As much of the nation begins to head out with lifting shelter-in-place orders, a single mother living in Maryland is still hunkering down. Rosa Gutierrez Lopez sought sanctuary inside a church for more than 500 days, in fear being deported to El Salvador. Special Contributor Joie Chen shares her struggle to remain in the U.S. with her American children.
Camden, New Jersey once had a murder rate 18 times the national average along with dozens of excessive force complaints against its police. Then in 2012, the mayor and city council decided to dissolve the police department. As Minneapolis considers a similar move, Soledad O’Brien speaks with Camden’s former police chief Scott Thomson about how they rebuilt their law enforcement system.
What began as protesters demanding justice for George Floyd has become a national cry to change policing in America. Activists are calling for major reforms, even defunding or abolishing the police. Baltimore City’s State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby tried Freddie Gray’s case in 2015, but none of the officers accused were convicted. Soledad O’Brien speaks with Mosby about how Baltimore redefined public safety by not prosecuting certain crimes.
This week on Matter of Fact, Soledad O’Brien speaks with attorney and former politician Bakari Sellers about his new memoir, “My Vanishing Country.” Why he says his father’s arrest, more than a decade before his birth, was the most important day of his life. Then, she discusses with sociologist Dr. Rashawn Ray how the protests of George Floyd’s death could mark a turning point in the larger fight against systemic racism. Plus, as the nation confronts a racial crisis, we are still fighting a health pandemic. Correspondent Jessica Gomez reports from a town of mostly migrant workers who are facing a severe coronavirus outbreak but can’t afford to stay home.
As the country confronts a racial crisis, the United States is still fighting a global pandemic, one that disproportionately impacts vulnerable and minority communities. Immokalee is one of the hardest communities in Florida. It’s a town of roughly 25,000 people, mostly migrant workers who are considered essential but live below poverty level. Correspondent Jessica Gomez shows us why even as the cases continue to spread, workers continue to stay on the job.
Since George Floyd died in police custody last month, Americans all across the country have demanded justice for his death. Many are also calling for an overall change to policing in America. Dr. Rashawn Ray is a socialist and a Brookings Institute David Rubenstein fellow. Soledad O’Brien speaks with him about what could mark a turning point in the fight against systemic racism.
At 22 years old, Bakari Sellers made history as the youngest black elected official in the country. Now, more than a decade later, he’s a political commentator and a lawyer out with his new memoir, “My Vanishing Country.” It begins with a story from before he was born. In 1968, patrolmen opened fire on civil rights protesters trying to desegregate a bowling alley. They killed three people and wounded dozens more. That included his father who was imprisoned and charged with inciting a riot. Sellers tells Soledad O’Brien why that day was the most important of his life.
This week on Matter of Fact, we look at efforts to quickly find a vaccine for the coronavirus. Special Contributor Joie Chen shows us what it takes to develop a vaccine and a controversial type of testing. Then, Soledad O’Brien speaks with Johns Hopkins’ Dan Salmon about the process of rolling out the vaccine. Plus, Milwaukee was expecting thousands of visitors for the Democratic Convention. Soledad speaks with Mayor Tom Barrett about the alternatives during the pandemic.
Milwaukee planned to welcome 50,000 visitors for the Democratic National Convention, hoping to net about $200 million dollars for the big event. In anticipation, the city started big building projects and other investments. Now amid the coronavirus pandemic, there are calls to scale back or even cancel the event, spelling a big loss for Wisconsin’s largest city. Soledad O’Brien speaks with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett about how the city is responding to the COVID chaos.
Medical experts across the globe are racing to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. But once one is developed, who gets it first? Soledad O’Brien speaks with Dan Salmon, Director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University, who helped roll out the H1N1 vaccine during the last pandemic.