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Benjamin Crump, Families of Daunte Wright & George Floyd Press Conference Transcript April 13

Benjamin Crump, Families of Daunte Wright & George Floyd Press Conference Transcript April 13

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Toshira Garraway: (00:00) ... Families Against Police Violence. Please turn your cell phones off right now. Speaker 1: (00:07) Everybody turn their phones off. Toshira Garraway: (00:11) My name is Toshira Garraway. I am the Founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence. I come here today standing in representation of all families around Minnesota that have lost their loved ones at the hands of law enforcement. Toshira Garraway: (00:27) I myself, am also the finance of Justin Teigen, who was brutally beat to death by the St. Paul police and thrown inside of a trash dumpster August 19th, 2009. I am the mother of his 14 year old son. I have been fighting for justice for 11 years now. We want the world to know that these are not isolated issues. [inaudible 00:00:55]. That in fact George Floyd and Daunte Wright is the face of hundreds of murders here in the state of Minnesota that have been covered up for many years, and the officers have walked free. There has been over 470 murders at the hands of law enforcement in the last 20 years in the state of Minnesota. And only one man in history has been held accountable, and that was a minority man that killed a white woman, Justine Damond. Speaker 1: (01:21) Right. Toshira Garraway: (01:22) We know that there was not one man that was guilty out of all of these bodies, almost 500 bodies. Enough is enough. We're standing together in solidarity. You will not separate our families. You will not isolate these issues, and we are coming forward together. [crosstalk 00:01:43]. We are unified and we're standing in solidarity. We have strong supporters, strong attorneys, that are backing us up. And we're here today to put an end to everything that you guys have tried to cover up, keep under the rug, because enough is enough, and we're standing up. Thank you. Toshira Garraway: (02:09) We will have [inaudible 00:02:10]. Okay, we're going to have Attorney Ben Crump and then Daunte Wright's mother, Katie. [crosstalk 00:02:32]- Attorney Ben Crump: (03:13) Thank you Toshira and thank you to Families Versus Police Violence, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence. Thank you for always standing up for families, even when the media isn't present. I think we should give them a round of applause. Thank you Toshira. I'm Attorney Ben Crump, along with attorney Jeff Storms who hails here from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Attorney Tony Romanucci. We have the honor of representing the family of Daunte Wright. Also, Attorney Storms and Romanucci and I along with Attorney Chris Stewart, and Attorney Justin Miller, have the honor of representing the family of George Floyd Junior. Attorney Ben Crump: (04:11) As you can see here, this is a bittersweet moment. It is somewhat gratifying that you have George Floyd's family who left out the courthouse where the Derek Chauvin trial regarding the death of George Floyd, is currently underway, because they thought it was important that they give comfort to Daunte Wright's mother and father, and family. And Daunte Wright's child, Daunte Junior and his mother, Chyna Whitaker. Because this time last year, almost a year ago, they were facing the unimaginable. They were facing the unbelievable. They were facing the agony of losing a family member to police excessive force. And it is unbelievable. It is just something I could not fathom that in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a suburb 10 miles from where the Chauvin trial regarding George Floyd was taking place, that a police officer would shoot and kill another unarmed Black man. [inaudible 00:06:07]. Attorney Ben Crump: (06:07) It's something that if you told me and I didn't see little Daunte's face, and his mother, grandmother crying, I wouldn't believe it. Because if ever there was a time when nobody in America should be killed by a police, it was during this pinnacle trial of Derek Chauvin, which I believe is one of the most impactful Civil Rights police excessive use of force cases in the history of America. And we believe with everything in our heart, Katie, that police would be on their best behavior. That they would exercise the greatest standard of care. That they would concentrate on deescalation in a way that they have never concentrated in America. Speaker 1: (07:13) That's right. Attorney Ben Crump: (07:18) But regrettably, two days ago, we saw Daunte Wright for a traffic citation, and Attorney Storms is going to talk about this, because y'all do understand, we're still in the midst of a pandemic, where many people in this state could not get their license tabs on their license plates renewed, because the DMV like everything else in America was shut down. Speaker 1: (07:52) That's true. Attorney Ben Crump: (07:54) And so it was told, "Police, you need to be sensitive because they're going to be a lot of expired license plates out there." But I guess when you're driving while Black, people sometimes forget memos and initiatives about the realities of life. And you will hear from his mother and it's snowing so everybody's going to try to be brief, you will hear from his mother about the phone call in the car where it was said about why he was stopped, because it's evolving. It's evolving so they can justify the unjustifiable. But we're not going to let them justify it are we? [crosstalk 00:08:42]. Because Daunte Wright life matters. [crosstalk 00:08:45]. Daunte Wright life matter. Daunte Wright life matters. [crosstalk 00:08:54]. Attorney Ben Crump: (08:53) And so when you think about the fact that Daunte was trying to get away, he was not a threat to them. Speaker 1: (09:04) Right. Attorney Ben Crump: (09:06) Was it the best decision? No. But young people don't always make the best decisions. As his mother said, he was scared. Speaker 1: (09:15) That's right. Attorney Ben Crump: (09:16) And you have this 26 year veteran on the police force who was training them, Brandon, he was the trainer of the officers. And so for 26 years you know how you're trained that your duty weapon is on your dominant side, and your Taser is on your non-dominant side. And why is that? Because it's foreseeable that in a [inaudible 00:09:48] situation, if the Taser's beside the gun, you might pull the wrong thing. But after 26 years, you would think that you know what side your gun is on, and what side your Taser is on. You know the weight of your gun, and you know the weight of the Taser. You know the gun is black, you know the Taser's going to have some reflective color on it. Speaker 1: (10:15) That's right. Attorney Ben Crump: (10:16) And so it is unacceptable. It was intentional they stopped him. It was intentional they used the most force. They could have gave him a ticket. That's what they do in traffic citations. It reminds you of George Floyd. That was a misdemeanor. They could have gave him a ticket for that. But when it's Black people in America, they engage in the most use of force and it ends up with deadly consequences. And that's why we're here today. Attorney Ben Crump: (10:47) And so without further ado, I'm going to have Attorney Jeff Storms address you briefly, and then we're going to get to Philonise, and Brandon, and Rodney Floyd talking about what advice they can give to this family. Then you're going to hear from this mother, father, and this mother of Daunte Wright. Attorney Jeff Storms? Attorney Jeff Storms: (11:22) There's not a lot left that my great co-council and our leader, Ben Crump, hasn't said already. But whenever you hear the word accident, I want you all to be armed with some responses. An accident is knocking over a glass of milk. Speaker 1: (11:42) Tell them, Jeff. Attorney Jeff Storms: (11:43) It's not an accident to take your gun out of the holster. It's not an accident to point your gun. Speaker 1: (11:51) Tell them, Jeff. Attorney Jeff Storms: (11:51) It's not an accident to ignore the fact that what you're holding doesn't weigh the same amount as the Taser that you've used in training hundreds of time- Attorney Jeff Storms: (12:03) ... as the taser that you've used in training hundreds of times. How many times in training, over the course of 25 years has this officer pulled, aimed and shot her firearm in practice? Don't tell us it's an accident, because it undermines the tragic lost life that this family has experienced. Whenever anyone tells us, "It's an accident," I hope that we're all very quick to retort that. I got to say, I am just devastated, the fact that we're all standing in the same place that we were standing just a couple of weeks ago. It's unbelievable, but it's still believable. No matter how much we've spoken out over the last year, no matter how much we want to pat ourselves on the back, there is so much work left to be done. We're really happy that you are all here paying attention, to help us do it. Thank you. Attorney Ben Crump: (13:15) Thank you, Jeff. Minnesota's own, Attorney Jeff Storms, making the case. Right now, this is very hard. For many people in America, watching the videos are very hard. You suffer PTSD, just from watching the TV. Just imagine the people who were the family members of these loved ones, who it's not a hashtag, it's not a case, it's not a cause, but this is their family. This is Daunte [inaudible 00:13:55] father. You're going to hear about what an incredibly loving father he was, from his baby mother, China, and what they went through when Daunte was first born. It's just emotional. It is very hard, from Daunte Wright, to George Floyd. It's just incredibly difficult, but hopefully, it will be eased, Stephanie, by Felonious, and Rodney, and Brandon and the Floyd family, being able to stand in solidarity with Daunte Wright, because they know better than anybody else what they're going to be facing, as they fight to get justice for Daunte Wright. Attorney Ben Crump: (14:48) We're going to first have Felonious Floyd, who did such an incredible job of telling who his brother was in life, since everybody only got to meet him in death. Please give your attention to Felonious Floyd, George Floyd's brother. Attorney Ben Crump: (15:15) To the wright family, just letting you all know, from the Floyd family, you all have our condolences. We will stand in support with you all. Attorney Ben Crump: (15:23) It's a shame. The world is traumatized, watching another African-American man be enslaved. Every day I wake up, I never thought that this world can be in so much disorder, like it is now. Police officers are killing us and we are being murdered at a rate that I never thought I could imagine. This reminds me of Oscar Grant, at the train, at the Fruitvale in Oakland, California, where he was told to lay on his chest with his hands behind his back in the prone position, as the officer accidentally mistaken, to shoot him with a gun, instead of tasing him. There was no need to even tase him. Attorney Ben Crump: (16:19) Daunte Wright, just like his last name, Wright, he should still be here. It's a time for change and that time is now. Minneapolis, you all can't sweep this under the rug anymore. We're here and we will fight for justice for this family, just like we're fighting for our brother. To the protestors all around this nation, stand up. We need you all to come out, because times like this, people need hugs. People need to be given love. This mom is grieving. Where she at? This mom is grieving too. She lost her dude. This was the baby mother. She shouldn't have to go through what we're going through, nobody should. This is a family that needs us to stand with them in solidarity now. We need you all to step up and be with us, and please pray for this family, because I'm praying for them, because I woke up in the morning with this on my mind. I don't want to see another victim of death. They claim it's homicide. They need to go back and look at what they talking about, because homicide now, they're telling me my brother was the same thing, but I want to see the people get the maximum amount of time, just like I would've got the maximum amount of time. Attorney Ben Crump: (17:53) Thank you all. Attorney Ben Crump: (17:55) Now, we will hear from Rodney Floyd, the baby brother of George Floyd. Rodney Floyd: (18:07) We saw this video of this young man, Daunte Wright, and the police are saying that the young man was running from them, but what I saw on that man's face was a scared, young kid, terrified. As black folks, we've been here 400 plus years. That young man... We've been running ever since, from these police officers, for trying to kill us. Back then, that was called the slave patrol. Now, they call it the police. I saw the look in that young man eye, the same terrified look I had numerous times, when I got pulled over by the police, ranging from 12 years old on up, to a grown man today. Numerous people in our communities are faced with these cops, who claim they are terrified of black people. Well, policing is not you all's profession. Rodney Floyd: (18:56) But you know what? We going to stand with this family and hearing this unfortunate young man baby crying. That baby going to be crying for a long time, crying for his father. Unfortunately, we have to deal with that today. His family is behind us, wife, mother, father. We going to console them, comfort them, and you know what? Baby father can't comfort his son. Thank you all. Attorney Ben Crump: (19:25) Thank you, Rodney Floyd. Now, we will have the last member of the Floyd family to speak, Brandon Williams, the nephew of George Floyd, who was like a son to him. Brandon Williams: (19:36) I don't really have the words, but I do want to say my condolences to the family. I can't say I know how you feel, but we've been in a similar situation. I know that you need a lot of love, support and prayer, and any way that our family can stand with you guys and be there, we here. Brandon Williams: (19:55) To the world, I just simply say, "Damn, again?" When I say, "Damn, again," I mean another black man, or a woman killed at the hands of the police, using excessive force. If you look around, we standing outside the courtroom and my family is right here, right now, in the middle of the Derek Chauvin trial, for murdering my uncle, George Floyd. In snow and freezing weather conditions, we came to stand with this family, and for what exact reason? A so-called mistake? A handgun for a taser? It's unacceptable. When is enough, enough? Attorney Ben Crump: (20:37) Amen. Brandon Williams: (20:39) Can you blame Daunte for being terrified, as a black man, in the custody of police? Attorney Ben Crump: (20:44) Amen. Brandon Williams: (20:45) ... When you just watched here, in Minneapolis, George Floyd murdered at the hands of the very same police, who was unarmed? Let's take a second to think about that. At some point, we need change. At some point, we need better policing. At some point, we need officers to be held accountable, charged and convicted. Just because you are the law, don't mean that you above the law. That's all I got. Attorney Ben Crump: (21:16) Thank you, Brandon. [inaudible 00:21:16], you good? Okay. [crosstalk 00:21:16]. Get on that side there. Yeah, come on. Okay. Now, with George Floyd family standing right at their shoulders, we have the family of Daunte Wright. We have his mother, Katie Wright, his father, Aubrey Wright and the mother of Daunte Wright Jr., Ms. China Whitaker. Right now, you're going to hear from his mother and his father. Then, you're going to hear from China and a few more of his family members. Please give your attention to Ms. China Whitaker. No, I'm sorry, we'll go with Mrs. Katie first. Mrs. Katie Wright. China [inaudible 00:22:23]. Katie Wright: (22:25) I just want to talk a little bit about the day that I got the phone call from my son, two days ago, at 1:47, was the worst day of my life. He called and said he just got pulled over by the police. Then, he said that... I said, "Well, why did you get pulled over?" Katie Wright: (22:42) He said, "Because I had air fresheners hanging in the rear view mirror." Katie Wright: (22:45) I said, "Okay, well take them down." He said also, the police officers were asking about insurance. I said, "Okay, when the police officer comes back to the window, put him on the phone and I can give them all of our insurance information." A second goes by and I hear the police officer come back up to the window and ask Dante to get out of the car. Dante asked, "For what?" Katie Wright: (23:07) The police officers said, "I'll explain to you when you get out of the car." Katie Wright: (23:11) He said, "Am I in trouble?" Katie Wright: (23:12) He said, "We'll explain all that when you step out of the car." Daunte... Then, they asked him to put the phone down. Dante put the phone down. I heard some scuffling. He got out of the car and I could hear the police officers scruffily with him. Attorney Ben Crump: (23:34) Take your time. Katie Wright: (23:39) Then, I heard the police officer ask them to hang up the phone. They hung up the phone. Three, or four seconds went by. I tried calling it back to back, to back, because I didn't know what was going on. I never imagined this is what was going to happen. I just thought maybe he was being arrested. Then, when I called back, the girl that he had in the car answered the phone and it was on a FaceTime. She she was crying and screaming, and she- Katie Wright: (24:02) On a FaceTime. And she said, she was crying and screaming and she said that they shot him and that she pointed the phone towards the driver's seat and my son was laying there, unresponsive. That was the last time that I seen my son. That's the last time I heard from my son and I haven't had no explanation since then. Attorney Ben Crump: (24:22) We with you Miss Katie. Speaker 2: (24:27) We got your back. Attorney Ben Crump: (24:27) Mr. Wright, do you have a word to say? Okay. Okay. Now we're going to hear from Chyna Whitaker and we will have Miss Naisha Wright speak for her brother Aubrey Wright. So, please give your attention to this young woman who now has to raise her son without his father. Miss China? Chyna Whitaker: (24:50) The last time I seen Daunte was when I had dropped my son off with his grandma and I didn't know that was going to be the last time that I was going to see him. I just feel that's so wrong because now my son, he don't have a dad. His dad didn't get to see him for his second birthday or for any of his birthdays. And, I'm just all messed up about it because I feel like they stole my son's dad from him. Speaker 3: (25:18) That's exactly what they did. Attorney Ben Crump: (25:29) Thank you, child. They did steal him. And, now we're going to hear from Naisha Wright and this is the sister of Mr. Aubrey Wright and she's going to speak from the heart and say some of the things that her brother is too heartbroken to say. So, yeah. Please give your attention to Naisha Wright. Attorney Ben Crump: (25:52) [inaudible 00:25:52] on the mic so they can hear you? Naisha Wright: (26:00) Say his name. Attorney Ben Crump: (26:00) Daunte Wright. Naisha Wright: (26:00) Say his name. Attorney Ben Crump: (26:00) Daunte Wright. Naisha Wright: (26:00) The murdered my nephew. She killed my nephew. Every pistol, every taser, it has a safety on it. Attorney Ben Crump: (26:11) Mm-hmm (affirmative). Naisha Wright: (26:13) She saw that she had to release that. I watched that video like everybody else watched that video. That woman held that gun out in front of her for a long damn time. A long damn time. Speaker 4: (26:28) Yes she did. Yes she did. Naisha Wright: (26:32) My nephew was 20 years old. Attorney Ben Crump: (26:36) Tell them Naisha. Naisha Wright: (26:37) 20 years old. I don't care what nobody got to say about him. He was loved. He was ours. He came from us. My brother and my sister's heart. Like I said, this is no broken home, this is no broken home. This is 23 years of love. 23. my nephew was 20. Did y'all not see my little great nephew did? Y'all not see that beautiful baby? He is fatherless. Not over a mistake, over murder. That's murder. Say his name. Attorney Ben Crump: (27:28) Daunte Wright. Naisha Wright: (27:28) Say his name. Attorney Ben Crump: (27:28) Daunte Wright. [inaudible 00:27:29]. Naisha Wright: (27:29) I wear this shirt and the craziest thing is to find out today that my family has connections to this man, to this family. His girlfriend was a teacher for my nephew. Attorney Ben Crump: (27:43) My Lord. Naisha Wright: (27:47) My nephew was a lovable young man. His smile? Oh Lord. The most beautiful smile. Y'all took that. My nephew's blood is on your hands. Attorney Ben Crump: (27:57) Tell them, Naisha. Naisha Wright: (28:11) I've never seen my brother hurt like this before, never. To hear my brother and to see my sister's pain. Come on, hold her accountable. Hold her higher than accountable. You train people on this stuff. You train people on this stuff. 26 years. 26 years. Attorney Ben Crump: (28:30) Say whatever you want to say. Naisha Wright: (28:31) Y'all took him. They need to pay. She needs to pay. Attorney Ben Crump: (28:59) Say his name. Crowd : (28:59) Daunte Wright. Attorney Ben Crump: (28:59) Say his name. Crowd : (28:59) Daunte Wright. Attorney Ben Crump: (28:59) Say his name. Crowd : (28:59) Daunte Wright. Attorney Ben Crump: (28:59) Say his name. Crowd : (28:59) Daunte Wright. Attorney Ben Crump: (28:59) Daunte's life mattered. Crowd : (28:59) Daunte's life mattered. Attorney Ben Crump: (28:59) Daunte's life mattered. Crowd : (28:59) Daunte's life mattered. Attorney Ben Crump: (29:09) Daunte's life mattered. Crowd : (29:11) Daunte's life mattered. Attorney Ben Crump: (29:17) Black Lives Matter. Crowd : (29:20) Black Lives Matter. Attorney Ben Crump: (29:25) Black Lives Matter. Crowd : (29:25) Black Lives Matter. Attorney Ben Crump: (29:25) Black Lives Matter. Crowd : (29:25) Black Lives Matter. Attorney Ben Crump: (29:25) Black Lives Matter. Crowd : (29:29) Black Lives Matter. Attorney Ben Crump: (29:31) And now, we will hear briefly from his cousin who was his age, Mario Greer. He's going to briefly tell you from a young person's perspective, what they're going through. Mario Greer: (29:46) I just want to say, I didn't get to say this to my cousin, but, I didn't get the chance to tell him cousin I love him but I'm tell him I love him now. Attorney Ben Crump: (30:09) Take your time. Naisha Wright: (30:09) It's okay, nephew. It's okay. Mario Greer: (30:19) 20 years. Now I got to go every holiday now without my cousin, my baby cousin. Naisha Wright: (30:29) This is pain that y'all seeing. This is pain. Mario Greer: (30:33) I won't be able to spend holidays with him anymore. The 4th July, that's our favorite holiday together. We like to shoot Roman Candles at each other. We're not going to be able to do that no more. I love you Daunte. Attorney Ben Crump: (30:46) We love you Daunte. Naisha Wright: (30:46) Say his name. Crowd : (30:46) Daunte Wright. Naisha Wright: (30:46) Say his name. Crowd : (31:00) Daunte Wright. Attorney Ben Crump: (31:01) And now we're going to have his aunt, Nina Wright. We're going to have... If Nina... Is Nina here? Okay, we're going to have... Is Nina here? Grandma? Oh, is Nina here? Okay, Grandma, Angie Gossan and then, that'll be all fellas. Speaking before we have Teshera going to have someone try to answer a few of your questions. Please give your attention for his grandmother, Angie Gossan. Angie Gossan: (31:38) When I first heard what happened. Attorney Ben Crump: (31:38) Take your time. Angie Gossan: (31:57) I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it. I thought somebody was playing a joke on me. It hurt me to my heart. Daunte was a beautiful child. He might not been an angel but he was our angel. Attorney Ben Crump: (32:16) Our angel. Naisha Wright: (32:16) He belonged to us. Angie Gossan: (32:17) He belonged to us. Attorney Ben Crump: (32:17) Tell them, Grandma. Angie Gossan: (32:23) And, he's going to be missed. Attorney Ben Crump: (32:50) I'm going to bring back up to Teshira Garraway. I have another family... Briefly address you then we will take one or two of your questions [crosstalk 00:33:02]. Toshira Garraway: (33:03) I want to say that the day that Dante was murdered, [inaudible 00:33:08] I was having a balloon released for his birthday, which is today. I want Minnesota to pay attention to the pain that they have caused. We was in those legislative rooms and they wouldn't pass the bills. We was out here with our boots on the ground. We was meeting with the governor. We was made with our attorney general. Our families who have already lost loved ones have been fighting and they did not listen to us. They did not make the changes. And, that is why Daunte is gone today. That is why George Floyd is gone today. Because, it's those families that led up to Dante. It's those families that led up to George Floyd. Toshira Garraway: (33:49) I want each family to raise their hand that is out here today. I worked hard to get more families out here. Yes, we got [inaudible 00:34:00]. Her son Kobe Heisler was killed blocks down the street from Daunte a couple of months ago and the same officer was involved. We got Jamal Clark's family. We got Travis [inaudible 00:34:11]'s family. We got Soren who was shot by police. Herdel Sharelle. Crowd : (34:18) [inaudible 00:34:18]. Toshira Garraway: (34:19) [inaudible 00:34:19] We got [inaudible 00:34:20]'s family. We got all of these families from Minnesota. They're from Minnesota. Demetrius, Jamara Clark, Marcus Goden, Jefford Smith, Cordel Handy. All of these murders came from Minnesota. It's a clear indication that Minnesota has a problem. Minnesota has a problem here. It's all over the United States, but Minnesota has a problem and this state needs to be under federal investigation. Enough is enough. Thank you. Attorney Ben Crump: (34:52) Thank you. Thank you Teshira for recognizing those families. Before we go to the questions, we do have a relative of Emmett Till that came all the way to be here with families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright. And, this is hard for Emmett Till to Daunte Wright to George Floyd. This is hard. You want to say a brief word? Speaker 5: (35:31) Of course. Attorney Ben Crump: (35:36) Okay, she's going to say a brief word then we're going to your questions. Speaker 5: (35:37) I would just say this, that the past is not past until justice is served. We are tired and exhausted for the terrorism that has been brought against our families across this country. And, I would only say to the families, the Wright. Speaker 5: (36:02) To the families, the Wright family and all the other families that are represented. We will continue to stand up. We're going to continue to speak out. We're going to continue to fight for justice. Emmett Till, we're still fighting for justice after 66 years, y'all. Attorney Ben Crump: (36:19) Amen. Speaker 5: (36:32) 66 years. But let me just say this, we love you, we have your back. We love you and we have your back and we are here with you, and thank God for the media covering this because Mamie Till-Mobley summoned the media in 1955 for a mother like this to stand here and get her justice. Let's make sure she gets her justice and all of these families get justice, too. Crowd: (36:51) Amen. Speaker 5: (36:52) Black Lives Matter. Crowd: (36:52) Black Lives Matter. Attorney Ben Crump: (37:01) Black lives matter. Thank you queen. Speaker 5: (37:01) Say his name! Crowd: (37:01) Daunte Wright! Speaker 5: (37:01) Say his name! Crowd: (37:01) Daunte Wright! Attorney Ben Crump: (37:02) And it's so important that even when the media goes, we continue to make noise for Daunte Wright and George Floyd. Let's make some noise for Daunte Wright and George Floyd. Let's make some noise. Crowd: (37:13) Daunte Wright. George Floyd. Attorney Ben Crump: (37:13) For Daunte Wright, and George Floyd. Crowd: (37:23) Dante Wright and George Floyd. Attorney Ben Crump: (37:25) Let's make some noise for Daunte Wright and George Floyd. Crowd: (37:25) Dante Wright and George Floyd. Attorney Ben Crump: (37:26) And we got to keep making noise until we get justice, not just for George Floyd, but justice for Daunte Wright, too. Crowd: (37:36) And everybody else. All the stolen lives. Attorney Ben Crump: (37:40) And all the stolen lives that aren't mentioned. We got to stand up for them, too. So we'll take just a few questions. Remember, the family is devastated so we'll try to answer them best we can. Any questions? Speaker 6: (37:52) Attorney Crump, I just wanted to know real quick, I heard some allegations that a police officer was fired. Did you hear anything like that, perhaps? And also the sergeant was fired. Attorney Ben Crump: (38:08) We were informed that she resigned today. We have not been notified officially. Speaker 7: (38:17) Mr. Crump, do you know what that means for her to have resigned after seeing that video what it means to the family that we could hear a confession? Attorney Ben Crump: (38:27) [inaudible 00:38:27] her resigning? Okay, Nyesha is going to respond. Naisha Wright: (38:33) Great. Crowd: (38:36) [inaudible 00:38:36]. Naisha Wright: (38:36) Great. Crowd: (38:37) [inaudible 00:38:37] Naisha Wright: (38:41) Well I hope that since she went ahead and she resigned, again, that they hold her at the highest, at the highest, because she was the law. She was the law, right? Protect and serve. Put her in jail, like they would do any one of us. They would put us under that jail cell. It wouldn't be no accident. It'd be murder. Attorney Ben Crump: (39:19) Anybody else got a question? Attorney Jeff Storms: (39:24) Mr. Crump, we'll be hearing that the police chief has resigned, is that correct? Naisha Wright: (39:24) Great. Attorney Ben Crump: (39:35) Well, [inaudible 00:39:35] and I both will speak to that. A lot of this is about making sure you have policies and that they're followed, but I believe there is a issue that goes beyond policy. And I do believe that's implicit bias. They treat marginalized minorities differently than they treat white American citizens when they pull them over. And so we have to speak to that, and if the city leadership of Brooklyn Center is saying that we need more effective leadership to make sure that this is for prevented in the future, then the family welcomes responsible leadership. Attorney Jeff Storms, who is a expert in Minnesota law and policy will speak to those issues. Attorney Jeff Storms: (40:43) I'm just going to say something very briefly on that point, which is it's never an accident and it's never just one person. The problem is always bigger than that. And I think we saw that and how they reacted to our peaceful protesters. Our journalists and our protestors were there covering history because this is history. It's a sad part of our history, but it's an important part of our history. And if our police are going to shoot whatever they want to call them, less-lethals, which I think we've all seen the harm they could do and have done, if they're going to do that to peaceful protestors and journalists, you know this isn't just one officer and I have to believe that played a role in why we've seen our administrators in Brooklyn Center leave over the last couple days. Speaker 8: (41:35) Counselor? Can you also... About them resigning, are they still getting paid? Attorney Jeff Storms: (41:41) We don't know the answers to those questions yet. We'll find out. Attorney Ben Crump: (41:45) We're going to have one last remark from the NAACP leadership. Leslie: (41:54) Grace and peace, everyone. Leslie E.Redmond, I'm the former president for the Minneapolis NAACP. Angela Rose Myers, the current president, is actually over at Brooklyn Center right now. You all have to acknowledge what black leadership has done here in Minneapolis. From [inaudible 00:42:06] Armstrong to other former presidents, black leadership was immediately meeting with the mayor and demanding that this officer be held accountable, demanding that the police chief be held accountable because this is a systemic issue as [Tyshira 00:42:19] talked about. Leslie: (42:20) Too many lives have been taken and the NAACP is saying, we are done dying. We are done dying. We don't want to see one more family out here. We don't want to Attorney Crump to have to fly here one more time to meet with one more family member because this can change. The same way the mayor swiftly put a curfew into place to protect property, you ought to use that same energy to protect our people. Because black lives matter, and if you all use that same energy, we wouldn't keep dying. Okay? So enough is enough. Black leadership is demanding change and immediate... That's what y'all need to cover. That's why change is coming right? Because black leaders are not playing. We are done dying in Minnesota, black families are standing up, and enough is enough. Black lives matter. Crowd: (43:02) Black lives matter! Attorney Ben Crump: (43:04) Thank you so much for your leadership. Speaker 9: (43:11) Attorney Crump, is it the position of your legal team that this officer faces, what charges? Murder charges [inaudible 00:43:17]? Attorney Ben Crump: (43:19) I think, I think, I think she said it best. They should face the highest, highest... Naisha Wright: (43:28) Prosecute like they would prosecute us. The highest. We want justice. No justice, no peace. Crowd: (43:33) No justice, no peace! Naisha Wright: (43:33) Say his name! Attorney Ben Crump: (43:33) Thank y'all. Speaker 10: (43:46) Press, we have a bunch of families that are here. So anybody that wants to... We had two press conferences today, so we decided to combine with Trump, but any families that are out here that you guys would like to hear from, they will come up to speak briefly, specifically Kobe Heisler's family, because the officer is involved in that murder as well.
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