courthouse where in about 24 hours the trial will begin. it's televised and perhaps the most closely watched trial in the united states. i'll be joined shortly for the co-lead counsel for the city of george floyd. i spent a good amount of time documenting the protests and the movement ignited by it. well, i'm back today for the same reason. to bear witness what this city and citizens are going through in this critical moment. i spoke with black people from the community what they expect from the trial and in the aftermath inside and outside the twum and the present day minneapolis. what changed for the better and worse and what needs work. throughout the hour, we'll

examine both the prosecution and the defense in this case in addition to the tremendous stakes of this trial represents. not just for derek chauvin but racial justice, policing, and civil rights in this country. more than anything, the trial of derek chauvin and the death of george floyd will end up being far more than the trial of one police officer and the death of one black man. this is a test of the system. black people have, for years, pointed out the killings by police are merely contemporary lynches. the first-hand knowledge of the interactions, it sounded unlikely. video started to appear and we watched people snuff the life out of black people suspected committing petty crimes or no crimes at all. they were dead and there's evidence. i'm not a lawyer and i'm not the jury, what i know is what the

entire world knows. after his arrest, with derek chauvin's knee on his neck, he complained about being unable to breathe. despite telling police what has been documented as more than 20 times that he couldn't breathe, and despite onlookers pleading with police to let him breathe, derek chauvin remained for several minutes. floyd begged for chauvin not to kill him and he lost consciousness. chauvin didn't rise then. when bystanders to tested, chauvin pulled out mace. when they asked police to check floyd's pulse, he found none. chauvin did not rise. an ambulance arrived. chauvin did not rise. in the end, after medical technicians found floyd to be unresponsive, chauvin stood up. george floyd died with derek chauvin's knee on his neck. it was all captured on video. the question here is what more does anyone need? joining me now is the founder

and president of the national action network, reverend al sharpton, host of "politics nation" on msnbc. tonight he along with ben krump will join the floyd family for a prayer vigil and rally. last year he delivered george floyd's eulogy at the family's request. this is going to be a fraught moment in minneapolis. i'm here in front of the courthouse where this will take place. as you've seen, there's fencing all around this courthouse. high security. and a lot of uncertainty what this trial will hold. what are you looking for? >> we're looking for justice. i think that when you look at the fact over the last several years -- half a decade ago or more to now. the question is, one, the evidence against chauvin and this particular case that is outlined by the prosecutor and

whether or not the prosecutor can just present the facts. and i think the facts speak for themselves. but the overall case is whether the united states has the capacity to deal with a white law enforcement officer who killed a black member of the black community or black american. we're looking at the fact that in the case of eric garner. when we look at the case in ferguson, no indictment. we look at cases all over the country, tamir rice, breonna taylor, it's not only the evidence against derek chauvin, which must be independently looked at by the jury, but it must also be looked at by americans saying when you have facts this clear and an lay it

out in a methodical way, can the country justice system convict a whiten this trial. >> you pointed out a number of examples over the decades where this has happened. that black people have died at the hands of police. there has often been not as much video evidence. can that justice that you and other civil rights leaders and black americans and all americans are looking for, can that justice be achieved if there is not a conviction in this trial? >> it would be very questionable and we have to see what would make it not achievable given the facts we know going in.

i'm sure the defense will raise its evidence, a and they have the right to do so. they will also try to smear george floyd and try to make him appear to be, in some ways, responsible for his own death. i can't even fathom how they do that. we're going to stand with this family. i did the yule guy with the family in minneapolis and in houston. and they have to relive one of the most painful experiences of their life and that's why we want to join them in minneapolis today to have prayer with them. no settlement can watch you plead your brother plead for his life. now the whole world is watching to see the policeman that did that is -- we're going to sand

with them. to let the family know at the end of the day, it's an issue. a cause for us but it's a relative for them and many of us around the world are standing with them at this hour. >> reverend, you have dealt with police and cities over the decades in cases like this. in the case of the settlement with the floyd family for $27 million, you're absolutely right. no amount of money ever brings a person back. but there is something that will cause cities and police forces to think twice. police are endlessly complaining and not having enough money but when a cost paid $27 million because of what was determined in a civil case to be a wrongful death, it could result in changes that are positive for black people.

the george floyd polices act passed in the house of representatives. if we can pass it in the senate, it brings exposure to individual police officers. they would take their training more seriously. if they knew that their family and their -- in the qualifying community is dealt with in this legislation. this is a moment we need to reimagine policing all over the country. in terms with accountability. with cities and individual officers understand. it will cost you to keep violating people's life. now we must give the criminal justice system on the value of our life.

are you guilty of a crime if you kill us and will you have to pay? you take away from that family the cost of human life. we are still answering the question of do blacks have the same value of others in this country. that's what the george floyd trial will bring back to every living american. >> we'll see you later on today in minneapolis, reverend. thank you so much for taking the time to join us in the morning. don't forget to catch him later today live here in minneapolis at 5:00 p.m. eastern. after that at 6:00 p.m. eastern, ari will discuss the strategies of the prosecution and the defense but explore what the outcome could mean for the future of policing in america. later in the show, i'm going to talk about what reimagining policing looks like. across america and in this city,

as i mentioned, the city of minneapolis is already reached the $27 million settlement with george floyd's family to settle a wrongful death lawsuit. derek chauvin faces charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. in addition to the video footage showing derek chauvin putting his knee on floyd's neck for eight minutes while floyd said he couldn't breathe until he couldn't breathe solve -- so much he died. duoindependent autopsies commissioned by the floyd family concluded he died from asphyxiation. but getting justice for floyd's killing is not that simple. the defense is expected to argue

that george floyd's health conditions played a role in his health and drugs in his system. the initial report concluded might have been one of the other conditions involved in floyd's death, which also included heart disease. the prosecution is being lead by minnesota attorney general keith ellison, appointed by the governor days after the incident last year. three other exofficers involved in floyd's arrest are set to stand trial in august on a variety of charges related to the killing. however, all of those cases, those other three cases, would turn to dust without a conviction in the chauvin trial, which begins tomorrow. joining me now colead counsel for the family of george floyd. he was the trial attorney for i are shar brooks, walter scott, and sterling. and managing partner for stewart, miller, & simmons trial

attorneys. we had the conversation last week. part of. which reverend al and i had. this settlement for $27 million has brought this home to minneapolis residents. it brought it home to not black, in many cases, it's not a majority black city. it brought it home to the city council, to the police. what does justice look like for you? is it a conviction in this case or the necessary change that came out of the killing of george floyd and reverberated across the country that may cause police to think twice before they participate in the end of the life of the black person? >> right now the focus is getting derek chauvin behind bars for at least 40 years. that is the entire focus right now. ultimately, that conviction will have that echo across the country that will create that change where officers think

twice. >> a lot of people out there who are following this narrative that suggests that george floyd had drugs 234 his system and those drugs caused him to stop breathing or his heart to stop working. that's the case the defense will make. it wasn't derek chauvin's knee on his neck that killed him. how viable is that? >> i mean, they have to come up with something. it's ridiculous to us but doesn't excuse what happened. that's like saying if i had few drinks and walking down the street and a police officer comes up to me and decides to physically put his hands around my neck and choke me to death that his lawyers can blame he did have drinks is ridiculous but they have to argue something. we believe the jury will see through it. >> one of the things you've done

representing the families of men killed by police is that often they'll talk about the victim in the case was no choir boy. that's going to come up with george floyd. that initially the call was for what we would call a petty crime. that's a separate discussion about how we should be dealing with petty crimes in society. how does one fight back against the accusation that george floyd, in the opinion of the defense, was not what they would call a model citizens. how do we get past the idea whether or not you are what the police define as a model citizens, death should not be the outcome. >> derek chauvin isn't a model citizens either. he had multiple complaints prior to this. he's not a model citizens, if they're going to argue that george wasn't. it's that the spotlight is never put on the officer's history and background like it is on the

victim. we talked in the last year and you represent the family of another has been who was killed by police after george floyd was. again for something that people didn't believe a man should be killed for. has policing of black lives, black bodies changed for the better in the last year? are we no better than we were on march 29th in this city? >> some cities implemented changes but like rev said, you know, before until the george floyd justice policing act is passed, we'll be back in the same spot. some cities are taking corrective measures but it needs to be done nationally. >> good to see you.

thank you. we'll talk again. lawmakers from both ides of the aisle took trips to the southern border this week but had different take aways. one wild observation came from republican senator steve danes of montana who claims that migrants are hurting montana's home grown meth business. you can't make this up. we'll talk about that in a moment. velshi is back after this. a moment velshi is back after this. forget what your smoking-hot moms and teachers say, just remember my motto. if you ain't first... you're last! woo-hoo! [music: "i swear"] jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day...

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as more and more migrants attempt to cross the border, on friday texas senators ted cruz and john cornyn lead a group of nearly 20 to the border in the rio grande valley. the group received briefings from officials, they toured the customs and border patrol facility, they took a boat tour, and they also took a nighttime border tour lead by the national

border patrol council. according to the official set of republicans twitter account, the senators saw the massive influx of migrant crossings and heckled by cartels. at a news conference, all 18 senators explained the reason for the trip to demonstrate that the border is, quote, the biggest issue facing the country in many ways now. i'll just tell you it's not the conference strangely detoured when montana's senator explained why the migrant surge is hurting his state, montana specifically. listen to this. >> every hour they spend processing the flood and the illegal immigrants coming across the border is an hour taken away from the front lines defending our country. it's stopping the flood of mexican meth, mexican heroin, mexican fentanyl. 20 years in montana, meth was

home grown. it had purity levels less than 30%. today the meth is getting into montana is mexican cartel. >> the good old days when montana's meth was home grown. and apparently not that pure. it appears the senator never saw the news story. while the senator might have high hopes to make meth america again or something like that, it appears his state's organic meth farmers are vying with their mexican collaboration. i'm not sure the point he was trying to make there. in another state, coca-cola, delta, home depot, ups, what do they have in common? some of the biggest companies headquartered in georgia. we'll look at one of them that is hitting turbulence after defending a voting bill that is

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i want delta to act as if they have the courage of their conviction. we know that they understand the importance of the right to vote. they have taken actions, recent and in the past, that have demonstrated that they are committed to the right to vote. so their silence in this moment is low-key betrayal. >> that was the chair of the new georgia project on this show last sunday asking delta to do the bare minimum, to work to uphold voting rights for all georgians. it didn't happen. in fact, the atlanta-based company did something surprising. the airline released a statement defending georgia's bill that restricts voting painting a

rosier picture of the legislation saying, quote, "the legislation signed this week improved considerably during the legislative process and expands weekend voting, codifies sunday voting, and protected voter's ability to cast an absentee ballot without providing a reason." i'm not sure if they read the same bill we read. it ignored some of the most egregious parts of the bill making it illegal to give those in line food or water. in the end, the legislation will disenfranchise black voters. republican governor brian kemp signed the bill into law last week surrounded by a group of white men ironically with the picture in the background. a picture of a slave panation. on the other side of the door, the woman in the red, park

cannon, being hauled away in handcuffs for knocking on that door. on the other side of the door. they took her away. delta along with other georgia-based companies like coca-cola, ups, and home depot, they're all headquartered there, they're facing pressure and possibly boycott if they don't step up for georgia's citizens. aaron haynes is the editor at large for the 19th. she joins me now. i'm a pretty loyal delta customer. i'm on there a lot. it's disturbing. this is disturbing that these companies -- it's one thing if delta didn't do anything or didn't comment on it. they actually wrote up this memo that was distributed internal they are suggested there have been improvements to the bill to prerve -- preserve the rights of voting. some of the bad parts came out and a lot of bad parts stayed in. >> i hear you, ali. i'm an atlanta native, as you

know. my mom was a delta flight attendant for more than 30 years. delta is a company that looms large, especially for atlanta, in particular. companies like delta, coca-cola, as you mentioned, ups. they're the holy trinities of companies that georgians, especially, are very loyal to in atlanta and, frankly, with these kinds of businesses speak in georgia, lawmakers tend to listen. you might remember a show down over gun legislation in 2017. if you want to go back even further than this, atlanta, you know, has -- a lot of that which, you know, created by former atlanta mayor hartsfield was built around the idea that atlanta's economic future was really tied to the city's commitment to, you know, diversity and racial progress

and so, you know, to have a company like delta, which was certainly pressured by black activists like the new georgia project, black voters matter, fair fight, et. cetera to weigh in on this voting rights legislation, those activists now tell me they're disappointed. i just saw, you know, la tasha brown tweeting. >> it's not just good citizenship. it's not just because you're locate there had and a pay taxes there and maybe you get contributions to some of the politicians. it's more than that. you look at dell a draft and ups and home depot and coca-cola and there are many others. georgia is a really big hub for american business. these are people who draw not only their workers, like your

mom, but their customers from that base. the reason i'm a delta loyalist is because i worked for cnn for 12 years and cnn was an atlanta company. so there's a million reasons why these companies need to be on the right side of things for their workers, for their company, for their customers. not just their shareholders. >> yeah. and i think you know what these activists and what activists are long noun is you're right. it's not just a moral imperative but an economic one. you have customers speaking with their dollars to reflect their values and so, you know, the thought now that this has, you know, depending on how companies being down on the side of the law, i think it continues to see activists putting pressure on the companies that, you know, attempting to shame these companies. companies they felt like didn't do the right thing while the law was making its way through the legislature. you've already got, you know,

major league baseball considering pulling all-star game out of atlanta as a result of this bill passing. so we know that, you know, the social issues, you know, become codified. there are often economic consequences to these kinds of things. you know, the economic cost of these lgbtq laws and transgender, you know, the governor of south dakota just signing that transgender legislation because there were going to be, you know, potential economic impacts to her state. i think lawmakers and folks pushing them on the bills know there can be an economic impact if not the moral impact on the laws can change minds with, you

know, people and not necessarily doing that. >> and remember corporate pressure on indiana with anti-gay legislation among north carolina with anti-translegislation with the bathroom bill had a major impact. my message to all of you out there, delta, coca-cola, ups, home depot, and others. i'm your customer. many of us are your customers. we like your products and love your companies but all of that can change if you're on the wrong side of the history. right now you companies are on the wrong side of the arc of history. good to see you. erin is the editor at large for the 19th and at msnbc contributor. coming up next, my special conversation with folks from the minneapolis area as they reflect on the last 10 months of life since the death of george floyd. plus, their thoughts about racism and policing and where that dialogue stands today. racism and policing and where that dialogue stands today instantly clear every day congestion with vicks sinex saline nasal mist.

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opening statements begin tomorrow in one of the highest profile murder trials in recent memory. former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin is charged with second and third-degree murder and manslaughter. for his role in the death of george floyd last spring. to get a sick sense where this battered city is on the eve of the trial, i held a socially distant conversation with six people from the minneapolis area. some of whom i had met before

and others whom i had not. we discussed a range of topics surrounding racial justice, the state of policing in america, and the upcoming murder trial. i began by asking them what the last year has meant to them. >> i think over the last year, we've seen that we've started to gain eyes from outside of our community and i think that it's been interesting because what black people and black women have been saying for generations is now and in front of everybody to digest. it's exciting and exhausting at the same time. because we've been saying this, like we've been saying this ad nauseam for years. and it's something so monumental and so tragic for people to start to listen to. one of the biggest things i notice in the small day-to-day world is white people are more likely to bring up race.

it doesn't always have to be me. i feel like white people have more of a consciousness about issues now. you know, if i was the only black person in the room, it used to be have me bringing up the issues. i recently did an alumni event and a a white woman raised her hand and said i think it's important to bring up race and intersectionalty because gender is not the only identity a lot of us have. i feel like a year ago, it probably would have been me bringing it up. >> and teaching during the pandemic also with the minnesota teacher of the year. a lot of things have been happening in the personal life and trying to reckon it with what is happening in minneapolis and seemingly around america. my students are asking critical and thoughtful questions. they're leaning in. >> my students have showed a lot of interest in what is happening around them. i think, you know, adults sometimes want to shield them but kids are aware and want to talk about it and i'm ready to discuss it with them. >> this is really the paradox of

the moment. as white people around the country are waking up to the issues of white supremacy culture, black people, black and brown people we have been living here for a lifetime. and so the questions, the comments, the deep interest, it's appreciated. right. but that's a lot of emotional labor to address all the curiosity of white people who are green and new and curious and for me and those people i support and represent, there's resistance to doing that emotional labor with white people. we're in a place where we have to be included, attend it our own emotional pain. attend to our own pain. and what i want is for white people to con grate with white people and begin to ask each other the questions.

>> within our church context, we have grown over the past year in membership and the majority of people that are joining our congregation have been white. which has been exciting and, to some degree, as they wanted to sit under a black pastor. they wanted to sit under black leadership. on the one hand where it's exciting, on the other hand, it can be exhausting there's a sense of where they want you to teach them everything. they want to learn everything but we've challenged them and have been good like you have to do the work on your own. learn yourself. there's a little bit of a reckoning within the christian faith community where people asked critical questions

specifically of white congregations about how your faith addresses these things and white supremacy that is in the church really since america's inception is now being challenged. it's an exciting time. >> we saw it as a natural disaster moving forward. we knew with natural disasters we knew that cameras show up and, you know, we get under blankets and get them the water and after that see you later. so we have to treat this like a disaster. talking about long-term mitigation effects. i'm hopeful we're speaking with one community with one voice. we're in the same direction and showing regardless of the outcome of the trial we know we're going to continue to

build. >> when we last talked here, there was actually disagreement among the panel lists about whether police brutality existed and whether there was racism in policing in this country. do you think we've moved forward on that discussion? >> i do think we have. one thing i look at as a demonstration of that needle shifting slightly is the questionnaire for these two -- for this jury that has been selected now in the derek chauvin trial. there are questions that have to do with the belief about and understanding of racism and systemic injustice in policing and things like that. there are questions that ask about the perspective jurors, believes about black lives matter, blue lives matter. i think there's a strong belief now there is racism and injustice in policing and in society. >> let's talk about the city. >> there has been a line in the

sand that has been drawn about this issue. i think more people either have a strong opinion or don't have a strong opinion about it. and so even within the city, i think it's become even more pronounced and then i think from our government, our local officials, i think they're addressing it in a way where it seems like the opinion is, yes, we admit, confess, this is a reality that is part of policing in america and has been a part of policing in our city, as well. i think we're seeing the needle shift. >> i feel like the needle has shifted but not enough for me or my community. i think there have conversations about reforming police and law enforcement and to me it's -- i think restructuring and reproposing white supremacy will not get rid of police brutality. you can't reform racism and the way to, like, dissolve police

brutality is to abolish the law enforcement. to put community members at the forefront of solving community issues. you have 0 to hear more of the conversation in the next hour. george floyd's death reignited. a modern civil rights movement that sought to, among many things, reform america's broken justice system. we'll have it next. america's b justice system we'll have it next advanced non-small cell lung cancer can change everything. but your first treatment could be a chemo-free combination of two immunotherapies that works differently. it could mean a chance to live longer.

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already, i'm here in minneapolis right outside the hennepin county courthouse where derek chauvin will face trial starting tomorrow. i want to take a moment to talk about what's happened since the death of george floyd last may. the infamous video that appears to show derek chauvin choking the life out of george floyd has rocked this country. just because we all bore witness to what happened to george floyd doesn't mean justice is

guaranteed. no matter what the outcome of the trial, george floyd and the video of his death lit a match in america. it made millions question the foundations our country stands on, the trust we hold in law enforcement and the intentions of our leaders. floyd reignited a modern civil rights movement. we saw people of all ages and backgrounds take to the streets to stand up for justice and the need for change. the needle has moved on social justice, there's no question about that. george floyd's death sparked political activity like voting that motivated white people to take a stand against racism and a system that they benefit from. joining me now is the vice president of the minneapolis city council, andrea jenkins, who declared her commitment alongside her eight city council members to defund and dismantle the police right here in minneapolis. councilwoman, thank you for joining us. i want you to tell me what's changed in policing as it

relates to minneapolis. >> good morning. so a number of things have changed. that particular maneuver that we saw is banned and it's no longer acceptable in the minneapolis police department. we transferred $8 million to the department of violence prevention to be able to create some crime prevention opportunities, to develop a mental health response so that we're not always sending officers with guns out to situations that don't necessarily require that. you know, the mayor and the police chief have made a number of other changes to police policy, to hold police accountable for their actions, and so, you know, we are getting a number of changes.

we reintroduced the charter amendment to create a department of public safety, so that potentially will be on the ballot again this coming november. >> now, this concept of defunding police, what you did is you took a certain amount of the police budget and redirected it to other places. minneapolis, like a lot of other major cities in america, has seen an uptick in violent crime and in homicides. my colleague, shaquille brewster, was talking to a pastor here who thought maybe that was ill-advised at this time. is there a connection between the rise in crime rate and reduction of police officers in minneapolis and this effort to reduce some funding to them? >> well, i think the reduction of police officers certainly has an impact. police left for a number of reasons. some took early retirement. some were dealing with ptsd.

some just quit the department altogether. you know, we see an uptick in crime all over the country. so did our declaration produce more crime all over the country? i don't think so. i think there's a significant impact of covid-19 and the pandemic that has really disrupted our communities and made people desperate, particularly black and brown people who have been disproportionately impacted by covid-19. you know, young people aren't going to school. there's a number of factors. so that's my opinion. i did see that interview. >> there's one factor that comes into play in a lot of cities, including this one, and it's sometimes the difficulty that police unions -- the role they play, not just in the great stuff that unions do and that is collective bargaining for their people and bargaining for better rights, but when it comes to

police that are banned. your union in this city, you have a police union leader that doesn't want to see any improvements. they don't think anything that those police did last may was wrong. how do you deal with that? >> well, one of the early retirements was that union leader, and so he is no longer on the minneapolis police department nor is he leading the union. however, you know, the issues are systemic, right? so we are working to be able to impact the union contract in ways. we're partnering with some law firms to be able to think about how we can change some of these union demands and really hold police more accountable. i think the fact that that

former union leader is gone gives us an opportunity as well as the fact that, you know, the police officers that have left have given us an opportunity to reshape and reimagine the public safety mechanism in the city of minneapolis. >> we always appreciate the time you take to come and join us in person. i'm sorry it's so cold this morning. >> it's chilly. >> it is a cold one out here. thank you for being with us. >> thank you so much. >> councilwoman andrea jenkins. our special coverage ahead of the derek chauvin trial continues from minneapolis just after a quick break. on tap for our next hour, minnesota congresswoman ilhan omar. we continue right after this. we continue right after this nope... charmin ultra soft is so soft you'll have to remind your family they can use less.

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good morning. it's sunday, march 28th. i'm ali velshi live in minneapolis, minnesota, for our special 8:47, the trial of derek chauvin. that's infamously the amount of time that the former minneapolis police officer knelt on george floyd's neck before floyd died just months ago. chauvin's trial is set to begin