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May 16, 2025 118 mins

5.16.2025 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: MAGA Marva elected FAMU prez, Diddy trial drama, SCOTUS police use of force case, Trump tariff impact

Controversy on the yard: Florida A&M named its 13th president, but not everyone's throwing up that Rattler strike. Outrage is boiling over. We've got the reaction and what's next for the FAMU family.

Drama in the Diddy trial--inside the courtroom as Cassie Ventura wraps up emotional testimony. What happened, and where does the case go from here?

A major Supreme Court ruling could change the way "Police Use of Force" is judged in America. Samuel Sinyangwe, founder of Mapping Police Violence, joins us to discuss what this means for justice and reform.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Today Friday, May sixteenth, twenty twenty five. Coming up on
rolland Mark Unfortured streaming live on the Blackstar Network. Rattler
Nation is pissed off after Florida and M University trustee
for the thirteenth president and they picked someone literally is
grossly unqualified for the office. Show you what took place

(00:31):
today in a contentious meeting where the board shows a
cable lobbyist Barbara Johnson.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Ever worked comedy.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Colers three times more than what she made as a lobbyist.
We're gonna bring it all down. Also, drama at the
Didy trial inside the courtroom as captive raps up emotional
testimony will with legal analysts, campus folks. A major Supreme
Court ruling could change the way police are a forced way.

(01:11):
Founder of UH the mapping police violence joins us talk
about this huge, huge Supreme The Supreme Court in the
seven to two voat slaps down Donald Trump when it
comes to using the using a law to ship out Venezuelans.
Why is it DJ trying to charge a black member

(01:32):
of Congress with assault in that in that melee that
happened outside of the ice Atende of Center in New Jersey,
We're gonna talk about all of that, y'all. It is
time to bring the funk on Rolling Martin, on filips,
on the Blackstar Network.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
Let's go.

Speaker 4 (01:56):
Right on top. Best believe he sting putting it out
from Boston News to politics with entertainment.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
Just bookcase, he's stolen.

Speaker 4 (02:09):
It's rolling Monte.

Speaker 5 (02:23):
He's bookcase breast, She's real. The question, No, he's rolling.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Monte, martel.

Speaker 6 (02:41):
Ms, Cummings Martin. Would you please call the role.

Speaker 7 (02:44):
We will ask each trustee to state the finalist who
you cast your vote for.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
Thank you, Madam Chair.

Speaker 8 (02:55):
Okay Trustee Brown, Marva Johnson, trustee Bryant.

Speaker 9 (03:03):
H Doctor Donald Lom Trustee.

Speaker 6 (03:07):
Crossman, Barbara Johnson Trustee.

Speaker 10 (03:11):
Figures.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Trustee Figures Trustee, Jane Gainey, Marma Johnson.

Speaker 8 (03:23):
Trustee, Gibbons, Marraa Johnson trustee.

Speaker 7 (03:27):
Harper, doctor Donald Palm, Trustee Lawson, Mark Johnson trustee.

Speaker 8 (03:36):
Perry, doctor Donald Ham trustee Red.

Speaker 6 (03:45):
Donald, Tom trustee, Basquez.

Speaker 8 (03:51):
Johnson, trustee Washington, Marbart Johnson and trustee White Marvara Johnson.

Speaker 6 (04:17):
Madam Chair. There are eight votes for Attorney Johnson.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
And four votes.

Speaker 6 (04:28):
For doctor Donald Palm. Thank you.

Speaker 7 (04:31):
The motion passes Marva Johnson has been selected as the
final qualified candidate under the position criteria as president elect
for recommendation to the Board of Governors for confirmation.

Speaker 6 (04:42):
Congratulations Miss Johnson.

Speaker 11 (04:47):
Folks, this was a read election.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
It was fate a complete Marbara Johnson faced a crowded
room at Widnesday's meet and greet in Florida and of
alumni and stakeholders as a questioned her qualifications and political
in influence. Who is she? She currently leads the state
government affairs for Charter Communications. His what's all so crazy?
She requested a salary range of four hundred and fifty

(05:11):
thousand and seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, never revealing
what she currently makes as a lobbyist for Charter Well,
I actually talked to a number of people who in
the cable industry. Her salary range is anywhere from tw
hundred and two and fifty thousand dollars. So Marvra Johnson
is going to make three times as much money in
one year as the president of Florida A and M

(05:33):
as she would take her three years to earn as
a lobbyist. Here's what's all so crazy about this whole thing?
Here and that is, they prevented the board chair from
being able to actually negotiate the salary.

Speaker 11 (05:48):
How the hell did they settle on.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars for somebody who literally
is grossly unqualified. Now, let me be real. There are
a number of people have called this a MAGA takeover
Florida A and m is a state university. The governor
conpicts who's on the board of trustees, and so this
is what happens. I'm not talking about MAGA, I'm not

(06:15):
talking about the GOP. I'm not talking about any of that.
And here's the deal. Be very clear. I know Marva Johnson,
I've met her, have talked to her at numerous cable
events over the past twenty years. And this is what
If Marva Johnson came on this show, and we did
reach out to marvra I text her last week she

(06:36):
was getting on a plane and ivite her to come
on the show to explain this whole deal. But let
me be real clear. If Marva Johnson was interviewing somebody
for a job to work on her staff as a
lobbyist for Charter Communications, and if they presented the kind

(07:01):
of resume that she presented to be the president of
Florida A and M University. Not only would Marva Johnson
not hire them, I can guarantee you they would not
even get an interview. That is how weak her resume

(07:22):
is in order to lead this institution. We showed this
the other day, and I believe it is an incumbent
upon us to do this again, because when you're talking
about being the president of a university, leading an institution
ten thousand students, you kind of gotta know what you're doing.

(07:47):
You kind of gotta have a sense of what you're doing.
I need everybody to understand again, I'm not talking about Maga.
I'm not talking about GOP.

Speaker 11 (08:00):
I'm not talking about the.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
Role that she played as being a delegate or an
elector for Donald Trump and then supporting Roonda Santus any
of that. I'm talking about qualifications. And isn't it interesting
that we're living in a moment where Donald Trump and
Ronda Santis and Maga and Republicans are attacking DEI and

(08:23):
they're talking about merit, merit, merit, and they literally put
a black woman up for a job to be the
president of arguably top three HBCUs in America. And this
is her resume. Guys, this is not hard. This is

(08:47):
not hard. Group vice President, Regional vice president State Government Affairs,
Charter Communications, BrightHouse Networks, Corporate Vice President Government and Industry Affairs.
Then you go down to Corporate vice president, Technology Policy
and Industry Affairs, Interim Vice president COOEC Operations Director Carrier

(09:13):
Services and Financial Operations.

Speaker 11 (09:16):
Y'all.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
That's it.

Speaker 11 (09:19):
That's her resume.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
She hasn't even been an adjunct professor at a Kado university.
Now she served on the state Board of Education. Okay,
she's a board member for eight years, chaired for four
years of a Florida State Board of Education.

Speaker 11 (09:40):
I'm sorry, that ain't it, y'all. That's not it.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
So I can understand why Rattler Nation is angry and
upset of what is going on. What's crazy is they're
going to be paying a grossly unqualified person three hundred
thousand dollars more, three hundred thousand dollars more than they

(10:11):
were praying paying the previous president, doctor Larry Robinson. That
is absolutely insane. Show these board members, show the board members,
these are the board of trustees, and show the next them.
Eight of these foks here's what's crazy. One of these

(10:33):
people was literally installed on the board yesterday. Who still
voted today? Who still voted today? Do you understand how
insane that is. I don't know what these folks were thinking,

(11:00):
but there's no doubt in my mind when the board
had three esteem candidates and they shoehorned Marva Johnson in
at the last second, folks, it was already decided. It
was already done. This cake was baked. They basically decided.

(11:28):
Ronda Sanda said to his people, make mcgroough the president,
and in the eight to four vote, that is exactly
what they did.

Speaker 11 (11:42):
It was extremely contentious today.

Speaker 1 (11:45):
Uh. There were folks who spoke at the hearing. It
was there were uh and and and and again. If
you if you look at social media, if you look
at all of the talk, all the chatter, I mean,
it has been in on fire, folks talking. I have
seen individuals make clear that they were going to that

(12:09):
they were pulling their money. There was one woman who
said she had already included Florida A and M in
her will. She was removing them. I can guarantee you
you were going to see a backlash. This is not
going to sit well at all with the alumni at
Florida A and M University. It was incredible just listening

(12:36):
to the arguments that these people made as to why
she should be the president. It was unbelievable. Again listening
to them, the board chair weighed in with her thoughts.

(12:58):
I just want to show some of what the board
chair had to say, and also again this board hamstrung
her go ahead.

Speaker 7 (13:06):
I went to again thank you fellow trustees for this
healthy dialogue and civil discourse and good governance. And thanks
again to the Presidential Search Committee for getting us to
this point and Chair Committee Chair Gibbons for leading the committee.
Like each of you, I take my fiduciary duty very seriously,

(13:29):
and this is a consequential decision that will shape the
future of students and the success of those students, as
well as the engagement level or lack thereof, of faculty, staff, alumni,
current and future donors, the Tallahassee community, the members of

(13:51):
the industry.

Speaker 6 (13:52):
Cluster, and beyond.

Speaker 7 (13:55):
Yes, I am a proud two time alumna of the
illustrious institution. Yes, I was the third female s shea
president Student Government Association. For those who are watching and
who may not be familiar with the language and nuances
of fam you. Yes, I'm a Humphries Aaron Ratler.

Speaker 6 (14:19):
Yes, I married a Rattler.

Speaker 7 (14:23):
Yes, our daughter is a graduate of this institution and
is duly employed by a Fortune one hundred company because
of the education she got.

Speaker 6 (14:34):
From this institution.

Speaker 7 (14:37):
But it's not just my personal history that shapes my
service to this board.

Speaker 6 (14:45):
And you're right, Trustee White.

Speaker 7 (14:47):
This is a thankless job, but I do it for
the love of fam you selflessly. And there are two
factors that have always guided every decision I make, every deliberation.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
And that is.

Speaker 7 (15:09):
Student success and the perpetuity of FAMU. I'm a huge
believer that what gets measured gets done, and I welcome
the performance based funding model.

Speaker 6 (15:26):
I embrace the accountability plan.

Speaker 7 (15:31):
I am extremely proud of the progress that this university
has made with this board as well as with predecessors
who have preceded the roles in which we now sit.
That in our one hundred and thirty seven year history,

(15:52):
we have reached historic highs as it relates to four
year graduation rates.

Speaker 6 (16:00):
In spite of that, we have achieved.

Speaker 7 (16:12):
The highest score of an eighty three this year. Since
the performance based funding model has been established. That is
something to be extremely proud of. But we do have
a ways to go. We do need to continue to

(16:35):
advocate for student success that will ensure engagement across every
important stakeholder group and the perpetuity of the institution.

Speaker 6 (16:48):
That so many of us love and cherish.

Speaker 7 (16:52):
At this college of love and charity, there's no leader
without filing worse. And having spent the entire week on campus,
having participated in the interviews, having participated in each and

(17:17):
every community forum with community members and alumni.

Speaker 10 (17:25):
For years, China has been waging a war on.

Speaker 1 (17:27):
A mirorpor So, folks, we're playing as an interruption. We're
playing it from the live stream that we had earlier.
And so let me go.

Speaker 2 (17:37):
Back to that.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
So let's see if we can pick up those comments.

Speaker 12 (17:41):
Go it.

Speaker 7 (17:43):
And having read through the summary of hundreds of stakeholder feedback,
hundreds of inputs, having read up until maybe one thirty
am this morning, every email, and I've responded to everyone

(18:04):
that I could, and.

Speaker 6 (18:06):
Will respond to everyone.

Speaker 7 (18:07):
If I have not yet, and if I've overlooked anyone,
please forgive me. But I believe in the values of
this institution accountability, transparency, integrity, and inclusion and your voice matters,

(18:31):
and leaders can't lead if there's no one who is following.
As Trustee Bryant mentioned, stakeholder groups across various constituencies have
expressed deep concern and emotional sentiment around one of the

(18:56):
four candidates. When cher Lamb and I worked together to
name the search committee, I wanted nothing more than a
high integrity process that produced exceptional candidates. I'm a believer
in God, and I believe in doing things in decency

(19:19):
and in order.

Speaker 6 (19:23):
On behalf of the board of Trustees.

Speaker 7 (19:25):
I apologize to any finalist or semi finalist whose names
were leaked due to a breach of confidentiality what was
circulated about one of the candidates one of the finalists

(19:48):
prior to this week. In spite of that, I came
into this week with an open mind, but I was
left feeling empty. Many answers were hollow, many statements were false.

Speaker 6 (20:13):
Fharm Dye.

Speaker 7 (20:14):
Students don't require a dissertation to graduate from Florida A
and M. And today today there are students from over
seventy countries in our student body that are represented.

Speaker 6 (20:31):
That's not an aspiration, that's a fact. For today.

Speaker 7 (20:36):
There was a lack of intellectual depth and a gap
and cultural connection that was just painfully blatant. Also want
to make a point about the range of compensation that
this board approved today in candidate's applications they share their
salary expectations candidates Alan and Hector, the range was between

(20:59):
four hundred and five one hundred thousand finalist Johnson seven
hundred and fifty thousand dollars base plus additional performance based
compensation and commiserate benefits, and finalist palm negotiable.

Speaker 6 (21:15):
As a fiduciary, I don't think.

Speaker 7 (21:16):
It's financially responsible to select a finalist whose qualifications pale
in comparison to others and whose salary requirements we cannot afford.
I want to go on the record to reflect the hypocrisy.
I also have to go on the record as.

Speaker 6 (21:35):
A black woman.

Speaker 7 (21:38):
In an age of merit based hiring decisions, how can
one justify settling for a candidate who does not meet
all of the position criteria or turning a blind eye
to exceptionally qualified candidates.

Speaker 6 (22:00):
As our beloved Joe Bullard would say, the difference is clear.

Speaker 7 (22:08):
With that my vote today will be for the candidate who.

Speaker 5 (22:14):
I believe.

Speaker 7 (22:17):
Has the executive presence, the institutional knowledge, the love for
fam you a deep and abiding desire and prove an
ability to engage authentically with every stakeholder group, because every

(22:41):
stakeholder group matters. One who will not shrink from the pressure.

Speaker 6 (22:54):
Or the history, the challenges.

Speaker 7 (22:57):
Or the gaps that have gotten us to this point,
because there are so many things that still we need
to course correct and we need to close the gap
for so that this institution will remain in perpetuity.

Speaker 1 (23:14):
Zala Bryant, the Florida and M University student body president.
She said this.

Speaker 6 (23:20):
For the sins.

Speaker 9 (23:24):
As a trustee who was chosen by the student body,
supported by the alumni, taught and shaped by professors, faculty,
and staff, and constantly receiving messages from aspirin potential rattlers.
As a president who has made history on this campus,

(23:44):
I'm a proud part of family history, and I understand
legacy and the importance of my position. The students have spoken,
the alumni have spoken, faculty and staff have spoken. History
has its eyes on us, and I would be remiss
if I were to take my position in vain and

(24:06):
not vote to be the voice that has chosen me
to be their voice.

Speaker 6 (24:15):
Out of the selection pool that we have seen this.

Speaker 9 (24:18):
Past week, I am unimpressed and I am concerned gravely
at the choices that were supposed to be the top
picks for our beloved university. I'll take this time to

(24:38):
show my support for candidate doctor Donald Palm because he
is the only candidate out of all of my conversations
and deliberations with students, that I never had to question
who his priority is. And as members of this trust,
of this board of trustees, people in leadership, and people

(25:02):
who care about education at its highest, I think is
it important that we always understand that the reason why
we are here, that the people who put money in
our pockets, that the reason that we have any significance
or influence in these chairs right now are the students.

(25:24):
So understanding that that had to be a question is
absolutely unacceptable. I won't speak on a specific candidate, but
the amount of disrespect and disregard that I've seen this
week from candidates was astonishing, and I hope to never

(25:47):
see that or choose that for my beloved campus.

Speaker 6 (25:51):
Those are my final remarks.

Speaker 1 (25:54):
Telling us right now. Is Rob Hardy, a graduate of
Florida and m university, prominent film direct her as well
as producer Rob glad to have you here, your long time,
your longtime, your classmate. Alpha brother Will Packer was very
very vocal against this hire. And and again this is

(26:17):
what I said the outset. I'm taking MAGA off the table.
I'm taking the GOP off the table. I am looking
at the four candidates based upon their resume. And I
showed on this show yesterday the resumes of all four candidates,
and there is no way. And if you had one

(26:42):
hundred people and they said pick the most qualified out
of these four, out of the one hundred, I believe
zero would pick Marvara Johnson based upon her resume. This
is it's not about gender, is that about anything. This

(27:03):
is a fundamentally about qualifications to be the president of
a ten thousand student university.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
You know, you are absolutely right, and.

Speaker 13 (27:18):
It's tough, and it's unfortunate and it's disappointing because our
university deserves to be able to have somebody there that
is qualified to lead a university of our caliber.

Speaker 2 (27:30):
Our motto is excellence with caring.

Speaker 13 (27:32):
So you need somebody that in order to create that
excellence needs to care enough about the job to be
able to have experience in the academic field, so that
way we can grow our research departments, protect our programs.
We need somebody that has the ability to understand how
athletic works, so then that way we can expand our programs,

(27:53):
recruit more students, leverage the relationships that we have, somebody
that's able to inspire and support the faculty. That way
they feel comfortable and seen enough to be able to
pour into our students and ultimately understand that as a university,
our responsibility is to the students. So then that way
we can forge relationships and create programs so they can

(28:14):
do internships, but most importantly, so they can grow, feel
seen and understand why it's important to go and represent fam,
you themselves, the state of Florida, and our people out
in the world. And if you don't have those kind
of perspectives, then it's going to be tough for the
university to grow. It's going to be tough to recruit
new people, it's going to be tough to create an

(28:35):
institution that is able to build on the legacy that
it's had. And I don't think that it's enough to
be able to say, hey, I have relationships within the
state from a business perspective, then if you want to
do that, then be a fundraising chair, do something like that.
Whoever sits at that seat is going to have the
ear of the board is going to have the ear
of the governor. But we need somebody with a heart

(28:58):
and perspective that's going to put family, you and its
students and alumni first, and unfortunately it doesn't appear that
that's what we have right now.

Speaker 1 (29:07):
Let me say this here and as someone first of all,
people need to understand my first pay job was a
report of the Houston Defender. In nineteen ninety I covered
the firing of James Douglas as university president. So for

(29:29):
thirty five years I've covered numerous HBCU presidents being hired
fired actions of the board. And one of the things
that I often said about the gross dysfunction that used
to take place with the Texas Southern University board is
that I would often say that as a graduate of

(29:50):
Texas A and M who looks at the Texas in
the border regions, that individuals who governors would choose to
be in the board of TSU would not even be
considered on the boards of the pwis in Texas. So
let's be real clear. There is no other institution in

(30:17):
Florida where Marva Johnson would have been a finalist to
be the president of the university. Not the University of Florida,
not Florida State, not the University of Central Florida, not
Florida Atlantic, not Florida International, not even a community college

(30:41):
in Florida.

Speaker 11 (30:43):
She would not even make the cut.

Speaker 1 (30:46):
But what Ron DeSantis has decided is that it's perfectly
fine to put a grossly unqualified person to lead that
little black school in Tallahassee.

Speaker 11 (31:00):
That's literally what they're saying.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
With this choice.

Speaker 13 (31:05):
Well, listen, I know that you have a whole situation
with hiring a new president at University of Florida, so
you can use that as an example as far as
the candidates that were available for that job and the
resumes that came with that. So that speaks to everything
that you're talking about. It'd be different if even the
candidate that was chosen had the qualifications on paper, which

(31:25):
they don't, at least that way, then it'd be a
gray area as far as who's the best for the university.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
What are the real motivations but it's not.

Speaker 13 (31:33):
It's a start contrast between someone that has university experience,
someone that has research experience, someone has experience working with students,
and someone that completely doesn't. You're absolutely right, and nonebers
of the scenarios would this candidate have even been up.

Speaker 2 (31:49):
For review, They would not have passed the first phase.

Speaker 13 (31:53):
Unfortunately, we don't know who the other people were now
we're in that initial pool. But given the group that
moved forward, she clearly was not in the lead on
paper as far as her experience. And on top of that,
there was a really visceral response from the alumni, from
the students, and from the faculty of not wanting this

(32:14):
person to be the one that's in the top seat.

Speaker 2 (32:16):
But still the.

Speaker 13 (32:18):
Board members voted her overwhelmingly into that position.

Speaker 11 (32:23):
What is also strange to me.

Speaker 1 (32:27):
Is they purposely would not let the chair of the
board negotiate the contract, which typically happens.

Speaker 11 (32:39):
And then what did they do. They chose somebody who.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
Actually had a conflict of interest. Nicole Washington, and I'm
gonna show. I'm gonna show because her photo needs to
be seen. Nicole Washington is principal of Washington Education Strategies,
a national Education Policy advisor. I don't know what the

(33:08):
hell that even means, but they chose her to negotiate
this salary, which is interesting because she and she and
Marva Johnson were appointed by she's a former Rick Scott

(33:31):
aide who was appointed with Johnson to the State Constitution
Committee in twenty seventeen. That's not who you want negotiating
a contract that show homegirl hooking you up. And that's
exactly what happened here at a salario seven hundred and
fifty thousand dollars. And I'm telling you, I know the
cable industry. Well, Marva Johnson was not making She was

(33:54):
making between two hundred and two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars and is telling that she would not disclose her salary.
She's gonna get paid triple what she was making in
in UH as a lobbyist for Charter Communications.

Speaker 13 (34:09):
Absolutely, absolutely, and and and and listen, you know that's
the again, that's that's the actions speak for themselves. The
fact that the person that was in that position, that
was supposed to make that transition, that was supposed to
negotiate that salary, that was supposed to negotiate what that package.

Speaker 2 (34:31):
Would look like, is not able to do that.

Speaker 13 (34:34):
Somebody that's that's that's related to the income and president,
not related by blood, but as far as relationship is
able to negotiate that. Those are all the you know,
that gets adds to the list of inconsistencies throughout this
process that unfortunately we've been forced to deal with. And
it's not because people haven't been galvanized to make our
voices heard on the student side, on the faculty side,

(34:56):
on the alumni side. It's just because, unfortunately the boarders
who makes all those decisions. And even though there was
overwhelming support and it was set on the call that
there was overwhelming support for another specific candidate, doctor Palm,
I'll just be honest, was the name that was mentioned
on the meeting, those were largely ignored when it came

(35:16):
down to the vote. And it's just really really tough
and disheartening, you know, as an alum that cares for
our university and that we want it to be the
best that it can be, and we show up and
we give money, and we give time and we give
resources because we know what the importance of that institution
and institutions like that across the country are and so
it's really tough in this moment, it's really tough.

Speaker 1 (35:40):
I take it you had been hearing from other alumni
and like perfect, I'm going to show this here. I
saw this tweet earlier, and this one mean Christy Tilman.
She posted, I'll be calling Family Foundation as soon as
I get home to turn off my monthly gifts and
will be calling my attorney to remove the university as
beneficiary my state immediately. This is unforgivable. She then said,

(36:04):
confirming I spoke with the Advancement office and my contributions
have been turned off. I'm only being public with this
because this is the best way I know how to
register my dissatisfaction with the process and the results. And
then she posted the email the cancelation of her of
her gift. Are you hearing from other alumni and are

(36:28):
they saying that they are going to withhold their money
supporting Florida A and M because of this ghastly decision
by this board of trustees.

Speaker 13 (36:38):
I have heard that from several donors, from several influential
alumni who give money and give resources.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
I absolutely have.

Speaker 13 (36:47):
I think the question is going to be what do
we do collectively to move Family forward in a positive direction.

Speaker 2 (36:54):
I think that remains to be seen. But because of
where we.

Speaker 13 (36:57):
Are and more specifically, how we got here, despite us
using our voice, I think that that has turned a
lot of people off in this moment. And I think
that FAM you as an institution, is going to need
its lums to be able to help transition it through
these turbulent times.

Speaker 11 (37:16):
Rob Hardy Fratt.

Speaker 1 (37:17):
I appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. It
is certainly what normally the selection of a president is
a jubilant time for many HBCUs, but certainly not today
for Rattler Nation with this pick.

Speaker 13 (37:35):
Hey, thanks for having me, and as always, I appreciate
the work that you do.

Speaker 1 (37:39):
All right, Thanks a bunch folks. Let me go to
my panel. Joining me Michael m Hotep, host the African
History Network Show. Joining us out of Detroit, Derek Jackson,
jorda state representative, joining me out of Atlanta and hanging
out in the Blackstart Network studios is Morgan Harper. Morgan,
of course talks about economic issues and all that good stuff,

(38:04):
and let's just get right into it. And again I
need to preface this Morgan again. I know, Marva Johnson,
I've met her for over the years. She's a nice woman. Okay,
I know her because I was at TV one since
its inception, left in twenty eighteen, would often see her.

(38:25):
She's a golfer. I've met her husband. I got a
phone luner in my phone I tested last week. But
I'm sorry. If Marv hit me right now, I would say, marvra,
you are grossly unqualified for this job and you have
no business being the president of not just an HBCU,
of any university.

Speaker 14 (38:43):
Yeah, and I mean we're seeing such an attack on
higher education and even beyond higher education does expertise in general.
And I think I know you said you didn't you
wanted to kind of disaggregate this from MAGA, But I
mean that is one of the pillars of the MAGA
movement right now, is that higher education is suspicious. People
who know something about a subject area that requires some

(39:03):
knowledge are suspicious. And this does feel like it's a
line of that. I mean, I would say it's really
sad to see that happen at one of our institutions
out at HBCU. But yeah, I mean it's a real
problem across the country, and it's hit Famie.

Speaker 1 (39:17):
You know the thing here. And the reason I said
I'm divorcing it because what happens here is Michael people.
People respond differently. People go, oh, you know you're being
critical because it's the scantist. He's a Republican, she's a
black Republican.

Speaker 11 (39:35):
No, I'm taking it off the board.

Speaker 1 (39:39):
I'm saying the individual had no absolutely qualifications to be
in the job.

Speaker 11 (39:46):
I mean, I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (39:47):
If they picked me as a finance I'd be like,
what the hell are y'all doing? I got no qualification.

Speaker 2 (39:52):
I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (39:54):
Now, I don't care if you're a lobbyist. I don't
care if you have a great relationship with Ron DeSantis.
I don't care if you say, hey, you know what,
I think I could come in and I can bring
in a lot of I can get a lot of
state funding of Florida and m okay, apply for the
VP job of institutional advancement or in a donor area,

(40:18):
but to.

Speaker 11 (40:18):
Be the president no skill set.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
You've never worked in higher education, you've never worked in
the university in any capacity whatsoever. And the other three
people the resumes blow you away.

Speaker 11 (40:33):
I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (40:33):
This was rigged. This was all about setting her up
for the job. And I feel sorry for the other
three candidates because they got screwed.

Speaker 15 (40:45):
Yeah, Roland, you know I do follow your line of
thinking saying set maga apart from it, apart from this,
and just let's look at the qualifications and based upon
the qualifications. I didn't see the show yesterday we show
the resumes, but just listening to this, but also either
last Friday or Friday before last when you had Will

(41:06):
Packer on, we talked about this as well, and how
Marvel Johnson is totally unqualified for this job. Now, I
used to be a consultant to a local community college
here in Detroit. I taught at the community college, and
I've known college president's community college as well as universities,

(41:28):
and I have not come across a college president that
did not have a PhD.

Speaker 2 (41:34):
Okay, usually as a PhD in education or some related
field or something.

Speaker 15 (41:38):
Now that probably are some that four thousand universities and
colleges in America.

Speaker 2 (41:42):
There probably are some with no PhDs, but I haven't
heard of many of them.

Speaker 11 (41:48):
Okay, Okay, here's it. Ell, Okay, you know what. I
was on the phone with somebody and they said, you know.

Speaker 1 (41:54):
It's a bunch of people with PhDs who should be president. Okay, gotcha?
All right, So to you said you didn't see it? Okay,
This is Rondale Allen H. Provosts VP Academic Affairs, University
of Maryland Eastern Shore, Acting Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Dean,
School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Associate Dean for Academic Quality,

(42:16):
Associate Dean for Student Affairs at Xavier University. Assistant Dean
for Program Assessment, Xavier University. Okay, let me go back now,
let me go up here. Donald Palm, who is executive
vice president, chief Operating Officer Florida A and M. Okay,
let's see right here, Florida A and M. Tenure full professor,

(42:36):
Associate professor, assistant professor. Then you go to Executive vice president,
chief Operating Officer at Florida A and M. Then you
go down here to let's see those let's go Interim
vice president for Advancement and executive director of Family Foundation
Corporate Engagement Fundraising. Then you go down here previously Virginia

(42:57):
State University, Executive vice president and pro votes Vice president
for Student Affairs, Vice president for Research. Then you go
down here to let's see here, Associate pro votes for
Undergraduate Education, Office of Academic Affairs, Associate vice president for
Academic Affairs, Assistant vice president for Academic Affairs, all at Florida,

(43:18):
A and M. Then let's see here. Okay, So let's
go to the third candidate again. And I just want
people to understand, I'm just walking y'all down of the
actual numbers.

Speaker 11 (43:30):
Gerro Hector, Okay, Senior.

Speaker 1 (43:32):
Vice president for Administration and Finance at the University of
Central Florida. Look at this here, Senior VP for Administration
and Finance. Then you go down here and then you
see more House, Executive vice president, chief business Officer. Then
you go down to Cornell University Vice president for Financial
Affairs and University treasurer. Then you go down vice president

(43:53):
for financial Affairs. Then you go to Ithaca College, Vice
President for Finance and Administration office C. Smith University, vice
President of Business and Finance. You're not a Negro college
fund corporate controller. And then let's see Deloitte and Touche,
a public accountant. Those are the resumes of the other

(44:15):
three people. And this and this and this is the
resume of Marva Johnson. I'm sorry, it's not even it's
not even a conversation exactly.

Speaker 15 (44:29):
So the no background in higher education as well, no
experience in higher education as we talk, other than being on.

Speaker 1 (44:36):
The state Board of Education for eight years and for
those usual chair that's it.

Speaker 11 (44:40):
But actually working at an institution none zero.

Speaker 15 (44:45):
And just to connect this, I know you want to
try to disaggregate this from Governor Ron.

Speaker 1 (44:50):
No no no, no, no no no no no no no,
But what about let me real clim Michael, why I'm
doing that. But see, folks want to play the oh
you'll like maga Republican. No no, no, they are the
ones who always talking.

Speaker 2 (45:02):
About Meryl Mary.

Speaker 1 (45:03):
They're the ones who always trashing Dei. They're the ones
who always saying who's not qualified?

Speaker 11 (45:09):
Who is qualified?

Speaker 2 (45:11):
Right bones.

Speaker 16 (45:12):
I agree with all that.

Speaker 2 (45:13):
I agree with all that, but also we.

Speaker 15 (45:15):
Have to watch, we have to watch for the hook
because this could be their play to set her up
for failure.

Speaker 2 (45:23):
No to what Okay, so that ain't it.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
This is remember in Florida, Ronda Santis has been trying
to take over the state institutions. He has been breed
so that No, no, this is about Republican Ron de
Santiss saying I'm now about to run Florida A and
M I got my president, I got my board, and

(45:48):
I don't give a damn what y'all negroes got to say.

Speaker 11 (45:51):
I got my own negroes.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Oh, I know, he has his own negroes. I totally
be one of the people. He has his own negro Yes,
I agree with that too.

Speaker 15 (46:02):
Yes, yeah, this is but you know, this goes back
to when Ron Desantos was running against Andrew gillim And
I remember you had some black Pan Africanists in Florida
that said they weren't going to vote for Andrew Gilliam
because he didn't have a black agenda. And I said,
Ron DeSantis has a black agenda. He has an anti
black agenda. And the anti black agenda is worse than

(46:25):
not having a black agenda at all.

Speaker 2 (46:26):
This is an example of what I was talking about.

Speaker 1 (46:28):
Derek, you're a state representative in Georgia. I guarantee you
that if one of the state schools in Georgia hired
somebody this grossly unqualified, they would be hearing from the
Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.

Speaker 17 (46:44):
Not only will they be hearing from US Roland, we
would be protesting right now.

Speaker 3 (46:51):
Much like they're doing down in the family.

Speaker 17 (46:52):
It's my understanding that they've already gathered over fifteen thousand signatures.

Speaker 3 (46:57):
But in preparation for this topic tonight, I had.

Speaker 17 (47:02):
To go and look up Meritocracy because and I love
the way you got this frame and not focusing specifically
on MAGA, although this is part of their agenda, right,
I mean Kevin Roberts from the Heroes Foundation, he specifically
put this in the Project twenty twenty five, but we'll

(47:23):
put that on the shelf. And I looked up rolling
Meritocracy because that seems to be the challenge of the
season that we're in. And Meritocracy says it is built
on the principle that individuals who demonstrate the requisite skills
and abilities and qualification, as you've been highlighting, should be

(47:46):
the ones to achieve the positions of power, trust and responsibility.
And she does not meet any of this definition. In fact,
if we want to really fan this conversation, Roland.

Speaker 18 (48:03):
Look at the look at the federal government, we can't
find out one individual as it relates to higher learning
and qualifications that are duly qualified, starting with the person
that's sits in the Oval office, starting with the person
that's dismantling the.

Speaker 17 (48:23):
Department of Education and so on and so forth. So
this is part of their plan, Roland. The question is really, now,
what's our next move? And I and I and I
and I watched Will Packer and in your show yesterday
and some of the things that the alumni doing, and
as you just already state that people are are going

(48:44):
to be pulling their money out. And as the president
of a higher learning institution, your primary job is raising money,
is raising money. So it's the santus going to give
fam you some money from the state treasury.

Speaker 3 (49:01):
I don't think so. And so we are just going
to have to watch what they're going to do. But
the real question this evening, Roland, is what is our
next move?

Speaker 17 (49:10):
Because those ten thousand students at FAN you deserve and
demand that.

Speaker 1 (49:16):
I tell you what, Morgan, if I was a Florida
and them graduate, I'm disrupting or student, I'm disrupting everything.
I'm making your job real uncomfortable.

Speaker 14 (49:29):
Yeah, and absolutely, And I do think it's important to
connect up to these larger trends because like at Ohio State,
for example, right now we have someone do you know,
the highest education that the president of Ohio State has
currently achieved what a BA took over for a PhD
engineer who was a disruptor, who was bringing in change.

Speaker 1 (49:48):
Who is this guy?

Speaker 14 (49:49):
This is the guy that is going to co sign
on totally dismantling any DEI effort at the university, eliminating
the Center for Student Belonging that a lot of black
students found to be their home base at their experience
at our house states. So yes, particularly at family, we
need to be aware of what's going on. But this
is a national exec again. And yeah, I mean I agree,

(50:10):
I agree with what Derek was saying about we need
to be speaking out, but I don't know there wasn't
a lot of There are people speaking out about what
was happening at Ohio State, but it all comes back
to political power, because how do these people get in place.
It's because the governor wants at the Board of trustees.
And so I think Alums, I think you are right though,
Derek Alum. Staying engaged and organizing to make sure that

(50:31):
you would continue to influence how these institutions are run
is very important.

Speaker 1 (50:35):
But also I want to remind people of something. Ron
DeSantis was elected. He beat Andrew Gillen by thirty thousand votes. Yes,
we spend lots of time on this show talking about
these things, and people are in an uproar today. But
did they vote to keep Ron DeSantis out of the

(50:59):
governor's manage? See, it's real easy to be mad after
the fact, it's real easy to be upset. And man,
you got signs and you want to protest, and no, no, no, no, no, no,
no no, you're gonna have to own some stuff. You're
gonna have to own it. See if you want of

(51:21):
those folks watching me right now and missening it right
now and set.

Speaker 11 (51:26):
Your ass at home.

Speaker 1 (51:31):
You part of the problem if you mad about that
thug in the old office, raping and pilging the country
and firing people left and right, violating the constitution, selling
the nation out. But you chose not to vote, You
chose to stay at home. This on you. That's the

(51:53):
reason I got we got the shirt. There's a reason
we sell the shirt. Don't blame me. I voted for
the black one. I can tell y'all right now because
I remember it. It's sere in my head. The Tallahassee
Democrat ran a story after the santas beat Gillam, and
they showed the turnout of the top twenty counties in Florida,

(52:21):
and one through eleven were all red. You didn't get
to number twelve, and I believe it was Broward that
was at fifty seven percent. Miami Dade was fifty four percent.
So it's a whole bunch of people who didn't do nothing.

Speaker 11 (52:44):
Remember that, sister.

Speaker 1 (52:46):
The New York Times talked to teacher's ad thirty two
years old in Milwaukee, who says, oh, I ain't vote.

Speaker 11 (52:54):
Because I thought he was going to win.

Speaker 1 (52:56):
Well, your ass not voting guaranteed he was going to win.
So I hope the folk watching right now now understand
at the governor of a state controls state schools, can't
control the border. Trustees can control the hiring process. Now

(53:17):
can control who is going to be working in the administration.
We warned y'all they were coming after HBCUs.

Speaker 11 (53:26):
This ain't just Florida.

Speaker 1 (53:30):
Look what Republicans are doing in Tennessee and Tennessee State.
I'm telling y'all buckle up. This is going to continue.
But if you choose to listen to the simple simon,
all the loud moths Democrat things, shit Kamala ain't nothing, Kamala,

(53:50):
sheene black enough? Or cut the check? Where my tangibles?
But now, y'all, man, I don't want to hear shit.

Speaker 17 (54:03):
Now.

Speaker 1 (54:03):
I hope that you so pissed off now that you're
actually gonna do something.

Speaker 11 (54:10):
I hope that you're now so.

Speaker 1 (54:12):
Pissed off that you say ain't nowhere in hell Ron
is saying.

Speaker 11 (54:16):
His wife gonna run for governor.

Speaker 1 (54:21):
I hope y'all pissed off about that settlement that happened
in Florida where where her foundation got all that money
in that corrupt deal. So what you're gonna do? Are
you gonna be mad for a day? Are you gonna
be a keyboard gangster on Twitter? Or are you going

(54:45):
to mobilize and organize and turn and channel your outrage
into action to vote these corrupt thugs out. Y'all gotta
remember they change the rules in Florida. They gotta do

(55:05):
year by year contracts. She the president, I'm gonna tell
you right now, I don't care she aka if she
can ski we all that stuff don't matter. I would
be on that as every single day, at every single event,

(55:26):
and what never let up? Let's see what y'all gonna
do ratlers. I'll be right back.

Speaker 19 (55:41):
We are getting real about mother wounds. While May is
the month that we shower Mom with love, for some people,
this time of year is a stark reminder of fractured
relationships and feelings of abandonment. In this episode, we will
be uncovering the trauma of mother and sharing tips on
how we can begin to heal.

Speaker 7 (56:03):
What we don't talk enough about in our community is
given ourselves permission to even heal.

Speaker 6 (56:09):
That's all. Next on a balanced Flag.

Speaker 20 (56:11):
Here's Black Star Network.

Speaker 21 (56:20):
I'm Russell o'l honoree, Lieutenant Gerald, the United States are
retired and you're watching Roald Martin.

Speaker 3 (56:25):
I'm filthy.

Speaker 12 (56:30):
O.

Speaker 1 (56:31):
More drama in the courtroom in New York City today
the federal trial is Sean Diddy Combs. Joining us right
now is legal analyst Candace Kelly. All right, Candace, what
the hell happened?

Speaker 22 (56:43):
Well, you know this was really the ending of the
cross examination and the redirect for Cassie.

Speaker 20 (56:51):
You venture the star witness for the prosecution, and what.

Speaker 22 (56:54):
We got from her was really detailed explanation of what
happened and that she says she was coers to do
these things.

Speaker 20 (57:03):
She felt like it was her job.

Speaker 6 (57:05):
Now.

Speaker 22 (57:05):
Of course the defense their job is to come in
and impeach her, try to make her look like a liar.

Speaker 20 (57:12):
It was really a forensic detailing of so.

Speaker 22 (57:15):
Many texts where she did seem to be as if
she wanted to do it, saying that yes, I would
do anything for a free golf and I love you,
things of that nature.

Speaker 20 (57:27):
Even with the rape.

Speaker 22 (57:28):
She said that after she was raped by Sean, when
she decided to close everything in terms of their relationship,
she had sex with him after. So there certainly were
a lot of open avenues for the prosecution, for the
defense to go in and attack the credibility of her.
What came out, though, I think that was very interesting

(57:48):
today at the end of the testimony, and this is
really important, was that Cassie Ventura is in the middle
of getting a ten million dollar settlement from the Intercontinental
Hotel in Los Angeles, where that beating on the video
that we all know of took place. And this was
something that on Cross they brought out in the midst

(58:10):
of trying to also get her to say that she
was having financial problems overall. For example, Roland, they said, hey,
weren't you going to go on tour and she said yes,
and they said, but after you got that twenty million
dollars settlement, you no longer went on tour. So you know,
it was really kind of a money chain that they
were getting to, and then it ended up with this

(58:31):
ten million dollar settlement that nobody has ever heard of,
but that the Intercontinental Hotel is responsible for. This was
a deal that was made Roland about a month ago.

Speaker 1 (58:43):
So and again again, so that strategy very clearly is
to counter what took place in the previous two days
of the testimony and again for the prosecution. I had
at a major Tom Atturney in LA who said, this

(59:03):
is a sham. The person said to me, I've heard
more about domestic violence than I had sex trafficking.

Speaker 20 (59:10):
M Yeah, and you know, that is an argument that
a lot of people are.

Speaker 22 (59:13):
They're really asking me specifics about when does prostitution actually
take place. I'm getting that argument or that question a lot,
because we are seeing a lot about the domestic violence.
But again, it's going to be up to the jurors
to connect the dots to say that all the beatings
that she was getting forced her to stay in the
relationship and continue in these freak offs. But we are

(59:36):
hearing a lot about domestic violence, that is true. We're
also going to hear more about domestic violence from the
next witness that took the stand today for about twenty minutes,
and that would be don Brashar, and she's from making
the band from the group Danity Kane, and she opened
up by saying, hey, listen, I saw him beat her
with a pan, and the defense said, wait a minute.

Speaker 20 (01:00:00):
We got to cut her off.

Speaker 22 (01:00:00):
They objected to her testimony, but as it turned out,
they let her come back and she did start testifying
for twenty minutes.

Speaker 20 (01:00:08):
So I think that on Monday.

Speaker 22 (01:00:10):
We're going to see quite a bit from her too,
because listen, the defense was certainly on the edge of
their seats and jumping up and saying wait a minute,
before she got into those details of all the beatings
that she knew about. This is someone who's known Sean
for twenty years in business and in friendship. In fact,
when she filed her lawsuit, which came right before this

(01:00:31):
particular indictment for this lawsuit, he said, I'm very surprised
we're friends.

Speaker 20 (01:00:37):
He really didn't understand it.

Speaker 22 (01:00:39):
So Monday is going to be another very important day
for someone who was seeing firsthand that the beatings of
Cassie and herself saying that she was sexually assaulted as
well as there were some copyright violations. A lot she's
going to get into on Monday.

Speaker 11 (01:00:56):
Wow, that is a whole lot.

Speaker 1 (01:01:00):
Insummation. How would you lay out this first week?

Speaker 20 (01:01:04):
Well, I would say this.

Speaker 22 (01:01:07):
They say that in every lawsuit there's the plaintiff side,
the defendant side in someplace, and there there's the truth,
and that truth comes about and is presented in terms
of how each side tells the story. What is the
story and what are the holes that can be broken into,
holes that are open that we can break into. I
would say at this point that Cassie has made a

(01:01:29):
very very compelling argument and it looks like they are
setting up for more witnesses to support what she was saying.
If we think about it, anybody that is a part
of a relationship that might be abusive or coercive, this
is actually what they do. They are taught by their abuser,
They're taught by the person forcing them to do something

(01:01:52):
that this is normal. And so I think that's what
I got from what she was explaining while she took
the stand, for a while, she felt like it was
her job, she felt like it was her normal, and
then she was just stuck.

Speaker 20 (01:02:06):
She couldn't get out of it because.

Speaker 22 (01:02:07):
Every time she turned Sean Colmes was there making threats
against anybody that she was going to be with, or
blowing up their cars or calling them, and she felt like,
I'm stuck, and so she's assumed that role for years.

Speaker 11 (01:02:22):
All right, Ken's great work.

Speaker 1 (01:02:25):
We'll chat with you next week. All right, then, all right,
appreciate it. Thanks a lot, folks. We come back Black
Caucus and Maryland not happy with Black Governor Wes Moore.
He vetos a reparations bill in the state. I'll explain
next right here, Rolling and unfiltered on the Black Start network.
Don't forget support the work that we do. Join and

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Speaker 16 (01:03:21):
On the next Get Wealthy with me Deborah Owens, America's
wealth Coach. We're talking about the difficulty of being able
to acquire well for black Americans. My guest, Emily Flitter,
is the author of the White Wall, How big finance
is bankrupting black of heir.

Speaker 14 (01:03:42):
The bad stuff that you feel when you're dealing with
the financial services industry is not your fault.

Speaker 10 (01:03:49):
It's not your fault, and you don't deserve to be
treated like this.

Speaker 16 (01:03:52):
That's right here on Get Wealthy only on Blackstar Network,
as Sambulo.

Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
Man and this is David Man, and you're watching Roland
Mark on Filtered.

Speaker 6 (01:04:27):
M.

Speaker 1 (01:04:51):
Folks in Maryland, Governor Wes Moore, of course, the nation's
lone black governor, UH issued twenty three vetos today. In
one of those includes a reparations bill. This is the
Washington Post story came down about an hour ago. This
as they say, Maryland Governor West Moore on Friday vetoed

(01:05:13):
a bill that would have required the state to define
the economic harms to black descendants of enslaved people and
recommend remedies, dealing a blow to reparation supporters who counted
on the only black governor of a US state to
be an ally. The veto of a reparation study was
the highest profile of two dozen vetos more issued late Friday,

(01:05:35):
the most the governor and rising Democratic star has fought
back against the democratically control legislation. You're doing this two
and a half years in office. This, of course is
big news, and trust me, it was not well received
by the Maryland Black Caucus. This was the statement that

(01:05:55):
they released at a time when the White House in
Congress are actively targeting black community dismandling diversity initiatives and
using harmful coded language. Governor Moore had a chance to
show the country and the world that here in Maryland,
we boldly and courageously recognize our painful history and the
urgent need to address it. Instead, the state's first black

(01:06:17):
governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have
moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement.
They said, we are elected. We go over here, they said,
we are elected leaders in the state that enslaved renowned
abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas. And we convene in

(01:06:39):
a state house that is less than a mile from
the Annapolis City Dock, one of the nation's earliest and
most high traffic ports of enslavement. We owe this bill
to those who endured forced labor and all black Marylanders
impacted by enslaved discrimination and its long term harm. As
federal efforts to erase our history and attack the most

(01:07:00):
vulnerable continue, Marylanders need decisive, courageous action at the state level.
And so this is that statement.

Speaker 2 (01:07:10):
Oh.

Speaker 1 (01:07:12):
They also said. The bill, which passed by an overwhelming
majority in the House and Senate, was crafted to bring
together leaders, impacted residents, and experts to study and make
recommendations on reparations in Maryland. While unilateral executive actions and
peacemeal legislation addressing disparities can contribute to progress, they cannot
substitute meaningful, sustain and comprehensive efforts commission in this bill

(01:07:35):
to address reparations and repair Now. Governor Moore said that
the actions that he is taking as governor are going
to address the issues that they have outlined. He also
this is from the Washington Post store Mores said, given
the state's economic problems, he was focused on laws that
helped the state recovery from the severe impact of the

(01:07:56):
Trump administration's federal spending cuts. I was very transparent the
leadership and members of the General Assembly. Anything that fails
to meet the urgency of this moment, I will not
sign it and must wait for another time, Moore said
in an interview, calling the reparation study the most challenging
of his veto decisions. The article says More said he's
ready to engage in conversations about repairing the legacy of

(01:08:18):
slavery now, and he doesn't need to wait two years
for the Reparations Commission to draft a study. Michael M.

Speaker 15 (01:08:26):
Hotel, your response, Well, here's the thing. Number one, I
have some a little bit of experience in this field.
I actually did a presentation for the Detroit Reparations Task
Force here Mark.

Speaker 2 (01:08:43):
Second, twenty twenty four.

Speaker 15 (01:08:44):
Now I'm going to tell you the same thing I
told them, and the same thing I say on numerous
shows and aftercastryt Network show.

Speaker 2 (01:08:51):
I would not put the.

Speaker 15 (01:08:52):
Term reparations on anything that you actually want to get passed.
Actually if a lot of people they got to vote
for it are white, but even if they're black. And
the reason why is, I'm all for repairing the damage of.

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
The legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation all that, I'm
all for that.

Speaker 15 (01:09:13):
But what happens is a lot of these efforts get attacked, undermined, imploded,
and you get a lot of people who walk away dishearted, disheartened. Now,
one thing he did say is that he has he
was already in acting policies and quote unquote a culture
of repair to remedy the harms of slavery.

Speaker 1 (01:09:35):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:09:35):
This this is from the Washington Post article that you're
reading from as well.

Speaker 15 (01:09:40):
So what I would focus on, and what I encourage
people to focus on, is the structural inequities that exist
right now in Maryland, California, whatever it is, and deal
with the laws and policies that were put put in
place that created those strugg to inequities, and trace that

(01:10:01):
back to slavery, trace that back to Jim Crow, et cetera,
and deal with repairing those structural inequities.

Speaker 2 (01:10:07):
But I don't you know.

Speaker 15 (01:10:10):
I saw a previous article six days ago from Thegrill
dot com about this, and I'm someone who focuses on
actually being able, not focusing on studies, but actually being
getting policies put in place that are beneficial for African
Americans that will withstand legal challenges when you get sued

(01:10:31):
to overturn it.

Speaker 2 (01:10:32):
I'm focused on the endgame.

Speaker 1 (01:10:36):
Morning.

Speaker 14 (01:10:37):
Yeah, I mostly agree with that. I do think a study,
as the policy making process tends to go, is usually
the first step in any If anything's going to become
a law, you've got to have some kind of study
that the government's done to check the box.

Speaker 20 (01:10:52):
But yeah, I generally agree.

Speaker 14 (01:10:53):
It's like we all kind of know the history. I
think the fact that this was a study that would
have been focused specifically on Maryland makes it a little
bit more sense than some of the national bills that
have called for a federal study. I think there is
a pretty broad understanding generally the issue. But look, I mean,
this is a situation is Wes Moore has higher ambitions
than being the governor of Maryland. If he wants to

(01:11:16):
someday run for something else, like president of the United States,
then he probably doesn't want this on his record, and
I imagine that that is a factor and why he
decided to include this in his vetos.

Speaker 17 (01:11:27):
Derek, Yeah, I guess I'm gonna come from a different
perspective being a state legislator and being one that have
a reparations bill right here in Georgia.

Speaker 3 (01:11:39):
It didn't get any action rolling because I did use
the word reparation.

Speaker 17 (01:11:44):
And the reason why I use the word reparation slightly
disagreeing with my dear friend Michael, is that Abraham Lincoln
created reparation. He created reparation in April of eighteen sixty two.
They didn't just use it once, but they used it twice.
And so without seeing the entire legislation that Wes Moore veto,

(01:12:11):
I think we need to use the word reparation. And
when you think about the grand scheme of thing, as
I tell my Republican friends, there's no difference between reparation
and tax cuts.

Speaker 3 (01:12:23):
There's no difference when government take in the money rolling
and then redistribute.

Speaker 17 (01:12:29):
And so we just passed this huge tax cut here
in Georgia, and then you got the federal government right
now looking to pass another task cut, and so tax
cuts and reparation in my world are synonymous, and so
I know a lot of folks try to shun away
from the word.

Speaker 3 (01:12:48):
I'm not sure why.

Speaker 17 (01:12:49):
For example, California they killed their own reparations bill.

Speaker 3 (01:12:54):
I'm still boggled around that.

Speaker 1 (01:12:56):
New York they killed their bill because the governor gave
ahead now that he was going to veto it. So
they pulled the bill, which is stupid. You pass the
bill and you force him to veto it.

Speaker 2 (01:13:09):
You forced him the veto. That's right, Roland. Can I respond?
Can I interject?

Speaker 1 (01:13:14):
Yeah? Go ahead.

Speaker 15 (01:13:16):
So, my dear friend, Derek, I'm gonna hold it against you.
But you talked about Abraham Lincoln. So you're talking about
the Compensated Emancipation Act of April sixteenth, eighteen sixty two,
which passed Congress and it abolished slavery in Washington, D C.
That was spearheaded by a man who became Senator, Senator
Henry L. Wilson, a membery correctly, and what that was

(01:13:39):
was they were abolishing that was really designed to abolish
slavery in in the district of Washington, D C.

Speaker 2 (01:13:47):
And also compensate the slaveholders. Okay, So when that was
so that wasn't Lincoln's idea.

Speaker 15 (01:13:56):
But when we talk about what I'm somebody who not
just studies history but has also been involved in writing
public policy in the city of Detroit, and I focus
on actually getting policy put in place.

Speaker 1 (01:14:11):
One.

Speaker 15 (01:14:11):
Two structuring it so you withstand legal challenges because they're
going any of these, just like with Everston, Illinois. From
my understanding and Roland you've had Robin Ruth Simmons here
on the show. I've interviewed it twice on African History
Network show. When you talked to Robin, she said they
structured their reparations program to withstand legal challenges because they

(01:14:33):
knew they were coming. So a lot of people focus
on and I'm not saying you are saying this, Derek,
but I've talked I've been involved in.

Speaker 2 (01:14:40):
This for some time.

Speaker 15 (01:14:41):
A lot of people focus on cut the check, cut
the check, cut the check, and don't understand. One, at
the federal level, race based policies are illegal at the
federal level. Okay, that's Title six of the nineteen sixty
four Civil Rights Access and six oh one Non Discrimination
Federally Assistant Programs.

Speaker 2 (01:14:57):
Two.

Speaker 15 (01:14:58):
A lot of states have their its laws that band
race based programs. California was one of them, which is
why the California Reparations Task Force they structured theirs based
upon lineage, having to trace your ancestry back to someone
who was either the descended to slavery or came to
the US prior to nineteen hundred because they knew you
taught to Camilla Moore, who's an attorney, who was the chair,

(01:15:21):
Camilla Moore said, they knew they were going.

Speaker 2 (01:15:23):
To be challenged in court. So when we deal with
this the East, and I think it's also.

Speaker 15 (01:15:29):
Important to understand, we have to go after low hanging
fruit because we're in an even more anti black climate
where you had the two point two billion dollars that
was given to black farmers okay under the Biden Harrison
administration that got attacked. We know it was five billion

(01:15:49):
before that farmers of color, including black farmers in the
America Rescue Plan that got stopped by groups like Stephen
Miller's group, who's the senior advisor to Trump right now,
go ahead.

Speaker 17 (01:16:00):
Derrek, Yeah, but it only got stopped because it involved
giving black people money.

Speaker 2 (01:16:06):
It got stopped because it's challenged in court. Yes, but.

Speaker 3 (01:16:12):
If you go back to eighteen sixty two.

Speaker 2 (01:16:14):
Yes, only reason why I use.

Speaker 3 (01:16:15):
Abraham Lincoln because he was the president.

Speaker 17 (01:16:17):
But eighteen two April eighteen when he gave three hundred
dollars per slave owner, the whole white men, it.

Speaker 15 (01:16:25):
Was about six black It was about six black slave
owners in Washington, d c. That also found petitions and
they got reparations as well.

Speaker 2 (01:16:32):
Go ahead, hold on.

Speaker 17 (01:16:33):
Hold up, but majority of the population correct, three hundred
dollars per slave where white European men. And then they
turned around four months later. Congress said, hey, we're going
to give you land too. So if you're a white
European man, we're going to give you one hundred and
sixty acres.

Speaker 21 (01:16:50):
The only thing you need to act, only thing you
need to do, that's right, your homestead Act. Only thing
you need to do is live on this land, use
this land, till this land, and you gotta undred and
sixty acres with hated taxes.

Speaker 3 (01:17:03):
Yeah, with about five dollars.

Speaker 17 (01:17:05):
But back one hundred and sixty acres amassed to two
hundred and seventy one million acres of land in the
United States.

Speaker 15 (01:17:12):
Yeah, and they gave away land for one hundred and
twenty four years up until nineteen seventy six.

Speaker 2 (01:17:16):
I teach this history. I'm familiar right to homestay.

Speaker 17 (01:17:19):
That demographics, my dear friend, there were white men, of course,
of course, and so if the court of law is
going to say you can't give money to black people,
but you can turn around right now. If they passed
this tax cup, this tax bill, the top one percent,
what's the number of population of the ethnicity and race

(01:17:42):
of the top one.

Speaker 2 (01:17:43):
Percent, probably ninety percent white. That oh, no, I understand that.

Speaker 1 (01:17:48):
But when we're talking about legal Voegan, do you want
to think about Morgan? Do you want any part of this?

Speaker 14 (01:17:53):
Well, here's what I would say is the fundamental thing
is if we're in a position now to me is
we're in a position where we have only one black
governor in the entire United States of America, and he's
not even willing because I don't, Michael, I consider a
study defining economic harm for Maryland.

Speaker 20 (01:18:10):
That's pretty low hanging fruit.

Speaker 14 (01:18:11):
If you're not willing to support that, God help us.

Speaker 2 (01:18:15):
Here's the thing.

Speaker 15 (01:18:19):
Studies and actually implementing law are too. Implementing law that
implementing policies that have been official and actually.

Speaker 1 (01:18:31):
Wait, wait, my Mica, all all up, ye, all across
the country, all across the country, cities, counties, school boards.
They've done disparates, disparity studies, yes, harm refirs things like that,
first to show from when it comes to contracts, and
then created a program based upon the study. So the

(01:18:55):
Morgan's point, what's the big deal with a you a
study going forward? But as the governor you still do
the things you.

Speaker 11 (01:19:04):
Say you're doing. Why can't why can't you things have
it at one time?

Speaker 15 (01:19:07):
Well, as I said, I'm all for repairing the damage
of a legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, things like this.
What I would do is focus on if you want
to study something, I would focus on studying the present
days structural inequities, Study the laws and policies that created
those structural and equities that created the harm, and trace

(01:19:29):
that back to slavery.

Speaker 2 (01:19:31):
I personally, and I've said this repeatedly over and over again,
I would not put the.

Speaker 15 (01:19:35):
Term reparations on anything that you actually want to get passed.
When you are a minority population, when you're dealing with
an anti black society, No, we gotta let me rowland.

Speaker 2 (01:19:48):
You smarter than me? Why do most slaves that run
away runway at night time and not in the daytime.

Speaker 23 (01:19:54):
Why the most slaves, Why do most slaves run away
run away at nighttime or not in the daytime because
they knew they had a better chance of staying gone
if they ran away at night I'm saying, we got
to learn how to run away at night time.

Speaker 2 (01:20:07):
Okay, hell no, don't.

Speaker 15 (01:20:09):
And the other thing that we have to learn how
to do is show how the policies that disproportionately positively
benefit black people are good for everybody.

Speaker 2 (01:20:17):
That reduces opposition.

Speaker 15 (01:20:19):
Didn't say it eliminates opposition, but it reduces opposition.

Speaker 1 (01:20:23):
Too many of our.

Speaker 15 (01:20:24):
People get caught on the reparations treadmill and keep running
around generation year after year after year.

Speaker 2 (01:20:32):
Doing the same damn thing. And no, we haven't figured
this out. I'm all for repairing the damage.

Speaker 15 (01:20:39):
Focus on present day structural and equities, Focus on housing disparities,
focus on educational disparities. When you do your study, because
I've read some of those harm studies, they step back
to the policies that go and trace that back to slave.

Speaker 1 (01:20:54):
Final comment from Derek. Final comment from Morgan. Then I'm
going to a.

Speaker 17 (01:20:58):
Break Roland Adam Clayton Powell, Thurger and Marshall doctor King
and all the others who are part of the civil
rights movement.

Speaker 3 (01:21:08):
They didn't create something else. They used the Constitution. They
use it.

Speaker 17 (01:21:13):
They use the language from the Constitution. They didn't create
a new word. They didn't deviate.

Speaker 3 (01:21:19):
They said the Constitution.

Speaker 17 (01:21:21):
And so all I'm saying, if we're going to go
back to the past and look at the ills of
this country, then we just say, Abraham Lincoln and everybody
else in eighteen sixty two use the form, and it's
called reparation.

Speaker 14 (01:21:37):
Morgan, And I'll just make a very practical point that
if at some point, and this kind of builds off
of what you're saying, Michael, is the goal you're trying
to actually, based on law, make a case for why
there should be economic return, then you need some information
about what that harm has looked like. That can be
a big effort if you're just an individual citizen. Even

(01:21:58):
if you find a lawyer who's willing to report that you,
they're gonna have to take.

Speaker 6 (01:22:01):
On all that risk for themselves.

Speaker 14 (01:22:02):
This is shifting that burden to the state that has
more resources to gather that information and can be the
basis for further legal action.

Speaker 1 (01:22:11):
And no, no, that's it. Okay, that's it.

Speaker 2 (01:22:16):
That's all right.

Speaker 1 (01:22:17):
I don't let this damn thing go. As far as
I'm gonna let it go. I'm going to a damn break. Okay,
that's it.

Speaker 10 (01:22:24):
That's it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:24):
I'm cutting this. I'm cutting this off, all right, go
to the break.

Speaker 24 (01:22:33):
On the Black Table with me, Greg car we featured
the brand new work of Professor A. G. Porter, which,
simply put is a revolutionary reframing of the African experience
in this country. It's the one legal article everyone I
mean everyone should we Professor Porter and doctor Lipia Watkins,

(01:22:54):
our legal round Table team, join us to explore the
paper that I guarantee is going to prompt a major
AHA move in our culture.

Speaker 6 (01:23:05):
You crystallize it by saying, who are we to other people?

Speaker 5 (01:23:08):
Who are African people to others?

Speaker 3 (01:23:10):
Governance is howard thing?

Speaker 10 (01:23:14):
Who are we to each other?

Speaker 19 (01:23:16):
The structures we create for ourselves, how we order the
universe as African people.

Speaker 24 (01:23:21):
That's next on the Black Tape here on the Black.

Speaker 10 (01:23:23):
Star now streaming on the Blackstar network in France.

Speaker 25 (01:23:33):
Me and DONI and accidentally went to the little right.
But I've never been in. I saw side door and
we got the little bus and said, oh.

Speaker 1 (01:23:40):
Let's leave this before hold of me.

Speaker 11 (01:23:41):
I'm just like, let's go to the right. We're here.

Speaker 25 (01:23:44):
This black girl is at the door with this white guy,
black African girl, and she said, oh my god, that's
a go allaway and I'm like this, you don't know
where And come to find out we read the wrong door.

Speaker 2 (01:23:57):
Just like I'm right, you just go in there.

Speaker 10 (01:24:00):
But I was in Paris, Frand and that shot me.

Speaker 25 (01:24:03):
She knew my name, she knew me my movie, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:24:08):
So it's like you just guys.

Speaker 25 (01:24:10):
They say building, they will come, but I sen people
will fight it.

Speaker 2 (01:24:13):
They won't.

Speaker 1 (01:24:28):
How you doing.

Speaker 26 (01:24:28):
My name is Marck Current, and you're watching Roland Martin
unfiltered deep into it like pasteurized milk without the two percent.

Speaker 2 (01:24:38):
We're getting deep. You aren't turning that shit off.

Speaker 11 (01:24:40):
We're doing an interview with mother fucker.

Speaker 1 (01:24:49):
Okay, this is not a typo. I did not fall
him up my head. This actually happened. This current United
States Supreme Court is should a unanimous nine to zero
ruling that could actually make it easier to challenge police
use of force in court. Okay, I'm just want to

(01:25:14):
make sure lightning is not going to all of a
sudden hit. This is real.

Speaker 11 (01:25:18):
The justices rejected the moment of the threat.

Speaker 1 (01:25:25):
Idea. Okay, I want y'all. I know this is a
conservative Supreme Court, Okay, super duper about law enforcement. Okay,
but they actually heard it. They rejected the moment of
the threat doctrine, which limited courts to evaluating only the
exact instant an officer perceived danger before using force, and

(01:25:49):
stay at the court rule that judges must consider the
totality of the circumstances, including events leading up to the
critical moment when society if an officer's actions were reasonable
under the Fourth Amendment. Samuel Sinhawe, founder of mapping police violence,
Jonas right now, and Samuel, were you even shocked with

(01:26:10):
nine to Oh?

Speaker 27 (01:26:12):
You know, I was shocked that this was a nine
oh decision given this court and some of the previous
decisions that it's made on a host of issues. So
it was a shocking ruling, but it was a good ruling,
and so you know, I'm not mad about it.

Speaker 1 (01:26:26):
Okay, So explain to people who have no idea, Like, literally,
people in the chat are going, what what the hell
is this joke?

Speaker 11 (01:26:32):
So explain what this actually means.

Speaker 27 (01:26:36):
So, this moment of threat doctrine is a doctrine that
has been in place in four of the judicial circuits,
so a lot of the South, even New York, Connecticut,
you know, a number of states, not the whole country,
about a third of the country.

Speaker 5 (01:26:52):
The jurisprudence was saying that when you look at.

Speaker 27 (01:26:55):
An officer who uses force against somebody, if they shoot
somebody or beat somebody up, whatever the type of force is,
the courts instruct the judgment to be made only looking
at the moment that the officer used force and not
the events leading up to that.

Speaker 5 (01:27:11):
And there are a host of situations where.

Speaker 27 (01:27:15):
Looking at the events leading up to the officer using
force can very much change your decision about whether that
officer acted reasonably. And so in this particular case and
a number of cases like it, there are cases where,
for example, the police will conduct a traffic stop and
you know, they'll walk over to the vehicle, they will

(01:27:37):
get licensed registration, and you know, officers have policies usually
where they're instructed, you know, not to reach into the vehicle,
not to get in front of the vehicle because if
the person drives off, you know, that could put the
officer potentially in danger. But in some cases, the officers,
let's say they think the person is going to try
to get away and drive away, some officers will like
jump on the front of the vehicle, jump in front

(01:27:57):
of the vehicle, put their arm inside the vehicle, try
to restrain the driver and the steering wheel as they're
driving away. And then as the car is going towards them,
let's say they jump in front of the vehicle. Then
because of their actions leading up to that decision, right,
they jump in front of the vehicle. Then they say
the vehicle's coming towards them, and they shoot the driver,

(01:28:19):
saying that their lives were in danger.

Speaker 3 (01:28:21):
So, if you're looking at moment of threat, the courts
in those.

Speaker 27 (01:28:24):
Four circuits instruct the judgment to be made only in
that moment that the officer fires their weapon. So they'll say, Okay,
the car was coming towards the officer in that moment,
and so the officer might have reasonably believed that their
life was in danger, and they will say, well, the.

Speaker 5 (01:28:41):
Officer acted reasonably.

Speaker 27 (01:28:42):
Now we can't pursue a lawsuit against that officer. We
can't hold that officer criminally liable because we're only looking
at that moment. But if you zoom out just a
few seconds and see actually the officer broke their own
policies jumping in front of a vehicle, putting their own
life in danger, and then using that as an excuse
to then take somebody's life or seriously harm somebody, then

(01:29:03):
you might actually rule the officer acted unreasonably and pursue accountability.
And what the Supreme Court said is you actually do
need to take into account with the actions of the
officer leading up to that moment that they use force.
And that's important because there are so many cases in
which the officers sort of their actions precipitate, they escalate
the situation, then use that escalation as an excuse to

(01:29:24):
harm somebody.

Speaker 1 (01:29:26):
This is a huge decision because again, it gave cops
so much leeway to do whatever they.

Speaker 27 (01:29:33):
Wanted, absolutely, and it also didn't make sense that in
a third of the country the courts were looking at
police use of forced differently than in the remainder of
the country.

Speaker 3 (01:29:46):
So you had this.

Speaker 27 (01:29:48):
Uneven sort of justice system where in some places it's
easier to hold police accountable, but not others. And those
places that it was more difficult tended to be in
the South, tended to be places with large black populations.

Speaker 5 (01:30:00):
So we were bearing the brunt of that.

Speaker 27 (01:30:02):
And what the courts did with that nine to zero
judgment was say, all across the country, you need to
take into account the officer's actions leading up to using force.

Speaker 5 (01:30:10):
And that accounts for about a third of all.

Speaker 27 (01:30:11):
Cases where the police kill people in the United States
are within those four judicial circuits that now have to
change their judgment to incorporate that past actions of the
officer in that decision.

Speaker 1 (01:30:23):
Questions for the Pound, Derek, your first.

Speaker 17 (01:30:25):
Yeah, I appreciate the uh this ruling, I really do.
But I do know that police force is a problematic,
polarizing topic. And so my question is do you anticipate
us seeing changes and police practices and police accountability. The

(01:30:49):
reason why I asked that is because we thought body
camera was going to change police behavior. We thought police
started to implement independent investigation.

Speaker 3 (01:31:01):
We thought that was gonna curtail these.

Speaker 17 (01:31:04):
Kind of behaviors, and unfortunately, we still see the number
of lives.

Speaker 3 (01:31:09):
Taken and no longer with us even after we implement it.
Policy that we thought was gonna curtail behavior.

Speaker 5 (01:31:18):
Yeah, so it's an important question.

Speaker 27 (01:31:20):
And I think what's clear is even in places that
have a broader sort of what they call a totality
of circumstances judgment instead of moment of threat, they look
at the totality of the circumstances, including the officers actions.

Speaker 5 (01:31:31):
Before using force.

Speaker 27 (01:31:32):
Even in those places, it's not like, you know, the
police are routinely being held accountably accountable. They're actually the
rates of accountability, rates of officers being charged, the rates
of officers being punished, disciplined, suspended are very low all
across the country, but especially in places where they can't
even look at, you know, whether the officer escalated the situation,
whether the officer put themselves in danger and then use

(01:31:55):
that as a pretext to use force against somebody.

Speaker 5 (01:31:58):
So this is an improvement, but it is not the
only thing that needs to change.

Speaker 27 (01:32:02):
They're a host of other wholesale changes that need to
happen in the context of policing, in terms of what
the police are are being called in to do, in
terms of how they interact with people when they do that,
in terms of how they're accountable and held accountable, investigated
after they commit any type of misconduct. All of those
things need to be changed fundamentally in this country. But

(01:32:24):
this is a a something that was still unexpected I
think when we think about this court and so I'm
hopeful that more changes can happens.

Speaker 14 (01:32:31):
Well Morgan, yeah, thank you for the over view, Samwel
that was really helpful. I'm also thinking about enforcement, and
so this would still rely on someone who has been
harmed by excessive force bringing a lawsuit and now you
know it's a it's a better legal standard and proving
the likelihood that lawsuit would be successful for them, or

(01:32:53):
does Department of Justice need to play a role. And
with this Department of Justice, how are you thinking about
how should we be thinking about how this will actually enforced.

Speaker 27 (01:33:01):
So this will make it easier for individuals to bring
lawsuits against officers, family members to bring lawsuits against officers
who might have taken the life of a loved one.
But there's still, you know, a host of other barriers
that need to be looked at. I mean, you think
about qualified immunity still exists, right, the courts didn't repeal
qualified immunity. So even when you look at the totality

(01:33:24):
and circumstances of the case. What they then will say is, well,
maybe the officer acted unreasonably, but was there a prior precedent,
an almost identical circumstance like that, where the officer would
have known that what they were doing was violating that
person's rights. And if there wasn't a prior case exactly
like that or similar, then often they throw that out.

Speaker 5 (01:33:43):
They can't hold the officer.

Speaker 27 (01:33:44):
Accountable because of qualified immunity, so that needs to be
looked at in the case of civil accountability. And then
on the criminal side, you prosecuting officers, investigating whole departments
and putting them under consent decrees. We've seen backtracking, especially
from this administration that is trying to walk away from
some of those agreements that were already in place and
certainly isn't interested in pursuing new ones.

Speaker 5 (01:34:04):
And that comes at a time where, in fact.

Speaker 27 (01:34:07):
The data is suggesting you know, it's been a long
time trying to gather data not only on cases where
people are killed by police, but also non fatal force,
which impacts three hundred thousand people in this country a year.
And when you look at the police departments that have
had those DJ interventions, those pattern and practice investigations been
put under consent decree. They reported pretty substantial reductions in

(01:34:28):
overall use of force while they were under that consent decree.
So those things matter as well, and it's a problem
that this administration is not pursuing that like the previous
one was.

Speaker 15 (01:34:39):
Michael, all right, Sam, My question is understanding that when
Donald Trump was on the campaign trail, he said that
he was going to give one hundred percent immunity to
police against criminal prosecution for doing their jobs. And then
also we know there was an executive order he just
signed in the last couple of week weeks on policing.

(01:35:03):
How do you think all this will play out with
this Supreme Court ruling when it comes to holding police
accountable for criminal prosecutions being tried for unreasonable force for
criminal prosecutions. We know you have Donald Trump appointed two
hundred and thirty four federal judges when he was president before.

Speaker 2 (01:35:23):
So how do you think all this will will will
play out all things considered.

Speaker 27 (01:35:28):
So, first and foremost, while the Trump administration has been
signing these executive orders, they aren't going to be able
to intervene in cases where the officer is charged at
the state level.

Speaker 5 (01:35:42):
So and it's been extremely rare for the federal.

Speaker 27 (01:35:45):
Government the dj to actually successfully prosecute individual officers. There
have been a handful of cases, but it hasn't been
as widespread even as the state level of charging officers
and convicting them.

Speaker 1 (01:35:58):
So that will.

Speaker 27 (01:35:59):
Continue, and that will be something that as the courts
now are being instructed to look at the totality and circumstances,
hopefully there will be a higher probability of accountability in
those kinds of case. So, you know, because of federalism,
there's still the possibility of holding police accountable at the
state level, even as the federal government tries to do

(01:36:21):
everything they can to make that more difficult.

Speaker 2 (01:36:23):
Right all right, thank you well, and I.

Speaker 14 (01:36:26):
Guess and just one final thought in a takeaway for
everyone at home, is I mean, individually, it sounds like
Sam and we still all have an obligation to be
engaged seeing how police departments at the local level are run,
because that's the best way to prevent any sort of
lawsuit or investigation from ever having to happen.

Speaker 27 (01:36:43):
Right, absolutely, And I think at the state level, we
need to be pushing for the state to take on
some of the responsibilities that the federal government is walking
away from. So in states like California, the age of
the state can initiate a pattern and practice investgation and
put a police department under a consent decree, just like
the federal Department of Justice can do. And they've done

(01:37:05):
that repeatedly in a number of police departments. And that's
important because as the federal government walks away from that,
as they try to walk away from those consent decrees,
and they certainly aren't doing new investigations.

Speaker 5 (01:37:16):
The state can actually step in and take.

Speaker 27 (01:37:18):
On that responsibility, initiate those investigations, hold whole police departments accountable.
The data suggests that that actually substantially reduces use of force,
and in addition to that, can pursue individual charges against
officers and change some of their practices to have those
independent investigations and prosecution of those officers, to make sure
that the standards that they are using are consistent with

(01:37:40):
the Supreme Court jurisprudence, and to also make sure that
at the civil accountability dimension that they're addressing qualified immunity.
So there have been states, I believe Colorado is one
of those states that took action after the murder of
George Floyd to create their own state level statute that

(01:38:02):
essentially invalidates qualified immunity.

Speaker 5 (01:38:04):
It allows for officers to be sued.

Speaker 27 (01:38:07):
And for those lawsuits no longer to be obstructed by
this judgment of whether there was some prior precedent that's
almost exactly like it that that would have to be
in place for that officer to be deemed to have
acted you unreasonably.

Speaker 5 (01:38:20):
So states can step up.

Speaker 27 (01:38:22):
They should be stepping up, especially in states where you
know legislators, you have more democratic legislators.

Speaker 5 (01:38:27):
They should be pushing for policies.

Speaker 27 (01:38:29):
That can take on these responsibilities and hold the police
accountable right now, because we can't expect the federal government to.

Speaker 1 (01:38:35):
Do that for us. All right, Samuel, we surely appreciate it, man,
Thank you so very much.

Speaker 2 (01:38:39):
Absolutely, folks, going to a break.

Speaker 1 (01:38:40):
We'll be right back. Roland Martin unfiltered on the Blackstar debtwork.
Don't forget support the work that we do. Join a
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(01:39:03):
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Speaker 10 (01:39:16):
Now streaming on the black Star Network.

Speaker 25 (01:39:19):
In France, me and Tony and accidentally went to the
little right but I've never been and I saw side
door and we got the little bus.

Speaker 1 (01:39:27):
I said, come, this goes to hold with me. I'm
just like, let's go to the right.

Speaker 12 (01:39:31):
We're here.

Speaker 25 (01:39:31):
This black girl is at the door with this white guy.
Black African girl and.

Speaker 4 (01:39:36):
She said, oh my god, that's a dollaway.

Speaker 1 (01:39:39):
And I'm like this, you know it. And come to
find out we read the wrong door. She said, I'm
just going there.

Speaker 10 (01:39:47):
But I was in Paris, France, and that shot me.

Speaker 25 (01:39:51):
She knew my name, she knew me my movie.

Speaker 11 (01:39:55):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:39:55):
So it's like you just guys.

Speaker 25 (01:39:58):
They say building, they will come happen, people will fight it.

Speaker 2 (01:40:16):
I am Tommy Davidson. I play oscar on Proud family,
louder and proud of.

Speaker 6 (01:40:20):
Right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncutting, unplugged,
and undamned believable him.

Speaker 1 (01:40:36):
Yep, all right, folks, Republicans on Capitol Hill did not
get the required votes of the Budget Committee to move
forward their big, beautiful bill. Uh but the college barber
say plast cat. Let's just say she was sick and
tired of being sick and tired.

Speaker 12 (01:40:59):
Thank you, mister chair and my fellow member of the
Ways and Means Committee, which I agree is the greatest
committee in the Congress. We have come to the end
of a very long week here in Washington, and anyone
watching now will likely have watched this week as we
work through the night. Starting on Tuesday, Ways and Means
Committee spent over eighteen hours working through the night and

(01:41:21):
into Wednesday trying to avert the catastrophic impact that this
legislation will have. We watch Republicans give away the farm
to greedy billionaires, the CEOs, and corporations, making permanent tax
cuts for the richest, and trying to trick the rest
of Americans with a set of minuscule measures that are

(01:41:42):
all temporary and only serve to pull the wool over
taxpayer's eyes. That overtime tax that they were talking about,
temporary tips, temporary taxes for the wealthy, permanent.

Speaker 6 (01:41:58):
Don't be fooled. It's about the wealthy people in.

Speaker 2 (01:42:00):
This country, not you and me.

Speaker 12 (01:42:03):
Our Republican colleagues and the Energy and Commerce Committee tried
to rip away health care from Americans that need to
pay for their giveaways to big corporations in the rich.

Speaker 5 (01:42:13):
Republicans are stealing from.

Speaker 12 (01:42:15):
The poor and giving to the rich, feeding the king
from the people's forest, from their own communities, while cosplaying
as Robin hoods. My colleagues talk about a strong country,
we're going to be weaker because.

Speaker 6 (01:42:31):
Of this legislation.

Speaker 12 (01:42:33):
You can believe that and listen. When Democrats were in charge,
we instituted so many things that expanded work for all Americans.
We increase health care. We guaranteed safe, affordable, high quality
childcare for every worker and family. We supported new energy,

(01:42:57):
we supported growing this economy. Democrats temporarily expanded the child
tax credit, giving so many children a chance. And we
did this in a manner because we were concerned about
the deficit. Listen, I'm concerned with SNAP, I'm concerned with Medicaid,
pell grant, energy manufacturing. Those are important to me. That

(01:43:19):
represents trillions of dollars that they have cut. But if
they're really interested in being fiscally responsible, then don't give
such big cuts to the rich. Actually try and balance
a budget, Actually try and bring down the deficit.

Speaker 1 (01:43:34):
If you want to.

Speaker 12 (01:43:35):
Take away all of those things from the neediest, take
away some shit from the rich as well. But you
don't want to do that, You want to give them
more off of the backs of American people. You're gonna
cut SNAP by three hundred billion dollars, Medicaid, healthcare for
the poorest seven hundred billion dollars. You won't even give

(01:43:57):
a cut to billion individuals make over a billion dollars,
which would have taken away a trillion dollars that we
could put back into other things. This is about the wealthy.
This is not about the American people.

Speaker 6 (01:44:11):
I yield back.

Speaker 1 (01:44:14):
Well now, Morgan.

Speaker 20 (01:44:17):
Signs of life in the US Congress.

Speaker 1 (01:44:19):
Zan I ain't got no problem with her cussing, no
right head, No.

Speaker 14 (01:44:23):
I mean, I think the Times demanded this reconciliation bill
is ridiculous. It's, like she said, going to cut so
many support services that are critical for people, like healthcare.
But just let me count the ways. I mean, there's
a moratorium on any state being able to pass a
bill that would regulate AI.

Speaker 20 (01:44:41):
Imagine what that would be.

Speaker 1 (01:44:43):
That's just dumb. What that's just dumb.

Speaker 20 (01:44:45):
That's just dumb, exactly.

Speaker 14 (01:44:46):
But that would unleash free rate in a big tech
to further endangered children, pick your poison, whatever. So, but
you know, I do think it's important. Like one of
this real sticking points in this bill is this salt deduction. Yeah,
and so you know, we have the moral arguments that
we love to make, but ultimately this thing is coming
down to a very.

Speaker 6 (01:45:09):
Not even rich person.

Speaker 14 (01:45:10):
I mean, it's kind of it's definitely an upper middle
class to rich issue, but it brings in a lot
of different types of people.

Speaker 1 (01:45:16):
Well, they don't have to do well. The problem Republicans
are facing is that there are a lot of Republicans
who come from blue states, and numbers don't lie. There
are a handful of blue states that drive seventy to
eighty percent of America's GDP right right, And so those

(01:45:36):
Republicans are like I got constituents who are high who
have you know, homes that are five hundred thousand on up.

Speaker 11 (01:45:46):
They want that damn deduction.

Speaker 14 (01:45:47):
They want that deduction so that they're not getting double
what they're considered double tax on property taxes. They'll be
able to deduct more of that, especially if you own.

Speaker 6 (01:45:54):
Multiple homes for example, all of that.

Speaker 20 (01:45:55):
So it'll be really interesting.

Speaker 1 (01:45:57):
Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 14 (01:45:57):
Well, and the politics on this are not clear, and
it is not clear what Mike Johnson's going to do
about it.

Speaker 1 (01:46:03):
There they couldn't, they had a vote, they couldn't get
it out of committee, and then they're like, aw, y'all
just go home. Well, we'll see y'all next week.

Speaker 3 (01:46:12):
You know, listen, I enjoy the fact that they can't,
they couldn't get it out of committee.

Speaker 17 (01:46:16):
That, in fact, that's where we get the opportunity to
kill some of these bad bills in committee.

Speaker 3 (01:46:22):
But here's the broader picture.

Speaker 17 (01:46:24):
Rolling this Doge agency that was illegal, never created by Congress.
They said, hey, we're gonna be able to pay for this,
We're gonna be able to pay for the tax cuts.
But when you ask where you're gonna get the money
from medicaid, Medicare, social Security. We're seventy three million citizens

(01:46:49):
rely on social Security right now, Roland.

Speaker 3 (01:46:52):
A good chunk of those citizens are elderly children.

Speaker 17 (01:46:57):
In the disabled, some of the more those vulnerable citizens
in our society.

Speaker 3 (01:47:02):
We're going to take from them.

Speaker 17 (01:47:05):
So Jeff Bezos can get a bigger yacht, so so
Trump can assessorize this forw.

Speaker 3 (01:47:14):
Hundred million dollar jet he got from Cutter.

Speaker 2 (01:47:17):
This makes no sense to me.

Speaker 17 (01:47:19):
We should be focusing on Medicaid expansion, helping the least
of these.

Speaker 3 (01:47:25):
We have over seven hundred thousand unsheltered.

Speaker 17 (01:47:30):
Individuals in this country, and we are up here talking
about continue to extend a tax cut to help the
top one percent that do not look like us on
this panel, and so that's just incredulous to me.

Speaker 3 (01:47:45):
It is appalling when we have so many other pressing themes.

Speaker 17 (01:47:50):
But yet Republicans do not want to talk about debts
and deficit right now because they're trying to pay for
a tax cut that they.

Speaker 3 (01:47:58):
Can't pay for.

Speaker 15 (01:48:00):
Michael, Yeah, So the buill didn't make it out of
committee today because the basically for the main four Republicans
that voted against it, like Chip Roy and Andrew Clyde,
part of the Freedom Caucus. They don't think that this

(01:48:22):
bill is cruel enough. They don't think it cuts enough,
they don't think it cuts enough for Medicaid. So they're
going to play with this over the weekend, come back
with come back with something else. I think it's I
think it's going to pass the House now when they
go to the Senate, they're going to push this through

(01:48:42):
through the budget reconciliation process.

Speaker 2 (01:48:44):
And you just need fifty one senators, so you and if.

Speaker 15 (01:48:48):
It's a tie, junior varsity junior varsity vans will be
the tie breaking vote. So there's gonna have to be
pressure put on some vulnerable Republican senators to block this
if it passes the House and when it gets when
it gets to the Senate. But you know, once again,

(01:49:09):
this is consequences, dire consequences. People can literally die from
losing Medicaid. Okay, uh, these are the dire consequences of elections.
And I know we keep you know, talking about you know,
don't blame me. I voted for the black woman, but

(01:49:29):
a lot of these Republicans, their own white Republicans who
voted for them, poor Republicans who voted for them are
going to be heard by this.

Speaker 1 (01:49:40):
Yep, folks, our final story.

Speaker 5 (01:49:44):
I was.

Speaker 1 (01:49:45):
I saw this and you know when it when it
came across my feed, I was. I was shocked. I
was stunned. I was overwhelmed. I could not believe my eyes.

(01:50:05):
And as this was happening, I was praying, I hope
the water doesn't work. The Notaway Plantation the largest anti
Bellum plantation remaining in America, folks burned downs built in
eighteen fifty nine by enslaved black people, John Randolph of

(01:50:27):
Sugar Plantation owner. He owned about one hundred and fifty slaves.
It was converted to a resort for weddings, events and tours.
And this is what happened today. Y'all need some water,

(01:51:21):
need some water. Not Away Plantation. I want that ship
to be ashes. These punk asses literally turned it into
a resort. Michael.

Speaker 15 (01:51:37):
Yeah, you know, I've heard of different things like this,
and a couple of years ago I heard about this
trend of white people going to plantations as a resort
and on vacations and things like this, and they tended
to skip over the fact that they were enslaved Africans.

Speaker 2 (01:51:56):
And they take them through the tour and all this.
You know, they talk about the workers and this is
where the workers slept.

Speaker 3 (01:52:01):
And things like this.

Speaker 26 (01:52:02):
It's like, yeah, okay, all right, you know what the
roof to roof, The roof is on fire. We don't
need no water there, go ahead, listen.

Speaker 17 (01:52:14):
I I have no sympathy when these types of things happen.
And the reason why is because what they're trying to
do up in Washington d c rolling. I mean, they're
trying to stop the African American Smithsonian.

Speaker 3 (01:52:35):
They want to talk about.

Speaker 17 (01:52:39):
D I as as if it's a bad thing, diversity
equity inclusion, and so uh yeah, I have no sympathy
of this particular horrific place that we're built by slaves.

Speaker 1 (01:52:55):
Is the roof is on fire, Morgan, Yeah.

Speaker 14 (01:53:00):
I share the sentence of like co panelists here, goodbye,
no no sadness. And anybody who's getting married on a
former plantation, I know where they might want to go to.

Speaker 1 (01:53:14):
YouTube probably is going to block a skeina. You probably
gonna have to edit this out. And so when I
was going to the golf tournament, the Afro Peak Preak
Golf Tournament today in Maryland, I saw this video. I
was I just immediately thought of Morgan's State of Ohio.

Speaker 11 (01:54:03):
Ohio playoffs.

Speaker 1 (01:54:05):
Five.

Speaker 11 (01:54:07):
Hi, Brygan, we're appreciating Legs a bund, Legs a bud.

Speaker 1 (01:54:12):
Thanks Darren, Thanks Michael, I appreciate it. Hiya.

Speaker 11 (01:54:16):
Uh, that's it for us.

Speaker 1 (01:54:18):
I'm gonna be live in Philadelphia tomorrow. Then Monday, I'm
gonna be at the seventh Annual Anthony Anderson Celebrity Golf Classic. Uh,
don't forget support the work that we do, Jordan, I
breena funk fan clubs. And you're checking money, First of all,
you use cash app. You use a keyr QR code
for stripe, So you're checking money. Order a po box
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zero three seven DA zero.

Speaker 11 (01:54:37):
One nine six.

Speaker 1 (01:54:38):
Makes checks some money over the pailable to Rolling Bart
unfiltered PayPal, r Martin unfiltered, Venmo, r M unfiltered, z
rolling at Rolling s Martin dot com, rolling that, Rolling Mark,
unfiltered dot com. Be sure Dallas Backsta network at Apple Phone,
Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV,
Xbox one, Samsung Smart TV. Also get be sure to
get my book White Fear. How the browning of America's

(01:54:59):
making white wants to lose their minds available bookstores nationwide. Also,
be sure to get our swag by going to Rollandmarket
dot creator dass spring dot com download the app fanbase.
You can also invest at start engine dot com for
slash fan base. Folks. I'll see y'all on Monday. Have
a great weekend.

Speaker 11 (01:55:20):
Oh Black Start.

Speaker 2 (01:55:23):
Network, A real revolution there right now.

Speaker 3 (01:55:28):
I thank you for being the voice of Black Americas
al moment.

Speaker 1 (01:55:31):
That we have.

Speaker 3 (01:55:31):
Now we have to keep this going.

Speaker 6 (01:55:33):
The video looks phenomenal.

Speaker 24 (01:55:36):
Between Black Star Network and black owned media and something
like CNN.

Speaker 1 (01:55:41):
You can't be black owned media and be scared.

Speaker 2 (01:55:44):
It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs.

Speaker 11 (01:55:48):
Ho you dig
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