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Sandra Bland Laid to Rest; First Black Judge in Waller County Demands Sheriff Resign over Her Death
Hundreds gathered Saturday to remember Sandra Bland at the suburban Chicago church she attended for decades before moving to Waller County, Texas, where she was set to begin a new job but was then discovered dead in her jail cell after a traffic stop escalated into an arrest. The 28-year-old African-American woman’s family members stood before her open casket as they continued to dispute law enforcement claims she hung herself with the liner of a trashcan. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Bill Foster have sent letters to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch calling for a federal investigation into Bland’s death. We go to Texas to discuss the history of racial profiling in Waller County, and police relations with the African-American community, with DeWayne Charleston, who served as the first African-American judge in Waller County, Texas. He also responds to how Bland was arrested and the investigation into her death has been handled, and calls on Sheriff Glenn Smith to resign. Charleston is the author of "The United States v. Waller County, Then Me."
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Hundreds gathered to remember Sandra Bland Saturday in the suburban Chicago church she attended for decades before moving to Waller County, Texas, where she was set to begin a new job at her alma mater. People filled the church as well as overflow rooms. Many of them wore white, while others wore T-shirts with the message "Sandy speaks." The 28-year-old African-American woman’s family members stood before her open casket as they continued to dispute law enforcement claims she hung herself with the liner of a trash can in her jail cell. Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal said, quote, "That baby did not take herself out of here." She also vowed to continue calling for answers, saying, quote, "I’m going to take today and relax. I’m going take tomorrow and relax. But Monday, it’s on!"
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Bill Foster both attended the funeral and said they have sent letters to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch calling for a federal investigation into Sandra Bland’s death. During an interview with ABC’s This Week, Lynch reportedly said she may undertake such an effort. She said Bland’s arrest, quote, "highlights the concern of many in the black community, that a routine stop for many of our—of the members of the black community is not handled with the same professionalism and courtesy that other people may get from the police."
Sandra Bland was found dead in her jail cell July 13th after a traffic stop escalated into arrest when Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia forcibly removed her from her car after she objected to putting out her cigarette when he pulled her over for allegedly failing to signal a lane change. On Friday, the attorney for her family said he believed she was targeted. This is Cannon Lambert speaking on Democracy Now!
CANNON LAMBERT: When I look at Sandy and I see that she is doing nothing more than saying, "I want to be treated the right way, I want to be treated equal," I say, "I celebrate you, sister." That’s the way I see it. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with making a stand when it comes to being treated fairly. You know, it is hard for me to get beyond the fact that this officer that stopped her made a U-turn right after looking her right square in her face, as she made a right-hand turn to go about her business. She didn’t do anything wrong when she made the right-hand turn. She didn’t do anything wrong when she was traversing down the street. It looked very much like she was targeted.
AMY GOODMAN: For the full interview with Cannon Lambert, as well as Sandra Bland’s sister, Sharon Cooper, you can go to democracynow.org.
But right now we’re going to Houston, Texas, to look at the history of racial profiling in Waller County, where Sandra Bland died, and police relations with the African-American community there. We’re joined by Judge DeWayne Charleston. He served as the first African-American justice of the peace in Waller County, Texas, where Sandra Bland was arrested and later found dead in jail. On Wednesday, he spoke at a Waller County Commissioners Court meeting on Bland’s death and called for Sheriff Glenn Smith to resign. Charleston is author of The United States v. Waller County, Then Me.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Judge. It’s great to have you with us.
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Good morning.
AMY GOODMAN: What did you say in your testimony this week?
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Well, I was trying to point out that whatever happened in the jail, Sandy Bland died. And when she was in that jail, she was in the care, custody and control of Sheriff Glenn Smith. And if anybody had hired a babysitter and they come home from work finding their child hung with a trash can liner, they would get rid of that babysitter, that babysitter who they entrusted their child to. And so, all I was saying is that he bears accountability. He bears responsibility. She died in his care, custody and control. And, you know, I believe that he has to go. And it’s after a line of questionable practices that he has undertaken in both his capacity as chief of police of Hempstead and as the sheriff in Waller County.
AMY GOODMAN: Why don’t you talk about that history of Sheriff Glenn Smith, who was first, as you said, police chief of Hempstead, and then, after being fired, was elected to be sheriff?
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: You know, as I understand it, it was a pretty big media event back then. It was some years ago. When he was the chief of police, he had pulled—among other incidents that he was held accountable for, he pulled some African Americans over. I think he had a couple of his men with him. And they were searched in the street. They were—they had their pants pulled down and underwear pulled down and privates exposed, and they began to strip these guys in public. And there was testimony that he or one of his men began to ridicule the parts of their anatomy. And when it came to the attention of the city council, he was voted to be terminated. This was just part and parcel of their effort to intimidate, ridicule and malign, with an incredible sense of impunity. And I think that what happened to Sandy Bland is just an extension of that culture.
AMY GOODMAN: As the Times put it today, reinforcing what you’re saying about his history, they said, "A decade ago, Hempstead’s only full-time black police officer sued, alleging that Chief Smith had dismissed him on a trumped-up charge after he complained about his supervisor’s racial slurs. An African-American couple also sued, alleging that Chief Smith had turned them away when they reported that a white man had assaulted their 7-year-old son at Pee-Wee football practice.
"Those suits were dismissed, but in 2007 city officials suspended Chief Smith after he pushed a black man who he said had spit on him in the street. The next year, after complaints about officers who executed faulty warrants against black residents and searched a young [black man’s] underwear in public, he was fired."
So, Judge DeWayne Charleston, can you talk about the history of Waller County, which you have been intimately involved with in your years of activism, but going back to—you write in your book that Waller County is the last county in the country to abolish slavery?
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Yes. At that time, it was—I think it was part of Austin County. Those counties later separated, but it was that territory. They remained holdouts, those plantation owners. I think it was Groce’ Liendo, Alta Vista. Those plantations remained holdouts after the Civil War.
But even if you go back some 30 years before that, Waller County is where Sam Houston trained his troops during the winter, before they went to San Jacinto and defeated Santa Anna. Before that, Santa Anna and his troops killed everybody, all the men at the Alamo, except for two African-American men. Benjamin Lundy, The War in Texas, writes about it. They freed everybody except the two African-American men and the women and children they spared. And it was that thing that got me really interested, back when I was in college, and I came to find out that it was this preparation of Sam Houston and the defeat of Santa Anna that gave the Southern states the knowledge to know, the confidence to know, that they can secede from the Union. And now, today, because of that defeat of Santa Anna, we’ve got schools named after people who set black people free—people who were fighting to preserve slavery, and yet we malign Santa Anna, who set black people free. So, this was just the beginning.
In 1963—1964, my mother went into labor. My brother, my youngest brother, was born in a utility closet right there in Waller County, Austin County. He was born in a utility closet because they would not allow my mother to give birth in rooms that were reserved for whites. Then, if you go forward another 40 years, there’s a lawsuit because the cemeteries are not integrated. The city of Hempstead will not allow certain people to be buried in certain cemeteries, and they will not maintain the Jewish, the white and the black cemeteries equally, even though they own the deeds and have all of the stuff. They settled out of court and supposedly were supposed to begin. So, from cradle to the grave, from the beginning of time of the state of Texas, the republic of Texas, to now, Waller County has been at the forefront of suppression and oppression of African Americans.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, Judge DeWayne Charleston, you, yourself, was born at the historically black college of Prairie View A&M, where Sandra Bland was supposed to begin working and where she went to school back 10 years ago.
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: It is also key in voting rights in this country, particularly around college students. Can you explain?
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Wow! In 1972, a guy named Charles Ballas—he was a white guy—was recruited by the Defense Department to come and integrate the Navy ROTC program at Prairie View. Chuck Ballas led a seven-year fight for African-American students—this white guy led a seven-year fight for African Americans to vote in Waller County. It took a very act of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1979, The United States v. Waller County, Leroy Symm, to assure and protect Prairie View college students’ right to vote in Waller County. It was that decision that assured college students all over America that they could vote in the college—the town in which they were living while they were attending college.
Now, since that Supreme Court ruling in 1979, Prairie View students have been under attack. There have been three city councilmen, a county attorney, a minister, a judge, two public officials, all arrested, all indicted, some convicted, after they participated in get-out-the-vote efforts and get-out—and 19 students, I might add, were also indicted, after they all participated in some get-out-the-vote or campaign initiatives. We’re talking about the suppression of voting rights since the Supreme Court assured that right in 1979. There was one district attorney who threatened to send any students to jail if they dared attempt to vote in Waller County. Nothing happened to him. The Justice Department, the district attorney—nobody slapped him with any criminal offense for his intimidation of voting rights. It is a long, storied history.
And, you know, of course, Sandra Bland underscores it. She speaks it up. But Sandy Bland was not an isolated case. She was symptomatic of a culture that has permeated for years in Waller County. She was the tip. And when she told her mother that she had found her purpose, that she was coming back to Prairie View because she wanted to fight injustice in the South, Sandy’s speaking about things she felt, things she saw. And I’m just grateful for the fact that she had an opportunity to highlight that even before she died, and now even more so in her death.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go back to something we discussed on Friday. You’re talking about the sheriff. You’re calling on the sheriff to resign. But I want to ask you about the DA.
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: OK.
AMY GOODMAN: In 2014, last year, Waller County DA Elton Mathis was accused of sending threatening text messages after an African-American clergyman asked Waller County to provide data on prosecution rates by ethnicity. Now, this is a man you’ve worked with, Reverend Walter Pendleton, who says—
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Sure.
AMY GOODMAN: —after he accused DA Mathis of selectively prosecuting minorities, Mathis texted him with threats. Mathis reportedly told him, quote, "You are too stupid to know what that word means." The prosecutor cited examples of white public officials he had prosecuted, and then texted, quote, "My hounds ain’t even started yet dumb ass. ... When I talk people [will] listen. Keep talking and I will sue your ass for slander," unquote. Now, I am quoting the text of the current DA, the current DA Elton Mathis, who is in charge of investigating the death of Sandy Bland and holding people accountable, perhaps, for example, like the man who arrested her, Brian Encinia, the officer, not to mention the sheriff and those in the jail.
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: This comment is indicative of the spirit of meanness that African Americans and Latinos and, I presume, many whites are subjected to in Waller County. The fact that he would use such verbiage, the fact that he would imply that he would send his hounds after somebody, the fact that he would refer to a pastor as a dumb ass, and the fact that he would do it by texting shows you the absolute incompetence of this DA. And it would make one question: Why wouldn’t he, himself, remove himself in light of what he has said, so that the family, the Bland family, can be assured of total transparency, the total integrity of the election—I mean, of the investigation, they would be totally confident in that? It’s just like he has got to go, along with the sheriff. And I can’t—I can’t understand the delay with which the Texas attorney general or the Justice Department is having in removing him, so that the general public, and especially the Bland family, would know that there is integrity in this investigation.
AMY GOODMAN: In 2010, Judge DeWayne Charleston, you pled guilty to accepting bribes following an FBI investigation into corruption, which ensnared—also ensnared other public officials in the county. Why do you believe your prosecution was racially motivated?
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Well, like I say, I had led several marches. We sent thousands to Waller County. We had engaged the political process. I was empowering students. I was told that Sandy was part of the march in 2008. We were empowering students. We were assuring them that they had the right to vote and that they needed to stand up. I told you early on about the long list of people who had been attacked. The things that I had been saying for seven years were not very convenient for the people who were in power there in Waller County. I needed to be silenced. I totally needed to be silenced.
I pled guilty. It was what I had to do for my family. I was brought into a conspiracy because I had introduced a childhood friend to some people who had, in fact, accepted bribes. And so, I was brought into the conspiracy, based on the legal definition of conspiracy. But the reality of it is, it was really meant to shut me up because I had always spoke. And so, then, in a sense, I was shut up. But then, that’s why I decided I would speak now, because Sandy could not speak. They literally took everything from me but my mouth, and they took Sandy’s life, and so I feel like I have—I still have the right to come up and speak truth to life, where Sandy was violated.
AMY GOODMAN: In your book, Judge Charleston, you write an interesting fact, also going back to 1979, about the Iranian students who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the link to Waller County.
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: Oh, absolutely. There was a gentleman named David Walker, who lived down the street from us, and a wonderful guy, wonderful family. And I remember as a high school student, he flew in from—after they were released, flew in to the White House and came straight to our football game. And I was so proud. But David wanted to go back. He was a true marine. He wanted to go back. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to go back and continue to protect that embassy, to go back and be there. And that was my first experience with racism, when I saw how Iranians saw David Walker and other African Americans, as they released those women and all of the African Americans, and it had a profound impact on me for many years.
AMY GOODMAN: So they only released, first, the African Americans.
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: I’m not sure of that. I know they released the women and the African Americans. I’m not sure. But I do know that I specifically remember them releasing—I was 16 at the time, and I remember them releasing the African Americans, saying–and the general consensus was, "We sympathize, we empathize with what African Americans are going through in the U.S." And it had a profound impact. I didn’t know that people around the world empathized with our condition at that time. And I think that was a pivotal point in my life, as I decided to deal with this injustice.
AMY GOODMAN: In our last 30 seconds, what do you want to see come out of the investigations of the death of Sandy Bland?
DEWAYNE CHARLESTON: You know, Sandy, for all practical purposes, was given a life sentence with no chance of parole. She was arrested by the state trooper. She was judged by the state trooper. She was booked in the Waller County jail, and there she died. Those are the facts, and that’s what we do know. And because she was given a life sentence on July the 10th at 4:27 p.m., somebody needs to be accountable for why she was not able to avail herself of this criminal justice system. It needs to be reformed. So that’s the first thing. In all aspects, from racial profiling to the grand jury system, it needs to be reformed.
The second thing is, she died under the care, custody and control of Waller County. They must be held accountable. They are responsible. They had already been in violation of so many different things with respect to the jail standards. They must be held accountable.
And lastly, I think that the district attorney ought to remove himself so that he can assure what the lieutenant governor said would take place, and that is the absolute transparency of this investigation.
AMY GOODMAN: DeWayne Charleston, I want to thank you for being with us, served as the first African-American justice of the peace in Waller County, Texas, where Sandra Bland was arrested and later found dead in jail. He’s the author of the book, The United States v. Waller County, Then Me. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. We’ll be back in a minute.
"I Was Almost Another Dead Black Male": Denver Teen Recalls Police Beating After 2009 Traffic Stop
We feature a video just released by the oral history project StoryCorps called "Traffic Stop," in which Alex Landau, an African-American man, recalls how he was raised by his adoptive white parents to believe that skin color didn’t matter. But when he was pulled over by Denver police officers in 2009, he lost his belief in a color-blind world when he was nearly beaten to death. Alex and his white adoptive mother, Patsy Hathaway, discuss what happened that night and how it continues to affect him. Landau has since become involved in efforts to curb use of excessive force by police and to foster transparency and accountability by police officers, including the use of body cameras.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Before we move on to Africa, to Nairobi, Kenya, to talk about the significance of President Obama’s trip to his father’s homeland, where his father was born—he is now in Ethiopia, first U.S. president to go to either country, not to mention to address the African Union—we wanted to turn to an oral history project’s—called StoryCorps—piece that they have produced called "Traffic Stop." It features Alex Landau, an African-American man who was nearly killed during an encounter with the Denver police in 2009. Alex Landau did this StoryCorps interview with his white adoptive mother, Patsy Hathaway. The video begins with her. It’s also animated.
ALEX LANDAU: We never talked about race, growing up. I just don’t think that was ever a conversation.
PATSY HATHAWAY: I thought that love would conquer all and skin color really didn’t matter. I had to learn the really hard way, when they almost killed you.
ALEX LANDAU: Yeah. I was 19 years old. I had picked up a friend, and I noticed that we had red and blue lights behind us: We were being pulled over. The officer explained I had made an illegal left turn, and to step out of the car. So, I get out of the car first. He pats me down. And then he goes around to the passenger side and pulls my friend Addison out of the car.
PATSY HATHAWAY: Addison is white.
ALEX LANDAU: Yeah, Addison is white. And he had some weed in his coat pocket. So he gets placed in handcuffs. I figure that everything is OK. I’m not in handcuffs, I’ve already been patted down, plus there’s three officers on the scene. And I had never had a negative interaction with police in my life.
So I ask them, "Can I please see a warrant before you continue the search?" And they grabbed me and began to hit me in the face. I could hear Addison in the background yelling, "Stop! Leave him alone!" I was hit several times, and I remember gasping for air and spitting, and blood flying across the grass.
And then I hear an officer shout out, "He’s reaching for a gun!" I immediately started yelling, "No, I’m not! I’m not reaching for anything!" And I remember an officer say, "If he doesn’t calm down, we’re going to have to shoot him." I could feel the gun pressed to my head, and I expected to be shot. And at that point I lost consciousness.
I woke up to a multitude of officers just standing around me laughing. One officer was like, "Where’s that warrant now, you [bleep] nigger?" It took 45 stitches to close up the lacerations in my face alone.
How did it feel when you finally saw me?
PATSY HATHAWAY: All I remember is involuntarily screaming.
ALEX LANDAU: That was the first time I had cried the entire time I had been in there. And it wasn’t my injuries that hurt. It was just seeing how it devastated you.
PATSY HATHAWAY: My whole worldview changed that night.
ALEX LANDAU: Yeah. For me, it was the point of awakening to how the rest of the world is going to look at you. I was just another black face in the streets, and I was almost another dead black male.
AMY GOODMAN: That was a StoryCorps interview with Alex Landau and his mother, Patsy Hathaway, just released on Friday. For our TV viewers, the images we’re showing are graphic in nature, the photographs of Alex taken the night of January 15, 2009, following the traffic stop. His face is bloodied and bruised, practically beyond recognition. Landau has since become involved in efforts to curb use of excessive force by police and to foster transparency and accountability by police officers, including the use of body cameras.
"Collective Healing" at Nat'l Black Lives Matter Convergence Ends with Police Pepper-Spraying Teen
More than a thousand Black Lives Matter supporters converged in Cleveland, Ohio, this weekend for a historic conference to raise national attention about police brutality and other pressing issues, including immigration rights, economic justice and LGBTQ rights. During the opening ceremony, family members of more than 20 African Americans killed by police took to the stage to speak about why they continue to fight for justice. Democracy Now!’s Messiah Rhodes was on the ground in Cleveland, Ohio, and spoke to several conference participants who say it was "a learning space, a healing space, a politicizing space, a radicalizing space." The event ended with a stark reminder of how much work remains to be done. On Sunday, a crowd of participants witnessed a police officer attempting to arrest a 14-year-old boy for alleged intoxication. The Black Lives Matter participants blocked the squad car and tried to get the child out. One of the officers then began pepper-spraying the crowd. The video has since gone viral.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We turn right now to what happened this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, where about a thousand Black Lives Matter supporters gathered for an historic conference to raise national attention about police brutality and other pressing issues, including immigration rights, economic justice and LGBTQ rights. Democracy Now! spoke Friday to three of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. This is Opal Tometi. But we will turn to the clip of people speaking at the conference in Cleveland.
CHERRELL BROWN: Cherrell Brown. I’m with several different organizations. Right now I currently teach social justice with Sadie Nash Leadership. We’ve been through a lot this year, you know, since August—and before then. And it’s trauma compacted on trauma for people who are in black communities, right? So, this has been a learning space, a healing space, a politicizing space, a radicalizing space. We get to love upon each other, affirm each other, check each other, hold each other, hold each other accountable. And I think that’s really important in sustaining us moving forward. There is collective healing in not having to worry about filtering yourself or worrying about, at least in some instances, not feeling unsafe, right? Because you’re amongst family.
MARSHALL EDWARD CONWAY: Marshall Edward Conway, a former political prisoner for the last 44 years. I don’t believe that black freedom can exist without world freedom. We need to free the planet. We need to free the human race. We need to work together across all the different lines. And it is only because of creating a space for everybody to be a human being can we be a human being and have black freedom. We need to work together. For years, women has been taking the lead in this. We need to involve ourselves. We need to engage ourselves. We need to put aside our moralistic or ideological differences, and realize that as a black community we are all under threat. We’re under the threat of genocide. We are under the threat of mass incarceration. We are under the threat of impoverishment. And we definitely have a community that’s collapsing. And if we don’t come together, reach out to the youth, to the elders, to every segment of the community, then we’re going to be in real trouble.
BREE CAMPBELL: My name is Bree Campbell, and I’m from Detroit, Michigan. I work for the University of Michigan SexLab, and I am a fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force. I’m a trans woman of color, and I wanted to make sure that in this movement, that we are included, because we are left out of a lot of things. And it’s really sad that there are times when I want to express the sorrow that’s going on for people of color in the community, but feel very left out a lot of times when it comes to conversations about, like, Black Lives Matter, violence against women, violence against trans women. So I’m here not only to build capacity, but I’m also here to make sure that trans voices are brought to the table.
AMY GOODMAN: Special thanks to Messiah Rhodes for that report from the inaugural Movement for Black Lives conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Well, conference-goers ended the weekend with a stark reminder of how much work needs to be done. When the event ended around 5:00 p.m. Sunday, a crowd of participants witnessed a police officer attempting to arrest a 14-year-old boy for alleged intoxication. The Black Lives Matter participants blocked the squad car, tried to get the child out. One of the officers then began pepper-spraying the crowd. The video has since gone viral.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we’re going to Nairobi, Kenya, to talk about the president’s first trip to Kenya—a first U.S. president’s trip to Kenya—President Obama has been there before—and then his trip to Ethiopia. Stay with us.
Obama Visits Ethiopia and Kenya, Land of His Father, to Discuss Counterterrorism, Gay Rights, Jobs
President Obama arrived Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for talks with leaders on counterterrorism efforts against al-Shabab in Somalia, and human rights abuses and looming famine in neighboring South Sudan. His visit marks the first by a sitting U.S. president to Ethiopia, which is home to the African Union, and also to Kenya, his father’s birthplace. In a major speech Sunday in the capital of Nairobi, Obama referred to himself as a "Kenyan American" and joked about critics who said he was there to look for his birth certificate. We go to Nairobi for an update from Aggrey Mutambo, a reporter at the Daily Nation, the principal English-language newspaper in Kenya. He covered Obama’s visit for the paper. We are also joined by Salim Lone, a Kenyan journalist, political adviser and former director of the News and Media Division of the United Nations. From 2005 to 2012, he was the spokesperson for then-Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. We end today’s show looking at President Obama’s visit to Africa. He arrived Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for talks with leaders on counterterrorism efforts against al-Shabab in Somalia, and human rights abuses and looming famine in neighboring South Sudan. Obama’s visit marks the first by a sitting U.S. president to Ethiopia, which is home to the African Union. Later today, he’ll hold talks there with leaders of Kenya and Uganda. Not scheduled to attend the meetings is Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the current chair of the African Union.
This comes as Obama has concluded his first visit to his father’s birthplace of Kenya since taking office. In a major speech Sunday in the capital, Nairobi, he referred to himself as a "Kenyan American" and included many details of his personal history in his speech, while urging the country to deal with issues ranging from corruption to sexism. Speaking to a packed stadium filled with nearly 5,000 cheering Kenyans, Obama emphasized a message of optimism to Kenyans, especially youth.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: When it comes to the people of Kenya, particularly the youth, I believe there is no limit to what you can achieve. A young, ambitious Kenyan today should not have to do what my grandfather did and serve a foreign master. You don’t need to do what my father did and leave your home in order to get a good education and access to opportunity. Because of Kenya’s progress, because of your potential, you can build your future right here, right now.
AMY GOODMAN: To talk more about the significance of President Obama’s Africa visit, we’re joined now by two guests. In Nairobi, Kenya, Aggrey Mutambo is with us, reporter at the Daily Nation, principal English-language newspaper in Kenya. He covered Obama’s visit for the paper. And via Democracy Now! video stream from Princeton, New Jersey, Salim Lone is a Kenyan journalist, political adviser and former director of the News and Media Division of the United Nations. From 2005 to ’12, he was a spokesperson for then-prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Let’s begin in Nairobi, Kenya. Talk about the significance of the trip and the response of Kenyans, Aggrey Mutambo, if you can share what took place this weekend.
AGGREY MUTAMBO: Thank you for having me on the show. The visit by the president of the United States was very significant in two ways here. First of all, it involved an image-boosting scenario for Kenya, given the fact that there has been a lot of issues related to the security and whether it was proper for people to come to Nairobi and other parts of the country, where there has been a lot of terrorism incidents. Secondly, the president, when he came to Nairobi, he helped address some of the issues which have been raised here by the civil society, given—such as civil liberties, corruption and other issues, like press freedom. So, his coming here has been seen as one way of helping boost the voice of the civil society in expressing these issues, which have been a great concern to people. To the government side, of course, it has been used to show that Kenya is indeed safe and not a banana republic, as many people may have thought. That is according to the government’s side. So, it’s [inaudible]—
AMY GOODMAN: Aggrey, I wanted to go to—
AGGREY MUTAMBO: Yes?
AMY GOODMAN: —President Obama urging Kenyans to embrace gay rights.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: If you look at the history of countries around the world, when you start treating people differently, not because of any harm they’re doing anybody, but because they’re different, that’s the path whereby freedoms begin to erode, and bad things happen. And when a government gets in the habit of treating people differently, those habits can spread. ...
So, I’m unequivocal on this. If somebody is a law-abiding citizen who is going about their business and working in a job and obeying the traffic signs and doing all the other things that good citizens are supposed to do, and not harming anybody, the idea that they are going to be treated differently or abused because of who they love is wrong. Full stop.
AMY GOODMAN: In responding to President Obama’s comments, the Kenyan president, Kenyatta, said the two countries share a lot in common, but not everything, called gay rights a, quote, "non-issue" for Kenyans.
PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA: Just like President Obama, I think we also need to be able to speak frankly about some of these things. And the fact of the matter is that Kenya and the United States, we share so many values. Our common love for democracy, entrepreneurship, value for families, these are things that we share. But there are some things that we must admit we don’t share, our culture, our societies don’t accept. It’s very difficult for us to be able to impose on people that which they themselves do not accept. This is why I repeatedly say that for Kenyans today, the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue. We want to focus on other areas that are day-to-day living for our people.
AMY GOODMAN: That is Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Aggrey Mutambo, can you elaborate on this interaction?
AGGREY MUTAMBO: Yes. The president’s response indicates the kind of controversy associated with the issues of homosexuality here, mainly because many people see gay rights within the prism of morality, and mostly they borrow those virtues from religious scriptures. If you walk around in Nairobi, you will find that many people live according to the teachings of their religious scriptures—the Bible, the Qur’an, for example—so most of those people see that allowing gays to have the same freedoms as them is like going against the teachings of those religious scriptures.
But also, those religious organizations are very influential here in shaping the kind of politics that politicians may want to pursue. This was very evident, for example, during the formation of the current constitution, where the Catholic Church was very much opposed to the inclusion of those gay rights. The initial drafts had proposed that marriage not be defined within the lens of man and woman. But the church insisted that this had to be included. So, the fact that it was passed after the push by these religious organizations, which initially argued that the new constitution was going to allow these rights, shows that politicians are just answerable to what these organizations push for.
AMY GOODMAN: This is President Obama—not all things were serious there—joking during his speech in Nairobi about questions about where he was born.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I suspect that some of my critics back home are suggesting that I’m back here to look for my birth certificate. That is not the case.
AMY GOODMAN: That was President Obama speaking in Nairobi, Kenya. Salim Lone is also with us. He is a Kenyan journalist, political adviser, former director of the News and Media Division of the United Nations. Can you talk, Salim, about the significance of President Obama, the first sitting U.S. president’s trip to both Kenya and, as well, Ethiopia, as well as addressing the African Union, and what he is doing in these places?
SALIM LONE: Well, first of all, I just want to repeat what Aggrey said, that this was an incredible visit for Kenya—and for him. I think many people have said that they haven’t seen President Obama so happy for three consecutive days. I mean, he really loved being at home and talking to people, and he spoke very, very honestly on a number of urgent issues that Kenyans are trying to address.
At the same time, I think, sticking to Kenya for the moment, his trip there was a huge boost for President Uhuru Kenyatta. I think some of you might know that there are a number of issues that surrounded his legitimacy, first because of his trial at the ICC for crimes against humanity, which was dropped recently. In addition, the last election, which brought him to power, was, like the one before that, deeply disputed. And he was struggling with these issues, plus the issue of terrorism and the fact of Kenyan soldiers who are occupying a large swath of southern Somalia, which in turn has made Kenyans pay a very bloody price. That invasion was supposed to keep Kenya and Kenyans more secure, but in fact over 400 Kenyans have died since the invasion began, with virtually none having died before. So this is very good for Uhuru Kenyatta. But as I said, the president raised a number of issues about human rights, about suppression of democracy; whether it will influence Uhuru Kenyatta, we are not so sure.
But I think the second issue, which concerns the AU as a whole, Africa as a whole and, of course, Kenya itself, which has been a victim of terrorism since 1998—as you’ll recall, that was the greatest terrorist attack, the most number of people killed, over 200 people, when the Kenya—the U.S. Embassy in Kenya was attacked. And we are doing in East Africa, in fighting the al-Shabab, what the world has been doing in fighting terrorism generally, meaning using primarily force and, in the process, seeing terrorism get much, much worse everywhere. You know, they used to be small, hidden cells of terrorists, and now they control large swaths of countries. And that’s exactly what’s happening in East Africa, too, that we are—we’ve invaded Kenya—I mean, we’ve invaded Somalia, for our own political reasons. Obviously, it is not improving security in Kenya. And that’s an issue that President Obama, unfortunately, came out on the wrong side, supporting the invasion of Somalia, continuing the drone strikes, and this is a problem. We need to tackle the scourge of terrorism. It is the greatest scourge that humanity faces at the moment, apart from wars, of course, unlawful wars in particular. But to tackle this scourge, we must do it right, and not do it in ways which are actually making it a much more relevant factor in our daily lives. Kenyans are really suffering from this insecurity.
AMY GOODMAN: Aggrey Mutambo in Nairobi, can you talk about Kenyans’ perception of the impact of the counterterrorism efforts?
AGGREY MUTAMBO: Of course, the fight against terrorism here has elicited a lot of debate, because when the police go hunting for those suspects, it has always come out within the lines of human rights violations. Reports have been published by Amnesty International, for example, accusing the police of harassing people suspected to be terror suspects. Some people have disappeared mysteriously. So, it is the same reason that human rights organizations here have said—had urged President Obama to tell the Kenyan authorities that fighting terrorism should not go with diluting people’s rights. So, it is true that people perceive terrorism as having a very big economic impact here. We have had a lot of lives lost, for example, property destroyed. But again, there are other voices which are saying that the counterterrorism measures being adopted by the government here are, in fact, adding salt to the wound.
AMY GOODMAN: President Obama speaking about the issue of counterterrorism.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: On security, the United States and Kenya are already strong partners, and today we reaffirm that we stand united in the face of terrorism. Earlier, I had the opportunity to meet with survivors and families of victims of the bombing of our U.S. Embassy in 1998. In the face of despicable violence, such as the attack on Garissa University College and the Westgate Mall, the Kenyan people have shown incredible resolve and remarkable resilience.
AMY GOODMAN: That was President Obama in Nairobi. Aggrey Mutambo, were you at these attacks, either at Westgate or at the University of Garissa?
AGGREY MUTAMBO: Yes, I was there. I covered both the Westgate attack and the Garissa University attack. And what came out at that time was the confusion, maybe, from the authorities here in the way they were responding. Of course, President Kenyatta has argued that the issue of terror is a new phenomenon, and the way they react to it has had a lot of problems. But at Westgate and Garissa, perhaps, my observation is if there had been an earlier response, many people’s lives may have been saved.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, President Obama visited family there, right? His step-grandmother, his half-sister. Can you talk about the significance of this? He had an extended family dinner?
AGGREY MUTAMBO: Yes. There had been hope that he would go to the village where his father was born, but I think he was trying to compensate for the fact that he couldn’t go to the village, so he met here with some of the relatives from his extended family. And they shared local delicacies here, which is partly traditional here. Whenever a guest comes, people do share those kind of delicacies to show the significance of that guest. So, I think the president was just trying to live within the traditions of his father.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Salim Lone, now President Obama is in Addis Ababa. He’s in Ethiopia. How Ethiopia fits into this picture?
SALIM LONE: Well, Ethiopia is an economic dynamo and has enabled even Kenya to do better because of its own growth. I think the problem in Ethiopia has been the lack of democracy there. But at the same time, I think all of us recognize that you live in a world that you have, and you cannot keep on hoping for a better world, so you struggle and you struggle. But Ethiopia, apart from some terror bandits in Somalia, for example, when it invaded and destroyed a very moderate Islamic Courts Union, which seemed to be bringing peace to Somalia, in 2006, with U.S. help, of course. So Ethiopia is the head of the—you know, it’s the seat of the African Union and a very, very important player, the second-largest population in Africa. So it’s a tough call for Obama, knowing what he’s trying to do in the U.S., making major changes in so many U.S. policies, and yet, on this issue of terrorism, I think he has not got the right message. Basically, he—
AMY GOODMAN: We have five seconds.
SALIM LONE: —and the U.S. don’t have a vision of the world. I mean, that’s one of the greatest problems we have in the world at the moment. It’s that the West, especially U.S., has no vision for how to address these awful problems.
AMY GOODMAN: Salim Lone, we’re going to have to leave it there, Kenyan journalist, as well as Aggrey Mutambo, speaking to us from Nairobi.
Headlines:
Yemen: Tentative Ceasefire After U.S.-Backed Airstrikes Kill 120
In Yemen, at least 120 people are dead after Saudi-led airstrikes pummeled a residential neighborhood in the western port city of Mokha late Friday, marking the deadliest wave of bombings since the U.S.-backed campaign against Houthi rebels began in March. The strikes hit a housing complex for power plant workers, flattening buildings and sparking fires that spread throughout the neighborhood and burned alive women, children and elderly. Residents described the onslaught.
Mokha resident 1: "There were continuous airstrikes without any breaks. And we have no military men, no devils. We don’t even have gunmen around here. We couldn’t get to our children. There were some 20 bodies that I pulled out with my own hands and counted. Who is to blame for this?"
Mokha resident 2: "They killed women and children and elderly and young ones. How is this the fault of these innocent people? There are no Houthis here and no military bases. There is nothing here."
Following the strikes, the Saudi-led coalition agreed to a five-day ceasefire to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid and medical supplies in Yemen. The ceasefire took effect Sunday night at midnight, but within hours both sides said the other had resumed attack.
Somalia: Al-Shabab Suicide Bombing Strikes Hotel, Killing 9
In news from Somalia, a suicide car bomber attacked a hotel in Mogadishu, killing nine people and wounding at least 20 more. One of the dead was a Kenyan diplomat. The Somali militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility.
Obama Visits Kenya and Ethiopia in First for U.S. Sitting President
The attack came as President Obama departed Kenya and arrived in Ethiopia Sunday for talks on counterterrorism efforts against al-Shabab. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit either Ethiopia or Kenya — his father’s home country. On Tuesday, he will also become the first sitting U.S. president to address the African Union. We’ll have more on the historic visit later in the broadcast.
Burundi: Incumbent President Wins 3rd Term, Despite Protests
In more news from Africa, Burundi’s incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza has won re-election, following widespread protests and violence over what many say was an unconstitutional bid for a third term.
Turkey: Military Strikes ISIL and PKK Camps in Syria and Iraq
In Turkey, the government has called for an emergency NATO meeting as the military launched a wave of airstrikes targeting the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in northern Iraq. The military escalations follow the suicide bombing which killed more than 30 student activists in the Turkish city of Suruc one week ago. The Turkish military’s attacks against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK, broke an effective two-year ceasefire between Turkey and the dissident Kurdish group, who have been in conflict for decades. Protests broke out in Istanbul and cities in southeast Turkey following the death of a pro-Kurdish activist during police raids. Meanwhile, Turkey and the United States have developed a joint plan to push ISIL out of a 60-mile strip of Syria. The collaboration comes after Turkey announced last week that it would be opening a key airbase to the United States. Deputy State Department spokesperson Mark Toner spoke about the collaboration.
Deputy State Department spokesperson Mark Toner: "The threat of ISIL was only underscored this week by the horrific attacks in Turkey this past week and underscored, frankly, the importance of strengthening our mutual efforts to defeat ISIL and bolster Turkey’s security in the region. So, from that, we’ve decided to deepen that cooperation, and that includes a train-and-equip program, intelligence sharing and operational coordination."
Ohio: Police Pepper-Spray Attendees of #BlackLivesMatter Convening
In Cleveland, Ohio, the inaugural Movement for Black Lives National Convening concluded with a white police officer pepper-spraying African-American attendees. When conference-goers witnessed police allegedly slamming a 14-year-old boy to the ground to arrest him, they blocked the squad car and tried to get the teenager out. A police officer then pepper-sprayed the crowd. The incident capped a weekend of programming about police brutality and racial justice. Among those who attended was former political prisoner and Black Panther Eddie Conway, who explained why the conference was a black-only space.
Eddie Conway: "Well, it’s a black-only space because we have to get ourselves together, we have to organize ourselves. And so, other people, if they have an interest in supporting us or being our allies or assisting our cause, they need to organize their communities and their space to give us support."
We’ll have more from the Movement for Black Lives Convening later in the broadcast.
Hundreds Attend Sandra Bland Funeral in Illinois
The conference in Cleveland wrapped up a day after hundreds of people in the Chicago area attended the funeral for Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old African-American woman found dead in her jail cell in Texas on July 13. Dash cam video shows Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia forcibly removing Bland from her car after she objected to putting out her cigarette when he pulled her over for allegedly failing to signal a lane change. Her family disputes authorities’ claim her death was a suicide. We’ll have more on Sandra Bland’s funeral and the latest on her case after headlines.
Autopsy Underway for Choctaw Activist Found Dead in Miss. Jail Cell
A private autopsy is reportedly underway for a Native American activist who was found dead in a Mississippi jail one day after Sandra Bland was found dead. Rexdale Henry died five days after he was arrested for failing to pay a fine. He was being held in the Neshoba County Jail in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the same jail where three civil rights activists – James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Mickey Schwerner – were held before their murder by the Ku Klux Klan in 1964.
Louisiana Movie Theater Shooter Lauded KKK Leader David Duke
The white gunman accused of killing two people in a Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater before killing himself has been identified as John Russell Houser. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Houser lauded longtime Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and expressed interest in white power groups, anti-Semitic ideas and the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church. He had posted about the "power of the lone wolf" on a forum dedicated to the New York chapter of Greece’s far-right neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn. Houser opened fire Thursday night inside a showing of Amy Schumer’s movie "Trainwreck," killing two young women, Jillian Johnson and Mayci Breaux. Authorities say he was able to acquire his gun legally in Alabama, despite a record of mental illness, alleged domestic violence and an arrest for arson. Speaking on CBS Face the Nation, Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal acknowledged Houser should not have been able to acquire a gun.
Honduras: 25,000 People Protest Corruption, Demand President Resign
In news from Honduras, as many as 25,000 people marched Friday night to demand the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernández. Thousands carried torches during Friday’s protest, which is the latest in a months-long campaign to demand an independent investigation into a $200 million government corruption scandal.
Colombia Suspends Airstrikes Against FARC Rebels
In Colombia, the government has suspended airstrikes against the rebel group FARC, the latest in a series of steps to de-escalate the decades-long conflict. President Juan Manuel Santos made the announcement after FARC leaders announced a unilateral ceasefire.
President Juan Manuel Santos: "Given the statement made by the enemy, the FARC, the unilateral declaration of a ceasefire by the FARC, I have given the order to suspend, starting today, the airstrikes on camps where there is a concentration of members of that organization."
Chile: Copper Miner Shot Dead During Ongoing Labor Strike
In Chile, a copper miner was shot dead Friday during an ongoing strike at the state-owned mining company Codelco, one of the world’s largest copper-mining companies. The strike began last week after subcontracted workers launched a work stoppage at five mines, demanding the right to collective bargaining. The miners’ union has accused the police of Friday’s fatal shooting.
Brazil: 1,000 Taxi Drivers Block Roads to Protest Uber
In news from Brazil, more than 1,000 taxi drivers blocked roads across Rio de Janeiro in a protest against the Wall Street-backed ride-sharing company Uber Friday. The drivers used their yellow taxis to form a three-mile-long blockade of one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares. Friday’s action in Rio follows intense protests against Uber by taxi drivers in Paris, Hong Kong, Miami and other major cities, who say the company threatens their union rights and livelihood.
Report: U.S. Preparing to Release Israeli Spy Jonathan Pollard
The Obama administration is reportedly preparing to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard in a bid to appease Israel following the nuclear deal with Iran. Pollard is a former U.S. intelligence officer convicted of passing U.S. secrets to Israel. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Mike Huckabee Invokes Holocaust in Opposition to Iran Nuclear Deal
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has denounced the Iran deal in controversial terms, invoking the Holocaust by accusing President Obama of "march[ing Israelis] to the door of the oven." The head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, has called for Huckabee to apologize. Congress is now one week into its 60-day period to review the historic deal between Iran, the United States and five other world powers.
West Bank: Palestinian Teen Killed in Israeli Arrest Raid
In the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian teenager has been killed in an Israeli arrest raid, marking the third such incident in less than a week. Israeli authorities say 19-year-old Mohammed Abu Latifa was suspected of planning an attack and fell from a roof after being shot while running away. Witnesses and the teen’s family dispute that account, saying he was "executed."
2 Animal Rights Activists Charged Under 2006 Terrorism Law
In the latest sign of a federal crackdown on animal rights activists, the FBI has arrested two people accused of freeing mink and other animals from fur farms and vandalizing property linked to the fur and meat industries. Joseph Buddenberg and Nicole Kissane were charged under the 2006 Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which elevates crimes like vandalism to terrorist offenses if they threaten industry profits.
Historic Anthem-Cigna Merger Leaves U.S. with 3 Major Health Insurers
Health insurance giant Anthem has announced plans to buy rival Cigna for $54.2 billion, marking the largest such merger in U.S. history. The move leaves the United States with just three major health insurers.
Spelman College Becomes Latest School to Cut Ties with Cosby
And Spelman College, a historically black women’s college in Atlanta, Georgia, has discontinued a professorship endowed by Bill Cosby, becoming the latest in a series of universities to cut ties after at least 40 women accused Cosby of sexual assault. Spelman’s move came about a week after the release of a 2005 deposition in which Cosby admits to drugging women. Meanwhile, New York magazine published a cover story on Sunday featuring the faces and words of 35 of Cosby’s alleged victims. And the California Supreme Court has cleared the way for a civil lawsuit against Cosby filed by Judith Huth, who accuses Cosby of sexually assaulting her when she was 15 years old.
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