found unity in their approach. we as members of the plot for committee have an opportunity to platformd discuss the as they have presented it. i'm especially encouraged by his words that we don't have to mess with it too much. as a cochair, i don't get to determine that. you do. withget a chance to talk you about the protocols associated with the meeting and whatever messing we would like to do. foremost, we will

share lots of opinions. that important to remember we are all democrats and that our differences a relatively small. our goal for our party and country are shared and that should come first, second, third, fourth and fifth as we embark on this process. amendmentssider section by section in the order as laid out in the draft platform. if you have submitted a proposed amendment, when it is called, please approached the microphone 2% your amendment to the committee. the clerk will read the amendment. keep in mind that in order for a proposed amendment to be considered, it must be seconded

by 15 committee members. 15, it will not be considered. you will be recognized for presenting your amendment before the chair requests. you have one minute which is not part of your 10 minutes to present the amendment. if you go over the one minute, it will be counted into the 10 minutes should your amendment have the appropriate second. for thetate your name game to present your amendment. it is important for all speakers to provide your name before speaking. 'sis is for our court reporters ease. in order to alternate speakers for and against, as you heard we are requesting that those in favor lineup to the right of the opposed to line

up coolest. -- to the left. our girls have set up 10 minutes for and against. when you have exhausted your time, no other speakers will be recognized on the pending amendment. upon exhaustion of the time, the terrible call for the vote. let's begin. the first section we will consider today is the preamble. amendment to the preamble. [applause] the honorable maxine and then jealous will present -- ben jealous will present the preamble. these join us in welcoming them. [applause]

>> this year in 2016 democrats meet in philadelphia with the same basic belief that animated the continental congress. when they gathered in .hiladelphia 200 years ago out of many, we are one. . >> under president obama's leadership and hard work and determination of the american people, we have come a long way from the great recession and the republican policies that triggered it. addedusinesses have now 14.8 million jobs since private sector job growth turned positive in early 2010. 20 million people have been health insurance coverage.

the american auto industry just had its best year ever. we are getting more of our wind andom the sun and importing less oil from overseas. but too many of us have been left out and left behind. working longer hours with less security. wages have barely bunched. and the racial wealth gap remains wide. while the cost of everything from childcare to a college education has continued to rise. for too many families, the dream of home ownership is out of reach. as working people struggle, the top 1% a cruise more wealth and more power. republicans in congress have chosen gridlock and dysfunction over trying to find solutions to

the real challenges we face. it is no wonder that so many feel like the system is rigged against them. believe that cooperation is better than conflict. unity is better than division. empowerment is better than resentment and bridges are better than walls. it is a simple but powerful idea. we are stronger together. democrats believe we are stronger when we have an economy that works for everyone. an economy that gross income for working people, creates good jobs and puts the middle class life within the reach for more americans. democrats believe we can spur more sustainable economic growth which will create more good paying jobs and raise wages.

and we can have our economic fairness so the rewards are shared more broadly. not just with those at the top. we need an economy that prioritizes long-term investment .ver short-term profit-seeking rewards, and promotes innovation and entrepreneurship. today'slieve that extreme level of income and wealth inequality where the majority of the economic gains good to the top 1% and the richest 20 people in our country own more wealth in the bottom 150 million people. makes our economy weaker, communities poor and politics first. -- worse. >> we know our nation's long struggle with races far from over.

more than half a century after rosa parks sat and dr. king marched and john those lead, johninhabits injured -- .ewis led determining who gets ahead in america and who gets behind, we must face reality and fix it. >> we believe a good education is a basic right of all. no matter what the code they live in. we will end the school to prison pipeline and build a cradle to college pipeline instead. for every child can live up to his or her god-given potential. we believe in helping americans out work and family without fear of punishment or penalty. we believe guaranteeing equal

pay for women. and as the party that created social security, we believe in protecting every american's right to retire with dignity. [applause] and we firmly believe that the greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior on wall street must be brought to an end. [applause] simply put, wall street must never again be allowed to threaten families and businesses on main street or backstreet or side street. >> democrats believe we are stronger when we protect citizens rights to vote, not corporations and billionaires rights to buy elections. we will fight to bring an end to the broken campaign finance

system, overturn the disaster citizens united decision. [applause] restore the full power of the voting rights act. [applause] return our elections to the american people. >> democrats believe that climate change poses a real and urgent threat to the economy, national security, and our children's health and future. jobthat we deserve the insecurity that comes from becoming the clean energy superpower of the 21st century. [applause] democrats believe we are

stronger and safer when america brings the world together. and lead to the principles and purpose and when we strengthen our alliances, not weaken them. we believe in the power of development and diplomacy. we believe our military should be the best trained, best equipped fighting force in the world. and that we must do everything we can to honor and support our veterans. [applause] that only the united action on aobilize truly global scale to take on the challenges that have no borders from international terrorism to climate change to health pandemics. above all, democrats are the party of inclusion. we know that diversity is not

our problem, it is our promise. as democrats, we respect differences of respective police and pledged to work together to move this country forward even when we disagree. [applause] with this platform, we do not merely see, grounds, we strive to reach higher ground. we are proud of our heritage as a nation of immigrants. we know that today's immigrants are tomorrow's teachers, doctors, lawyers, government leaders, soldiers, entrepreneurs , activists, pta members and pillars of our communities. [applause] we believe in protecting civil liberties and guaranteeing civil rights and voting rights, women's rights, workers rights,

lgbt writes, and rights for people with disabilities. [applause] we believe america is still a great country, and unselfish country and a compassionate country. >> these principle stand in sharp contrast to the republicans nominated as the standardbearer to their party and the candidate for president, a man who seeks to appeal to america's basis differences rather than are better natures. >> the stakes have been high in previous elections. 2016, the states can be measured in human lives.

in the number of immigrants would be torn from their homes and the number of faithful and peaceful muslims would be barred from even visiting our shores. and the number of allies and thed and dictators number of americans who would lose access to health care and to the rights ripped away. >> this election is about more than democrats and republicans. it is about who we are as a nation and we will be in the future. philadelphia,in we started a revolution of ideas. in of action that continues to this day. since then, our nation has been tested any times through bondage, civil war, segregation and depression. two world wars and the threat of

nuclear annihilation. americans fought and marched and organize to widen the circle of opportunity and dignity and we are fighting still. say,spite what some america is and how it's been great. but not because it has been perfect. what makes america great is our unerring belief that we can make it better. we can and we will build a more just economy, a more equal society, a more perfect union because we are stronger together. [applause]

>> you have heard the preamble. the ready to vote? indicate that the clickers. the floor is open for the vote. we will restart. "i can name. aye.in favor indicate

aye's have it unanimously. [applause] , ieaking the postevent think you have the details. we will get them for you. [whispering] just a second, we are almost there. there is an event honoring orlando memorial, the victims of the pulse nightclub tragedy. at 6:30ll be buses which will take us to the at 2416museum of art north mills avenue.

the buses will be ready to pick us up at 6:30 at the registration area. following the memorial service, we will reconvene immediately back here we will have an evening session of some duration. it is hoped that the time is being spent over the next hour plus during the moral service will allow us to move more speedily through additional sections of the platform. we are investing time in trying to reach an understanding that is why we are taking this rate at this time. we will stand in adjournment until after the memorial service . following the memorial service, please come back and be ready to begin our work again. thank you. excuse me.

we expect be back between 8:00 and 9:00. plan accordingly.

>> just give us a minute. the buses will be outside at 6:30. we are expecting to be back here between 8:00 and 9:00 and, wait a second, food will be provided but please leave your clickers. need your clickers -- leave your clickers and see you at the event.