ferguson brings us here. ferguson is just a metaphor for an ongoing history that the state forces, that the white citizens -- that sees white citizens and class as the defining marker for the ways in which race continues to be made in the united dates of america. that said, i want to thank jim grossman from the american historical association for encouraging panels like this that link the past, present, and future. we all know as members of this august association that the american historical association has not always been responsive to contemporary moments and sometimes has been on the wrong side of history. we want to applaud the leadership in this moment for allowing us to come together and think seriously about how the past informs this moment. the format of today's panel each speaker will spend about 10 minutes speaking. they have been asked to prepare opening statements, which will range, i assume, from very formal to informal. all of whom will be important for shaping the conversation we will have wit

both in ferguson but!rupting because of8i z all of the fallout#úape from the history that bothn. colin and khalil gave us really vital background in. and because i knew we were going to get this deep historical context in which to understand ferguson, i decided that i was going ÷o ÷ take my)r); remarks in a slightly different direction, the perspective of where does this kind of leave us today or what are the implications of zwusd this for us as historians.kú.c and in part that's because one of the things that has been i think really exciting about this moment of being ajc9r historian is we i think areg=7Ñ finally being asked to weigh in on some of these contemporary events. to make sense of")iÑ why they're happening. to explain to2y"vcder public audiences whggsdy matter. and so i'm going to bring my dú0÷ remarks to you from that context, having written a lot of policing in new york city and also having spent some time in ferguson. so i want to make a few remarks >ç@/qis about why it is that i think fergus

, or the many fergusons throughout this country.eople ask me when do you think the protest are gonna stop? and my answer is that the protests will stop when reforms begin. >> reporter: the reverend mike trautman, pastor of the first presbyterian church, says the turmoil was a wake up call for many in his congregation who chose to live in ferguson because of its diversity. >> the people who stayed here stayed because there was something they gained from being in a racially mixed community. i began to reach out to many of my african american colleagues. because i needed to listen to their story. i needed to listen to their, what they were talking about and it was amazing to me that, to listen to how many of them are people of means and education, who are treated like strangers in their own community. >> reporter: reverend trautman is a founding member of community group formed since michael brown's death called "one ferguson." >> here is kind of an opportunity a living laboratory by which we try intentionally to work through toward th

we saw this in ferguson. social media and websites that espouses a political agenda are part of the american fabric. they're here to stay, yet their presence to assert a specific agenda complicates roles of news organizations. journalists are squeezed by biased confirmation which some people cling to preconceived notions. these factors have further impaired understanding and constructive conversations about race. it affects how we cover race. let me speak to demographics quickly. the change in america are undeniable. this creates fear in people who see a threat to their way of life. the change of demographics is inexorable and so is the backlash. the hispanic population is 54 million right now, the largest minority group in the country. it will double by 2050. the largest number of the undocumented immigrants are hispanics, yet the growth in hispanics will result from births, not immigration. some feel under siege and unable to understand the legality of immigrants or other minorities who retain their ancestr

i was like, ferguson ferguson, down the street ferguson. had to cover a bill cosby concert. couldn't remember i can't remember one joke that he told. nothing negative but it was like going on in my head like what is going on down their. and i got home and remember thinking, zero my gosh. i felt something different. ultimately ferguson it became my be. we talked about it. i mean the protests the people came from the lowest common denominator, or people assume is the lowest common denominator of the ferguson community to rise up to raise their voices and to all of these different issues. what happened is in the wake of the killing of michael brown and the protests there were these thrilling sidebar conversations about disparities, racial disparities racial profiling, inequities in the community as it relates to african-americans, and it was so wonderful to see the post-racial post- racial society that we all assume that we lived in most the general population that it did not exist. so with michael brown, eric garner there are new conversations, uncomfortable, tension, but out

ferguson i get harassed on the daily.t's f**ked up laws, it's fucked up s**t, it's harassment that go on every f**king day including myself. including these black males. when you feel like a target...when you feel like a f**king target how the f**k you gonna react? and thats some real s**t! >> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> its disgraceful... the only crime they really committed is journalism... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy let the journalists live. >> aljazeera america presents a break through television event borderland... >> are you tellin' me it's ok to just open the border, and let em' all run in? >> the teams live through the hardships that forced mira, omar and claudet

retired ferguson officer says the ferguson police department does good work, we spoke with him in november, before a grand jury announced it would not charge wilson with a crime. you think the ferguson police department is racist? >> no, in any profession that's in your heart. i never saw any of that. >> a lot of the anger that citizens have, that are directed at ferguson police, i think they are directed at police in general. >> that they are not doing anything with the community and when i worked there they worked with the different community organizations. bowman served many years in the ferguson area elementary schools as a resource officer he knew kids in his community by name, and watched them grow up. >> i always tried to reach the people feeling with, whether it's students or the parents. in the community and you just treat the kids give them respect in their program we would play kick ball, we would have races and i did double dutch, and four square with the kids and you try to build a relationship. >> bowman says he lived in the area and spent time in the community meeting people

ferguson i get harassed on the daily. it's f**ked up laws, it's fucked up s**t, it's harassment that go on every f**king day including myself. including these black males. when you feel like a target...when you feel like a f**king target how the f**k you gonna react? and thats some real s**t! >> aljazeera america presents a break through television event borderland... >> are you tellin' me it's ok to just open the border, and let em' all run in? >> the teams live through the hardships that forced mira, omar and claudette into the desert. >> running away is not the answer... >> is a chance at a better life worth leaving loved ones behind? >> did omar get a chance to tell you goodbye before he left? >> which side of the fence are you on? >> sometimes immigration is the only alternative people have. borderland only on al jazeera america >> the shooting of mike brown sparked something in ferguson. why did it happen here? on the surface the city looks like any quiet american suburb. but in the southeast corner of the city limi

. >> ferguson used to be 75% white. ago. and now because of the sweeping demographic changes it's almost 70% black. in just 20 years. >> i was michael's art teacher. kindergartener through grade 5. and as an elementary student he was very quiet, just kind of kept to himself. my last experience with michael was the day of his graduation. i had not seen him since fifth grade. and i saw this big kid walking up towards the summer school graduation. and i said -- he said you don't remember me? and i said who are you? i'm michael, michael brown. ♪ ♪ >> fighting i.s.i.l. a brutal enemy. well armed, well funded and growing. iraq and syria under siege. thousands of lives lost. millions on the run. >> we will degrade and ultimately destroy i.s.i.l. >> america leads another new battle in a region devastated by war. will there be u.s. ground troops? what will it take to stop them? and what will it cost? our special report, fighting i.s.i.l. >> since launching nearly ten years ago the group of has changed its name repeatedly. many i

ferguson i get harassed on the daily. it's f**ked up laws, it's fucked up s**t, it's harassment that go on every f**king day including myself. including these black males. when you feel like a target...when you feel like a f**king target how the f**k you gonna react? and thats some real s**t! >> catch more "faultlines" episodes on demand or at aljazeera.com/faultlines. >> the shooting of mike brown sparked something in ferguson. why did it happen here? on the surface the city looks like any quiet american suburb. but in the southeast corner of the city limits there are densely populated apartment complexes. this is where michael brown lived. and this street is where he was walking the day he was killed. what exactly happened the day he encountered darren wilson here, remains unknown, but what's clear is that they were two people from two very different worlds... this area has a high concentration of poverty and residents say it's heavily patrolled by police. it's predominantly african american ...and it's typical of the w

ferguson i get harassed on the daily. it's f**ked up laws, it's fucked up s**t, it's harassment that go on every f**king day including myself. including these black males. when you feel like a target...when you feel like a f**king target how the f**k you gonna react? and thats some real s**t! >> catch more "faultlines" episodes on demand or at aljazeera.com/faultlines. >> you know how they say that everybody has a purpose in life? well, at one time, i felt that selling cocaine was my purpose. >> we was starvin', just lookin' for a way to succeed. >> the first time i seen rock cocaine was 1980. >> the murder rate was sky-high. >> south of the 10 freeway, was kind of a "no-man's land". >> you know, we're selling it for the blacks. i said, you go into these neighborhoods, there's no cops you can sell it where you want and when they start killing each other, nobody cares. >> i was going through like a million dollars worth of drugs just about every day. >> that's like gold! >> we can make a fortune! >> he was maybe the bigges

so, you guys ready. >> all right, ferguson. >> ferguson. >> about to jump off again, possibly? >> a pre_declared state of emergency. >> and confirmed on fox. >> so you know is true. assumption __ some shit is going down. >> in so far as fox news can be said __ a segment of white american society. it strikes me as __ when i saw it, i thought of new haven. bobby seal was on trial back in new haven. there were going to be to protest __ all the whites, and all the black panthers. the government of connecticut were petrified when it turned into something like what we saw in ferguson in august. the governor of connecticut knew wisely that the way to set it off would be to send in __ wwhat they did was quietly assembled the national guard. they told no one. and they said go ahead with your demonstration. nothing happened. they have a demonstration, went home, and it was over. >> that is not what is happening here. >> the government in missouri is doing everything he can to precipitate what he has said. >> can i ask you to speak for all white people really quickly? >> done. >> i will r

ferguson. >> ferguson. >> about to jump off again maybe possibly. we don't know. according to the governor of missouri. >> state of merningy predeclared. >> a predeclared state of emergency. >> they're ready for whatever. >> and confirmed on fox. >> so you know it's true. >> you know there's some shit going down >> did anybody see the former mayor rudolph guiliani on fox news recently? you guys love yourself. fwood for you. you didn't watch that. >> yeah. or just nod admitting it. >> yeah. insofar as fox news can be said to represent a segment -- a segment of white american society they are all primed for the next coming of huey newton to erupt out of this in ferguson. it strikes me as when i saw it i thought immediately of new haven, i was reading about it the other day -- bobby thiel was on trial in 1960, 1970 in new haven. there was going to be a huge protest. all the black panther radicals were going to come to the lawn at new haven and do a big demonstration, huge, violent demonstrations all over the country. and the governor of connecticut and president of y

there are many parallels with sf and ferguson. ferguson fought for weeks to indict the officer who killed mike brown. one thing you can do here locally is demand the release of those names at the very least to show support and show you care about accountability. to deny those names is to increase mistrust in law enforcement. we call on police conscience to call to police. these acts of violence are unacceptable. we are here and i also would like to hear, i have heard there are concerns including the language on the fact that every 24 hours a person is killed. >> thank you. next speaker, please. >> public speaker: good evening, my name is jaron brown and i'm here with -- i want to thank supervisor avalos and many of you who are supporting equality for all resolution. there are times when san francisco is french when we take a radical stand. oh, my god! san francisco took a stand around minimum wage and nuclear arm. this is no the that moment. we have seen thousands and sent people to ferguson, we have seen the st. louis rams. today

i have been to ferguson and felt and saw the grief of this community. it is the same pain we feel here. you know this is wrong. how many of you have children. how would you feel if your child was missing from your kitchen table and the person who murdered them is protected by his badge. the good people of this city need to know the truth. we need to know that our elected officials have our backs. right now is the time to show you have a heart. this is a dramatic issue and it needs to be addressed. so many have been put under the carpet. right now is the time for you to stand up. i urge you to pass this resolution as it is. thank you. >> public speaker: hello, my name is nancy hernandez. i work as a teacher in the san francisco unified school district. the reason why i'm here is i here in support of the previous version about police violence and racism within the police system and the right to protest. in the current evolution of the proposal i feel like a lot has been taken out. i think it's commendable that the board of supervisors in san francisco wan

holder went to ferguson to the st. louis community and talked about how independent did rigorous the investigation would be and i think he raised the expectations of the community that a prosecution would occur. i know as a resident of the community that that was the inspection in the home. areva martin great to see you. thank you very much. >> thanks john. >> newly released video shows how a traffic stop in new jersey ended with a passenger shot and killed by press. >> the video was taken from a police car dashboard camera. showing jeremy reid stepping out of the car with hands up. within seconds, police opened fire. one of the officers said he saw a gun, and a weapon was recovered. both officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. >>> president obama arrived in kansas. his latest stop on a tour to promote his economic plan one laid out at the state unfortunate union. turning those proposals into reality may be a tough taftenght taftenght -- tough tausk. >> reporter: president obama on t

i'm tired of ferguson. if the gentleman our lady black, white whatever -- if they are speeding, get a ticket. this starts in the home parenting. thank you. host: ron davis? guest: i appreciate the callers frustration. at one level, it is easy to believe that we have a set of laws and simply enforcing those laws is not a negative thing. i can understand the frustration. if you listen to the caller, she has more thought. i would ask her to think about this. if you put 100 cops in one neighborhood in the forestall a laws the likelihood of people getting stopped and ticketed and arrested are going to be different if there only five cops in the neighborhood. one thing we know is that criminal is not attached to race. is attached to conditions of what causes the crime. there is a legitimate concern about being over policed and walking out of your house and being stopped continually because of where you live and what you look like. this is a concern that even the of forces of the law can be disparate. even if i'm

this country. >> we may have different takes on the events of ferguson and new york. but surely we can understand a father who fears his son cannot walk home without being harassed

there was ferguson, staten island and now milwaukee.s where another community has decided not to prosecute a police officer for his role in the death of a young black man. so the big question tonight is how do keep officers from going too far. "america tonight's" christof putzel looks at a new state law in wisconsin aimed at ensuring justice. but in this exclusive interview the family of a mentally ill man says that law has failed its first test. >> reporter: maria hamilton moved her sons to gary indiana to flee the local gang violence. >> i made a choice to bring them here. so they could get the education, be involved in the community sports like they weren't there. >> reporter: but that dream of a new beginning and a safer life for her children ended last april 30th. >> right here? he was just laying down here? >> that afternoon, maria's youngest son dantre hamilton was sleeping outside, they say he suffered from schizophrenia and he often slept outside. >> the police officer started to strike dantre with the baton. witnesses say he n

president obama did take time to mention recent police tensions in places like ferguson and new york. >> we may have different takes on the events of ferguson and new york but surely we can understand a father who fears his son can't walk home without

louis county grand jury in november ferguson police department.olicing in that department. after st. louis county grand jury in november decided not to indict officer darren wilson on any charges, attorney general eric holder announced his department's federal investigation into that shooting remained ongoing. he said, the federal inquiry has been independent from the local one and remains so now. tonight, the "new york times" is reporting that the justice department has completed that investigation into the shooting. "the times" cites three law enforcement sources and says this, "justice department lawyers will recommend that no civil rights charges be brought against former ferguson police officer darren wilson after an fbi investigation found no evidence to support charges." anticipating wide interest in this decision, "the times" reports that the justice department lawyers "are working on a legal memo explaining their recommendation." joining us now is michael schmidt, who helped break this story tonight. thank you very much for being with us.

no civil rights violation in ferguson, missouri. get the final word. >> i don't expect anything intelligent to come out of the mouth of al sharpton. we know he is a sharyl -- charleton. al sharpton ought to go back into the gutter he came from. the police officer is owed a lot from him, eric holder and the president of the united states. >> sherrif david clarke joining us from milwaukee sir, thank you very much for your comments. >> my pleasure. >> ten minutes before the top. this al qaeda sleeper agent just freed from a federal prison and sent back to qatar. but judge napolitano says it was a fair deal. really? see if you agree. coming up next. ♪ >>> sparking outrage, admitting to conspiring with 9-11 mastermind, khalid sheikh mohammed and sentenced to 15 years in a federal prison. >> today not only is he free, he's back in his home of qatar. the white house taking heat on this decision, especially at this time. >> doesn't sound like the right thing to do. but the judge says the doj got it right. >> why do i always get these diffic

please stay with us. >>> we're going to have the ferguson story for you in just a moment.ght now there is just breaking news to report tonight on washington, a dramatic and very unexpected development in congress. tomorrow afternoon, the republican-led house of representatives was scheduled to debate and vote on an abortion ban. tomorrow's the 42nd anniversary of roe versus wade supreme court decision. they were going to make a statement by passing a federal ban on abortions after 20 weeks. this is one of the first pieces of legislation that house republicans wanted to pass in the new congress. that was their plan. house republicans were going to take up that bill tomorrow. they were thought as having no issues in terms of whether or not they were going to pass it. but late tonight, just within the last few minutes, just since we've been on the air, this is apparently all falling apart. look at this bulletin posted from the associated press. house gop abruptly -- do we have that? we don't have the graphic? house gop abruptly drops plan to debate abortion bill after revolt

>> from ferguson to hollywood? al sharpton blasting the oscar nomination saying the blacklack of diversity is appalling and wants an emergency oscar meeting. >> sparks a nationwide debate the muslims call the prayers to be sited for the entire campus here at duke university. this morning a major update for you. "fox & friends first" starts right now. ♪ >> good morning to you. you are watching "fox & friends first" on this friday. i am heather childers. >> i am ainsley earhardt. let's get right to it. troops to syria to help train syrian fighters against brutal isis militants. the president's plan to arm local forces as the u.s. led coalition carries out air strikes. >> the announcement coming one day after it is revealed the air strikes in sire yaw failed to help isis gain ground. the troops will head there this spring. >> while you were sleeping a dozen people raised near paris in anti-terror raids linked to last week's attacks. the nine men and women being conflicted to their connection of coulibaly. they supplie

again, go back to ferguson. while the majority of ferguson's residents are african-american only 6% participated in the 2013 municipal elections, which means when you continue to under educate individuals, and that community as a whole is under educated they don't participate in the system, and the system therefore does not have their voice as part of it. the marchs have a place and no one wants to take away the fervor of individuals who seek justice by coming in to the streets and speaking loudly. but the fact is that the marchs are not moving the conversation forward. what they're doing is they are political theater that are not changing the fundamental issues. if we want to march on something that is fundamentally destroying our community, let's look at the majority of african-americans children are going to go to school and not learn to read and white like the whiter society. we need to have that conversation, and in order to do that we have to get past the low-hanging fruit and look at the more challenging

if we fix ferguson, we are on the first step. that's the step that we're going to be taking. >> connie rice, i think you have a point that's on our last exchange. >> yes. i'm about to jump out of my skin because nobody listed l.a.p.d. as one of the forces that has transformed itself. we're in the middle of 14 years. to change how lapd cops think and behave. i have to put our community on that list of chicago, boston and new haven because they are truly extraordinary. i can say that because i trained them. before chief bratton left, as i said before, he gave me a badge because he said, connie you think you're the chief of police. i might as well give you a badge to reflect that delusion. >> so it is extraordinary to see l.a.p.d. cops, who used to be like a praetorian guard. they were your worst nightmare if you were a civil rights lawyer. i know. i sued them every day. and, now, i'm working with them every day. in the housing projects. now, if you can get the police to bond with housing project public housing project populations,

. >> the legacy of ferguson will be determined by what we do next. >>> also ready to clear officer darren wilson. >> the justice department has begun crafting recommendations that no charges be brought. >> he's out of the woods when it comes to being charged either by the feds or by the state. >> how will ferguson react this morning? and laid off. >> ebay announced 2400 job cuts. that's about 7% of the work force. american express is cutting 4,000 jobs. >> major american companies cutting workers as the price of oil drops further. how long can the american worker hold on? >> you get the sense that you're able to grip the ball better than the colts last night? >> also, deflate gate. did the patriots cheat? >> i really don't know what to say or know anything about what we're talking about here. >> thursday morning quarterbacking as we hear from bill belichick this morning. let's talk. live in the "cnn newsroom." >>> and good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. we begin this hour with the rampant spread of terrorism. world leaders scrambling to contain it. secretar

when we come back, we will talk ferguson. what about the justice department not bringing civil rights charges against the police officer who killed mike brown? can we will talk about a supreme court decision you might not have learned about this week, a major decision on behalf of whistleblowers. stay with us. ♪ [music break] >> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. >> we turn now to news that the justice department does not plan to bring civil rights charges against police officer darren wilson for shooting unarmed african-american teenager michael brown in ferguson, missouri. on wednesday, "the new york times" reported attorney general eric holder will have the final say, but will almost certainly side with investigators who are recommending no charges. a wider justice department probe into ferguson police over reports of racial profiling in traffic stops and use of excessive force remains underway. meanwhile, a judge has rejected an naacp legal defense fund

and that's also what we dealing with in ferguson.ecause we were already criminalized before we got here, and we still look at too many of our precious young ballooning young people -- young black young people as if they're criminals before they've done anything. and this is true for brown but especially for black. especially for black. so i appreciate that question. and i'm going to keep the pressure on my dear brother barack obama. i applaud him this time i applaud him. oh ye, absolutely. [applause] >> we have time for one more quick question. >> my name is louis armstrong, i'm also an author of the prophetic wrying and i heard you say anything something earlier about the 400 years, and what i want to ask you, is they the same 400 years of genesis 15:13 or some of the time? >> in the biblical text? >> yes. >> oh, that's a -- >> you know i got to ask you that. >> creative imagination my brother. >> i got to ask you that. >> lord i appreciate it. i appreciate it. [laughter] yeah or it's difficult for me to make that kind of leap in ou

ash-har quraishi is in ferguson.eral charges will be filed against the police officer? >> john, that's what it looks like. the department of justice has not made any announcement but there are reports indicating they are putting a legal memo together that will say that they are not filing those charges against darren wilson, they don't have enough evidence to do that. but of course that official announcement has not come out just yet john. >> what are they looking for and what is the burden of proof for prosecutors in this kind of case? >> well, the burden of proof is pretty high in this case and attorney general eric holder talked about that a little bit. for example under the criminal case, not only do they have to prove probable cause which the grand jury failed to do, but they would have to prove that darren wilson willfully deprived michael brown of his civil rights when he fired his gun in his capacity as a police officer. much higher burden of proof. something difficult to put together in this case that basica

fault lines ferguson: race and justice in the u.s. one hour special only on al jazeera america today on "talk to al jazeera." the actor thafng ethan hawke. >> you can make of the truth what you will. we make big moments define our life. the romantic moments happen on a bus ride. you can't anticipate. >> the coming of divorce and being a father. >> i've been a child of divorce, i have been as a parent. >> recognition in dead poets society, good kill in 2013 about drum warfare. >> we can assassinate people from anywhere in the world and it's not being policed. >> it's the movie "training day" for which hawke received his osk. in an attempt to keep hawke humble the actor's mother haste encouraged him to given back. >> she took me to haiti shortly after the duvalier administration. she thought i was going to be aspoiled brat. >> i had a chance to speak to ethan hawke with all of this. just as his film "boyhood" was being released. >> you play a father from his late teen years through when his family is going through divorce. tell me about

last year angry protests in ferguson missouri made angry headlines. protests after the police-shooting of michael brown. some blamed police for lack of diversity. and months later just a handful of people are pursuing that change through politics. ash har quaraishi joins us from ferguson missouri. ash har. good to see you. what happened to all those who were calling for political change in ferguson? >> tony, that's the real question. we're coming up on two months with the most violent clashes we saw and the damaging of businesses like the one behind me. after all this unrest you have a galvanized support of political candidates who want to bring change. but these first municipal elections may not be as hotly contested as many would expect. >> the fires have been extinguished. the voices have gone quiet but on canfield rode in ferguson, missouri the memorial remains the don't reminder where 18-year-old michael brown lost his life. >> it's grown from when it was first up. >> brown's shooting was one reason why wesley bell is running for ferguson's city

look what happened at ferguson. these people showed the ugliness in the heart to the nation to the community to themselves. now if you look back, it's a ghost town over there. why? because of something you did. and that goes to what i'm saying. disconnect the dots. self-examination. i'm just telling you to examine yourself. that's it. first corinthians. i could do this all day long. >> i would have no way of checking your accuracy so i won't bother. >> please do. >> i'm kidding. will ask you this. i think when we see protesters, minister, that they're said to speak for everyone in a community, black or white when in fact they don't and i'm wondering whether all of ferguson, all of the african-american community there and elsewhere, is just getting an unfair rap? what is your sense of it? >> what's happening, like i said it's responsibility. parents out there take responsibility for your kids. i'm not going to advocate -- al sharpton shouldn't make this a race issue because you have irresponsible disobead beet beaden