good day, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." so much to talk about. let's get started. keeping an eye on three u.s. cities, portland, oregon, louisville, kentucky, and rochester, new york. three cities in the midst of a call for racial justice, and an end to police brutality. we have reporters in place to bring us the latest on what's happening there and what the residents want. we'll start with gabe gutierrez, joining us from outside the derby at churchill downs, the kentucky derby, of course. welcome to you, gabe. you've spoken to activists on the ground there. how do they feel about this race, and what they're doing

there? >> reporter: well hey there, alex. the advocates and activists here that are organizing some of the protests are furious at the fact that the kentucky derby is happening. let me show you about the security presence here. this is the kentucky national guard, state police. they have armored vehicles here. churchill downs is just over there. you can see all this fencing here. and the concern here is what happens when these protesters and counterprotesters clash later on today. will there be any major clashes? now, alex, a short time ago at a park not too far from here, some militias started to gather, saying that, you know, they planned to march downtown to the area around the courthouse downtown. in the last hour, alex, we were in jefferson square park where there have been many protests over the last 100 days or so, and so police are really trying to keep these two groups separate and prevent any major clashes.

yesterday, we did speak with some of the organizers of the protesters demanding charges in the breonna taylor case. take a listen to what they have to say about the kentucky derby. >> this is derby city. every year, poor people, black people, brown people, they drive through here, and they pick up multi-millionaires and other millionaires and famous people in their ubers and cars. no spectators this year, and we've doubled and tripled security measures. >> reporter: so, alex, as you can see, there is a lot of frustration among those protesters. at an iconic event such as the kentucky derby is being allowed to carry on despite all these calls for racial justice, despite the calls for officers in breonna taylor's death to be charged. we're expecting both far left

militias as well as far right militias are expected here as well. a major security presence here. and the hope is that these two groups won't clash and that there will not be any violence as the kentucky derby gets under way later this afternoon, alex. >> that in all likelihood is what accounts for the larger increased presence that your guest there was none too pleased about. let me ask you about a statement, gabe, that churchill downs put out a short while ago. actually a couple of days ago. it was short of saying black lives matter but did acknowledge the protests for racial justice. are protesters commenting on that at all? has that quelled any of the displeasure there with the kentucky derby? >> reporter: it has not calmed any of the tension here, alex. what they see is they are still furious that the event is going on at all. of course, you know, the kentucky derby would have happened several months ago if not for the covid-19 pandemic,

but the protesters here, they view that statement, and it didn't sit well with them basically. the statement said this will be a kentucky derby like none other, and it tried to address the unrest, the anger felt by many people here in the chunt. but for the protesters we spoke with yesterday, they just feel that this event shouldn't be happening at all, alex. >> thank you very much, gabe gutierrez, there outside churchill downs. moving now to rochester, new york, demonstrations over daniel prude's death entered a third night of unrest in that city months after he died in march. the medical examiner says his death was caused by complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint. it also excicited excited delir and acute pcp intoxication. my colleague, kathy park, has been in rochester for days,

covering all of this. you spoke with folks on the ground clashing with police. what are they telling you about all of this? >> typically, these marches and rallies start off relatively peacefully, early on in the evening. and then things take a turn overnight. you saw that last night. when i spoke with one demonstrator the other day, she said she has been out ever since the death of george floyd, but it was thursday night when she blames police officers for making the first becoming aggressive. and she said she ended up in the hospital. take a listen. >> one cop, their name tags were marked so you couldn't see their names or make out their names. i was shot directly in the head. i was knocked out. medics took care of me. i have a pretty big welt on the side of my head.

>> we want to point out that the injury was from thursday night. last night, the protests continued and tensions really ratcheted up once again. and, alex, based on our observation, the crowd was the largest we have seen so far this week. police have said there are 2,000 people in the downtown area, and there are agitators in the crowd launching fireworks at one point and they responded with tear gas as well as pepper spray. in total, 11 people were arrested and three officers were injured. alex, we do want to point something out. over to my left, we noticed that state troopers have arrived a little bit earlier than yesterday. they were out here as well. just increasing the police presence in anticipation of possible unrest. and they are expecting more demonstrations later on this evening. and if the last three nights are any indication, like i said, things start to become tense

during the overnight hours. and these demonstrators say they will continue to be out here until all the officers involved in the arrest are fired. alex? >> so, the fact that the mayor suspended seven officers in connection with prude's death, albeit with pay, that has not sat well with the protesters? >> reporter: alex, no. they are very upset. they are saying they need to see more happen. keep in mind, the footage was from march 23rd and we're already in september. and the release of the footage happened this week. so, they're not satisfied, a, with the timeline. they're saying that the timeline just isn't matching up, and they're saying it took way too long for the response. you know, lots of different agencies are looking into this. we heard from the mayor. we heard from the police chief. they are all saying that they were in front of this, based on what they were told at the time. the mayor is saying that on august 4th is when she actually

saw the footage herself. and the police chief is saying that he immediately launched an internal and criminal investigation but ultimately it's the attorney general's office that will be taking the lead on this investigation. it's unclear exactly when that information will be released, alex. >> that video is so disturbing. all right. kathy park, much appreciated. let's go down to portland, oregon, where today marks the 100th consecutive day of protests. after a series of clashes between protesters and police there last night. my colleague, erin mclaughlin is in portland for us. what's happening on the ground there? >> reporter: hey, alex. last night's protests began as they normally do here in portland. around 200 people marched towards the portland police association, according to the police. it was when those protesters began throwing projectiles at

police, including oregon state police that police then responded. 27 people were arrested. a number of items were seized as part of those arrests, including an illegal, fully loaded pistol. until then, the protests later in the evening then dispercen d d disbursed. prior to that will be a memorial service for aaron j. danielson, who was shot and killed, a trump supporter who was shot and killed in portland last weekend. his family and friends will be gathering in a separate part of portland to remember him. alex? >> okay. so, the ongoing investigation into the death of michael reindol, the man who was killed by police officers thursday, as they were trying to take him

into custody for the murder of aaron danielson. where does all of that stand? what do we know from that investigation? >> reporter: yeah. michael reinold's death is a matter of a multi-agency investigation at this point. the u.s. marshals as well as other law enforcement agencies moved into an area of olympia, washington, earlier this week, shooting and killing him, according to eyewitnesses. there was a hail of gunfire. he was pronounced dead at the scene. key to this ongoing regulation is the u.s. marshals are saying that he produced a weapon as they tried to arrest him on the charges of second-degree murder for the murder of aaron j. danielson. whether or not he produced the weapon, pointed the weapon and shot the weapon, according to the sheriff's, is the subject of an ongoing investigation. meanwhile, his estranged sister,

april reinold, releasing a passionate statement about her brother. let me read you part of what she had to say. she said, quote, from what i know of the situation and my estranged brother, he believed that the country was going to war. he believed the war was here, and look at where that got him. where it got us. two men are dead. he is one of them. two families have been thrown into chaos and everyone seems more up in arms than ever. i believe in something different. worth noting that reinoehl once described himself as 100% antifa. alex? >> erin mclaughlin, portland. thank you, erin. >> white house in damage control mode after reports that the president referred to injured and fallen service members as losers and suckers during a 2018 visit to france. >> meantime, his opponent joe biden weighing in, calling the alleged remarks disgusting. kelly o'donnell is at the white house for us.

the president is denying these allegations. what specifically is he saying about them? >> reporter: a highly coordinated response from the white house. the president in his own voice pushing back. also officials here collecting the statements on the record with names attached from current and former officials, roughly a dozen so far, who say they did not hear the president use that kind of language, especially those who were part of the trip in paris and france in 2018. the white house saying that this is simply a hit job about the election season, that it's sloppy reporting with anonymous sources, the kinds of things we often hear them push back on. "the atlantic" was first to report this. they cite four sources who are not named but are said to be direct, firsthand sources. in addition, you have "the washington post" and "associated press" corroborating parts of it, fox news corroborating parts of it as well. it's a picture of how the president would describe things behind the scenes and part of

why, for many people, this rings true is it's the kind of language, losers, suckers, that we see the president use on his twitter feed regularly, when speaking at rallies. not necessarily directed at members of the military or veterans, but it's part of his language. we have heard him criticize gold star families in public and the late john mccain, prisoner of war in vietnam and widely honored for his military service. the president pushed back on this. and joe biden used this as a moment to try to separate himself as a potential future commander in chief. so here is how the president and joe biden responded to this controversy in just the last 24 hours. >> i think it's a shame when a second-rate magazine -- i don't read it. i know very little about this magazine, but when a second-rate magazine can write things like that about something that has done so much for the military, can write things like that and

get away with it, where you actually ask questions on it. it's a disgrace. >> my son volunteered and joined the united states military as the attorney general and went to iraq for a year, won the bronze star and other commendations. he wasn't a sucker. the service men and women he served with, particularly those who did not come home, were not losers. if the article is true, and it appears to be based on the things he said, it is absolutely damnable. >> reporter: there, joe biden was also referring to the service of his late son, beau biden. personal and political in this highly charged election season. alex? >> kelly o'donnell at the white house. thank you, kelly. joining me now, congresswoman barbara lee, house appropriations and budget committee member. thank you for coming back. good to see you. i'm curious to your reaction to

the president's alleged comments on the fallen and wounded military members. >> alex, thank you for inviting me to be with you. first of all i am a daughter of a 25-year veteran who served in two wars. and for me, just like with our vice president, mr. biden, and all those who know this president and what he has said and his attitudes toward our military and veterans in the past, i feel that it's a real unamerican statement. his values, attitudes to those serving this country are despicable and i have to say based on his past comments, i have to believe what was written in the atlantic, because he has a track record of saying these things and his values demonstrate that these comments

are true. we should be honoring our veterans, our service men and women, and he's doing just the opposite. >> i'm very glad what you're saying, honoring your father, as you said, who is a veteran there of two wars, having served in that. there are some reports today that the white house is directing federal agencies to cease and desist racial sensitivity training, calling it, quote, unamerican propaganda. i know you just tweeted on this, writing let's call this what it is, an attempt to divide our country, promote a culture of white privilege and perpetuate systemic racism. let's take a look at what the president tweeted about this earlier today. this is what he wrote. this is a sickness that cannot be allowed to continue. please report any sightings so we can quickly extinguish. what is the message of that tweet by the president? >> this man is tone deaf and

ignorant about systemic racism. first of all, government agencies are workplaces and government agencies must treat their employees equitably and fairly. anti-racist programs, initiatives, sensitivity training is to make sure that there is a workplace that is fair and that it respects everybody, regardless of their background. we have to remember, alex, that this is not a race-neutral society. it's not a post-racial era. and we have to have policies and programs that address systemic racism, that dismantle and disrupt systemic racism and build organizations, including government agencies with racial justice and equity at its core. >> as we take a look at these growing protests across the country, certainly it was george floyd's death on memorial day, that sparked massive nationwide demonstrations. labor day weekend, closely following the protests in

portland, louisville, and rochester as well. as you know, the president has been using the word "violence" as often as he can to talk about the protests. i want to take a look at the reality. data from the conflict resolution and it shows 93% of black lives matter demonstrations have involved no serious harm to people or proper property. do you think that americans overall are buying the president's message? is his rhetoric damaging this movement? >> his rhetoric is what it is. i believe that the black lives matter movement, the movement for black lives, are engaging in what needs to happen in order to transform this country. they are peacefully protesting, saying enough is enough. they are talking about systemic

racism. in every fabric of this society. and the movement is broad t reflects young people. it's intergenerational and multiracial. people are coming together. we're going to win this. 401 years since the first enclaved africans were brought to america. we've had generations, decades of jim crow, systemic racism, voter suppression. and, finally, this movement is going to continue and we're going to, as members of congress, take many of the movement demands and turn them into legislation and policies at the national level. and i know at the local level and at the state level, these young people are creating the change that this country so desperately needs. >> all right. my fellow california girl, congresswoman barbara lee, thank you. >> nice being with you. >> look forward to seeing you again. thank you. next, holiday fears.

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florida officials fear labor day weekend could lead to a new surge in coronavirus cases. thousands of people are expected to crowd the beaches in miami. if they don't follow mask guidelines, they could be fined. morgan chesky is in miami beach for us. what are you seeing there, morgan? and are people following the rules? >> reporter: yeah, alex, we're in south beach. we're seeing a lot of people coming out here for labor day weekend. for the most part, people are social distancing and have the mask on at least when they get out to the beach. when they get in the water, they can take it off. when they stick to their areas, spots on the beach, they can take masks off. code enforcement or police will walk up to them, inform them of the policy, write them a $50 ticket and hand them one of these miami beach masks that they can hold on to. that's really the goal going

forward to avoid these spikes in coronavirus cases we saw following the fourth of july weekend. and the miami of miami beach tells me this is all part of trying to create a new culture here in the midst of this pandemic. take a listen. >> we're trying to create a culture of compliance. it's not easy, because i think there's still great division in the nation, generally, and certainly over wearing masks and doing these other things. it's a real challenge. the example we set here is wear the mask if you care about the xhooi community, if you want to open up your economy, stay safe. keep loved ones safe, keep a stranger safe, wear the mask. >> reporter: officials in florida are very cognizant of the fact that the numbers are trending downward. that's why they're being so stringent about these policies, alex. mid-july more than 9,000 hospitalizations from covid-19 statewide. now this number is sitting around 3,000. the positivity rate here in

miami-da miami-dade, 7%. just to the north of us in broward at 5%. keep in mind that these are areas that we're looking at a 25% positivity rate over the height of the summer. so, there is improvement to be made. however, they're trying to hold on to the progress that's already in place. they're not really going to know if people are going to take this seriously, or they're not going to see a surge for several weeks from now. and that's why we're told there is going to be a presence holding people accountable this holiday weekend. alex? >> basically wear the mask. by the way, that's a good-looking one. i like that one, morgan chesky. thank you very much. joining me now, nbc news medical correspondent dr. natalie azar. doctors, good to see you both. dr. ashby, you're in miami. i want to start with the labor day holiday. are you concerned it could be a repeat of july 4th, or do you think the country has learned something since then?

have floridians learned something? >> thank you for having me, first of all. i think it's a combination of both. i think the public has gotten the message. they're adhering to good practices, meaning they're wearing the masks, they're socially distancing. you understand the nature of this virus. now in terms of spread at the beach, i'm not as concerned about outdoor spread during the midst of the summer where it's real hot and humid, but what i'm more concerned about are people participating in indoor activities, meaning that folks are going to parties, going to get-togethers at houses with poor ventilation, that's really the main source of spread. people just need to be aware of that. if they're indoors, wear your mask, clean your hands and try to open the windows, get it ventilated. when people are coming down to miami and engaging in various activities, i'm always concerned. >> very good advice there, certainly. dr. azar, there is a dire new report predicting 410,000

americans could die from covid by the end of this year. and that is more than double the current death rate. can that be mitigated? can it be slowed, stopped? or do you think 410,000 deaths by january is inevitable? >> you're referring to the ihme predictions that were reported yesterday, that the 400,000 deaths were the most likely scenario, and then they also gave us best case and worst case scenario. worst case scenario, of course, being 600,000 deaths. i have heard that some others have said it's not necessarily always appropriate to predict that far into the future because it doesn't take into account all these behavioral things. i think they're basing this prediction on current behavior and understanding that, you know, when we have seen rises in certain parts of the country, and mask wearing sets in, and then we see those numbers going down, but we see a bump in other

places, they're simply extrapolating out and saying if we continue on the path we're on, this is what's going to happen. if we ever needed another reminder that our behavior impacts these numbers, this is a good time to do so with that best case scenario really implying that all of these mitigation methods or measures are being implemented and enforced and followed. >> duly noted. reminders from both of you doctors. dr. ashby, to you, sir, the medical journal lancet found the russia covid-19 vaccine showed no serious adverse effects, also created antibody response. tell me what you make of the lancet's review of the vaccine and how effective it may be. >> so, i definitely think that's an important development, meaning that the vaccine does show that it produces antibodies. that doesn't necessarily mean that you have immunity. you have to make a clear distinction between an antibody response and immunity. you don't find that out until you do double blind randomized

placebo controlled trials in the public where you give one groopt vaccine, one group don't get a vaccine. they get the placebo and see how they interact in public. that's where phase three comes in. russia, before phase three, decided to release the vaccine or release -- basically give it approval. they have been giving it to the public. yes, it's a very positive sign, but we're actually further ahead in terms of our vaccine trials. we're in phase three trials in the u.s. with moderna and pfizer. and that's not a big surprise, not a big development. they decided to go ahead and get the vaccine to the public before the safety net trials were completed and i hope that the u.s. does not follow suit with that pattern. >> the cdc, dr. azar, is asking states to prepare for large dose distribution of the vaccine by november 1st.

this is preparation. at this point none of the vaccines are actually approved. do you think it's possible for a vaccine to be ready to go by november 1st? >> you know, alex, there's a lot to unpack here. i found the messaging to be a little unusual, this wide-scale distribution. what does that mean? even when we get to the point where the vaccine has reached the end of a phase three trial or they get far enough along that they think they're ready to market it, this is not going to be for 330 million people in the country. they have already discussed and described what a rollout of the vaccine is going to look like, who is going to be in phase one, who is going to be in phase two. we're not even talking about large numbers of people. what i've read and heard, especially from states, is that getting this distribution capability up and running is going to require money. money that they may potentially not have yet. there's also an important distinction to be made between

saying something looks promising and that it is, in fact, safe and effective. we only need about 150 cases of infection to occur within a 30,000 group to determine whether or not the vaccine is safe and effective, but whether that means that that translates into widespread deployment is a completely other thing all together. >> bottom line, skepticism there from you. >> yeah. >> dr.s ashby and natalie azar, thank you very much. >> what are voters most worried about before november? we'll tell you next. t worried about before november? we'll tell you next. when the world gets complicated,

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>> imploring the president to convene congressional leaders for an aid deal, adding things wouldn't be so bad if the president just did his job. 59 days to the election. a new set of polls to look at. after the conventions former vice president joe biden leading nationally anywhere from 7 to 10 percentage points. varying margins in a number of swing state polls going into this labor day weekend. national correspondent at the national post and daniel straws, senior political reporter for the guardian. good to see you. philip, i'll reach out to you first. these polls correlate to what you wrote about as to why biden is ahead. the things americans are most worried about are things they prefer biden to deal with. what are americans most worried about today that's giving biden this leverage? >> gallup does polling every month and says what do you see

as the most important problem facing the country? when you look at 2016, the things people are saying, there was a lot of discussions in the economy, discussion of terrorism, immigration. today, those aren't the things that people are focused on. they're still concerned about the economy, although far less than you might expect, given the number of people who are out of work. what people are concerned about are things like, obviously, the coronavirus pandemic and concerned about race relations and racism. those are things that very specifically do not play to donald trump's strengths. people are very concerned about the coronavirus pandemic, at the same time think he hasn't done a good job in addressing it, people are very conditionered about race relations, at the same time think joe biden will be better at handling that. and those are reasons why donald trump consistently trails in the polls. >> philip, is the president's law and order message breaking in the direction that the campaign is hoping for? do you think that the public attitude leans toward that of joe biden at this point? >> the trump campaign is absolutely hoping they would be able to convince people to focus

on this idea that crime is really surging in the united states. it is obviously up in the cities in the ways that are hard to measure. that said, it is still the case that joe biden, there's a poll that came out from nbc news yesterday that said consistently joe biden is seen, when asked who will be better at keeping your family safe? joe biden. who will be better at dealing with protests? joe biden. even on this issue that trump has been hammering on for several months now. >> daniel, you write about how democrats are looking to expand the electoral map goals into certain areas and you look with a specific eye to arizona, georgia and texas and that they see those states as potentially winnable. why? what's leading them to believe that? >> it depends on the state. arizona has shown promising trends for democrats. look at, for instance, the arizona senate race where democrats are very confident in mark kelly beating -- >> martha mcsalle.

>> -- martha mcsalle there. for cycles and cycles, we've heard democrats this is the one that's going to turn texas blue. it's a red state. there's a strong potential voter base to draw from but it's still kind of a reach here. then finally georgia with a large african-american population. to an extent we saw a promise that democrats could really compete there in 2018 with the governor's race, but that still fell short for democrats. and it remains a red state there as well. >> regarding the president's strategy, daniel, you have a headline that reads the politics of racial division, trump borrows nixon's southern strategy. you write, in part, the president is taking a page or two out of the 1960s southern strategy. playback politicians that richard nixon and barry goldwater used to rally support from white voters in the south by leveraging white fear by

people of color. do you think this really holds half a century plus later? >> i think he sees this as one of his best routes to re-election. he believes if he can rally his base through incendiary language related to race relations, he thinks that can propel him through election day into victory. we even saw today that there's a memo out from omb, telling federal agencies to stand down on racial sensitivity training. this all falls into an approach that the president himself has really sort of bet on in the past few weeks, which is arguing that law and order is in peril if biden doesn't win re-election and is using language that is likely to inflame tensions in this country. >> all right. philip bump and daniel strauss, thank you so much. what daniel was talking about

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>> more now on decision 2020. americans view of race relations at its lowest point in 20 years. 44% say relations between blacks and whites are good. 55% say they are not. broken down by race, 46% of those who say race relations are good are white. calling it, quote, unamerican propaganda. co-founder of black voters matter, latisha brown. what do you make of this new gallup poll numbers and shows how different people of race are viewing race relations in this country right now? >> that is reflective of a different issue.

this country's inability to deal with the honesty and be honest around race and racial relationships. when you're looking at racism, it impacts black people very differently than it impacts white people. certainly i think there's a different level of intentionality when we talk about whether race relations are -- how is racism happening or not, that the way people see it, and how we're being honest or not being honest. you know, to be in a moment where we've seen the largest protests ever in the history of this country, where there have been uprising in all 50 states, when we actually witnessed on tape seeing black men killed as if they were deer. when we've seen unarmed black people almost on a weekly basis killed, to not acknowledge there is something happening in this country around race relations is really just being dishonest at best. i think it's more reflective of people really not being honest and courageous to step into that

can frgs that we've got work to do. we've never effectively dealt with racism in america. >> all you're saying there leads me to the question, how can the white house justify canceling racial sensitivity training? >> there is no justification of it. it's a dog whistle. it's almost like the same thing we were talking about, the quintessential southern strategy all over again. the three big elements around the southern strategy. one, it was to really increase the racial divide and the second piece was around creating this culture of fear, right, that all this -- this white fear to amplify this idealism around there was this particular white fe fear. third piece was around law and order. so when you see these dog whistles that historically we've seen come out of the southern strategy to create this divide and for few people to benefit out of it, that's what we're seeing. the white house is doing the same thing. it's enough information to really acknowledge that there is a major, major racial division. if you look at the

representation of the white house itself, you know it is not reflective of america. the evidence is right before our eyes. what we have seen also from this white house has been very dishonest messaging and we've seen dog whistles and this attempt by trump to really minimize what's really happening in this country. >> latosha, stay with me in a moment. we've been keeping an eye on louisville, kentucky. nbc's gabe gutierrez has been watching the protesters. what have you got going there? >> reporter: hi there, alex. we were by churchill downs earlier in the hour. as you can see, behind me we're now near jefferson square park. militia members as well as counterprotesters that are, you know, getting into some heated discussions over here. no major clashes so far, but there has been some heated arguments. they've been pushing each other down the street. now they seem to be having a productive conversation but, alex, this is something that local law enforcement, as well as the kentucky national guard,

is monitoring very closely. this is some far-right militias that have been here, a group following the so-called angry viking that gathered a little earlier on today. they had been, you know, some of the protesters here are part of the nafc, far-left militia group. the concern is that since so many people here are armed that tensions could escalate throughout the afternoon as we await the kentucky derby to start. right now, things are relatively peaceful. they're just talking at this point. the concern is what happens in a few hours if these tensions continue to escalate. >> gabe, are they talking between each other, are these groups together or -- because by the pictures you're showing us, it seems these two groups are at opposite ends of the street and you're kind of standing in the middle there. do you find any sort of discussion, constructive discussion going on?

>> reporter: well, there was some heated discussion a few minutes ago. i'll tell you, alex, we were at churchill downs and drove back here. a little over an hour ago, we had been here and it was very quiet. these group of militia members travelled from a park about five miles away, gathered in a park right by the stadium here in louisville and marched over to jefferson square park where we had seen a lot of protest activity. they had been talking in heated discussions back and forth. but, you know, it's kind of -- it's a very fluid situation in the sense that, you know, they started yelling at each other, then there is some small bit of constru constructive conversation happening, but then tensions start to escalate. right now we've just seen one of the protesters, hard to tell on which side, they just kicked a car here. and, you know, these are militia members with weapons. the concern here is, alex, that since there are so many weapons, all it takes is just some

provocati provocation. we're seeing police in riot gear coming here. you can see them trying to get in between both sides and trying to keep the peace. this is still very early on in the afternoon, alex. and you can see the tensions already starting to escalate here. again, no major clashes so far, but this is part of the police presence we had been hearing about. the kentucky national guard. this actually seems to be state police, if i'm not mistaken, and louisville police as well. that is here, trying to kind of establish a perimeter and separate these two groups. that's kind of the situation here, alex. this is swrefrson square park, quite a ways away from churchill downs and the kentucky derby. certainly tensions in this city are extremely high right now. >> gabe, stay with me here. i'm going to ask your cameraman to stay on this picture as we're seeing a very large increased

police presence just as you're talking there, over your shoulder. i'm going to ask latosha to weigh in on what she sees here. latosha, what are your big concerns? we'll bring that picture up if we can. as you watch the police come in, we heard certainly some angry there is these two equal sides. and it is not. there is one side that is actually using what is really a constitutional right of freedom of speech to actually protest. this country was foundnd in the context of protest. we are seeking a peaceful presentation to ask for -- call for the those who murdered

breonna taylor to be prosecutored. then there are those who are saying you don't have the right to protest, you don't have the right to say because someone got killed in your community. i believe they are agitating the process. and when you combine that with military in military gear as if we are looking at a military country. it creates a whole pot, a situation that doesn't have to be so. peaceful protesters are the fabric of america. this is a land that has been shaped by political protests, including the boston tea party. >> to your point, there was a point i was discussing earlier, which showed that 93% of the black lives matter organized protests across the country have been entirely peaceful with absolutely zero damage done to property. when you see these kinds of pictures you see clearly clashes between militia extremists on

both sides coming at each other, we just saw a police officer right there as they stand in very great strength there kind of man handling somebody who has come close to their ranks these are the kinds of pictures that people remember. voters remember this. what is your concern that that 93% of the peaceful and non-property-damaging protests are not what is sinking in to the minds of voters before november? >> i think that's where the media comes into play. i think the responsibility of the media is not to show these false i have lentsies that both sides are being as aggressive and dangerous to each other. the report says 93% of the all of the protests have been peaceful. when you see images saying there is one side and the other side and they are clashing as if there is a equivalentsy of that it undermines i think the good intention of people actually

just expressing their rights. the second thing, we are looking at an environment that has been stoked by the president. donald trump has created an environment for white supremacists. the angry vikings, what are they angry about, to come out and be able to traumatize people that are already dealing and and all they are asking for is peace, all they are asking for is justice. yet we see the framework of people being agitated at the highest office of the land, president trump, who is giving them the license to go out and agitate peaceful protests. >> yeah. i am going to bring back in gabe gutierrez again who is on the scene. gabe i have been watching you ever since in particular memorial day with the eruption of protests with regard to black lives matter in the wake of george floyd's dechlt you have been present at peaceful protests and those that have been not peaceful, to say the least. talk about this disparity that i am discussing with la tasha and

reflecting the numbers of this study that, again, 93% of the black lives matter protests have been peaceful, have not resulted in any sort of property damage cared with these. what is your overwhelming take away of the situation between the two? >> alex, this is -- you know, we have been seeing all summer a lot of peaceful protests, they typically happen during the day. and some -- most of the images that you end up seeing of the violence ends up happening very late at night. after midnight. we saw it in minneapolis. we saw it very briefly in kenosha. we've seen it in louisville. for about 100 days or so, you know, that the only really violent protests were in those first couple of days when they first started. the vast majority, as you say, have been peaceful. what is different here, alex, is that this is frustration that has been boiling over in the city of louisville in 170-some

bays after the death of breonna ta taylor. this has been a long simmering anger. the kentucky derby was supposed to happen. it was postponed because of again a. the protesters who wanted to make a at the same time viewed the condition ken derby as something that they wanted to make that statement. city leaders called for peaceful protests here. different use remembers using this to also make their point. some of the right wing militia they see this as standing up for something they believe in. something they do not want this their view for this violence to continue. however to really question what they are really here for, bringing in all of this heavy weaponry. >> that's my question to you gabe. absolutely. you have the militia members that come on scene granted, they

have their own concerns and frustrations but they come heavily armed. how much does that exacerbate the tenor of things? it has got to take it up a few notches. >> certainly. look, some of our team -- i have been in some of these situations in minneapolis, kenosha, protests in colorado, throughout the country, in new york throughout the last couple of months. in louisville, part of our team that has been here repeatedly over the last 100 days, they do see that the presence of firearms in these protests do really escalate tensions. here from both sides, from the far left and the far right, they are both armed. and it is the early afternoon, hours before the kentucky derby. and you can see that this is already developing into a very tense situation. >> yeah. >> throw that in to when you then have the state police, the kentucky national guard coming in in armored vehicles and in

riot gear. this is you know a volatile situation. but you really have to go back to the tension here and the frustration among the protesters that say that they are demanding charges for the death of breonna taylor. >> yep. >> but as you pointed out rightly because of you know tensions on, you know, the far left and the far right, they are using this apparently as an opportunity to, you know, voice their -- their -- really, their anger. >> indeed. >> that could lead -- the hope is that it does not but that could lead to violence later on today. thankfully this far this has been just both sides blowing off some steam some shouting. the police are here. in the last few minutes there does seem to be a little bit of a reduction in tension. let's hope it stays that way. because it is very volatile. >> lights' hope that. it sounds like a boyserous shouting of ma. let's hope it diplomat erupt in

violence. we will stay on top of the issue. that's a wrap for me this hour, everyone. i am alec wit. i will see you tomorrow. up next, lindsey riser is going the pick up on everything going on right now in louisville as well as to vote vets who has a blistering new ad. it is aimed directly at the president. president. t cities. like los angeles and in new york city. and it's rolling out in cities around the country. with massive capacity, it's like an eight lane highway compared to a two lane dirt road. 25x faster than today's 4g networks. in fact, it's the fastest 5g in the world. from the network more people rely on. this is 5g built right. only on verizon. stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill... ...can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain,

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good afternoon. i'm lindsey riser. armed protesters at one of america's premiere sporting events. we are following breaking news

from the site of the kentucky derby.