11/02/16 11/02/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> no one will ever be incarcerated for marijuana again. mayor rhonda arrests -- marijuana arrests are the number one reason people are sent back to prison. butnot a california voter, i know when good legislation passes and a big state, other states follow. amy: nine states, including california, vote for some form of legalization. advocates of prop 64 in california range from hip-hop stars to the state's lieutenant

governor gavin newsom. we will speak to deborah small, founder of break the chains. in a shocking new documentary about rikers island, the infamous new york jail where 80% of those held have not been convicted of a crime. -- broke myerally nose. >> spit on me. >> broke a bone. >> my sanity was chipped away little light little. >> i started to feel like an animal. i actually contemplated suicide. >> for all of you who have been here, you are ready know what to expect. for those who have not been here before -- amy: we will speak with the akeem director, and browder, whose brother kalief browder was falsely accused of stealing a backpack at the age

of 16. last month, akeem and kalief's mother died of what her attorney described as a broken heart. all of that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president obama says the u.s. army corp of engineers is considering rerouting the $3.8 billion dakota access pipeline amid months of resistance from the standing rock sioux tribe and members of more than 200 other native american nations as well as tribes from across the americas. is there is my view a way for us to accommodate sacred williams of native -- lands of native americans. i think right now the army corps is examining whether there are ways to reroute this pipeline in

a way, so we're going to let it play out for several more weeks and determine whether or not this can be resolved in a way that i think is properly attentive to the traditions of the first americans. amy: during his news conference, president obama also address the issue of the harsh police crackdown on the resistance movement, which has included riot police deploying tear gas, mace, pepper spray, bean bag rounds and rubber bullets , against the native americans water protectors. pres. obama: i want to make sure as everyone is exercising their constitutional rights to be heard, that both sides are inrained from situations which people might be heard. amy: president obama's comments come as on tuesday, north dakota officials approved an additional $4 million for policing, bringing the total costs of the

police crackdown to $10 million. on monday night, oil was poured on the north dakota state capitol building along with a sign reading, "you can't drink oil." meanwhile, in new york city, hundreds of people protesting the dakota access pipeline flooded grand central station during rush hour, holding banners reading -- "indigenous sovereignty: protect land and water." in more news on the dakota access pipeline, authorities have charged water protector red fawn fallis with attempted murder and a slew of other charges stemming from the standoff on october 27 when hundreds of police raided a frontline resistance camp. authorities say fallis fired three shots during the standoff. she faces up to 20 years in prison. this comes after morton county sheriff kyle kirchmeier said he could not confirm any shots were fired by water protectors during -- on october 27.

news a "newsweek" , investigation has revealed donald trump's companies have defied court orders and destroyed or concealed thousands of pages of emails and documents amid lawsuits involving trump companies. the investigation reveals trump's destruction of documents goes back to at least 1973, when trump and his father were fighting the federal government over charges their real estate company was discriminating against african americans by refusing to rent apartments to black families. the fbi is continuing its investigation of more hillary clinton e-mails that were recently found on the computer of former congress member anthony weiner, the estranged husband of top clinton aide huma abedin. weiner is under investigation after he sent illicit sext messages to an underage girl. the fbi's opening of this investigation so close to election day has sparked enormous controversy. meanwhile, on monday, the fbi released 129 pages of documents from its 2001 investigation into former president bill clinton's presidential pardon of hedge funder marc rich, who fled to

switzerland after he was indicted on tax evasion and other federal charges. clinton pardoned him on his last day in office. the pardon was investigated because rich's ex-wife had donated $100,000 to hillary clinton's senate campaign, as well as $450,000 donation to clinton's presidential library foundation. the investigation was closed in 2005 with no charges filed. the redacted documents related to this investigation were tweeted out tuesday by the fbi's twiddle -- twitter handle which has been an active for a year until this past week. the fbi has also released an tweeted out a file on donald trump's bother fred trump on october 30. in more campaign news, "new york times" investigation shows african-american vote is down compared to 2012. analysis of early voting in florida shows turnout is lower than the state average in the five counties with the highest

percentage of african-american voters. the analysis did show the voting is up from 2012 among latino voters. the iraqi military says u.s.-backed iraqi special forces have entered the city limits of mosul as part of its campaign to retake control of the city from isis. the united states is backing the iraqi army with both u.s. special forces on the ground, as well as u.s. airstrikes. on tuesday, the iraqi military says it has taken control of mosul's television station. mosul troops entered the tv station, which is very significant. it means the city of mosul. this is good news for the city of mosul. amy: the united nations is warning as many as 1 million civilians could be displaced amid the fighting for control of mosul, leading to what could become the largest humanitarian crisis in iraq's history. in morocco, 11 people have been arrested in connection with the death of fish seller mouhcine fikri, who was crushed to death

in the compactor of a garbage truck trying to retrieve fish confiscated by police. his death has sparked massive protests across morocco. people drew parallels to that of tunisian fruit seller mohamed bouazizi in 2010 whose death sparked the arab spring uprisings. moroccan authorities have ruled fikri's death a homicide, and charged the 11 with involuntary manslaughter and forgery of public documents. to see our full interview with moroccan-dutch professor miriyam aouragh, go to democracynow.org fighting is continuing along the border between india and pakistan in the disputed region of kashmir. india says at least seven civilians were killed tuesday on the india-controlled side, while pakistan says six more civilians were killed on the pakistani-controlled side on monday. fighting between the two sides has been escalating for weeks, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing the deaths of at least 28 civilians over the last 10 days. in france, authorities are continuing to clear and demolish

the calais refuge camp, known as the jungle. hundreds of the remaining 1500 asylum seekers, most of whom are children and teenagers, are being forced onto busses and sent to undisclosed locations across france today. tuesday night, police in riot gear used tear gas against some of the asylum seekers protesting the demolition of the camp. meanwhile, in paris, police are cracking down on refugee encampments that have been growing as the calais camp is shut down by authorities. on monday just before dawn, riot police evicted thousands of refugees from their encampment near a paris metro station. this is afghan refugee sakib dawood. >> nobody wants to stay here. if you don't have a home, you are homeless. the weather is cold. nobody wants to stay in the streets. amy: in venezuela, president nicolas maduro scored a political victory tuesday when the opposition-led national

assembly announced it had suspended its symbolic trial against maduro over claims he had been derelict in his duties as president. the opposition also canceled an anti-government march planned for thursday. this comes after maduro's government released five opposition activists monday. talks between the government and the opposition are planned for november 11. in iowa, authorities say to police officers have been shot and killed in what police are describing an ambush-style attack earlier today. the first shooting occurred around 1:00 a.m. in urbandale, a suburb of des moines. less than half an hour later, a second officer was found dead in des moines, about a five-minute drive away from the side of the first shooting. the shootings are under investigation. in new york state, a group of undocumented workers have launched a weeklong march to protest the raids by immigration and customs enforcement agency in buffalo, new york post up the group is known as the buffalo25, 25 undocumented workers who were

detained after ice rated for mexican restaurants earlier this month. at least four of the buffalo25 are currently wearing gps ankle monitors used by ice. lastly, eight migrant justice activists were arrested after they blocked the interest -- entrance to downtown buffalo ice office. --rches are offering century sanctuary. this is one of the workers detained during the ice raids. courts what was my surprise? i saw my house, upside down, destroyed. my children come all four, were born here. they took a children's documents , which is the most important to us. they took all of our savings for college. to $10,000. $9,000 that was for college for my daughter. my daughter is strong, but i'm starting to see her wave her. she says not to worry, that she

will start working soon. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. juan: and i'm juan gonzalez. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. on november 8, 35 states and the district of columbia will confront 156 ballot initiatives on issues ranging from universal health care to gun sale restrictions and death penalty reforms. one of the most contentious ballots is on marijuana legalization. after next week's election, marijuana could be legal for medical or recreational use in 29 states. currently, about 5% of americans live in states where they can legally smoke cannabis. but after november, that figure could rise to 25%. california is the biggest of the nine states casting a ballot on the measure. while other states are voting on medicinal use, arizona, maine, massachusetts, and nevada are with california in voting on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. the "yes" vote is currently

leading in all five states, and is widely supported by young voters from both major parties. california legalized the medical use of marijuana 20 years ago. amy: polls in california show strong support for proposition 64, the adult use of marijuana act. this is in ad made by yes on 64. >> prop 64 makes marijuana legal in california for adult 21 and over. here's what else it does. bans marijuana use in public, permit sales only a licensed marijuana businesses, not a grocery or convenience stores. prop 64 generates $1 billion in new revenue for the 20 to fund afterschool programs and job training and placement initiatives. learn more at yeson64.org. any company this is an ad made by no on prop 64. >> proposition 64 will allow

marijuana smoking ads in prime time and on programs with millions of children and teenage viewers. children could be exposed to marijuana coming candies and brownies. fidelity's doubled the marijuana related car crashes after legalization in washington state. yet in california, proposition 64 does not even include a dui standard. prop 64, they got it wrong again. amy: to talk more about prop 64, we're going to san diego to talk founder ofsmall , break the chains: communities of color and the war on drugs. her recent piece for the root is headlined, "how we can reap reparations from marijuana reform." she's a longtime advocate for drug decriminalization. welcome back to democracy now! it is good to have you with us. it is a major day around the issue of drug decriminalization on tuesday. can you talk about what is at stake?

in the country, the number of propositions, and in california? >> thank you so much for having me on again today, amy. i am so happy because i really think we are going to see positive results in the election next week, and that all of the states that are considering legalizing marijuana are going to approve it. and that is going to be a major blow in our campaign to dismantle the war on drugs the cousin contrary to popular opinion, you know, the war on drugs really is substantially a war on weed. more than half of all drug arrests in the country every year are for marijuana possession charges were marijuana related charges. so making this move to legalize recreational use of marijuana for the majority of americans around the country is going to substantially reduce the ability of law enforcement to use marijuana law enforcement as a target, particularly in communities of color and particularly among youth of

color. in many cases, the arrest for marijuana possession act as a sort of head start to prison. it begins the process of having them come in contact with the criminal justice system, having their names and fingerprints entered into databases. it makes the much more likely to be under surveillance and much more likely to be arrested again , subsequently, for other activities. marijuanaare so many growers in california opposed to this particular referendum? how do you respond to their charges this is going to basically for ties the sale -- corporatized the sale of marijuana and allow major businesses to push that only push out small growers and marijuana, but also to make the price of marijuana too high for low income people? well, to be honest, i think one of the reasons that many of the growers currently are opposed to

the initiative is because they have been operating in sort of a quiet as i legal status for a while, which means in many places, they have not had to face a lot of regulation and a lot of taxes. but what i think it is important for people to know is that california passed a comprehensive series of state regulations last year to govern the medical marijuana industry -- which is going to get carried forward into the recreational industry. but most of these growers would be facing increase cost and increase regulations regardless of whether or not prop 64 passes because the state has finally decided that they want to fully bring the industry out of the shadow and actually control it. so that, of course, for some people will be problematic. but prop 64 actually anticipates that in that it bans large-scale cultivation. the first five years. in an effort to make it possible for smaller growers to actually be able to scale up and be able to compete with larger

cultivators when they are able to come in. can you talksmall, about the experience of colorado and has the influence how this proposition was shaped? >>, yes, it has. one of the things we feel really good about in drafting the california initiative, we have made an effort to learn from what happened in washington state and colorado. no on 64ry to what the people say, the initiative will not allow advertising, either targeting children or others, on tv. there will be no marijuana ads on tv foryouth or a dolt after prop 64 is passed. we also included very strict safeguards around labeling and marketing to make sure that all of the products would be childproof, that they're going to be inspected by the department of public health, and there will even be a limit on the amount of thc that can be

included in edible products in order to avoid the problem of accidental overdoses that they have seen and colorado. so i think on that level, the california initiative actually moves forward in terms of protecting public health, but from my perspective, what is equally important is the fact that it will allow -- it will substantially reduce penalties for all marijuana, what are currently crimes, will now just be infractions. more importantly, it has retroactive effect. it means all of the people who have previous marijuana convictions for things that no longer would be crimes under california law will be able to apply to have their records expunged. and people who are currently in jail for marijuana related charges will be able to go to court and petition for release. to me, as a person who is focused on the impact of drug law enforcement and marijuana law enforcement on communities of color, this retroactive part

is really important because of all of the ways in which an arrest record continues to hot people throughout the rest of their lives. passes, howp 64 will it relate to federal law, which the sale of marijuana is still a federal offense, especially in lieu of the fact that they that were fed really regulated were supposedly be providing loans to growers who want to establish marijuana businesses? >> well, there is the rub. quite frankly, one of the major problems that has been faced by businesses in colorado and washington and oregon and alaska is the fact that federal law still does not recognize the legitimacy of marijuana, even for medical usage -- which means people cannot always use credit cards in their businesses and they cannot open bank accounts. we know the dea this past august refused the petition to

reschedule marijuana below schedule 1, which would allow some liberality, some loosening of these regulations and restrictions. one of the things that prop 64 when it passes will do is put more pressure on the federal government to begin to rely on its policy with the will of the people. support57% of american marijuana legalization. a larger number of them support decriminalization. they do not believe people should be arrested for this. they do not believe it should be treated like a crime. the fact our federal government still maintains the policies that treats marijuana worse than heroin and cocaine and doesn't allow legitimate businesses licensed and regulated in their state to operate legally is a major problem, and we believe the federal government will have to change because this is a train that has left the station, that people are camilla really in support of this. so the major problem is to get congress and our federal cede tos to begin to

the demands of the people. amy: we're going to go to some of the voices opposed against prop 64. this is the former drug policy advisor to president obama kevin , sabet. he is president and ceo of smart approaches to marijuana, or sam. here he is talking with the daily signal. >> i don't think young black men or anybody should get a criminal record for you low level use. i do not believe we should spend our law enforcement time jailing or imprisoning marijuana users, but to solve that problem, you don't need to go to the other extreme of creating big tobacco 2.0. legalization is not about to jen chung smoking marijuana or a grateful dead concert. it is about creating the next marlborough of our time, the next phillip morris and rj reynolds, the big tobacco all over again. we're just coming out of a 100 year stupor for being lied to by the tobacco industry for a

century about the effects on young people, on cancer, these candy cigarettes that they promise had nothing to do with kids, joe camel that they promised was focused on the 55-year-old white male smoker -- which we know is wrong. and we finally got out of that. why in the world would we want to create the same thing, just not big tobacco this time, big marijuana? i don't get it. some people think we have to do that to get rid of the disproportionate arrest. i say get rid of the disproportionate arrests, don't create tobacco 2.0. amy: in another interview with "bbc newsnight," sabet talked about the relationship between drug use and criminal activity. >> the issue is, you do not have to go to either criminalizing and thrown people in prison -- i don't think you should do that for people who are using drugs. they need treatment. we do not want to increase the availability, promotion, and commercialization that would come with this idea of legalization.

it is a complex connection between crime and addiction because a lot of people are committing crime to either fuel their drug habit or under the influence of drugs, which they're going to do whether it is legal or not. amy: so that is the former drug policy advisor to president obama, kevin sabet. deborah small, your response? >> it is funny because these are the same arguments that were made in 1996 when californians were considering prop 215 to legalize medical marijuana. people said it would increase use, it would increase drunk driving, that it would create all kinds of problems, increase crime, etc.. none of those things that happen. one of the reasons they're so much public support for these initiatives is we have now had enough experience in enough states for people to actually understand that these arguments do not work. and to say having marijuana legalization is going to lead to big tobacco? all we have to do is look abroad

at the other countries that have liberalized their marijuana laws to see that is not the case. i just came from amsterdam last month. to me, that is the future of marijuana legalization. what i want people to know is the future of marijuana legalization is boring. when you go into any place in amsterdam, it is the same as going to a restaurant or to a bar. people order we'd the way they would order a glass of wine. they sit and use with your other adult friends in a completely responsible way. they have seen a decrease in addiction to harder drugs since the netherlands liberalized their marijuana laws. they have not seen an increase in crime among any group. because of regulation, they actually have better control over the products that people are accessing. ishink that kevin sabet running a line we have heard before, but which experience tells us is different. with respect to the harms

associated with marijuana use, there are no drugs that people can use that do not have some harms associated with them. that is true whether or not you're talking about coffee, or any, alcohol a,mbien, number of products that people put into their body. the issue here is, how do you remote responsible use? how do you promote moderate use? quite frankly, none of that can be done in a prohibition scheme. the whole problem with prohibition in general is that it drives people to use drugs in more dangerous ways. while kevin would like people to believe the issue can be solved through decriminalization, i think that you, amy and juan, no living in new york city, it is not enough. new york decriminalized marijuana possession in 1977. in 2007, new york city was leading the country in arresting people for marijuana possession because it is not enough.

, we talkedah small earlier about the conflict with federal law and some of these legalization initiatives. the obama administration has basically chosen not to prioritize the enforcement of federal marijuana laws. what is your sense of where the candidates hillary clinton and donald trump are on this issue? >> well, i think it is pretty clear. i mean, hillary has said she actually supports medical marijuana, that she also supports the rescheduling of marijuana. i believe she would respect the vote of voters around the country who voted in favor of either medical marijuana and/or recreational marijuana. donald trump on the other hand would bring back the war on drugs. he says one of the big problems that we are facing is drug smuggling by mexican immigrants. his first supporter was governor lepage of maine who has engaged in his own local drug war in maine that he is associated with

blacks and latinos who he claims come to his state bringing drugs, impregnating their women, and generating the opioid crisis in that state. i think if you think about what they have said, who the people are around them, the policies that they support, it is fairly clear that donald trump would greatly amplify the drug war and rollback many of the reforms that we have made over the last 10 -- five years, whereas hillary clinton was support the efforts of black lives matter and other grassroots groups to actually prioritize criminal justice reform and rollback the war on drugs and have as redirect our resources away from locking up and criminalizing people towards providing public health and treatment for those who want and need it. amy: the atlantic writes -- by the time americans wake up on november 9, that percentage could be swelling to more than

one quarter. from 5% to one quarter. so what kind of pressure does that put then on the federal government? >> well, i think it would a lot of pressure on the federal government to both acknowledge and respect the voice of the people that has been expressed through these various initiatives. why frankly, it also puts pressure on them to change their position on the global war on drugs because this is not just a u.s. phenomenon. i know you have been reporting about what is happening in the philippines and the war on drugs there with the president actively engaged in a campaign of extrajudicial killing of people who are deemed to be drug users or drug dealers. the u.s. is directly responsible thethat because we exported drug war to the philippines and all of these other countries around the world. in the last five or six years, ,e've seen a real upsurge

particularly for latin america, for the cry for us to re-examine our policies. of all brazil, colombia, called on the u.s. to move towards a more public health approach for drugs. this is what these initiatives are about. it is time for the federal government to listen both to the people here and to the people abroad who have collectively said that the war on drugs is a colossal failure and that we need to repeal it and move to an approach to drug control that respects human rights and also protect public safety. amy: arizona, maine, has a choose its, and nevada -- massachusetts and nevada are with california on legalizing marijuana on tuesday? florida, arkansas, where do they fit in? north dakota? what we're seeing in those states is, again, a movement toward liberalizing their laws to make medical

marijuana more available to people. it is pretty clear that within the next few years, the vast majority of americans are going to be livi in states where they have illegal access to marijuana. it will represent a major sea change in our approach to dealing with drugs in this country. it will be really hard to maintain a level of criminalization and a focus on drug law enforcement when the majority of americans believe they have a legal right to this. then we will confront the question of whether or not we're going to continue to use these laws as a tool to target minorities another honorable population -- vulnerable populations. the majority of americans with and, quitetatus frankly, who do not look like me, marijuana has been legal for them all along. this is really about having the laws contort, making sure everybody in america has legal right and everyone is treated equally under the law. amy: we want to thank you very

much, deborah small, for being with us founder of break the , chains: communities of color and the war on drugs. we will link to your piece in the root "how we can reap , reparations from marijuana reform." longtime advocate for drug decriminalization. when we come back, an astounding film called "rikers." stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: "sweet leaf" by black sabbath. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. juan: we spend the rest of the hour looking at new york city's rikers island -- one of the largest jails in the united states. on tuesday, abc7 here in new york air exclusive video of a

36-year-old man named rolando perez who died in his jail cell in 2014 after being denied anti-seizure medication. this is part of abc7's report. >> in this exclusive video of trained by eye investigators they hurt mr. perez screaming for his medication. he relied on it since he was 16 years old to control his severe seizure disorder. the 36-year-old died in solitary confinement after getting into a fight with another inmate. he was under arrest for petty burglary back in january 2014. he had not been convicted of a crime. an autopsy found he died of a severe seizure and her problem. juan: rolando perez was being held at rikers for the suspicion of robbing a television. his family inow suing new york city. amy: well, we turn now to a

new documentary called "rikers." it brings you face-to-face with men and women who have survived incarceration at new york city's largest and most notorious jail. their stories are told directly to the camera without any additional narration. a dozen former prisoners vividly describe the cruel arc of the rikers experience -- from the trauma of entering the island, to the extortion and control exercised by other inmates, to the harrowing interactions with corrections officers. they also detail the beatings and stabbings, the torture of solitary confinement, and the psychological difficulties of psychological difficulties of reentering the outside world. this is the trailer for "rikers ." >> it was the daytime, but it felt dark. throughch stuff going my mind, but the main thing is hoping that i do make it out. looked like a monster.

like we were about to go into the valley of beasts. >> once you are there, it is easy to get there, but hard as hell to get out. >> complete upside down kingdom. every thing that means something to us here, doesn't mean [bleep] there. >> it was total chaos. >> i was scared. >> i was literally cowering in the corner. >> the worse you do, the bigger you are. >> i've seen men rape other men. >> if you don't have a weapon to disband yourself, you having issue. >> i was literally hogtied. >> they broke my nose. >> spit on me and broke a bone in my back. >> my sanity was chipped away little by little. >> solitary confinement is rough. you can go crazy. >> you start defending -- befriending the roaches and

rats. >> i actually contemplated suicide. for all of you who have been here, you know it to expect. for those who have not been here , sign your hands. amy: that was the trailer for the new pbs thirteen documentary "rikers." it will have its broadcast november 15 at 10:00 p.m. eastern on thirteen. well, for more, we're joined now by award-winning independent filmmaker marc levin, director of the new documentary, "rikers." marc levin, welcome to democracy now! you worked with two others on this film. this film iswhat about. what inspired you to do this? bill's,is an idea of

who i've known for many years. the basic idea was, as you said, face-to-face, to hear for the first time exclusively from people who have survived rikers newspeopleout any interfering or officials or politicians. it is really to hear them. and i would say, rikers is a symbol of a criminal justice system that is dysfunctional. we have this idea of criminals. we have criminalized so many people. i mean, that is what the h" was about. here is a chance to read human eyes people. as you said in the tragic report you just had up there, 80% of them have not even been convicted of a crime yet. they are waiting does -- to go to trial or plea bargain.

that was the idea of this film was to allow people to experience what it is like to be on rikers island. juan: how did you decide on the inmates you would use in the film? the process of making it? >> with my partner mark benjamin and our producer tom a we peopley that over 100 who had been on rikers between the late 1970's and all the way to this year. out of that, just a natural kind of winnowing down to about 12 of who ended up being the main characters. that we talked to, obviously, a lot of people. amy: let's go to a clip of "rikers," where former detainees describe the culture of violence. >> it is gladiator school for real. >> if you don't have a weapon to defend yourself, you have an issue. >> violence rules. primeor or prey. >>

minister situation where i cannot run from, but my whole time in the streets, that is all i have ever been do is fight. so i'm looking like i'm in a place where i always trained for, but did not know it. >> the alternative is more violence. when somebody realized you're willing to be more violent than they are, they're less prone to be v they taught me how to use a level of violence i have never -- i could never imagine i was capable of doing. amy: talk about this. >> this is one of the main issues. we think we're putting people away on this penal colony and, out of sight, out of mind. basically, it is university of crime, and accelerate a misery. it makes things worse. the price we're paying -- we talked about the cost, but the price we're paying in terms of sending young people, mostly young people of color, away, and coming out worse off than they went. if they're going to survive, they have to be part of this

notorious culture of violence, and that is frightening. juan: the culture of violence -- yound obviously mentioned, i busily the prison guards themselves have to be a major participant in allowing this to happen. one of the interesting things that i have found fascinating is the correction officers association is a very powerful institution. largely african-american and officers.rections obviou one was just indicted on federal charges in ousted. norman seabrook had numerous power in protecting his members are the members of his union from any kind of charges against the nd of brutality that is so rampant at rikers. >> absolutely. it is one of the issues that officials are struggling with now. i think they have made some progress. there was a trial recently were a number of officers were convicted for abuses come as you said, seabrook himself has been

indicted. it is a struggle because the irony is, many of the corrections officers are from the same communities, sometimes they know or are related to, as in our film "rikers" talks about his relatives were corrections officers and how used to wink and height he was related to people. it is a complex situation but there is no doubt changing the coulter of violence means changing how corrections officers are trained and disciplined. amy: what is the history of rikers? >> it is a landfill. amy: from the east river? >> exactly. that is the big question right now, is the history so cursed in the karma of this place just so dark that it can't be changed and it has to be closed down? certainly, a lot of advocates feel that way. or can it be -- can we reduce

the number of detainees there so much that it does not make financial sense anymore to run an institution? juan: there has been a sharp reduction. at one point, there were around 16,000. >> the people thomas 18,000 to 20,000 during the crack years. now it is down to about 7500. i think that is the key thing. first, how do you prevent people -- a guy that robbed a television set, dead now. how do prevent people like that, what are alternative sentences yet the what kind of bond bill would form as needed? i know you're going to have kalief's brother on here. for a bail of a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars can get that money and does not end up being locked up? what kind of programming to the upper people who are locked up? many have mental-health issues. on the reentry side, what do you do when people get out?

amy: let's go to another clip from "rikers." >> i became a blood. now i had an authority. now i am the authority. that coulter is very much different -- coulter is very much different because the worse you do, the bigger you are. at that point, we were not the strongest. there was a gang that was bigger than us. the latin kings. they were the majority. we were the minority. i ended up putting a lot of work -- and by that i mean a lot of physical contact, a lot of violence, a lot of stabbing, a lot of cutting. when i say jump, that was for real. if you don't do it, i got 35 other people in here that will make you do it. >> the bloods were putting fear in a lot of people. very few of our people who stood their ground. >> it became this whole type of system that was with the latin gangs 10 years prior was now with the bloods and the cryps and the other gangs were they

had control of the officers gave them power, gave them drugs, gave them and floods, right? the co's was always the oppositional gain. whether they were secret member of this gang, they were an entire gang themselves. that is the way they portray themselves. there is a uniformed officer for nearly every detainee at new york city jails. saying that it doesn't matter if you have the uniform on, right? that says "correction officer" or one that says "inmate." you are still doing time. >> being an inmate and being a co is a very thin line. stop -- time stops for them when they come in. only one bridge in and one out. some co's are real cool and some really understand the system and try to prevent these young

people from coming back by talking to them. >> the majority of the officers on rikers island are minorities. they come from where we come from. they grew up where we grew up at. somehow they just never made it to prison. >> a myunt and my sister our captors on rikers island, my mom and dad. i could not tell anybody i was related to this person. i was the family and the corridor going to eat and just give them a wink. bethey tell me i would sent to the box if i did not pay them. that name he say, you're just like me. we are all criminals in here. amy: that is an excerpt of the film "rikers" that will premiere on public television wnet channel 13 in new york on november 15 and atdoc nyc the film festival in new york on november 12.

is the award-winning independent filmmaker. we will be back with him as well as a young man who you have heard a good deal about on democracy now!, who has died, but his brother, kalief browder's brother akeem. we will be back in a moment. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. juan: we continue our coverage of rikers island. in october, the browder family held a memorial service for venida browder who died of a broken heart 16 months after her own son kalief, hanged himself in his bronx and after spending italy three years at new york's rikers island. 20 10, hes just 16 in was sent to prison for stealing

a backpack. he always maintained his innocence and demented a trial. he's been a nearly next three at rikers, even though he was never tried or convicted. for nearly 800 days of that time, he was held in solitary confinement. near the end of his time in jail, the judge offered to sentence him to time served if he entered a guilty plea, and told him he could face 15 years in prison if he went to trial and was convicted. kalief still refused to accept the plea deal. he was only released when the case was dismissed. amy: kalief was repeatedly assaulted by guards and other prisoners. he also told huffington post live he was repeatedly denied food by guards while he was in solitary confinement. these experiences traumatized him. ultimately after his release, kalief browder took his own life june 6, 2015, when he was 20 two years old. he was a student at bronx community college. the video that has come out of the assaults on him by both the

guards and the prisoners is just astounding. for more, we're joined by akeem other brother,'s founder of the campaign to shut down rikers. akeem browder, it is wonderful to meet you in person. i know it is hard, just in the music break, showing images of your brother. you were seven. your family, seven kids? you called him peanut? >> yes. herereciate you having me and i which it was -- i wish you was kalief so he could tell his story the way he would have come or my mom, who now we have lost -- i've had to go to two funerals are ready within the last not even two years, 18 months. fromat time, her promises

that i have heard promises from de blasio that there is going to be some reform justice made that other people would not have to suffer the way kalief did, which does not bring back kalief, but it lets me know or tells my family that something is one to be done about this. yet, not a single thing has been done full's top when we talk about how many people are on rikers, it is no longer at 15,000 where was when i first started getting into this, but just because it is down to mean it78,000, doesn't makes a difference on the numbers of people that is exley going in, which is 70,000 people is the 70,000 people go into rikers yearly. andou realize that, overheard you speaking about gladiator school. ,hese 70,000 some odd people black and brown skin, 89% of the population, and yet we are going

through gladiator school today be released into public where people live and fear against you because you are on the news as a demonic animal or demonized and dehumanized just because of our -- the color of our skin most of the time. went through, no kitchen go through. a lot of 16-year-olds and 17 euros are majority that make up that 70,000 people who go into the system. juan: you mention the issue of closing down rikers. ,here's been a discussion several council members including the speaker of the council, have said they are in favor of shutting down rikers. the mayor, while apparently sympathetic to the issue, has not made that stance. what is your sense of how that movement is building and the potential that it might succeed? >> as i said, within the last 18

,onths, mayor de blasio although sounding sympathetic, it is lip service. he tells us that they're going to reduce the population, however, at that time, from then until now, it has only been a couple hundred, not even, because the population from 1500 is only down to 1475. that is not movement. that is not reforming. that is not being sympathetic. amy: teenagers being taken out of solitary confinement at rikers? >> yes, there is a movement to get -- like, i've been working with close rikers group where we agepushing to raise the of awareness. we are focusing on rikers island, but the department of corrections in which i used to

work for while kalief was there, as an engineer, not an officer, but that population is just being refocused -- you're focusing on rikers while there is more than just rikers. there is the boat. we're manhattan house, brooklyn house. juan: the boat is a barge in the -- >> yes. we're focusing on the wrong thing. we're focusing on rikers, but they are abusing other human beings in other facilities. amy: you are unusual in that you both served at rikers island as a corrections guard? >> no, an engineer. amy: an engineer. and you're also a detainee. talk about both experiences. >> i was there as an adolescent as well, as 16 -- as 16 years old. they considered you an adult.

the public is being lied to. they are saying we're putting these adolescents into adolescent facilities, but me being there, i can say that what ,hey do is there are john does people who do not want to give up their age, but their 34, 28. since they're considered john does and they live about their age, their than entered into the adolescent prisons. amy: how old were you? >> 15, going on 16. they said i was 26 until the corrected. then they put me in an adolescent facility. there were adult there. ony will entitle people different gang members. instead of trying to fix things of what is going on, they create a system of violence that is really predominate. juan: i want to turn to kalief browder in his own words. in this december 2013 interview with huff post live's mark lamont hill, browder talked about his suicide attempts at rikers and his efforts to get psychiatric help.

>> i would say a committed suicide about five or six times. >> you attempted suicide five or six times all while still in prison? >> yes. to telling thert correction officers that i a psychiatrist or counselor, something. i said i needed mental health because i was not feeling right. all of the stress from my case, everything, it was getting to me and i could not take it. i needed someone to talk to. i just needed to talk and be stress free. the correction officers, they did not want to hear me. nobody wanted to listen. juan: that was your brother speaking to huff post live before he committed suicide himself. >> yeah. my mother, if she were sitting here, she would have spoke of how the from of having her son being lost to the system, the

system has claimed already two of my family members through depression, anxiety, and stress. she is not here anymore, either. i am realizing now that the depression that has transpired from kalief to my mother is also to my family members. where senators and everyone asked -- we have to push for reform. we have to push for this law or that law. they ask of us, the family members, to speak and to come out yet when is it there wonder realize these human families, these people like myself or my brother who are still suffering from depression because losing our mother's heart is then we had to do, now we are being asked to come up to albany and forces to get out of our realm where we want to be morning our family but then does not provide help or services that could inevitably stop the cycle of depression like therapy or counseling or something like that will stop where it stops

this. you have already created a cycle and it is not going to stop until it consumes everyone that is in the path. juan: marc, most new yorkers, the only time they ever see rikers island is when they're flying into laguardia airport on a plane. what you are hoping they will get out of your film? >> it is no longer out of sight, out of mind. we don't have to think about guantanamo. we don't have to think about abu ghraib. i think what you just heard him a solitary, especially for adolescents, it is a form of torture. we have been doing it right here . it is time to wake up. it is time to change who we are. amy: we want to thank you both for being with us. akeem browder, your with campaign to shut down rikers. you lost your brother kalief to the system as well as your mother. i want to thank marc levin, director of the film "rikers."

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