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Connect the World

F-16s Arrive in Turkey; Violence Erupts in Ferguson; The Syrian War From the Perspective of Damascus Residents; According to Some, Body Cameras Will Not Solve Policing in America; Turkey's Fight Against PKK. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET

Aired August 10, 2015 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:22] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: After more than four years of bloody conflict, is support for a negotiated solution growing in Syria?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What you would usually find here when we came in the past to Damascus is that people were

very optimistic that he civil war would be over very soon. And when you speak to them today, they are a lot more cautious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Tonight, we are live in Damascus with the very latest for you.

Also ahead, new U.S. military hardware arrives in Turkey as the country steps up its role in the fight against ISIS. But there's growing

trouble at home after another day of deadly attacks. We'll ask a leading Iraqi Kurdish official about Turkey's handling of its Kurds.

And violence erupts once again in Ferguson in the United States. We'll take you to the American town as it marks one year since Michael

Brown was killed.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. stepping up its firepower in the fight against ISIS. A very good evening. Half a dozen F16 fighter jets have been

deployed to Incirlik Air Base in Southern Turkey along with 300 personnel and support equipment.

Now these additional six planes join Turkish assets like these already at the base.

The deployment will make it easier for the U.S. to strike ISIS targets in Syria and comes after Turkey officially entered the war against the

terror group a month ago.

Well, CNN's own Fred Pleitgen is in Syria where he's been talking to ordinary Syrians in Damascus. And for many, it seems hope is fading that

airstrikes like these will actually impact the overall fight.

Firstly, to the news of the day. And Fred is it clear when these airstrikes will begin and what their specific targets are likely to be?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's mostly likely the targets are going to be ISIS operatives inside Syria. And I

think one of the things that the U.S. wants to do is it wants to be able to be in that area of operations as fast as possible. And obviously getting

there from Incirlik Air Base is something that will allow them to do that very, very quickly.

Of course one of the things that the Turks say they want to do is they want to create what they call that safe zone inside northern Syria where

they want to get rid of ISIS there. They say that that is for a corridor for refugees, for instance, to gather there so that they can be safe as

well.

And, the U.S. says it wants to start hitting these targets as fast as possible, especially on the border area, because one of the other things

that the U.S. has also been trying to do, Becky, and that's very important for the U.S. is actually trying to help seal the Turkish border, because

one of the things that we have heard in the past is that ISIS has been using the Turkish border, which of course is very long and very porous with

Syria to get new fighters, new weapons to their territories as well, Becky.

ANDERSON: Some are going to say this is too little, too late. Is it?

PLEITGEN: Well, I mean that's certainly what many people here in the government-controlled part of Damascus have told us in the past -- when

we've been talking to them. They say they believe that six fighter jets are not going to make very much of a difference. They also say that they

believe that it's actually their military, the Syrian army, that's the one that's taking on ISIS inside Syria.

Of course, they also see that ISIS is clashing with other rebel forces as well.

But one of the things that I've seen here for the first time really in such force, much more than before, is a lot of concern among many people

about the advances that ISIS is making. The last time that we were here, which is a little over a year ago, you wouldn't hear anybody even fathom

the fact that ISIS could enter into Damascus.

Now what we've seen is in Yarmouk, for instance, which is an area that's seen a lot of violence, was that ISIS showed up there a couple of

months ago. People here in Damascus have seen that the Syrian military has had to give up places like Palmyra, has had to give up another town just

last week where a lot of Christians have had to flee that place.

So certainly there is a lot more concern here. And very few people believe that these airstrikes are going to make very much of a difference

in the overall battlefield picture.

ANDERSON: Fred, given the Syrian government is so guilty of so much loss of life in what has been this bloody civil war, many argue providing

the fertile ground for the rise of ISIS, other arguing further still that the militants are covertly supported by Bashar al-Assad's government. How

much support, if any, are you finding for the government? I know that Damascus is government-controlled, but are people prepared to voice their

support or not at this point?

[11:05:07] PLEITGEN: Well, there certainly are many people who will voice their support, I mean, if you go through the government-controlled

part of Syria, especially here in Damascus, there's a lot of Syrian flags. There's pictures of Bashar al-Assad. There's convoys of cars going around.

And also one thing that we've seen is that there's a lot of people, especially from the Syrian minorities who are actually volunteering for the

Syrian armed forces.

Now the Syrian armed forces, we know, has had a lot of trouble keeping up its manpower, because it's suffered some very heavy losses in the four

years that this civil war has been going on, but especially I think the people of minorities are ones who more and more feel that for them it's

very difficult to find any sort of alternative to Bashar al-Assad. They see that ISIS is getting stronger in the east of the country. The north of

the country, of course, is very much in disarray with those many groups all fighting each other.

So, if you look especially at the minorities, the Alawites, the Christians, the Druze by and large they are either trying to stay out of

the conflict or they are behind Bashar al-Assad, at least the majority. Of course, there are also some among those people who are against Assad as

well, but by and large that's where he draws a lot of his support as well as a lot of secular people as well, Becky.

ANDERSON: Very briefly. I know you've been out and about. And I know that we just got some new video in from you. If you can just talk to

this about your sort of impressions about what you've been finding and what was -- and I hope will be going forward -- such a beautiful city that is

Damascus.

PLEITGEN: Yeah, I it is definitely a city with a lot of culture, of course also a city with a very long, a very rich history and also quite

frankly a very proud city. Damascans (ph) are obviously very proud of the history, of the heritage and of (inaudible) that they have here in this

town.

The big issue that they're dealing with right here of course is that there is also major fighting going on, especially in the outskirts, but

also in some places in the center of town. There's been a lot of destruction. And now what we're seeing is that there's also a lot of

shortages, very difficult to get -- we actually made a run for fuel ourselves earlier today, took us a very long time to actually get to the

pump. And that's something that everyday citizens contend with a lot.

Also, a lot of power outages that we're seeing as well.

The interesting thing, though, is that the economy here has actually still been quite resilient. There are many people who have been saying for

years that this economy is on the brink of collapse, but they are still somehow still muddling through. And if you go to shops, for instance, in

central Damascus, you can still get most of the items that you would have been able to get before the crisis. However, of course, much more

expensive and in some places it is very difficult to get.

And of course the industrial sector has been suffering a lot as well, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen is in Damascus. And he continues his reporting from inside Syria all of this week. Fred, thank you, bringing

you viewers a rare look inside the country that has been engulfed in war, as you know, since 2011.

We're going to get updates from Fred on Connect the World in the coming days, so stand by for that.

And coming up later in this show, we'll speak to the head of foreign relations for the Kurdish regional government to find out what they make of

key political changes in Iraq and indeed what is going on in Syria and in Turkey at present.

Plus, a live update on what has been a deadly day in Turkey.

In the West Bank, a father whose child was killed in a so-called pricetag arson attack has now died of his own injuries.

Thousands attended the funeral of Saad Dawabsheh on Saturday in his home village of Duma. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed

to find the perpetrators. I'm going to take a very short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:12:56] ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Twelve minutes past 7:00 here in the UAE.

Well, in the next hour, protesters plan to reassemble in Ferguson, Missouri following a night of violence in the state. Sunday started with

peaceful vigils marking one year since a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager. But as night fell, police

say they came under heavy fire from a gunman.

CNN's Sara Sidner was there when the chaos broke out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDNET (voice-over): Gunshots ring out on the streets of Ferguson on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death.

Erupting into chaos overnight when gunfire sent protesters and police running for cover.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The suspect engages them with gunfire. The plainclothes detectives returned fire from the inside of the vans.

SIDNER: St. Louis County police say officers were involved in heavy gunfire in two shootings Sunday night. In one incident, police say a

suspect shot directly at plainclothes officers with a stolen .9 millimeter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were four officers who were in that van. All four fired at the suspect, and the suspect fell there. He is in critical,

unstable condition.

SIDNER: We captured some gunshots on camera as I interviewed Ferguson's interim police chief.

(GUNFIRE)

SIDNER: Angry protesters clashing with police, hurtling bottles and bricks at officers. Police deploying tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Two businesses were damaged and looted. These images capture bullet holes in unmarked police cruisers caught in the crossfire.

The night of unrest following a day of peaceful vigils to remember Brown's death and the movement it started.

[11:15:16] CROWD: ...two, one.

SIDNER: Demonstrators marched and observed four-and-a-half minutes of silence, one minute for every hour that Brown's body lay on the street

after he was shot. Brown's killing sparked outrage and protests nationwide. Though the officer was later cleared by both a grand jury and the

Department of Justice investigation, anger bubbled over. Violence then...

(GUNSHOT)

SIDNER: ... mirroring violence now, one year later.

The St. Louis County police chief coming out very strongly and saying that what happened on West Florrisant this time with the shooting had

nothing to do with protesters, that these were criminals taking advantage of the situation.

We do know that at least one officer has lacerations to her face, hit with a brick. We also know that police are telling us that two vehicles,

two of their undercover vehicles were hit by bullets as well saying that the person that they were pursuing in this case and ended up shooting began

shooting at them.

Back to you guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Sara Sidner reporting for you.

I want to get you back to one of our top stories this hour. The United States has sent half a dozen F-16 fighter jets to a Turkish air base

near the Syrian border. The U.S. mission to NATO confirmed the move in a tweet on Sunday.

Now, this is all part of the effort to help the coalition in its fight against ISIS as CNN's Barbara Starr reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: U.S. military action over the skies of Syria is about to ramp up, but will it be enough?

U.S. air strikes against ISIS in Syria could be launched from this Turkish air base within days, according to U.S. officials. This section of

the border, U.S. intelligence calculates new ISIS fighters are still entering Syria as fast as the U.S. can kill them. On the ground, U.S.

strategy rests on the shoulders of just 54 U.S.-trained moderate Syrian rebels.

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What we're trying to do is protect this very small force as it's on the very early stages of

building combat power.

STARR: The official pentagon word, the group is eager to fight and supported a recent Al-Qaeda attack. The reality? Up to half are missing.

They may have deserted early on and fled after the attack last week or been captured. One defense official admitting to CNN, quote, "they are no longer

a coherent military unit."

SETH JONES, RAND CORPORATIONS: They are not accompanied by U.S. forces in the field which means they're going to get limited training, no

equipment. But the vast majority of successful U.S. train advice assist missions require embedded forces in the field.

STARR: Privately Pentagon officials say something has to change and how the U.S. aides the rebels.

JONES: This breaks basically every train, advice, and assist rule that special operations forces have learned.

STARR: And ISIS still grabbing territory. Activists say in this western Syrian town more than 200 people have been abducted. Up to 500

unaccounted for. CNN cannot independently verify those claims.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Today actually works the one year anniversary of the commencement of airstrikes Iraq against ISIL

targets.

STARR: There have been gains. But Iraqi forces still trying desperately to retake lost grounds.

Here in Bashi (ph), where there is a critical oil refinery, U.S. officials privately acknowledge ISIS is now massing forces, gearing up for

a new counterattack.

One year after the U.S. bombing campaign against ISIS began, still, the same question, what will it take to roll back the momentum that ISIS

still has?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Right.

We're going to take a very short break here on CNN. I'm Becky Anderson in the UAE. It is 19 minutes past 7:00. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:21:50] ANDERSON: Right. Turkey remains a key focal point in the international fight against ISIS. But the country is also facing growing

internal unrest.

Several violent attacks across Turkey have left five police officers and a soldier dead. There was also a gun fight outside the U.S. consulate

in Istanbul.

Now the government is blaming the Kurdish militant group PKK for the deaths as it continues to attack its targets across the border in Iraq.

Well, let's cross to Irbil now. Well, I'm joined by Fala Mustafa Bakir who is head of foreign relations for Iraq's Kurdish region.

Let's just start with what we've been learning, these F-16s being sent by the U.S. into Turkey in order to help in the fight against ISIS. Let's

start with that. Turkey and the U.S. clearly showing more cooperation now in the battle against ISIS. When do you expect the U.S. to start using

these bases to launch airstrikes, albeit likely on ISIS in Syria, perhaps not in Iraq at this stage?

FALA MUSTAFA BAKIR, HEAD OF FOREIGN RELATIONS KURDISH REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: Well, as far as...

ANDERSON: Carry on, sir.

BAKIR: I cannot hear you. I cannot hear her.

ANDERSON: Yes, sir. I was just asking when -- whether you have heard word when these bases will start being used by the U.S. in the fight

against ISIS?

BAKIR: Well, I did not get the question properly, but as far as the recent developments for Turkey to join the U.S.-led coalition, this is a

positive development for us for Turkey to play a role in the fight against ISIS.

But at the same time, we have paid the price for connecting the issue of PKK with ISIS, because the Turkish strikes on Kurdistan region has lead

to further escalate the tensions, a region that needs stability and security, therefore we believe that going back to the ceasefire and going

back to the peace process would be in the interest of Turkey, the PKK and also Kurdistan region.

ANDERSON: Do you welcome this increase in international support? It's well overdue, isn't it? Is it enough?

BAKIR: Well, the Turkish part in the U.S.-led coalition would be a positive and welcome development, because it helps in the fight against

ISIS, and this serves the interest of the international community, because for that we need local, regional and international cooperation. And

Turkey, as an important neighbor to Iraq and Syria, a member of NATO would be able to provide a lot of needed assistance in this fight.

ANDERSON: The fragile ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK have been shattered. There's been a wave of violence as you are well aware as a

result. You've said your government is ready to assist in peace talks. Do you think that is realistic at this point?

[11:25:15] BAKIR: Well, in fact we do not want Kurdistan region to pay the price. This is a decades-long fight and conflict. We have seen no

military solution to this problem. And I believe the best solution and the best way forward would be for PKK and Turkey to go back to the ceasefire

and also state committed to the state process.

As far as Kurdistan regional government is concerned, we have offered and we will continue to play our role if required and needed in order to

bring both sides closer to each other, because we do not want the Kurdistan region to pay a price in a problem that it's not our own. This is an

internal Turkish problem, PKK and Turkey, it has spilled over Iraqi Kurdistan. And our people have been killed, our people have been injured,

people have been displaced, and the infrastructure in Kurdistan has been affected.

Therefore, we believe that PKK and Turkey should go back to the ceasefire and the peace process.

ANDERSON: Your government, sir, has very close ties with Ankara. You've previously sold oil through Turkey.

You've called for Kurdish militants from the PKK to withdraw from your autonomous region. That would suggest that you really have very little

sympathy or support for the Kurdish Worker's Party's plight. Is that correct?

BAKIR: Well, looking at the situation, and also the history of this problem, eventually PKK has to go back to Turkey, and that's why we have

been encouraging the peace process so that they will be part of the political process in Turkey.

But today we are talking about sticking and committing to the ceasefire as well as going back to the table in order to negotiate.

But eventually, the end solution would be in talking to each other, going back to the peace process and for now we have requested that they

leave the populated areas. We do not the people to pay a price from these conflicts.

ANDERSON: I want to turn to another issue, sir, which is dominating the headlines in Iraq, and that is the reform package of the Iraqi prime

minister Haider al-Abadi. Now, the KRG leadership has said this, and I quote, "the Kurdistan Region Presidency will continue to support such

efforts provided that they are mindful of the Kurdistan Region."

So, public support for the reforms, but there will be less guaranteed roles for the Kurds in the Iraqi government going forward won't there?

BAKIR: Well, we have also here the reform package that was announced and declared by the federal prime minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad. The

leadership in Kurdistan region and the presidency of Kurdistan region welcomed this reform package provided that they take into consideration the

characteristics of Kurdistan region, the participation of Kurdistan and other national minorities in the administration at the system of governance

in Baghdad.

Because we do not want this to be politically used against one community or another. We all are for reform. We all want to have a better

government. We all are against corruption. We want to see a better government system in Iraq that would provide better services, security and

a proper system to the people of Iraq provided that this would not be politically motivated to work against one group or another.

ANDERSON: Interesting. All right, with that we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.

This is CNN. You're watching Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Your headlines follow this very short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:31:56] ANDERSON: You're watching Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back. This is CNN. And these are your headlines.

There have been multiple attacks in Turkey, including one that killed five security personnel in the southeast part of the country. Now

officials appear to be blaming PKK militants. In Istanbul, an attack on a police station there left three people dead including two attackers.

Also in Istanbul, police have arrested one woman and are seeking another after an attack on the U.S. consulate. No one was injured.

In Afghanistan, at least five people were killed and 16 were wounded in a suicide car bombing outside Kabul international airport. The Taliban

there claiming responsibility.

Police in Sweden say two people have been stabbed to death at an Ikea store just west of Stockholm, a third person was severely wounded. One man

has been arrested. Authorities have not yet released any possible motive. Ikea says the store is currently closed while police investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just want to be patient as possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A message to those who are looting...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Gunfire erupts in Ferguson, Missouri on the anniversary of the police shooting that killed African-American teenager Michael Brown.

The police critically wounded a man who they say opened fire on them. Three officers and a journalist were injured in another violent episode

that broke out at the same time.

Well, just two days before that anniversary in Ferguson, a 19-year-old student in the U.S. state of Texas was shot and killed while allegedly

vandalizing a car dealership. Now the officer responsible is white and brand new to the force. In fact, he still hadn't completed his field

training.

CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now from Arlington, Texas where it happened. What do we know at this point Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, investigators here in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas are investigating this. It's expected

that at some point the officers involved in this latest shooting of an unarmed black male will be interviewed officially by investigators to

determine whether or not this shooting was justified.

This is what we know. 1:00 in the morning last Friday, just a few days ago, 19-year-old Christian Taylor was observed on surveillance video

by a security company walking and acting erratically in the parking lot of a car dealership not too far away from the police department here.

At one point he starts jumping up on one of the cars. He then drives, police say, a Jeep into the show room, through the wall, the glass wall of

the show room and goes inside. That's when two officers show up, one of them 49-year-old Brad Miller. And despite his age, he is a rookie police

officer just nearing the end of his field training program.

Somewhere in there, police say that there was an altercation between the two officers and Mr. Taylor. Police say that Taylor was told to lay

down on the ground, but instead of doing that he took off running.

At that point, we're told that Miller fired four shots. Taylor was hit in the neck, chest and abdomen. He died at the scene. But what is

interesting is that the other officer that was with Miller pulled a Taser, decided to use a Taser instead of a firearm. So, obviously, a lot of

questions surrounding one officer would reach for a Taser, another one for a firearm.

Police acknowledged that they do not have the answers to all of these questions that many people have here, Becky. And they say it will take

some time. And obviously a key component of that is exactly what the officers are telling investigators today -- Becky.

[11:35:35] ANDERSON: Ed Lavandera for you in Texas.

Well, fatal police shootings like these have fueled countless debates about police tactics in the U.S. And later this hour on this show we're

going to be looking at what may be another dimension to the problem that hasn't been talked about as much. It pertains to city financing. And a

CNN political commentator is going to explain that for you in about 10 minutes time.

First up, though, back to one of our top stories of the day. And it was a violent day in Turkey as two attacks in Istanbul killed at least one

person and five Turkish security personnel killed in the southeast of the country.

Well, for the latest on those attacks, I'm joined now by journalist Andrew Finkel from Istanbul. It seems, Andrew, we are witnessing a return

to the dark, grim days of violence between the Turkish government and the PKK. Is that correct?

ANDREW FINKEL, JOURNALIST: Well, it does appear like that. Up until two or three years ago the government had been making peace with its

Kurdish population. It's had a detailed strategy, a peace process whereby it was going to lure the Kurdish fighters out of the mountains. It was

going to come to some sort of political settlement. But in the last few weeks it seems to have torn up that settlement and with the results that we

see.

We've had tragic incidents really on both sides of the country.

ANDERSON: Why is this, Andrew?

FINKEL: One explanation, and it seems -- indeed. Well, we are living in a very politically unsettled time in Turkey. We've had an election last

June. There was no real result from that election. The government party did best, but they were deprived of the victory they wanted, the majority

they wanted by the very strong performance of a sort of a left of center Kurdish nationalist party, and it's a lot of people have the impression

that somehow this party is being punished for having done so well at this election, that the government isn't really unhappy about seeing the

situation deteriorate because they think that this will polarize the country in their favor if there's going to be a snap election, Becky.

ANDERSON: Some will say that the president Mr. Erdogan is reveling in all of this.

Let's just give our viewers a sense of where we stand so far as these politics are concerned. Turkey, as you say, in a state of political

uncertainty as the prime minister tries to form a new government at Tayyip Erdogan's request.

For our viewers sake, at least, the attempt at coalition building comes after Erdogan's party, the Justice and Development Party, won the

most seats but lost its overall majority in the June 7 general election. And the clock, as Andrew points out, is ticking. The prime minister has

until August 23. If unsuccessful, either President Erdogan or the parliament may decide to hold a new election.

At this point, what is the status of those talks, Andrew?

FINKEL: Well, the government the Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is trying to form a coalition, but a lot of people think he's not actually

trying that hard. Even as we talk, there are negotiations going on between him and the largest opposition party, the CHP, to see if they can form that

grand coalition. But a lot of people think that the gamble is that if the government were to go to a snap election that they might actually get the

majority which they were deprived of at the June election.

Well, the opinion polls don't actually support that hypothesis. If you look at the latest polls, they show that the electorate is pretty much

going to vote as they did last time.

So, we're in a political limbo here. And of course a lot of the violence that we've seen may be a result of this power vacuum -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating.

All right, Andrew, thank you for that. Andrew Finkel is out of Istanbul for you this evening.

Out of Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.

They could be coming to more police forces in the United States. But are body cameras the right way to keep the police and the public in check?

We investigate that after this.

Plus, next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will feature some new sporting events, but some Brazilian favorites won't be among them. All

that coming up on CNN. We're taking a very short break at this point. Back after this .

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:42:57] ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Welcome back.

Violence, as you may be aware, unfolded overnight in the U.S. state of Missouri as police and protesters clashed. It came after peaceful

demonstrations marking the one year anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown who is -- or was the unarmed black teenager fatally shot by white

police officer.

Now that shooting, and others like it, have prompted calls for police body cameras.

CNN's Samuel Burke reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is policing in Oakland, California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey, hey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 226.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey.

BURKE: This arrest, captured by our camera, and by a police body camera.

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Relax. Relax.

BURKE: All of the city's 500 patrol officers are required to wear one.

SEAN WHENT, CHIEF, OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: I think now, a lot of us wouldn't be comfortable going out on the street without it.

BURKE: Police in Oakland started wearing body cameras in 2010, long before the controversy surrounding the killing of Michael Brown in

Ferguson, Missouri.

(CHANTING)

BURKE: In the aftermath of Ferguson, this question caught fire, should every cop in America wear a body camera? Amplifying that debate? The death

of Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, and now Samuel DuBose.

MARK O'MARA, ATTORNEY & CNN LEGAL ANALYST: If there wasn't a video available, I do not believe we would have had an indictment.

BURKE: The officer pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and involuntary manslaughter in the July shooting death of DuBose. It was a

body camera from Taser International that captured the incident. Best known for its stun guns, Taser said its sales on cameras are up 154 percent this

year.

LUKE LARSON, TASER INTERNATIONAL: We now have over 190,000 cameras in the field. The body cameras are the fastest growing part of the business

today.

BURKE: Body cameras can cost anywhere from $400 to $1,000 depending on the maker, and storing the video can cost more than the cameras themselves.

[11:45:08] WHENT: Cloud storage costs for a department this size would run $600,000 to $700,000 a year.

BURKE: For now, Oakland is saving money by storing footage on its own servers.

WHENT: Five years into the program, we're still less than the million dollars spent on it. But to see the kind of reduction of complaints in uses

of force and lawsuits is probably paying for itself.

BURKE: For Oakland, body cams are worth the cost. Oakland says use of force is down 70 percent in the last four years and complaints against

officers down 60 percent since 2012.

WHENT: Not only do I think the officers behave better, I think the people on the other side of the camera behave better as well. It has a

civilizing effect on both sides of the camera.

BURKE: The Obama administration is pushing for more body cameras and offering federal funds, a potential windfall for companies like Taser and

rival, Digital Ally. Stock prices are surging.

LARSON: We believe in the next few years that every police officer will be wearing this technology.

BURKE: Body cameras also raise tough questions, catching people's most vulnerable moments. Just how much does the public have a right to see?

LIBBY SCHAAF, MAYOR OF OAKLAND: Cities are continuing to struggle with this issue around technology. We have a lot of data. And it gives us an

opportunity for a level of transparency. But it also had great privacy implications. You could allow the media to view the footage but not show

the footage. That is a policy that we are contemplating right now.

BURKE: While Oakland's mayor says they are not a silver bullet, the police chief says that the body cams are here to say.

WHENT: We're getting to a point where there's a public expectation of this. And I think in a few years, it will be standard issue everywhere.

BURKE: Samuel Burke, CNN, Oakland, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: So, body cameras being considered as a tool to prevent police misconduct. But CNN political commentator Charles Blow argues that

the root cause of the problem at hand is much deeper.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times he says that many cash- strapped municipalities face budgetary shortfalls and, quote, turn to law enforcement and courts to make up the difference in tickets and fines.

Some can also increase the number of finable offenses and stiffen the penalties.

Well, he goes on to say increased interaction leads to increased friction. And, quote, without fail something eventually goes horribly

wrong. We look at the end interaction, examining the officers for bias and the suspect for threatening behavior rather than looking at the systems

that necessitated the interactions.

We're talking about the criminal justice system and reforms if needed.

Let's talk about the big picture angle on this and bring in Charles Blow from New York. Charles, to your mind what's going wrong and what

needs to change?

CHARLES BLOW, JOURNALIST: Well, there's an enormous architecture that's built around police enforcement, judicial exercise and kind of

incarceration in America. And a lot of that is profit-driven, a lot of that feeds to coffers of local municipalities, a lot of the prisons are

for-profit, a lot of court fees help to pay for the court system itself. And so we have -- we are moving away from turning to citizens to say your

tax dollars should pay for these things or we have these expenses and we should have to cut services to pay for them, and we're moving towards a

system where...

ANDERSON: You're talking about criminal justice system as a business.

BLOW: The criminal justice system is -- you know, there are some parts of it that are in fact for profit. There are some parts of it,

particularly the prison system, you know, where they trade stock. So, there are parts of it that are for profit. There are also just local parts

of it that is what -- you know, Mother Jones magazine called the fiscal minutes, which is just on a local budgetary scale people are -- local

officials are loathe to either cut services or raise taxes because the population writ large does not want either of those things to happen. And

so what they then do is shift the burden from the overall population to these poor -- largely poor minority populations to make up the gap.

ANDERSON: You've written about the Black Lives Matters movement and the Republican Party, but I want to take a look at this clip. You can see

the Democratic presidential candidate and senator Bernie Sanders here seconds after he took to the stage at an event in Seattle on Saturday.

Now protesters from the local Black Lives Matter group interrupted his speech and demanded a moment of silence for Michael Brown whose anniversary

of course was just last night where we saw a lot of disturbance back in Ferguson, Missouri.

The Black Lives Matter movement doesn't endorse any one presidential candidate.

How big an issue, an election issue, do you think the reform of the criminal justice system, accusations of institutional racism, will be for

either party in 2016?

[11:50:34] BLOW: Well, let me say one thing. You know, that was a small group of people in Seattle, the actual Black Lives Matter group in

Seattle issued a statement on their Facebook page that basically said these people were not necessarily operating on their behest.

So, I think that one thing we have to understand about the Black Lives Matter movement, is that it is not a top down movement, it is not a single

person in charge. There is not a council of people orchestrating events around the country. So it is very much diffused. It is very much a social

media up from the ground movement rather than a top down movement. So you can't really, you know, say that one -- that one event represents the

movement itself, I think. I think it's looser than that.

I do, however, think -- I look at that in terms of presidential politics and say it will be very hard for the Democratic candidates who win

without enthusiastic support from the African-American community in the -- much the same way that Barack Obama got it in 2012. 2012 represented the

first time where the percentage of African-American voters in America was actually higher than the percentage of white voters in America.

The percentage of them who turned out to vote was higher than the percentage of white voters who could vote turn out to vote.

If you do not get that same level of enthusiasm, even if you win the black vote, the enthusiasm gap could mean the difference between election

and non-election.

ANDERSON: Fascinating.

All right, we're going to talk more about this as the months continue. For now, though, sir, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

BLOW: My pleasure.

ANDERSON: CNN's commentator for you.

Live from Abu Dhabi this is Connect the World -- thanks, mate. Coming up, the Olympics may have passed on the chance to include this popular

sport next year, but that doesn't mean we can't put it on display for you. We're going to give you a sky-high view when this show comes back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: We've got less than a year to go before the start of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 games. We'll have two additions:

golf and seven a side rugby, both being added for the first time in years.

But the organizers passed up the chance to include some of Brazil's favorite sports. Your Parting Shots then tonight care of my colleague

Shasta Darlington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jumping into the abyss and harnessing the wind currents. It may not be an Olympic sport,

but it's all the rage in Rio.

So, maybe against my better judgment, I give it a try.

Oh my gosh, all right. Oh my god. OK. OK.

Once the shock wears off, amazing views of Pedro De Gavia (ph) and San Cohado (ph) beach.

And according to my guide Eddie Colliveda (ph), Brazilian paragliders have proposed to include it in the Olympics.

If this were an Olympic sport, we would be traveling 50 kilometers from one city to another. I'm loving it, but I don't know if I would want

to go 50 kilometers. That might be too much.

Finally, a smooth landing.

It was amazing. It was amazing. Once you get up there, you feel like a bird.

And we soon discover other wouldbe Olympic sports like footchu volley (ph), kind of like beach volleyball, but played without using hands or arms

invented in Rio when football was banned from the beach.

"We're fighting to make it an Olympic sport," he says. "It's beautiful to play and to watch."

Of course, it's obvious which country would win.

Another uniquely Brazilian sport Capoeira invented by African slaves to disguise martial arts as a dance, always to the twang of (inaudible).

Maybe not an Olympic sport.

"It's difficult to imagine a competition with points for this or that, who wins, who loses," he says. "But it's part of our culture."

Culture that will be on display across the city in 2016.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:56:24] ANDERSON: And Shasta closing out Connect the World for you this evening. Don't forget, though, you can always follow the top stories

on CNN.com where you can also find this very strong piece by Florence Davie (ph) at the highlighting a day in the so-called Jungle, the migrant camp in

Calais, France where an estimated 3,000 people are living.

Makeshift falling roofs dot the camp and there inhabitants dream of a better life in England. You can find that story and others on the website,

that is CNN.com, of course. I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. Thank you for watching. From the team here it is a very good

evening.

END