
Attorneys Crump, Romanucci Talk Police Reform Efforts
Clip: 2/20/2024 | 7m 19sVideo has Closed Captions
Benjamin Crump and Antonio Romanucci take cases involving violence at the hands of police.
Attorney Benjamin Crump is Florida-based, but spends a lot of time in Chicago. He's become a household name, often appearing alongside families who've experienced violence at the hands of police. WTTW News sat down with Crump and his partner, attorney Antonio Romanucci.
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Attorneys Crump, Romanucci Talk Police Reform Efforts
Clip: 2/20/2024 | 7m 19sVideo has Closed Captions
Attorney Benjamin Crump is Florida-based, but spends a lot of time in Chicago. He's become a household name, often appearing alongside families who've experienced violence at the hands of police. WTTW News sat down with Crump and his partner, attorney Antonio Romanucci.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWITH NAMES LIKE TRAYVON MARTIN BREONNA TAYLOR.
AND OF COURSE, GEORGE FLOYD BECAME HOUSEHOLD NAMES.
>> IT'S PARTLY BECAUSE ONE ATTORNEY AND HIS TEAM MADE IT POSSIBLE.
ATTORNEY BENJAMIN CRUMP IS FLORIDA BASED BUT SPEND SOME TIME IN CHICAGO AND HAS HIMSELF BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME OFTEN APPEARING ALONGSIDE FAMILIES WHO'VE EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE AT THE HANDS OF POLICE.
SAT DOWN WITH TRUMP AND HIS PARTNER ATTORNEY ANTONIO ROMANUCCI LAST WEEK AND STARTED BY ASKING HOW THEIR ALLIANCE WAS FORMED.
>> PROBABLY 10, 11 YEARS AGO BECAUSE TRY THE CASE AND THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, WHICH IS A VERY DIFFICULT DISTRICT WHEN IT COMES TO THE JURY POOL DOWN THERE.
BUT WE DID GET A VERDICT ON THE CASE, BUT I NEEDED MY FEES TO BE APPROVED BY A JUDGE.
BEN HAD JUST FINISHED THE TRAYVON MARTIN CASE RIGHT AROUND THAT TIME.
AND SO I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO TAKE A FLIER IF I NEEDED SOMEBODY TO VOUCHER AND VALIDATE.
THE WORK THAT I DID, I COULDN'T THINK OF A BETTER PERSON, EVEN THOUGH I NEVER MET HIM.
SO I CALLED THEM COLD AND AND HE WAS RIGHT THERE FOR IT.
AN AMAZING MAN LOOKS LIKE IT.
IF YOU'VE GOT TO BE FRIENDS.
>> NO QUESTION BROTHERS WRITTEN AND I'LL SAY THIS AND I HAVEN'T EVEN TOLD TONY THIS TO REASON WHY.
>> I THINK TONY IS SUCH A PRINCE OF A MAN.
WHEN IT'S NOT THE GEORGE FLOYD CASES, HE STILL IS AS PASSIONATE HAVE A WORKING ON THOSE CASES THAT NO ATTENTION.
>> MISTER CRUMP, WHEN WE SPOKE A COUPLE OF YEARS JUSTICE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON HAD JUST BEEN CONFIRMED FOR THE SUPREME COURT.
YOU ARE THEN CALLING FOR FEDERAL POLICE REFORM, GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT AT THE TIME THERE'S LITTLE PROGRESS SINCE THEN.
WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S BEEN SO SLOW?
>> OBVIOUSLY, POLITICS IS A INTRIGUE, AN ANIMAL.
BUT WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS.
I DON'T WANT OUR SUPPORTERS TO GET DISCOURAGED.
THEY HAVE BEEN OVER 100 BILLS ACROSS AMERICA AND THAT THAT IN THE NAME OF GEORGE FLOYD TALKING ABOUT BANNING CHOKE HOLDS TALKING ABOUT A DUTY TO INTERVENE.
YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS THAT THE TONE AND SO PASSIONATE ABOUT WITH GEORGE FLOYD'S FAMILY.
WELL, WE ON CAPITOL HILL ARE GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANT TO HONOR GEORGE FLOYD'S LEGACY, WE FINALLY NEED TO HAVE SUBSTANTIVE POLICE REFORM BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE FEDERAL SYSTEM ISN'T FIXING.
THE POLICING ISSUES.
>> SO WE ARE TAKING IT UPON OURSELVES.
WE'RE PUTTING IT ON OUR SHOULDERS TO GO FROM STATE TO STATE.
ANYBODY THAT WILL LISTEN TO US TO SPEAK TO ACTUALLY PREACH THE WORD OF WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND WHAT BEN SAID IS TRUE.
SO IF WE CAN FIX THE PROBLEM ON A FEDERAL LEVEL, WE'RE GOING TO TRY STATE BY STATE COUNTY BY COUNTY CITY BY CITY.
>> MISTER CRUMP, WHEN SOME OF THESE NATIONAL TRAGEDIES HAPPEN AND GARNER THIS NATIONAL ATTENTION, WE SEE YOU THERE FREQUENTLY HOW HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT HAPPEN TO YOU APPROACH SOME FAMILIES OR DO THEY CALL?
YOU KNOW, WE >> GET ABOUT.
10,000 CARS A WEEK.
A LOT OF MARGINALIZED PEOPLE WHO FEEL THEY DON'T HAVE A VOICE A LOT OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS ALLOWED TO.
IT KNOWS.
AND SO THE GOOD THING ABOUT WORKING PEOPLE LIKE TONY IN THE LAWYERS AROUND THE COUNTRY IS.
YOU CAN TRY TO SCALE.
YOU CAN TRY TO SAY WEEKEND.
ISIS MORE PEOPLE IN HAVING THE CHANCE JUSTICE.
AND SO.
I THINK WITH THIS ALL THOSE BIG NAMES, YOU KNOW, ABOUT EVERY.
BRIANNA, FOR EVERY JOINS FLOOR.
I DARE SAY.
THERE IS OVER.
100 THAT JUST AS BAD.
THAT NOBODY KNOWS NAME AND UNDERSTAND PEOPLE SOMETIMES THINK THAT.
IT'S A BIG CASE AND WE'RE TAKING IT.
WHEN MOST OF THESE CASES, WHEN THEY CALL US THIS IS NOT A BIG CASE.
THE MEDIA DON'T SHOW UP IN BREONNA.
TAYLOR IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE.
LOCAL LAW HER FAMILY CALL PLEADING WITH ME TO GET INVOLVED.
SO SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN WHERE BRIANNA JUST WANT TO BE SWEPT UNDER THE AND THEN IT WAS A LOT EFFORT.
A LOT OF INGENUITY THAT MADE EVERYBODY SAY HER NAME BREONNA TAYLOR.
>> SO THERE'S THERE'S CRIMINAL CHARGES AND CONVICTIONS.
WRONGFUL DEATH SETTLEMENTS.
BUT WHAT DOES JUSTICE LOOK LIKE?
WHAT DO THE FAMILIES THAT YOU WORK WITH AND REPRESENT WHAT THEY TELL YOU?
JUSTICE IS FOR YOU KNOW, JUSTICE.
>> AS MANY THINGS TO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
BUT WHAT THE FAMILY WANTS, OBVIOUSLY THEY WANT KILL.
THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ABUSED THEM A BATTERED THEM TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
OBVIOUSLY WE WANT FOR JUSTICE BECAUSE OFTENTIMES THEY SAID BLACK PEOPLE MAKE A TV AT ONE OF THE THE GET A CRIMINAL CONVICTION OR YOU GET A CIVIL RESOLUTION, BUT YOU ALL CAN GET BOTH WOOD JOINS FLOOR WAS A CASE WHERE WE WANT TO SHOW THE WORLD IT NOW BLACK PEOPLE, TOO, ARE ENTITLED TO THE FOR PROMISES OF THE CONSTITUTION.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ATTORNEY JEN, I HAVE JUST BEEN DOGMATIC ABOUT IS TRYING TO.
THEIR LEGACIES POLICY TO SAY BECAUSE POLICY AFFECTS US ALL, YOU KNOW, THE CRIMINAL CONVICTION IS GOOD FOR US INSIDE TO THIS IS SETTLEMENT VERDICT HELPS THE FAMILY DIRECTLY BUT POLICY IS UNIVERSAL AND THAT COULD HAVE PREVENTED GEORGE FLORIDA, TYRE NICHOLS R, YOU KNOW, AROUND A GREAT ANY OF THEM.
AND THAT'S WHERE I BELIEVE THEY WANT IS TO HAVE THE LIFE THAT WAS SNUFFED OUT MEAN MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER HASHTAG.
BECAUSE GEORGE FLOYD WAS THE TEMPLATES FOR ESTABLISHING THAT BLACK LIVES HAVE THE SAME VALUE IF NOT MORE, THEN WHITE.
THAT IS WHERE WE HAD TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE BEYOND.
AND SO WHAT IS JUSTICE JUSTICE DIFFERS FROM CASE TO CASE?
>> BUT WE ARE ENSURING THAT AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY REPRESENTING PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AGGRIEVED BY POLICE OFFICERS OR BY MUNICIPALITIES AS A RESULT OF MISCONDUCT THAT WE ENSURE THAT THE VALUE OF LIFE IS EQUAL TO ALL.
>> AND BENJAMIN CRUMP WAS BACK IN CHICAGO LAST WEEK TO JOIN ROMANUCCI FOR A CONVERSATION AT THE DUSABLE BLACK HISTORY
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