04/20/21 04/20/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> you were told because his heart was too big. you heard that testimony. the truth of the matter is, the reason george floyd is dead is because mr. shaaban's heart was too small. amy: minneapolis is on edge as jury deliberations begin in the trial of former officer derek

chauvin for killing george floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. 3000 members of the national guard have been deployed as the city braces for protests. we will go to minneapolis for the latest. then the sikh community is in mourning after a gunman attacked a fedex facility in indianapolis killing eight people, half of them sikh. >> the shooting was a tragedy must've been tragedy for all of the families affecd most of a tredy for the local sikh tdo that was targeted. a tragedy for all americans the epidemic of gun violence and hate and white supremacy. amy: the indianapolis shooting is one of at least 150 mass shootings so far this year in the united states. will lawmakers finally take action? all that and more, coming up.

welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. jury deliberations have begun in the trial of derek chauvin, the former minneapolis police officer charged with murder and manslaughter for killing george floyd by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes last may. on monday, jurors heard closing arguments in one of the most closely watched criminal trials in years. this is prosecutor steve schleicher. clubs you can believe your eyes. it is exactly what you saw with your eyes, exactly what you knew . it is what you felt in your gut. it is what you now know in your heart. this was not policing. this was murder. amy: judge peter cahill gave final instructions to 12 jurors, who will remain sequestered at a hotel during their deliberations.

thousands of students from dozens of minnesota schools walked out of classes monday demanding justice for george floyd and for daunte wright, the 20-year-old black man shot dead by a white police officer during a traffic stop in the minneapolis suburb of brooklyn center april 11. the city's mayor mike elliott black man who was born in , a liberia, told cnn monday -- "it's not safe to drive in minnesota while you're black." >> and if we see police behind us, we are afraid. we are trembling. that is a kind of terror that no citizens of the united states should ever have to face. it is constant. it is ever present. amy: the minnesota governor called up 3000 members of the national guard, along with 1100 police officers from around minnesota. civil-rights leader jesse jackson joined protests outside the courthouse monday.

>> they are still killing our people. stop the violence. save the children. amy: after headlines, we will go to minneapolis for the latest on the derek chauvin trial. the world meteorological organization warned monday of a relentless worsening of the climate crisis in 2020 as average temperatures soared to 1.2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels. that's close to the 1.5-degree upper limit advocated by scientists to stave off the worst impacts of climate change. u.n. secretary-general antonio gutteres announced the findings of the annual state of the global climate report. >> we are seeing that we live in a crisis, climate crisis, biodiversity crisis, and involution crisis. if we do not act immediately, we are on the verge -- there is no

time to lose. amy: the wmo says record heat has accumulated in the world's oceans, which are becoming more acidic and less oxygenated. 2020 saw sea level rise from melting glaciers in greenland and antarctica, near-record low sea ice in the arctic, severe flooding in asia and africa, extreme drought in south america, and a record 30 named storms during the atlantic hurricane season. meanwhile, over 400 climate experts have warned governments are criminalizing and silencing peaceful environmental protesters, including extinction rebellion, the sunrise movement, and school strike for climate. their open letter reads -- "it has become abundantly clear that governments don't act on climate without pressure from civil society -- threatening and silencing activists thus seems to be a new form of anti-democratic refusal to act on climate." the united states and china said sunday the two nations will work together with other countries on tackling climate change.

the commitment by the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters came ahead of a virtual climate summit this week hosted by president joe biden. india's capital has been ordered to lock down for six days as coronavirus cases surge to record levels. just before the lockdown took effect, thousands of migrant workers rushed to bus terminals in delhi's outskirts, bound for hometowns away from the capital. public health officials warn the mass exodus could lead to new covid outbreaks. india reported nearly 260,000 new infections monday, but a shortage of testing capacity means the true level of infection is likely far higher. several major indian cities have reported far higher numbers of cremations and burials than official death counts. about 8% of people in india have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine. on friday, the head of the serum institute of india -- the

world's single-largest producer of vaccines -- urged president biden to lift a u.s. export ban on raw materials critical to the production of vaccines. globally, covid-19 cases have surpassed january's peak to set a new record high amid a growing disparity in vaccination rates between rich countries and the global south. ononday, youth climate activist greta thunberg said her foundation would donate $120,000 to the u.n.'s covax initiative to purchase vaccines foroorer nations. >> it is completelynethical that high income countries are vaccinating young and healthy people if that happens at the expense of people the front lines in low and middle income countries. in this is a moral test. we talked today about showing solidarity and yet vaccine

nationalism is what is running the vaccine distribution. amy: president biden on monday urged all u.s. residents 16 and older to get vaccinated against covid-19 as his administration began its campaign to combat vaccine hesitancy. pres. ben: evyone is eligib as of tay to gethe vacce. we havenoughf it. you ne to be protectednd you needo in turn protect your neighbors in our family. please, get the vaccine. amy: u.s. coronavirus infections remain on a high plateau with another 68,000 new cases and nearly 500 deaths reported monday. the cuban communist party has chosen president miguel díaz-canel as its new leader. this mks the first time someone is leaving cuba outside of the castro family since 1959. the parties change in leadership comes amidst an economic crisis in cuba business are baited by harsh u.s. sanctions.

elsewhere in the caribbean, a thick layer of volcanic ash has settled over the island of saint vincent, after a long-dormant volcano erupted earlier this month. more than 20,000 people have been evacuated and are in urgent need of food, water, clothing, and shelter. on monday, prime minister ralph gonsalves appealed to the u.n. security council for help. >> please help and its midnight hour of need. near 1/5 of the island's population has had to be evacuated to safer areas. a monuntal challenge of humanitarian relief. amy: in south africa, a devastating wildfire has spread to the university of cape town, destroying irreplaceable historical records and documents that were being stored in the university's library. the blaze, which has been raging since sunday, tore through a

portion of the 200-year-old campus, forcing staff and students to evacuate. south african officials say the wildfire was likely started by an individual, then quickly spread due to heavy winds and high temperatures. the washington, d.c., chief medical examiner has ruled that capitol police officer brian sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes. the 42-year-old died a day after the capitol insurrection. two men were arrested after attacking him with the chemical spray. the ruling is expected to dampen homicide charges in his death. meanwhile, a federal judge has ordered two leaders of the far-right proud boys to remain in jail while they await trial for their involvement in the january 6 insurrection. the ruling reversed an earlier decision to release ethan nordean and joseph biggs from pre-trial detention. nordean is from washington state and biggs is from florida. georgia republican congressmember marjorie taylor greene has scrapped plans to

form an "america first" caucus, following pushback from leaders in her own party. a flier promoting the caucus obtained by punchbowl news features racist anti-immigrant language while promoting "common respect for uniquely anglo-saxon political traditions." congressmember greene was elected in 2020. she has promoted the racist qanon conspiracy theory, made frequent anti-muslim and anti-semitic comments, and voiced support for political violence against top democrats, including house speaker nancy pelosi. in alabama, the labor union that failed in its months-long battle to organize an amazon warehouse in the city of bessemer has filed 23 complaints against the online retailer with the national labor relations board. the retail, wholesale, and department store union says amazon unlawfully interfered with union efforts by threatening to cut workers' pay, benefits, and time off work, while creating an impression of surveillance by installing private mailboxes at the warehouse so it could monitor workers' votes.

this is bessemer amazon worker jennifer bates. >> the@@ werillegal things taking pla. ople whoo not ha anydea abt what uon couldo for th. pele w thought ty we going lose their j becse thcompany id we are going to shut down. amy: walter mondale has died at the age of 93. he spent 12 years representing minnesota in the u.s. senate before becoming vice president under jimmy carter. in 1980 four, he won the democratic party's nomination for the presidency and made history by picking a woman, geraldine ferraro, as his running mate. he lost to ronald reagan in a landslide. and in breaking news, the government of chad is reporting the president has died of injuries he sustained while visiting government soldiers on the front lines of their bad likens rebels in the north of chad. he took power more than three decades ago after leading and in

1990 rebellion. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democrynow.org, the quarantine report. when we come back, minneapolis on the verge -- on the edge as jury deliberations began in the trial of former officer derek chauvin for murdering george floyd. we will be back in a moment. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: "our side has to win" by godspeed you black emperor. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman in new york, joined by my co-host juan gonzález in new brunswick, new jersey. hi, juan. juan: hi, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. jury deliberations have begun in the trial of derek chauvin, the former white minneapolis police officer charged with murder and manslaughter for killing george

floyd by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes last may. floyd's death sparked international protests calling for racial justice. authorities in minnesota are now bracing for a verdict in one of the most closely watched criminal trials in years. during closing arguments, state prosecutor steve schleicher repeatedly reminded jurors this case was solely about chauvin's actions, not about policing as a whole. >>'s use of force was unreasonable. it was excessive. it was grossly disproportionate. it is not an excuse the shocking abuse you saw with your own eyes. and you can believe your own eyes. this case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video. it is exactly that. you can believe your eyes. it is exactly what you believed, exactly what you sow with your eyes, exactly what you knew.

it is what you felt with your gut. it is what you now know in your heart. this was not policing. this was murder. the defendant is guilty of all three counts. all of them. there is no excuse. amy: derek chauvin's defense lawyer eric nelson faulted prosecutors for focusing on the nine minutes and 29 seconds when his client had his knee onnk george floyd's neck. >> we get into the nine minutes and 29 seconds. the stateno has really focused n the nine minutes and 29 seconds. nine minutes, 29 seconds. nine minutes, 29 seconds. not the proper analysis. because the nine minutes and 29 seconds ignores the previous 16 minutes and 59 seconds.

it completely disregards it. it says in that moment, at that point, nothing else that happened before should be taken into consideration by reasonable police officer. it tries to reframe the issue of what a reasonable police officer would do. a reasonable police officer would in fact take into consideration the previous 16 minutes and 59 seconds. their experience with the subject. the struggles that they had. the comparison of the words to actions. it all comes into play. why? because human behavior is unpredictable. human behavior is unpredictable and nobody knows better than a police officer. amy: the closing arguments ended with a rebuttal from state prosecutor jerry blackwell. >> when mr. floyd saying "please, please, i can't

breathe" 27 times in just a few minutes -- you saw it when mr. chauvin did not let up. even when he passed out, not breathing anymore, he does not let up or get up. when he knows he does not have a pulse, he does not let up or get up. even when the ambulance comes from he does not let up or get up even then. they have to come up and tap him before he will let up and get up off the body of mr. george floyd. and they try to resuscitate him in the ambulance and they never do. he never regains consciousness. he never breeds again. his heart never pumps again. this are george floyd was deceased. you were told, for example, that mr. floyd died because his heart was too big. you heard that testimony. and now having seen all the

evidence, having heard all the evidence, you know the truth. the truth of the matter is that the reason george floyd is dead is because mr. chauvin's heart was too small. amy: after the conclusion of closing arguments, defense lawyer eric nelson filed a motion for a mistrial, claiming that recent comments made by democratic congresswoman maxine waters could be construed as a threat against the jury. ring a recent protest in brooklyn center minnesota over the police killing of daunte wright, waters said protesters should get more "confrontational" if chauvin is not found guilty. judge peter cahill refused to grant a mistrial but said the comment could lead to the verdict being overturned on appeal. to talk more about the derek chauvin trial, we are joined by two guests. in st. paul, minnesota, john thompson with us, a newly elected member of the minnesota house of representatives. he is a longtime community

activist. in 2016, police killed his friend philando castile during a traffic stop in a suburb of st. paul. nekima leevy-armstrong is a minneapolis-based civil rights attorney, activist, and executive director of wayfinder foundation. leevy-armstrong previously served as president of the minneapolis naacp and a law professor at the university of st. thomas. we welcome you to democracy now! assess the closing arguments. what did you think of the prosecution and then at the defense? >> i thought the prosecution in this case started strong and ended strong. they did an excellent jobf giving the jury all of the information that i come before, including the expert testimony. and they reminded the jury they could believe what they had seen with their own eyes, not the shenanigans that eric nelson try to bring forward with the variety of different theories as

to why george floyd wound up dead on may 25, 2020. juan: nekima leevy-armstrong, what do you make of the defense's last-minute attempt, motion for mistrial based on the comments of congresswoman maxine waters? >> it did not pass the last test. to think an 82-year-old congresswon could be responsible for a mistrial really is a surge. congress woman next he waters was well within her right to show up in brooklyn center over the weekend and stand in solidarity with those who are on the frontlines demanding justice for daunte wright as well as for george floyd. and part of the reason for

congresswoman wers' comets had to do the operation safety net, which is, from my perspective, a reign of terror that has been implemented by the department of public safety in minnesota and several other police departments in response to the uprising that happened last mmer aer george floyd was killed. we have experienced tear gas, rubber bullets, flashbang grenades, arrests and violence at the hands of law enforcement in brooklyn center. juan: i want to ask you about another prest that happened this weekend that you participated in at the home of washington county attorney who filed second-degree manslaughter charges against the former brooklyn center police officer kim potter for the fatal shooting of daunte wright. can you talk about what happed

and what he said to you? >> so we organized a protest to go to stillwater, minnesota, which is about 40 minutes or so outside of the twin cities, to the home of the attorney responsible for fili charges in the case of kim pottern which s felt daunte wright. we determined those charges are not strongnough primarily because of what we see happening in a previous case, the cas of a black muslim somalformer officer who was charged with thirdegree murder and convicted for killing a white woman in 2017. conviction marked the first time in minnesota history that an officer had actually been concted for kiing a civilian. mehow, the government was able to make the crime fit the

statute, much to our surprise. and mohammed filed an appeal in that case in the court of appeals has so far upheld his third-degree murder conviction. and so the facts of this case involving kim potter are similar to the factsnvolving mohamed noor. and we do not think manaughter charges are enough. we are demanding murder charges in this case for the life of daunte wright, which was uncessarily ken. as we hold -- help this protest in front of the attorney's home, we marched down the street and his neighbors were standing in solidarityith us, throwing up their fist in solidarity, even chanting "black lives matter." he thought we had left. we were just marching down the street. he came outside his home with his wife and started apologizing to his nghbors for our demonstration.

well, the executive director of cair minsota, was standing there and he called the attorney over and said, why don't you apologize to me? why don't you apologize to us for the under charging that you have done in this case? so they began a dialogue. then i walked up and got involved in the dialogue. i let the attorney know that those charges were unacceptable. we were demanding murder charges and we would return back to hi home in stillwater until we see murderharges in this case. we cannot allow prosecutors to under charge or not charge at all police officerwho needlessly take the lives of civilians as we have seen in this case. amy: i want to bring minnesota state representative john thompson into this conversation. you're in the legislature now. you are a close friend of philando castile, who was gunned

down i police in 2016. can you talk about this trajectory, if you can call it that, and what you want to see right now and what you're doing in the legislature arod e issue of police aountabily? >> we have to put accntability pieces into legislation here in the state of minnesota. our legislate body has made it so that the law protects the actions of thesefficers and sometimes these actions are not erroneous actions -- can you hear me? amy: everything is perfect. we can see and hear you. >> some of these actions are heinous acts of violence against young black men in the state, a

traffic stop, your headlight is out, your blinker is not working, you know, you have an air freshener in your window. these are pretextual stops to gain access to thear, but ultimately, what is really happening is these officers are seeing who is in the car and saying, that is a black man driving that car. racially profiling these black men. some of these traffic stops turn deadly. these cars are turning into caskets for some of these young african-american men. case in point, philando castile and daunte. these are traffic stops. you should get a ticket and go home, but that is not the case. even with george floyd -- if anything, when philando was murdered in 2017, the buzzwords and at the state were "implicit bias training" and "de-escalation training." i find it strange the field training officer killed george

floyd and the field training officer killed daunte. what are you training these officers is what i'm asking. amy: this is a critical and, that the person who was in charge of training the others at the site, kim potter when it came to what happened with wright, and derek chauvin, who was the senior there who supposedly training the others -- what do you make of this? the prosecution, perhaps for other reasons, it making the point that policing is not on trl, derek chauvin is. >> you know, i want to talk about something you asked nekima levy-armstrong about maxine waters and her statements here. me and nekima levy-armstrong showed up to an officers on this past summer. this officer had 56 complaints against him over his tenure.

11 successful lawsuits over his tenure and was involved ithree police-involved shootings. they voted ts man president of the minneapolis police federation and he was promoted to sergeant. so what es that tell you about policing in this state? we reward bad cops. by the way, this guy was also a member of a white supremacist biker gang. but when we show up to his house come the same thing that happened to maxine waters happened to me on the campaign trail. i was called a domestic terrorist, antifa. they call us mad and angry. we have every right to be angry. we have every right to use our voices because their actions are what we are protesting against. we have a problem here in the state with police. juan: representative thompson, one of the things you been

trying to do in the minnesota house, a committee of the house recently approved your bill that would end qualified immunity for police officers. why is this particular reform so important to you and what are the prospects you think are getting it through the house and the tougher job of getting it through the senate? >> as a doctor, cannot mistakenly put morphine in someone's iv and say, "oops, i made a mistake." they're going to walk you out in handcuffs. it should be no different for police officers. legislation in this state has made it possible for bad ofcers -- in a way we are committing to these crimes there committing in our state. for me, i propose legislation that would put some meat on the word "reform" here but the problem is, our senate is not hearing any of it. they do not want to hear

anything about police reform beuse ther they are friends of police officers or they are x police officers themselves. they are catering to these police unions. the senate here seems to think the police uon, the chiefs association, they and tell us what reform looks like. if they don't agree with provisions, it won't move through this body. juan: what about the relationship between the police union in the legislature? could you talk about more what you've seen firsthand now that you're in the legislature? >> passing firsthand the ppp. policing is perp again politicians daft punk and politicians post with me, for instance, i show up to this man's house and i'm being heckled by these patriots. one of them spin at me. i am angry. i yell at him. as they co if you don't pport black peop, then -

i was attacd throughout the campaign trail by police unions police officers all across the state. what they did to the democrats in the state, if you got a donation from the police unions, and retaking the donations and giving it to the republicans who are running against you in the race. that is whate see here with policing in this state. they played a role in our elections also. they make donations to some of our republican colleagues who in turn give them exactly what they want when it comes to not voting for reform. these people got george floyd killed. they got philando castile killed and ultimately daunte writ and several others. amy: the timing -- july 5, 2016, alton sterling was killed by police in baton rouge,

louisiana. you talked to philando about this as that news came out and the next day he was killed by police in the suburb of st. paul? can you talk about how more than activism on the street -- what it has meant to you to be in the state assembly right now? i mean, that is this downey, from alton sterling to philando and what you are doing with philando' mother right now. >> iyou would have followed me in 201 i promise aegislative body would the people anyplace to read as them. i also told that i would be rude they sing some of the -- i would be replacing some of them uncoested. legislation created everything that we see as far as disparities. i kn what i wanted to see ou@@

of my legislators. right after philando died, my son was shot six times. then i lost my mother. valeria casteel has been filling the void as far as a mother's role. i promised her i would sticky heside. proposing legislation bill 784 that would take the need for public safety out of o communities if they were investing in things they are not investing in. like jobs and economic development, housing, company tutors and mental health providers. they told me this was racist beuse i'm asking for money f the african-american community. this is what i am up against dealing with our legislation. but here's the thing, i put my name on the ballot hopefully to

inspire other young black men like myself to put their name on the ballot. many people to be legislators, lawyers, doctors, everything that we have -- every void we have that we need filled by young black men and women in our state. if they see it, they can be an. i am inspiring others to be the change they want to see in the community. juan: i wanted to ask you, back in 2017, the officer who killed your friend philando castile was acquitted on charges of manslaughter. what are you watching for in the outcome of the chauvin trial and are you hopeful this time around the justice will be served? excuse my french, but i've en a black man a my le. i watched emmett till, rodney king, philando castile -- all of them killed, killers walked out

of crt. we all know they should have been found guilty. this is no different in the state. we are prepared for the worst, hoping for the best. that is the best i can do as far as this right here. i'm not going to beat myself up. i am preparing for a not guilty verdict, to be honest with you. amy: and what willou do then? >> i will go even harder. i will go harder to creatthe change we need to see in our community. listen, there is going to be another police-involved killing in this state this year simply because we refuse to hear ything about police reform. half of these people walked into george floyd'suneral with vip ticket they have these credentials. legislative bodies. they walked right back to the state capitol and gave us nothing on police reform. that was on juneteenth. here we are in this day and e, right now in 2021, april 2021,

there still not giving us anything on police reform. right now the're asking 20 land dollars bring extraolice year to prepare -- $20 million to bring extra police are to prepare for the verdict. amy: i want to thank you so much, minnesota state representative john thompson, part of the people of color indigenous caucus that has called on fellow lawmakers in st. paul to halt budget negotiations until police accountability laws are passed, saying reform cannot wait. and nekima levy-armstrong, civil rights attorney, activist, and executive director of wayfinder foundation. next up, the sikh community in morning. this is the indianapolis killing of age people. half of those killed were sikh.

stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: "untitled number two" by john frusciante. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. more details are coming out about last week's mass shooting at an indianapolis fedex facility, where the eight victims have been identified. they are matthew alexander, samaria blackwell, amarjeet johal, jaswinder singh, amarjit sekhon, jasvinder kaur, karli smith, and john weisert. four of the victims are members of the local sikh community. indianapolis police say brandon hole, the 19-year-old white mass murderer and former fedex employee who then killed himself, legally purchased the two semiautomatic rifles used in thursday's attack just a few months after police seized a shotgun from him after his mother raised concerns about his mental state.

but prosecutors said monday they did not try to use indiana's red-flag law, which could have prevented hole from obtaining the two guns. we'll have more on that later in the show. authorities have not shared evidence hole was targeting sikh workers when he attacked the fedex facility. but on monday, police shared an they previously found evidence that he had browsed white supremacist websites. most of the employees in the fedex warehouse hole attacked were sikh. this is indianapolis sikh community member rimpi girn, who knew two of the victims, speaking to nbc news. >> we were going to have a party at this time and now we are arranging a funeral. it is hard. >> they just wanted to provide a good luck to the family. amy: tragically, the indianapolis mass shooting took place as more than 15 states across the country, including

indiana, are marking april as sikh awareness and appreciation month. for more, we're joined by simran jeet singh -- scholar, activist, and senior fellow for the sikh clition, which is calling for a full investigation into the possibility of racial or ethnic hatred as a factor in the killings in indianapolis. his recent piece for cnn is headlined "why sikh americans again feel targeted after the indianapolis shooting." welcome back to democracy no i am so sorry to have you back under these circumstances. talk about what you're calling for. >> sure. i will start by saying these families that we hurt and it is clip, these families are devastated. there were sikh families harm been hurt and its attack, families who do not identify as sikh that were hurt and it is attack. to hear their stories and humanize them, to really recognize what they're going through. and i would also say this

community in indianapolis, across the country, all around the world come is also devastated. i think that is in part because we know attacks like these, there meant for all of us. that any of us could be affected. we have to ask ourselves, when is it comg for our parents? when will we be attacked? are our kids safe? that is the sentiment of the community right now. given the pattern of violence against sikhs, we are demanding a full investigation into the possibility of bias and racism in this attack. we don't know what the authorities will conclude, but we know the feeling among the community is once again, year after year, week after week, we are undergoing white supremacist violence and this country. that is not something we are

willing to stand down on. juan: could you talk a little bit about the history of this kind of violence targeting the sikh community even before 9/11, but since 9/11 as well? >> absolutely. so many of these stories, as they come up, we minimize them and think about them as one-off incidents. we say, well, this attack targets the sikh community and that is that and let's move on. but ihink there's something cheaper here. so we can look back to the past for years and look at the massive spike against -- in anti-sikh crimes reported by the fbi from 2017-2018, we saw 200% increase in reported hate crimes against sikhs. 200%.

ask any statistician, that is that a number we see. that is not normal. we can talk about the 2012 massacre against sikhs in oak creek, wisconsin, in which an white supremacist enter their premises while they were praying and slaughtered sikh americans. it is not just today. it is 10 years. this year as we are marking 20 years since 9/11, we can look at the racist backlash that ensued ter the terrorist attacks in which americans all over the country looked at people who oked like me with their turbans, beards, and brown skin and saw them as the enemy and started killing them, too. so much of our narrative is around these sorts of moments. it is critical. i appreciate your question because when we limit our understanding to the modern moment and we erase history or forget about history, we ignore

the reality these are long-standing problems. sikhs came to this untry more than 100 years ago. they started being subjected to racist violence immediately thereafter. the first race riots targeting sikhs were in bellingham, washington, rhetoric around "hindus" and around people who were stealing their jobs. we can look at this and tell ourselves, oh, this is today's problem and we should move forward -- and we should, but we wa to be able to move forward until we name the real problem here, which is the long history of xenophobia and white supremacy in america. if we look at these as historically connected issues and if we can see how these are patterns that connect other communities and other kinds of racist violence, and we will be able to recognize the reality of racist violence and white supremacy in this country.

juan: so often in some of these cases, for instance, the attacks on the nail sans in atlaa recently and now this, it is not immediately apparent ether these are directly white supremacist motivated. have you been in touch with any of the community in indianapolis or some of the victims to get a sense of what you're able to piece together about the killer in this instance? >> it is a really important question because a lot of these instanceof hate violence, we don't acally know the motives of the attackers. pele don't typically come forward and announce "i am telling you because you are x, y, z." there are rare instances and we have real evidence, anthat is part of the problem of how we think about and categorize

racism in this country. we know the evidence and the science and the research shows us over and over again there is implicit bias lurking within each of us. in a lot of these instances, it is literally impossible to separate out the biases that we hold and the actions that we take. so in a situation like this, here's what we know. there is a 19-year-old white man who had access to guns when he should not have. he entered a place of work where he used to be employed. he knew that the facility was heavily populated by sikh immigrants, many of whom look like me. and he told them. he murdered them. it was not a random act. this was something he premedited. these are some of the points of

reality that we cannot dismiss. i would go back to what impact does it have on these community's, whether we're talking about the anti-asian hate crimes happening all over the country in which we see a pattern of targeting targeted attack's by killer in atlanta or in a situation like this, again, we don't have to know what these people are annouing. we don't necessarily know the bias in their hearts and what motivate them, but we know in both cases, and cases all over the country, that hate was in their hearts. marder was on their minds. and that is a problem that we all have to be able to sort out. amy: and what we also know is when police would to his house a year ago after his mother said he is dangerous, probably going to commit suicide by cop, and they took his gun away. we will talk more about this with a gun control advocate in a minute. that they saw in his computer that he was visiting white supremacist websites.

you have called in a letter with your coalition sent to the white house to appoint a sikh american liaison to the white house office of public engagement. already president biden has pointed in asian-american liaison after the atlanta murders. talk about my specifically you want it to be a does she want in addition, a sikh american liaison and why you want president biden to go to sikh beauties to educate the public. >> i appreciate that question. why is it in morton for president biden to go to indianapolis? we have called on him to do so. i hope he does. part of the reason is in this country, there are messages that are sent from the top down that really impact how we see one

another. we saw that during donald trump's psidency and we are saying it again in president biden's presidency. we know that leadership and gestures matter. we're not asking him to come to indianapolis because we need him to validate our pain or extence. we know we matter. we know we have inherent human dignity like everyone else. but we also believe it is importt for him to show that in a moment like this, our community's are part of the american family. if our leadership is going to other sites in situations like this to express our condolences and grief -- and they should. it is important. then we shoulde included in that, too. with the massacre in oak creek, wisconsin, happen, this was a pain point for the sikh unity that president biden did not come or have any sort of public moment with the community to show that we matter and rather

the message that was sent out was that we are part of the broader american family -- as if we are distant cousins. as if we don't actually really belong here. that messaging really matters for us. that is one with regard to why we believe president biden should come to iianapolis and why would matter, not just for us as sikh americans, but for the broader american public to see who we are and see our community. second, with regard to having a sikh liaison in the white house, this is an important ask for people of all different identity groups, that we recognize in this increasingly diverse country that our challenges, while so many are shared, we have particularities about what our community's are going through. solutely there should be a sikh da's on in the white house because otherwise, we havseen this over and over again throughout our history, we are

ignored. we are never at peace. other than when -- there is no attention on us, other than when hate crime's like this happen. yard norton until we are vicms in the world what's to grieve with us and express sympathy. we appreciate that, but what about the rest of our les? how do we fit in? having a liaison in the white house would help address some of those concerns. amy: thank you for being with us. we will link to your piece "why sikh americans again feel targeted after the indianapolis shooting."

shooting in indianapolis is one of at least 150 mass shootings so far this ar in the united states. authorities in indianapolis said monday the mother of brandon hole, the 19-year-old mass murderer, the farmer worker at that facility who shot and killed eight other people there, called police last year -- the mother called police to say her son might commit suicide by cop, prompting them to seize his pump-action shotgun. but officials say they did not push for hole to have a hearing under indiana's "red flag" law, which allows police or courts to seize guns from people who show warning signs of violence. marion county prosecutor ryan mears said authorities chose not to seek a hearing because they lacked enough time under the law to gather evidence about his mental state and faced the risk that hole's gun would be returned to him. this comes as president biden ordered a series of executive actions on gun control, calling gun violence in the u.s. an epidemic and an international embarrassment. we go now to nick suplina, managing director for law and

policy at everytown for gun safety. thank you for joining us. can you start off by explaining this red flag law in indiana? how is it possible that this young man had a gun taken from him but then he gets to buy two more long guns legally? >> yeah, well, amy, it is a question we are all asking ourselves after this tragedy. a lot of the headlines coming out of this tragic incident are about the failure -- the failure of the red flag laws. the red flag law never was used here. as you said, the prosecutor choosing not to go to court to take the next step in the process, which would be to file an application with the court, to make a showing this man is a danger to himself or others.

at that time, if the court makes that finding, not only would the police be able to take any weapons in his possession, but he would also be added to a prohibited purchaser list. so the very thing that the law is designed to prevent, going and buying a new gun, was not even ever sought here. he then went on to by two semi automatic assault rifles the middle of last year and use them to such deadly effect in an annapolis at the fedex facility. juan: what we know about why the prosecutor chose not to move forward with an application? >> we don't know very much. of the prosecutors pointed to a concern that perhaps the application doesn't succeed. thats a tough pill to swallow,

especially in the face of a tragedy like this. you have to use the laws or they will not work. we are advocating in 50 states and the federal government for laws that can protect our country, protect our citizens, our communities from gun violence. but they only work so well as the people who are tasked with implementing them. to me, this is not a great excuse to point to deficiencies in the indiana law, but rather deficiency of action. that is what we need right now and this country is action on gun safety. juan: iiana does have some of the weakest gun laws in the country? what is the age limit for the purchase of guns? we are talking here about a 19-year-old. >> that is a great point.

there has been a lot of focus and renewed focus on the indiana red fl laws, but let's not forget indiana does have some of the weakest gun laws in the country. there is no prohibition on purchasing a fearm if you're under the age of 21. there is no prohibition on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines come as many other states have. the deficit in indiana law are manifest here in indiana has trailed the rest of the country in terms of gun violence prevention laws. as we see frequently, the gun laws and indiana are so weak, they have become a supply state for illinois and cities like chicago where many of the guns recovered in crimes in chicago started off in indiana. amy: we only have 30 seconds, but we are talking about a moment now where the nra, the

national rifle association, is completely hobbled. you have the mass american population, including nra members, overwhelmingly for morgan control. overwhelmingly. the only people who are stopping the legislation are the republican senators in the u.s. congress, the republican senators. how is this possible at this moment and how do you see getting around this? 20 seconds. >> the answer always for us in the gun violence prevention movement's fight, fight, fight. there is overwhelming support from sensible gun policies and the gop senators have lost all of their excuses for not standing with us and passing, since gun reform. amy: nick suplina, take you for being with us, managing director for law and policy at everytown

for gun safety. that does it for our show. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!]

welcome back. thank you for joining us again on nhk "newsline." leaders will meet on saturday to discuss how to respond to the situation in myanmar. the secretary says a summit