again civilians have violated international law and sparked a backlash that undermines the campaign against al qaeda. amnesty international and human rights watch called on the obama administration to reveal his full legal rationale for the strikes and investigate the killings detailed in the reports. president obama spoke by phone monday with the french president in a bid to alleviate tensions over reports that revealed massive spying for the national security agency in france. in a statement after the call, the white house said the pair had -- mexico meanwhile said it would send a diplomatic note to the united states demanding an investigation into spying on its officials following a report the nsa hacked the e-mail account of then-president felipe helder on calderon in 2010.

president obama defended his signature health care law monday following weeks of technical failures that have prevented many from signing up. obama declined to say how many people have actually been able to enroll, but he admitted there have been technical roadblocks. >> the problem has been the website that is supposed to make it easy to apply for and purchase the insurance is not working the way it should for everybody. there's no sugarcoating it. the website has been too slow. people have been getting stuck during the application process. i think it is fair to say that nobody is more frustrated by that than i am. precisely because the product is good. >> president obama urged people to call the government's toll- free number to apply for health insurance. although he acknowledged wait times on the line may now increase. syrian president bashar al-assad

has dampened hopes for international talks on the syrian crisis late next month in geneva. in a prerecorded interview with a lebanese tv station, assad said no date has been chosen for the talks. >> there is no date and there is no factor. meaning, who are the parties participating in geneva? what is the relation of these forces to the syrian people? are they forces representing the syrian fleet people or the countries that made it? >> president assad says he sees no barriers to running for reelection next year. the interview aired monday on exactly two months after the chemical attack in gujarat their raise the immediate prospect of u.s. airstrikes before an international deal was reached to dismantle syria's to michael arsenal. john kerry and other diplomats are meeting with syrian opposition meetings -- readers today in london. in nevada, student opened fire

as sparks middle school monday, killing a math teacher and wounding two fellow students. the unidentified shooter then killed himself. alisa the teacher, michael lance perry, was try to protect students. the news came the same day attorney general eric holder said the average number of mass shootings in the united states has tripled since 2009. speaking to a conference of police chiefs, holders of the of fivetates on average active shooter incidents every year between 2000 and 2008, compared to at least 12 so far this year. in a less reported shooting the detroit, two women were killed at a seniors home sunday on the cities outside. in new jersey, republican governor chris christie has dropped the state's legal challenge against same-sex

marriage. his decision monday morning came just hours after same-sex couples in new jersey again marrying at midnight. on friday, the state supreme court rejected his request to delay the weddings while chris christie appealed. on monday, as do drop the appeal, saying he will of course the law as determined by the court. new jersey is the 14 state, along with washington, d.c., to allow same-sex marriages. in new south wales australia are battling the areas decades.es in the paper reports firefighters are facing an active fire age that's which is more than 900 miles. they're also facing hot, windy conditions that have fueled more than 60 fires, which in some cases have consumed more than 20 miles in a single day. a spokesperson for the fire service said dry weather has worsened conditions. >> we have had a very dry winter.

we have not had a lot of maine for many months. we are not yet into the summer, so we still have quite a few weeks before we reach the hot months in summer. we're still only in spring and we're seeing so much destruction. >> and the gulf nation of qatar, the top court has upheld the 15- jail sentence for a poet convicted of incitement against the regime. mohammed al-ajami was arrested in november 2011 for allegedly disparaging members of the rule and family in a poem. but activist say the real motivation for his pal poland jasmine," in which he expressed support for the arab spring uprisings. has been heldd he in solitary confinement for two years. mohammed al-ajami's only recourse now is to appeal to the emir. to see our interview with mohammed al-ajami's lawyer, you

can go to democracynow.org. transit workers in the california bay area say they have reached a tentative deal to end a four-day strike. a union proposal released sunday would allow changes to some work rules, but retained as protecting worker safety. the offer came a day after two workers were struck and killed by a bart train. on monday, investigators with the national transportation safety board said the operator was a trainee. union officials have previously filed suit to stop bart from turning managers to potentially operate trains during the strike, saying the practice was unsafe. in a victory for fracking opponents in new brunswick am a canadian court has denied a request by southwestern energy for permanent junction to prevent protests against its bid to explore for gas. area residents including many with the migmah first nation have blocked a road for more

than two weeks to disrupt the company's efforts. they say fracking, which involves blasting chemicals deepened a rock, would pollute their water. the company claimed the blockade cost them $60,000 per day. than 100 police descended on the in camera near the village of rexton, sparking clashes that resulted in at least 40 arrests in the torching of five police vehicles. monday's court ruling allows protest to continue. meanwhile on saturday, anti- fracking actions took place in hundreds of cities across more than 25 countries. miller, who served as the first african-american officer of the house of representatives, has been named interim president and ceo of the naacp, replacing benjamin jealous. the letter became house clerk in 2007 after house speaker nancy pelosi cap turf for the post. miller was a top adviser to police he and has also worked for other top democrats,

including congressmember john lewis. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as the october 22 coalition to stop police brutality, repression, and the criminalization of a generalization, holds protests in cities today. we bring a shocking story about two euros he similar police killings in new york region. in both cases, the family member called 911 seeking help dealing with a distressed levels and. of cases into with the police killing the man they were called on to help. mohamed bah was shot dead by new york city police officers on september 25, 2012. he was a 28-year-old college student in the african nation. samuel cruz was shot dead by police in your shop, new york on may 20 6, 2013. he was 48 years old. he was an artist from puerto

rico. in both cases, police say the men were shot after they longed that officers with a knife. the many questions remain unanswered. police arrived at mohamed bah's , called 911 because sheer, hawa thought he was depressed. she wanted and emile is to take into the hospital. in the case of samuel cruz, his called 911ruz because she was worried her husband had stopped taking medication for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. both women join us in a democracy now! exclusive. the cruz family is filing a lawsuit today against the new rochelle police department. already suedy has the nypd. we're also joined by the attorneys for both families, mayo bartlett and ran off mclaughlin, both longtime civil rights attorneys who also represented the family of kenneth chamberlain, a white plains, new york marine veteran who was shot dead by police in 2011 in his home after he

accidentally set off his medical alert pendant early in the morning. we invited representatives from both the new york city a new rochelle police department's to join us today. we welcome you all to democracy now! randolph mcglockton, can you just give us a summary of the case of mohammed bah? >> his mother called 911, hoping to get an ambulance to come and take her son of the hospital. sheofficers arrived and explained to them, i did not call the police, i wanted to name the lives. they explained to her the way it works in new york is weak come first and check on the situation and then we will get the ambulance. she and the two officers went upstairs to the fifth floor and the apartment building and the officers knocked on his door. mr. bah open the door. when he sell the officers he said, i didn't call you commies got the wrong door. they tried to shut the door. instead they forced their way in

and there was a little struggle back and forth. and no time did he brandish a weapon or yell at them. he shut the door and locked it. bahofficers then told mrs. and her colleagues to go outside. they left the building assuming the officers would help get an ambulance. as she stood outside she saw more and more officers coming in with shields, riot gear and all sorts of weapons, guns amid tasters. the resell many officers in the hallway at one point that you literally could not get by them. they commandeer the entire building. they would not let anyone in or out. over about an hour of yelling, banging on the door, putting things under the door i can air of some sort, they broke the door down, tasered, beanbag, and shot him eight times. the last bullewent into his head and it was stippling around the entry one, which says that shop was probably the one that took his life and was a close range.

's mother. mohamed bah you had just come to visit with your son? >> yes. i come every year. [indiscernible] i said you have got to go and get married. he said, ok, mommy. you said, i want to get married. close to his birth in 2012, he asked, mommy, are you coming this year? i said, yes, i will come this year. i arrived here. he said, ok, mommy, i'm so happy you're coming. i called him from the airport.

he said, ok, mommy, i apologize, mimi downtown. -- meet me downtown. [indiscernible] tells me many things that don't make sense to me. he had a wound already. >> above his eye. >> he said, mommy, i've lost so much blood. he is not talking good. he will stop talking. she lost a lot of weight. he is limping. [indiscernible] i said, you've got to go to the hospital. he said, no, i'm just tired, i just want to arrest. i said, you've got to go to the hospital.

[indiscernible] we talked a lot, but it did not make sense to me. then he said, i go home day after tomorrow and you cook for me. i said, ok. i said, i'm so proud of you. he said, mommy, i will miss you so much. i love you. then he took me to get a cab. i looked at my son and i could not believe it. [indiscernible] he said he is not feeling good. i called my friend. i called her and cried.

mohamed is sick. i said maybe they will taken to the hospital. he said, to feel he is depressed? and i said, i don't know he is wounded -- >> he is wounded already. >> yes. he said he lost a lot of blood. what is don't know going on. i want to taken to the hospital. he said, let me call so and who can help and come talk to him. he gives be the number -- she gives me the number and she also calls. if he ise say, ok, wounded already, we cannot take him to the present place, we have to take him to the main hospital. you should call 911 to taken to the big hospital. with the wound and how he is

limping, and he has lost weight. i did not call like that. i went to bed but i did not sleep good. in the morning, i wake up and he called me and said, oh, mommy, you see my channel? i said, what channel? he said, do you look at my people? i called a friend of mine and said, please, i came yesterday morning. go to the apartment and talk to him that he go to the hospital. he's not feeling good at all. letson.knows mohamed he opened the door and said, i'm not going to the hospital. but he is weak. he is not feeling good. we should god, no, to the hospital. let's go to the hospital. he said, no, i don't want to go to the hospital, i just want to rest. they came outside and called me.

he said, how come this point is sick like that? and cried. i said, don't cry. i said if you cry like this, i will feel so bad. i wanted to taken to the hospital. indolence and the taken to the hospital. and takene ambulance to the hospital. then i moved from my place. when we called the ambulance -- >> so you call 911. but yes. >> yes. i said that my son was sick and i wanted to taken to the hospital. the police arrived. when i saw the blues kara said, i did not call police, i called notmbulance -- i said i did

call the police, called an ambulance. they said in new york, when you call an ambulance, we come first. he said, don't worry, he will be ok. he knocked on the door. he just said, mohamed, open the door. >> so he had no idea that you had called them. >> no. they said, i came for you, open the door. he said, police? he said, is it police? i did not call you, go away. you knocked on the wrong door. the men wanted to force him into the room, the apartment. , locked thehamed

door. he just looked behind like this. i did not hear what he said. to mohamed.talk then came the lady and the white clothes. >> so you went downstairs. >> yes. floorup to the third [indiscernible] this said, mom, we will help you taken to the hospital. you will be ok.

he said, mom, we will taken to the hospital, he will be ok. you said, who do you know here? i said, what you mean? this is my family. cap another family in queens. he said, ok, i want to know where you work. i tell him. he said to the other people [indiscernible] each person explained how they were related to him. he said, mohamed don't want to open the door. i said, let me talk to him. elopesn't know i'm here, i'l

in the door. i said, where is that man going? don't break the door. willl talk to him and you open the door. >> these men are police officers. >> i don't know. big stick like this. >> a shield. >> yes. but i see a man coming. [indiscernible] i said, please, don't break the door and hurt my son. i will talk to him and he will open the door. he doesn't listen to me, he just walks off. holding his gun at his waist. , my son isplease sick. i want taken to the best hospital in america. i can pay.

don't worry about that. let me talk to him. he will open the door. when they reached upstairs, he came outside and said mohamed doesn't want to open the door. i said, did you shoot my son? he said, no, it will be ok. i feel so bad. my back and stomach. . sent two people i said, go tell this man my son doesn't know i'm here. i will talk to him and he will open the door. i feel so bad. i said i feel so bad. i've got pain all over my dotty. i will talk to him and he will open the door. they said a little of the door is crushed.

a couple of shots. i said, what do you mean, did you shoot my son? he said, no, little crack, it will be ok. then more went up. after that one, the other man put the tape -- >> the crime scene tape. is for something dangerous. they said, mommy, you're so worried. upstairs, coming back, then they were doing cpr. i said, why are you doing cpr to my son? . want to rush to the ambulance [indiscernible] how many people? they said, 5. >> how long from when he heard

the shots to win the ambulance came? people heard the shots. they were on the third floor and we were on the -- >> on the ground. >> yes. shots.as a couple of i said, did you shoot my son? they said no. that took a long time. [indiscernible] i was thinking just talking to him, for them to walk and come outside, then i see them as cpr. i said, what are you doing cpr? >> randolph mclaughlin, in this period from the time of the shot to the time when he was taken away he was dead at that point? >> well, it's not clear. when he came out on the stretcher, what she is saying, the indolence attendance --

ambulance attendants were doing cpr. you do not do cpr on someone who is dead. what is tragic, first the shooting, but then there are photographs and the witnesses who said they literally dragged his body down the stairs and there was blood smeared throughout the floors. the police came the next day to clean up the blood they had smeared on the floors. they treated him like he was a criminal. the tragedy here, he did not do anything wrong. he was in his home. the call was for medical attention. there's no excuse as to why they did not allow his mother to speak them. >> were talking to randolph mclaughlin, the attorney for ona bah, who son mohamed september 20 5, 2012, she felt he wasn't doing well and wasn't making sense, had an injury above his eye and limping, and she called 911 to ask for an indolence to come pick him up. she just come from guinea. within an hour or so from the

time you called them and they came to the time when he was brought down stairs, the police had shot him and he died. back, we're going to the case of samuel cruz. it was his wife, elsa cruz, who called the police for help. you will find out what happens. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

,> that song for amadou diallo an immigrant who came to this country and was killed on february 4, 1999 in a hail of 41 police bullets. his mother has attended some of

the rallies on behalf of of mohamed bah's family, mohamed who was killed september 20 5, 2012, in his home with his mother hawa bah call the police to ask for in a glance. she felt her son was sick. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. tore also joined in addition hawa bah and her attorney randolph mclaughlin, by elsa cruz, wife of samuel cruz, as well as mayo bartlett, the other attorney in both of these cases. , if you could describe what happened to your husband, what day was it? >> may 26, 2012 -- >> 2013. where were you? >> i am the person who called the police. i am there.

church.rom the i called my husband and he never responded to me or friends or sister. it was the time -- >> this is a new rochelle. >> yes, ma'am. the sister went there around at30 looking for my husband the church. >> it was sunday. >> it was sunday. he met my pastor and ask if his brother is there and the pastor said, yes, last week. the pastor listened to her and said, what happened to samuel? she said, i'm looking for my brother. i went to visit him at the apartment and he is not there. if somethinging me

happened to him, he is talking different, talked very fast. he give his money to those people who are homeless you're .he street, give $100 in the restaurant, he gives 100 tips, you know. is there something wrong with my brother? he can be said, ok, here in the church maybe this morning i cannot tell you. he said, please call me. that there was happening i arrived from the country. i was there for vacation for one month. >> you had been away. >> yes. we were communicating through webcam. there is something different the expression. to

>> he was taking medication? think thetime, plus i time there something wrong for that. i don't understand. i reminded him in the webcam, say hi. he said, hi. he is different the way he talks, the gestures he has. i said, remember him a don't miss your pills. he said, oh, no, i'm ok. don't worry. there is something that is bothering me. i went back home. said, they the pastor sisters coming here. i said, but this happened. i wanted to explain. i write from the airport, he took me to the airport and he is -- >> he met you at the airport. >> yes, yes, he took me and brought me to the apartment.

, weday of my arriving shared what had happened through mccune -- to medication. he said, how much money did you spend their? $2000 from his 12 years. imagine $2000 is not enough. i saw his face. itsays, ok, go to the apartment, find your hotel. i said, what? i miss you. i am a hurry to go back there because i promised to go back soonest possible. he is shaking. it seems he is so angry with me. i said, he's going to call the police. there is something wrong to you. i said, go, go. i took my bag and go out. he is shaking. this is different. he did it to me.

i go out and so tired because we are today's trip away from my country. day's trip away from my country. i thought, maybe he has missed his ills. >> for schizophrenia. >> i cry to my friend. i said there's something wrong with them. i said i let him come down maybe. i am worried he never answered the call. and the exactly the pastor alsong me the sister observation, i'm going to go to the apartment, can you go with me? i want to see views in the apartment. the pastor go with me and we talked there and the pastor talk

, well, how are you? i'm here, pastor daniel is here, and your wife elsa is here, how are you? he answered, i'm naked. the pastor said, ok, you're naked, you can put on your clothes. i said, i'm here, can you please open the door? >> was it at that point you called the police? >> not yet. because they never responded to us, the pastor said, elsa, i have an appointment. we waited very long. i think it was 25 hours and he never responded. the pastor said, i'm going to go. i said, leaping here. you can go. have twoted -- we stairs there. i cried and said, please, open the door. i miss you. i came from vacation.

he never answered. it is silent. i was so scared. i took my phone and went to the other side of the building inside that place and i called 911. there is a woman answering the, what is your problem? apartmentm here my and there something wrong with my husband. he needs help. can you please send us somebody to help me to assist in him to go to the hospital? i said your husband is harming anybody? i said no, ma'am, no, he's a very nice person and never harmed anyone. can use lease and somebody -- can you please send somebody? she said ok. there's a small window beside our apartment and you go down. , aaw a man with uniform

police man. , one block away from our apartment -- >> the second floor. >> i put paper in the door because i have no key. i cannot get in again. i go there and the policeman says, come near. he went to the roadside. dark four policemen waiting there. these policeman are like they're going to war. they have shields -- >> full shields. >> yes. they have guns. it is as if they go to war. is asking me, what is the telephone number of your husband? number of telephone the apartment. then he said, what is the weight of your husband -- a race of

your husband? i city is puerto rican. he is a good-looking man. the other policeman said, how about me? is gone and everything. this man is good. i am confident to them because i think they can help me. i called for help. and there is another person who said, ok, you're going to stay here. don't go to her apartment. stay here. the movements outside but inside you cannot see anything. i was standing there and praying, lord, please, protect my husband. i don't know what is going on. there is another police man downstairs on the first floor and another policeman on the second floor. i don't know what is going on. he is looking for the door, the fire skate or whatever there.

the policeman is there, the first floor, he says, come here. but before this, another roadside. i think god because he wants me to get inside our apartment. i know they're upstairs. it is very clear what is going on. they are talking or whatever. we have a neighbor, a black woman, inside the first floor and the super, the person who took charge of the apartment. they are talking and talking and talking. , the superhe person gives them the tool to open the door -- >> not a key, but a tool. >> yes. i asked the super, do you have a key for our apartment? he said, no, your husband is

always changing the locks and whatever. confident they can open it, but i don't know what is in their mind, these policemen. tooks-been says, oh, they my $10. the neighbor said, ok, i can give you $10. the purpose of that is to negotiate the talks to come down , my husband, and he said, no, nobody can come here. who isalked to that man guarding the stairs so we cannot go there. i said, can i go to my husband and talk to him? no, nobody can talk to him. tools to hands him the the men there, one of the policeman. >> we have just a minute before the break. they hand him the tools with

black to the policeman upstairs. >> and they broke open the door? >> this is happening. i heard very clear when they firsthe door, before the -- you can hear the door -- >> break open. >> the voice of my has-been said, -- has been said, don't break my door. this is against my will. i will sue you. never shouting, very calm. very calm voice. continued to break. break, break, break. commotion, even the step on the floor there fighting or they said they put the machine there -- >> the taser. shouted, -- i shouted, you heard my husband!

even the voices of the policemen, it is seems everybody is silent. even my husband screaming or whatever. in my mind, i said, maybe they shot with something in the arms that makes them sleep or whatever. only one shot. and then i saw the sister outside and i run outside and cry that i found someone. [indiscernible] but our expectation that they shot with the -- >> kaser or tranquilizer. >> being a wife, you can feel the emotion or whatever. i waited and waited. nobody talking there. it seems nobody is there. i shouted again, please, bring my husband to the hospital. ring him now! bring him now, please, please! womanare two persons, a

wearing a uniform the same as the policeman are wearing and another man. they are walking like nothing happened. if a man is dying, you run because time is precious. withwalking in the streets a small tool. i don't know what kind of tool is that. >> mayo bartlett, in your investigation and the timing of all of this class of samuel cruz is shot. spot? sho and killed on the >> we don't know for certainty. but immediately upon them getting their trendy in the house, things happened on most instantaneously. what is striking about this case, police are not called in response to a crime.

there's is no rush, no need to take such immediate action. particular, in westchester county has a mobile crisis team that works, in particular, with the city of new rochelle, so they had access to mental health professionals were they could have had them at that location to speak to mr. cruz. mrs. cruz could have spoken to her husband. i think a lot of things, one thing common to both cases, is that quite often people don't know why the police are there. they haven't committed any crime. they are not the subject of a criminal investigation. all they know is the pleas of their breaking their door down. they know they did not call the officers. >> we're going to go to break and then when we come back, we will go down to memphis to hear what the meant this model is, modele police -- memphis is, how the police do with the mentally ill there. we're talking with elsa cruz who call the police for her husband

wasel cruz, concerned he not taking his medication. in the end, as you heard the story, he was shot dead. her attorney, mayo bartlett and randolph mclaughlin and also with this, hawa bah who called police on behalf of her son mohamed bah, who was a student here in new york. she was concerned when she came to visit him from guinea that he was looking to -- looking disheveled, not making sense. she called an ambulance and the police came. he, too, was killed. we believe that in a moment. ♪ [music break] we will be back in a moment. ♪ [music break]

10/23/13 10/23/13 >> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the civil rights lawsuits filed by the family of samuel cruz and

mohamed bah. and new rochelle police do not have crisis intervention teams designed by mental health professionals. many of the so-called cit's are based on what's become known as the memphis model, policy developed there after an officer killed in mentally ill person in 1987. for more we're joined by sam cochran, retired police officer who served as the court nader of the memphis police department's crisis intervention team for 20 years, 1988 to 2008, now project were nader with the university of memphis's cit center. welcome to democracy now! you have heard the stories of family members calling police to get their loved ones to a hospital or to get them help and the police shooting -- coming to the scene and shooting the people dead. can you talk about your response

and what memphis has done? >> first of all, stories like this are happening across the united states of america. all you have to do is search newspaper articles and read even similar to this throughout. communities are looking intensely, how can we might do things better? fact,phis years ago, in 1987, officers responded to a call that came in through 911 system. it was reported to our dispatcher the individual had a mental illness, 27 years old, armed with a very large knife and cutting himself. he was threatening family members. he was also threatening neighbors were arriving on the scene. and they needed help. our officers arrived. after a brief encounter with this individual, he was shot

multiple times and died as a result. the headlines of that particular event, newspaper coverage of that particular event, caught the attention of our mayor at that particular time and saw that our community was hurting, saw our police department was hurting, and formed a community task force to address these issues. he charged this task force with a mission to come up with the plan, a program to provide safety for the officers, safety for the family members, and safety for the consumers of the health services, people with a mental illness. what came out of that, months of study and planning, was what is referred to as the crisis intervention team program. any times people think, that is just a law enforcement program. , no, the -- no, it is a committee program. it is not a law-enforcement program, a community program.

it is a partnership. there are three main partnerships. law enforcement, local mental health services are fighters and also advocacy. our advocacy within the united advocacy to champion of this program but also mental health of america has joined in. other partnerships can be added, foundation ofe this program. it is a program that reaches out not only through community services, but training to hour- long forstmann officers to be a first responder. we want a specialist on a particular scene. we're not talking about and it tired team, just one particular -- an entire team, but one particular officer who arrives on the scene and is the leader of that particular scene and the other officers are there to support the officer with regards to the needs of the crisis. it has been very successful for us for 25 years now.

we have programs throughout the around 2800ted at cit programs throughout 45 states. we have programs in canada and australia as well. we're fixing to have a program in sweden. it has been very, very encouraging and uplifting for the fact the community supports the program but also the officers have confidence. that is critical. there are some common threads --t i was hearing within the both ladies were articulating the facts. the presence of fear was throughout both crisis events. in our training, we address of the city the role officers to address fear. it is very, very critical. is fear that can be present fear of the family members that may be present, fear of neighbors that could be present, fear of the consumer or the

person who has a mental illness, and also fear of the officers. those things need to be addressed in order to slow things down and in order to develop a planet in order to be able to assess and reassess them a plan.and even change >> a police officer in dallas, ills shot dead a mentally man standing outside his home in broad daylight. the man's mother had called police for help. police originally claimed the man, bobby bennett, had lunch that officers with the night but a neighbors security video told the different story. the disturbing video shows bennett sitting in an ofce chair in the street. as the police approach, bennett wheels back in the chair and stands up, hands at his side. he was then repeatedly shot by police officer. it is survived by remains hospitalized. police originally charged bennett with aggravated assault to drop the charge after the veto candlelight. how does the memphis model fit into the case of samuel cruz,

you're bringing a lawsuit today i'm his behalf and his wife elsa cruz, and in the case of mohamed bah. they say both cases they had knives. >> we think the memphis model is a secure production of best practice in terms of handling these issues. it is eerily similar in these cases that we're involved with that the police say the exact same thing. in chamberlain and bah and cruz, he came at us with a knife and we killed him. the question really becomes, as sergeant cochran said, what was their plan? did they have a plan when they broke in the door? why did they break in the door? what did they aggravate the situation and not slow things down? the officers in all of these cases have not been trained in crisis intervention. they have been trained in the use of force -- deadly force. if that is all the officer has at his disposal, he will use it.

>> tell me about these two lawsuits, mayo bartlett. a reviewdemanding in training and protocols and demanding damages for the loss of the lives of individuals here. but we are hopeful as a result of these lawsuits there'll be significant changes so that, hopefully, models like the memphis model can be implemented in new york so we don't have to situationadies in the where they have lost loved ones and are now trying to find ways to reclaim their lives. >> i want to thank you all for being with us. i know this is very difficult to retell the stories. we want to thank elsa cruz and .awa bah their loved ones were killed by police after they called 911 for help. randolph mclaughlin and mayo bartlett, representing the families. thank you much to sam cochran

who spent 20 years heading the memphis police department's crisis intervention team. 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!]

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight conversation with dr. henry louis "skip" gates, jr. "the african-, americans: many rivers to cross." blackse first time arrived on this continent to the second inauguration of president barack obama. a conversation with dr. henry louis "skip" gates, jr. coming up right now.

>> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. "the african americans: many rivers to cross" is the latest contribution from dr. henry louis "skip" gates, jr. airingies begins

tomorrow night on these pbs stations and there is a companion text of the same name. we will start our conversation by taking a look at a clip fro "the african americans: many rivers to cross." >> i asked been much of my life searching for the stories of the african-american people. our first notation of anthony them as antonio the negro. i have always wanted to tell their history. five centuries in the making. history and i have traveled around the country and across the globe to chronicle it. receive wealth inherited from the slave trade question mark but people changed american society. >> i will start in a moment by talking about what happens tomorrow night here in pbs and the series premieres.

let me go back to what happened this past weekend. alreadys a slave," there is oscar buzz. >> it was great. it had a $50,000 esa and grossed art,000 and started an seeders and black theaters. it started extra very well. -- extraordinarily very well. the movie will be in wide release in a couple of weeks. it did extremely well on opening weekend. the dates to be considered for an academy award. it did extremely well this weekend. i want to ask about that because there are so many movies and documentaries and

books about the african-american experience in america. to what extent and we will get to president obama on the last part of the series but to what extent does his presence in the white house, and african-american first family in the white house, what is the link between that reality and all of these various films and books and documentaries that are getting airings now ? about howthink affirmative action affected our generation, affirmative action starts in 1968, 1969. what we're seeing is or decades later. people who were able to go to historically white colleges and and whoties like i was are now in positions of authority and positions in which they can make things happen, we were becoming of age. so you're seeing this whole group of people who have more authority in certain a