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Isa Soares Tonight
Tyre Nichols' Funeral Begins In Memphis, Tennessee; U.S. Fed Chair Set To Announce New Interest Rate, Biden To Meet House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Soon; Remembering Tyre Nichols; Fed Chairman Speaks After Quarter- Point Rate Hike. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired February 01, 2023 - 14:00 ET
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[14:00:00]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A warm welcome to a very busy show, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we are following two breaking stories. The funeral
of Tyre Nichols is beginning right now in Memphis, we'll take you live to that city in just a moment. But we begin with breaking news from the U.S.
Federal Reserve, CNN's Richard Quest is standing by in New York for us. And Richard, do we know, do we have as of yet a decision?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: I'm just going to keep looking away in various different places as I wait to see the announcement
of a -- we're expecting a quarter point rise. It is a quarter point rise I am being told. The Fed has raised rates by 25 basis points in the official
lease, that's a quarter point to you and me.
Now, that's considerably less than the three quarter point rises that we've had so far. And what we will be waiting to see, it takes the Fed right now
to just 4.5, it's a target rate of 4.5 to 4.75. So still under 5 percent. Isa, it's believed 5 to 5.25 is going to be what they call a terminal rate,
when they stop raising. So the Fed is probably not done yet. I will pause for breath so you can get a question in.
SOARES: Well, especially not done yet, but is it a sign, Richard, the fact that they've gone for a quarter rather than 50 basis points from what we
saw in December. Is it a quarter that the medicine is working?
QUEST: That's a good question. Certainly inflation is off the boil. We have seen a noticeable decline, and that suggests that the medicine is
working. But I guess they're going for a quarter point because they know that the previous rate would not be sufficient to get inflation down to
where they want, which is 2 percent.
And therefore, they know they're going to have to keep raising rates. But it's best to do so cautiously, none of the bravado of three quarter
percent. Do it slowly while you watch to see if the medicine is actually taking effect. Just being handed this statement -- here we go. The FOMC
statement, here we go.
We get, of course, that Russia's war against Ukraine is causing tremendous -- the committee is seeking to achieve maximum employment, raise the
targets rate -- here we go. The committee anticipates that ongoing increases will be appropriate. That means we're not done yet to get it down
to 2 percent in determining the extent, they'll take account -- they could do percent, the lag.
So in other words, they're saying, we are not done yet, but we recognize the medicine we've done so far hasn't fully taken effect. And I think this
is crucial. The committee is strongly committed to returning inflation to 2 percent.
SOARES: And what they are seeing, Richard, the markets are not liking. We look at the Dow Jones before we had that announcement, it was down what?
Eight-tenths of a percent, now down just over 1 percent. So when we hear from Chair Powell in what? In less than 30 minutes, what should we be
looking out for, Richard, here?
QUEST: Yes, well, yes, look, I don't really understand this market sort of dyspepsia. The reality is, they've got exactly the result that they
expected, which was a quarter percent, which is in a sense, good news. Because it means the Fed is easing its foot off the brake, while it waits
to see how fast the economy is slowing.
So they've got what they wanted on that. The fact that they say they're not done yet -- quelle surprise, Isa, we had numerous Fed governors saying,
look, the current rate, 4.25 to 4.5, 4.5 to 5.7 won't be enough to get rates down to -- inflation down to 2 percent. I think what you're seeing is
a bit of hope dashed.
They hoped that the doves(ph) might have got some wording in that would have suggested that enough has been done. The real test, Isa, the real test
is going to come once inflation is down at 2.5 percent, 3 percent. Do they -- or even 4 percent. Do they give up and say, yes, we'll let it leave it
there or does the Fed say, no, our integrity requires us to get this down to 2 percent.
SOARES: Richard Quest there with that breaking news. And Richard will have much more on the --
QUEST: Yes --
SOARES: Fed decision in about 55 minutes time or so on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS". Thank you very much, Richard --
QUEST: Thank you --
[14:05:00]
SOARES: Well, for our second breaking news story, the funeral for Tyre Nichols is getting underway right now in Memphis, Tennessee. You are
watching as you can see there live pictures of mourners pouring in to pay their respects to the 29-year-old father who died last month after he was
brutally beaten by Memphis police officers.
His death has sparked a nationwide conversation yet again about police violence. Vice President Kamala Harris is attending the service along with
key figures in the civil rights movement, including the families of police violence victims, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Any minute now, we are
expecting to hear a eulogy from Reverend Al Sharpton.
CNN's Ivan Rodriguez joins us now live from Memphis. And Ivan, as we look at these pictures coming into us now, I mean, this is a day, no doubt, I
assume that the family wants to spend remembering the life of Tyre Nichols. Just talk us through what we expect today and who we're expecting to hear
from.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, good afternoon. We're expecting the funeral services to begin within the hour. It has been postponed, it
was supposed to be earlier this morning. So a lot of family members have been waiting now for this moment to say their final goodbyes.
Like you mentioned earlier, we're expecting Vice President Kamala Harris to arrive here at the church really within a span of minutes. She landed at
the airport about 20 minutes ago. We're also expecting, during the service, to see a lot of friends, family members, family members of Breonna Taylor
and George Floyd as well, for example.
And we are also later on after the service expecting to hear from a family attorney, Ben Crump, who is said to announce a call to action as well.
SOARES: And in terms -- Ivan, in terms of the investigation, I understand that more videos are set to be released. Do we know when these will be
released, and why the police, critically, hasn't released them yet?
RODRIGUEZ: Right now, it's still unclear as far as a timeline for when those videos are going to be released. We do know Memphis police have said
as well as the district attorney's office here in Shelby County that more videos will be released. We actually got a statement from the spokesperson,
saying they're continuing to investigate officers within the Memphis Police Department, as well as the fire personnel at the scene. Additional videos
are expected to be released, but again, they're not saying a timeline on this either.
SOARES: And in the meantime, in the last 24 hours or so, we have been learning that several of the Memphis police officers who have been charged
with Tyre Nichols' death have histories of minor departmental violations. What is the Memphis police saying about this? Should these have been red
flags?
RODRIGUEZ: So, right now, we do know that based on reports, that those five former Memphis police officers did have certain disciplinary issues.
We're seeing written reprimands or short suspensions for violating department policies. None of those, though, from what we can see in the
reports had to do with being previously disciplined for excessive force.
Right now, from Memphis police, we're not hearing as to why that may have not been a red flag. What information that they had on hand to make that
determination at the moment, and why those officers were still been on the streets, that's a question that Memphis police still hasn't specifically
answered.
SOARES: Ivan, really appreciate it, thank you very much. Well, as we've discussed, Tyre Nichols' death has reignited really a conversation about
police violence and racial justice in America. We talked about it yesterday on the show, and we are talking about it today, the importance of it.
I want to bring in Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney and head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She joins me live from New
York. Maya, great to have you on the show. I mean, we're looking at these images coming in now from Memphis, Tennessee, of the choir singing at this
very moment -- it's just so incredibly tragic, Maya, that we're here again, you know, seeing a young man die at the hands of police and celebrating his
life this way.
Just explain to our viewers around the world how, why, this keeps happening in the U.S., Maya?
MAYA WILEY, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: You know, it's such an important question, and I just want to start by saying, the pain of this family is
actually the pain of the entire community. Not just in Memphis, but across the country, because for so many of us, who are mothers, who have children,
who have loved ones, this is the fear we have every single day for our children.
And the reason, the reason we have it is quite clear. It's because if you are driving while black, you are much more likely to be stopped and
searched, and in fact, killed by police -- even if you're not being aggressive, even if there is no evidence of crime, even if you don't have a
weapon.
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And I say this because it's documented. We have reams of research on it. But it really is also the daily experience from low-level harassment to
frankly very serious risks of harm and even death. And so, one of the things that we've been calling for from the civil rights community for
years, since the 1990s, when the phrase "driving while black was coined", was that we no longer be profiled by police based on race.
But also, that we frankly recognize that we don't need a badge and a gun for very small traffic violations, like changing lanes without a signal or
having a registration that needs to be updated. We have people who are black who are dead today because of those alleged violations.
SOARES: And you say, in one of your tweets I was reading earlier and I want to read it here to our audience, "that he is dead because they didn't
like that he made them run." Just explain this to our viewers, what you mean by that, Maya?
WILEY: So, you know, one of the problems that we have had with policing in the United States is very much one in which police feel justified if they
feel put out or insulted or in any way disrespected, that they get angry and some of them, not all of them, but some of them actually get violent.
One of the reasons that people in Memphis and across this country have been asking for an end to street crime units, because often the more aggressive
police officers in Memphis, that was called the SCORPION Unit, are the kinds of officers who get violent when they feel disrespected.
And if you watch the videos, which is very painful to watch, I would caution anyone before watching it to make sure you're prepared. But those
videos really demonstrate that they were very angry that he ran. They had to ran a while. They were winded. You hear one, the white officer, who was
only later being investigated -- that was a question from the community as well, made a comment about hoping the other officers stomped him.
When I watched that video, particularly as someone who has done civilian oversight on police misconduct charges, I see police officers who wanted to
punish him.
SOARES: So, Maya, if you're a black mother in the United States, what advice do you give to your children? Do you tell them to stop? Do you tell
them to run? I mean, just explain that -- this moment right now.
WILEY: Well, so, you know, part of the pain of being a black parent, as a parent, fathers do it too, we're even afraid for ourselves sometimes. My
friends and I talk about our fear of being stopped by police, is that what you tell your children is, don't make sudden movements. Stay very calm, and
make sure you're talking politely to police officers.
Do what they tell you to do, do not run. Here's the problem. Even when we say that -- which by the way, we shouldn't have to, because quite frankly,
often times, as we saw with Philando Castile, a black man who was doing all those things, he was still shot and killed. And we see it in this case with
Tyre Nichols.
That, you know, frankly, he was being yanked from a car for no reason, manhandled, thrown to the ground, cursed at, given directions he couldn't
possibly follow. So here's the other part of the story, trauma, black trauma.
SOARES: Yes --
WILEY: Because often times, because these things are happening every day and because so many young black men and women experienced these kinds of
stops and petty harassment every day, a trauma response sets in, which you are afraid for your life, and you know, fight or flight in --
SOARES: Yes --
WILEY: In stressful situations, some people flee, and it turned out that Tyre Nichols understood that he was fleeing for his life, and that's
something that every parent, every parent who is black in this country has to face and fear.
SOARES: Some incredibly hard to fathom. Maya, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thanks very much, Maya, and of course --
WILEY: Thank you. Thank you for having me --
SOARES: We'll return -- real pleasure. And we'll return, of course, to the funeral of Tyre Nichols in just a moment. We're expected to hear as well
from Reverend Al Sharpton, who if you remember, yesterday, delivered -- he spoke and is expected to deliver a eulogy today.
Well, the FBI has conducted a new search for classified documents at one of Joe Biden's homes in Delaware today. An attorney for the U.S. President
says no classified records were found. He says today's search had Mr. Biden's full support and cooperation. I want to take you to the White House
now. The White House counsel is speaking. Let's listen in.
IAN SAMS, WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL'S OFFICE: To the house, they were over at the house today, the Wilmington House previously to be able to do a
thorough search, and it's because the president is moving quickly to get them access to the information that they need, so that they can move
forward with a thorough review, that's thorough, and it's done efficiently. Zolan(ph)
[14:15:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to follow up on a hand-written notes. Is the White House aware of what specific -- what they actually are, what they
contain. You were saying that they say something about his time as vice president. What level of sensitivity might be contained in those hand-
written notes?
SAMS: That's a good question, and I'm just not going to be able to speak to the underlying contents of what the Justice Department may be looking at
as part of their ongoing investigation. But look, I will say it, again, you know, as they move forward with this investigation, the president, his
attorneys, the White House, certainly, are going to be fully cooperative with that.
We're following their lead to ensure that they have what they need in order to conduct a thorough review.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have they told you, though, have they told you specifically --
SAMS: I'm not going to speak to the DOJ conversations --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, what is the total number of documents bearing classified markings that have been carried out as part of the
investigations --
SAMS: That's a good question. I think that there's probably more appropriate questions for the Justice Department. I don't want to
characterize sort of what they're reviewing and how they're going through all that. All right, thank you guys.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When are you going to tell us about these searches?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is --
(CROSSTALK)
Is that every question is answered by I'll refer you to the State Department -- about the interview with the president and prosecutors.
SOARES: Well, let's get more on all of this, listening in I'm sure was our Stephen Collinson for more. So, Stephen, there, the White House counsel
talking about really what we were just reporting, that no classified records were found in the new search of President Biden's home in Delaware.
It's a search that took 3.5 hours. Where does this leave the investigation?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think you had Ian Sams there, the spokesman for the counsel's office basically making the
argument that this shows that the president is cooperating with this investigation. Another one of his properties searched by the FBI.
You'll remember that it took a search warrant for the FBI to get into Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Resort last year to conduct a search after months
of resistance. So that's the argument the White House is making, it's trying to distinguish the president from the former President Donald Trump,
and make the case that this is not as serious transgression.
Having said that, this is a special counsel's investigation. The fact that we've now seen the FBI search two of the presidents homes and an office as
well, we've learned that this week, that, that took place in November, shows that this is a very serious investigation. And no White House likes
to be under the scrutiny of a special counsel because you don't know where it's going to ultimately lead.
SOARES: Yes, absolutely. And the fact that they had the search was conducted with the support and the cooperation of the president, that we
knew, that is something that we've heard from them before. But how much has this investigation cast a shadow, do you think, Stephen, on the Biden
administration?
COLLINSON: Well, the fact that the spokesman came out in front of the West Wing there, and had to give this statement, I think, shows you that there
is political damage and the White House --
SOARES: Yes --
COLLINSON: Has realized it. What I think is the problem is that it didn't all come out at once. We've had day after day these extra searches, news of
a few documents found here and there, that's the political problem for the White House. And what it's doing is that it's allowing Republicans to blur
the two issues in the public mind, the documents that President Trump had, and resisted giving to the government, and the documents that President
Biden had, and has been happy to hand over.
You know, the political rationale for potentially charging Trump in the future, while not taking any action against the president, that's a very
difficult political thicket that's now opening up, and it could well, result, I think, in it being much harder for the Justice Department to move
against Donald Trump with charges even if it wants to.
SOARES: And as all of this is unfolding, Stephen, President Biden, I believe is set to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and that is the
first such gathering, I believe, since he won the coffee(ph), won the speakership. What are we expecting to hear?
COLLINSON: I think we're going to see the start of a long standoff. We have this very odd situation in the United States where Congress has to
periodically authorize the president to raise the limit on the amount of money that the U.S. government can borrow to pay for stuff that Congress
has already authorized.
And if that doesn't happen, there could be a disastrous debt default, and the credit of the United States, the sterling credit could be in real
trouble. So, that is the big issue in Washington right now. The critical point probably won't come until the Summer, but what we're going to see is
McCarthy, who is demanding massive spending cuts from the president, to raise the debt ceiling, and the president, who says he's not going to
negotiate.
They're basically going to lay out what I think is going to be a dominant confrontation in Washington for the next few months. And you know, it's
something that really affects all Americans. If Social Security retirement payments can be paid, if veteran benefits can't be paid, if student loan
payments can't be paid out, it could cause chaos in the economy if the debt-ceiling isn't eventually raised.
[14:20:00]
And that is also something that could ripple around the world and cause real --
SOARES: Yes --
COLLINSON: Trouble. You know, at a time when a lot of people are starting to hope that perhaps this feared 2023 recession may not happen or may not
be as bad as everyone feared.
SOARES: Yes, a debt-ceiling standoff, deja vu, right? Stephen --
COLLINSON: Yes --
SOARES: Collinson, I appreciate it, thanks very much. And still to come tonight, massive walkouts across the U.K. as the cost of living rises, the
pay stays the same. What workers are demanding, that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Ukrainian authorities say they are cracking down on corruption at the highest levels. On Wednesday, the State Bureau of Investigations
conducted a series of raids on high-ranking officials, including the acting head of the Kyiv tax authority. Investigators say they discovered hundreds
of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury washes and cars at the tax cheats house.
They also charge a former defense ministry official with embezzlement for purchasing faulty bulletproof vests for Ukrainian armed forces. President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is preparing reforms in Ukraine's social, legal and political systems. He plans to meet with EU officials on Friday for
talks about joining the bloc.
Well, it seems as though many workers in Britain have reached really a boiling point, taking it to the streets today in the biggest walkout
Britain has seen in more than a decade. Those striking are fed up with their working conditions and salaries that failed to offset the rising cost
of living. Our Nada Bashir has the story from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): It's the biggest day of industrial action that Britain has seen in over a decade.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overworked and underpaid!
BASHIR: An estimated half a million public sector workers striking across the country, including teachers, transport workers and civil servants, with
thousands of schools forced to close, most train lines at a standstill and government services severely disrupted.
(on camera): Well, here in central London, thousands of public sector workers have marched on Whitehall, the center of government to demand
better pay and better working conditions. Trade unions say the public sector is in a crisis, and this has only been exacerbated by record-high
inflation and a deepening cost of living crisis.
[14:25:00]
(voice-over): The strikes come amid an ongoing standoff between the government and trade unions. Despite past walkouts and increasing pressure,
the National Education Union says negotiations with the government have stalled, and warns that schools are now facing a recruitment and retention
crisis.
MARY BOUSTED, GENERAL SECRETARY, NATIONAL EDUCATION UNION: That's a toxic combination of overwork and underpay. So teachers are saying very
reluctantly, none of the people behind me wants to be on strike today. But they are saying, very reluctantly, that enough is enough, and that things
have to change.
BASHIR: The government maintains the door for negotiations is always open, and when it comes to the education sector, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has
criticized those taking strike action.
RISHI SUNAK, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: I am clear that our children's education is precious, and they deserve to be in school today,
being taught. And actually, the party opposite would do well to say that the strikes are wrong and we should be backing our school children.
BASHIR: But here in London, some students have joined the march in solidarity with their teachers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's as simple as staffs' working conditions are our learning conditions. So you know, when our staff is overworked, underpaid,
stressed out, have no time off, it ruins the quality -- it ruins the quality of our education.
BASHIR: The government is now also facing protests against its controversial plans for a new law which would mandate minimum service
levels in the public sector during strikes. Unions have dubbed it the anti- strike bill. While Amnesty International has described the proposal as alarming, warning it could further erode human rights in the U.K.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do we want?!
CROWD: Ten percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When do we want it?!
CROWD: Now!
BASHIR: With further strikes planned, pressure on the government is only growing, disruptions to everyday life are set to become a more frequent
occurrence for a population already grappling with a deepening financial crisis. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, after days of violence and a high stakes visit from the U.S. Secretary of State, where do relations stand
between the Israelis and the Palestinians? I'll ask the Palestinian representative to the United Kingdom. That is next. Plus, more on one of
our breaking news stories at the top of this hour.
The U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman is about to explain the Fed's latest interest rate decision. Jerome Powell should take to the podium right after
this short break. You're looking as Wall Street as it reacts, down 1 percent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SOARES (voice-over): Welcome back, everyone. We want to take you to Memphis, Tennessee. Of course, our top story this hour.
We see the funeral service for Tyre Nichols currently underway. And playing on the screens is a video montage, a dedication, to Nichols, 29, of course,
who was subdued, get continuously beaten, after a traffic stop by Memphis police on January the 7th.
We, of course, we will keep on top of this funeral service. We are expecting to hear a eulogy from reverend Al Sharpton as soon as that
begins. We will take you to Memphis, Tennessee.
Our other breaking news story this hour, if you are watching at the top of the, show U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell is speaking after the
quarter-point rate hike. Let's listen in.
JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: Today, the FOMC raised our policy interest rate by 25 basis points. We continue to anticipate that
ongoing increases will be appropriate in order to obtain a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to return inflation to 2
percent over time.
In addition, we are continuing in the process of significantly reducing the size of our balance sheet. Restoring price stability will likely require
maintaining a restrictive stance for some time. I will have more to say about today's monetary policy actions after briefly reviewing economic
developments.
The U.S. economy slowed significantly last year, with real GDP rising at a below-trend pace of 1 percent. Recent indicators point to modest growth of
spending and production this quarter.
Consumer spending appears to be expanding at a subdued pace; in part, reflecting the tighter financial conditions over the past year. Activity in
the housing sector continues to weaken, largely reflecting higher mortgage rates.
Higher interest rates and slower output growth also appear to be weighing on business fixed investment.
Despite the slowdown in growth, the labor market remains extremely tight with the unemployment rate at a 50 year low, job vacancies still very high
and wage growth elevated. Job gains have been robust, with employment rising by an average of 247,000 jobs per month over the last three months.
Although the pace of job gains has slowed over the course of the past year and nominal wage growth has shown some signs of easing, the labor market
continues to be out of balance.
Labor demand substantially exceeds the supply of available workers. And the labor force participation rate has changed little from a year ago.
Inflation remains well above our longer-run goal of 2 percent. Over the 12 months ending in December, total PCE prices rose 5.0 percent.
Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core PCE prices rose 4.4 percent. Inflation data received over the past three months show a welcome
reduction in the monthly pace of increases.
And while recent developments are encouraging, we will need substantially more evidence to be confident that inflation is on a sustained downward
path.
Despite elevated inflation, the longer term inflation expectations appear to remain well anchored, as reflected in a broad range of surveys of
households, businesses and forecasters as well as measures from financial markets.
But that's not grounds for complacency. Although inflation has moderated recently, it remains too high. The longer the current bout of high
inflation continues, the greater the chance of expectations of higher inflation will become entrenched.
The Fed's monetary policy actions are guided by our mandate to promote maximum employment and stable prices for the American people.
My colleagues and I are acutely aware that high inflation imposes significant hardship as it erodes purchasing power, especially for those
least able to meet the higher cost of essentials, like food, housing and transportation.
[14:35:00]
We are highly attentive to the risks that inflation poses to both sides of our mandate and we are strongly committed to returning inflation to our 2
percent objective.
At today's meeting, the committee raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points, bringing the target range to 4.5 percent to
4.75 percent. And we are continuing the process of significantly reducing the size of our balance sheet.
With today's actions, we have raised interest rates by 4.5 percentage points over the past year. We continue to anticipate that ongoing increases
in the target range for the federal funds rate will be appropriate in order to attain a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to
return inflation to 2 percent over time.
We are seeing the effects of our policy actions on demand --
SOARES: You have been listening there to Jerome Powell, the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, really responding to the decision that we saw at the top
of the hour, in the last 35 minutes, the fact that the Federal Reserve has raised rates by 25 basis points; very different from what we had seen back
in December, which was 50 basis points.
In fact, this is the smallest rate hike that we have seen since March. He did say, we anticipate ongoing increases where appropriate.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" will have more in about 20 minutes. I want to take you now to the funeral of Tyre Nichols, that's underway in Memphis,
Tennessee. Let's listen in.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SOARES (voice-over): Remembering the life of Tyre Nichols, 29 years of age. This is what so many people will be doing right now in Memphis, in
that church there, in Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis.
Representing inside that church and mourning alongside the family of Tyre Nichols as well will Tamika Palmer (ph), whose daughter, Breonna Taylor,
was fatally shot in Louisville, Kentucky.
We also will be expecting the younger brother of George Floyd to be part there. Of course, his name reverberated, really didn't, it across the
nation, following his death in 2020 after a former policeman, a Minneapolis policeman, knelt on his neck and you know, and back for more than nine
minutes.
But what we are seeing and I'm sure what the family want to show this very moment is remembering the man, remembering the 29-year-old man, Tyre
Nichols, who we know loved photography. We've seen that time and time again.
He loved skateboarding. He is devoted -- his mother said he was a devoted son, who had tattooed his mother's name on his arm. And also, worth
remembering, he was a loving father to a 4-year-old boy.
And so we are -- while this is all happening, there is an investigation, of course, underway. Several police officers have been removed, then charged.
Whilst we wait to hear from the reverend Al Sharpton, a eulogy is expected from him, at some point in the next hour, let's get more on Nichols' case
and what we can expect going forward. I want to bring in Darrin Porcher. He's a criminal justice expert and a former lieutenant with the New York
City Police Department.
Thank you very much, Darrin, for joining us. And of course, we are -- as you and I talk now, we are looking at the celebration, really, of Tyre
Nichols' life, so I interrupt, apologies in advance.
From what I understand, the city of Memphis plans to release more videos of the beating once its investigation is complete.
Do we know why they are holding onto them?
Why they are not releasing them now?
DARRIN PORCHER, CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXPERT: Well, it's understood that there were certain terminal pieces to the video that needed to be introduced to
the public; that being the pole camera and the initial officer that engaged the deceased in this particular case during the car stop.
[14:40:00]
However, we had a series of other officers that were on the scene. So it was just a matter of time and acquiring that video from those additional
officers and putting together the comprehensive overview that can be related to the public as opposed to presenting a confusing account, with
one officer's body cam compared to the next.
Because it's somewhat troublesome in tying it altogether.
SOARES: Let me ask you this. We are now learning, CNN is now learning, in the last 24 hours, that some of the officers who have been charged within
the department, they had violations within the department. I'm talking about those within the elite team that's been now disbanded.
Should these have been raised as red flags?
Is this normal to have these violations?
PORCHER: Well, I believe supervisory oversight is a terminal component in policing. And if an officer had violated the policies, he or she should be
handled appropriately, whether it be removing that individual from the unit or creating a better source of oversight to ensure that a quintessential
approach in policing occurred.
And we -- I think this is just the beginning. There is a lot more that's going to come out of this.
We have since disbanded the SCORPION unit but it really begs the question as to, what was the oversight and what was done from a corrective
perspective to ensure that policing was done appropriately within this unit?
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PORCHER (voice-over): Which we clearly saw was at fault.
SOARES (voice-over): Darrin, you say you expect much more to come out of this.
What do you mean?
PORCHER (voice-over): Well, the investigation is ongoing, which is kind of at the beginning of it. Granted, we had a series of officers that were
fired. But let's look to the root causes.
Why did this act actually occur?
What supervisory practice was in place to prevent this from happening?
And so I think that you are going to see, from an organizational perspective, a dramatic change in how that department operates.
SOARES (voice-over): Let's talk about that.
How would you describe the culture within police forces that has led to this tragic accident yet again?
Incident, not accident; incident happening yet again?
PORCHER (voice-over): Well, whoever the chief of police is, that individual sets the policy and the tone and the temperament of that
department. And so, we look at just regular operational responsibilities of policing an officer would do --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: Darrin, I'm going to interrupt you, apologies to interrupt, apologies. We are expecting reverend Al Sharpton about to speak. Let's
listen in.
(DOMESTIC PROGRAMMING)
END
