>> Good evening and welcome to a special edition of Chicago tonight.

What voices I'm Brandis Friedman.

It was Memorial Day 5 years ago that video captured the murder of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis police Officer.

Floyd's death.

Just a couple of months into the start of a global pandemic ignited a racial reckoning sparking demonstrations nationwide and calls for police accountability.

Tonight, we'll explore what's changed in the 5 years since his death and what advocates say remains to be done.

>> It was a video seen around the world 9 minutes.

And 29 seconds.

Enough time to end the life of George Floyd and changed the lives of those around him.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's Neck as he was handcuffed on the ground.

What you want and the >> That video capturing Floyd's last moments sparking outrage and protests across the country >> especially in communities that have a long history with police brutality.

>> Nvidia brought back to trauma.

Of Laquan McDonald staff.

>> Frustrations boiled over and some demonstrations turned violent, damaging businesses downtown and across Chicago's neighborhoods.

Governor JB Pritzker deployed the National Guard at Mayor Lori Lightfoot's request also declared a citywide curfew for the first time since 1968.

>> I do want to send frustration have plagued country, even our city of Chicago.

don't think that this asked to call anything right about >> Repeated violent clashes between Chicago police and protesters occurred throughout the summer.

Reports later found the city and CPD were, quote, unprepared for the protests and ensuing unrest and taxpayers have paid for it.

Spending 8.7 million dollars to defend and settle lawsuits related to officer misconduct during the 2020 protests, protesters continue to hit the streets pushing for police reform.

The Black Lives Matter movement and calls to defund the police gain traction and in 2021 Derek Chauvin was convicted and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Real justice would be.

>> Silk in that job floor.

We're still be here with his So what we got today was some measure of accountability.

>> With that conviction, all eyes turned to Congress and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

But the federal legislation that would ban the use of choke holds and qualified immunity for officers and create a national police misconduct registry.

Among other actions has been stalled in the U.S. Senate.

If you can make.

>> Federal to protect the bird, which just about Google, you can make for better allowed take people of color.

>> Meanwhile, Illinois passed a sweeping police reform bill into law that in part requires law enforcement to wear body cameras and creates a certification program for police.

This moment is a hopeful moment.

And in Chicago, Floyd's murder focused new attention on the police department's lack of progress complying with the federal court order requiring it to stop routinely violating the civil rights of black and Latino residents and a new era of oversight began in 2023. with the first election of the community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability designed to give Chicagoans a real say in how the department operates.

But activists say police shootings since Floyd's murder like Sonya Massey.

Jacob Blake and Dante Wright.

Our evidence that more needs to be done.

And since the murder of George Floyd, some police departments across the country have made changes.

But many of those actions are now threatened under the Trump administration.

The Department of Justice just today announcing that it would end federal oversight of police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville and plans to close investigations in other cities despite the order Chicago's consent decree mandating police reform will remain in effect because it does not involve the DOJ.

Joining us to discuss all of this, some more are Bradley Johnson, the chief community officer from builds Chicago, Ernest Cato, retired Chicago police chief who served more than 30 years on the force and on zoom, Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor and Kofi it Mola founder of Good Kids.

Mad City.

We also invited the Chicago Police Department to join us, but they declined.

Gentlemen, thanks to all of you for joining Kofi Animal.

I want to start with you, please.

In the nearly 5 years since George Floyd's death public discourse about police brutality and anti-black racism.

>> It's died down a good bit outside of activist circles.

What would you say is happening happening right now among activists and grassroots circle since the spotlight has sort of moved away from these issues.

>> Sure.

First and foremost, thank you for having me.

I would say locally here in Chicago, we got what's called the Chicago Torsion Justice And it's a place where survivors of police torture originally from John.

We're we can also go all the way up to Homan where survivors are being supported.

So having more resources for things like that, the young people, good kids, Mad City, they're advocating to pass that piece.

Book, which is a public safety initiatives violence prevention to get resources for young people to push peace.

So on that along the alliance's work, like you said, we're seeing some progress, right?

But on the other so actually who was shot over 90 times here, Chicago and we see a Chicago Police department's budget going up every year.

So where over 2 billion dollars.

Now.

And that's not even accounting for the amount of money that's being paid out police misconduct please violence, which I believe we've already at the 82 million Dollar Mark this year so far.

So there's still a lot of ways to go in a lot of work still be done.

Right.

And just today, City Council approved several million dollars more in police misconduct lawsuit settlements.

>> Coffee, you know, be in back in the summer of 2020 hundreds thousands of people who maybe weren't typically protesting filled the streets.

Right?

Joining people who are always demonstrating and protesting.

Do you think that, you know, the folks who aren't necessarily directly involved as you and the Chicago Torture Justice Center in good kids, Mad City are.

Do you think those folks who aren't involved sort of moved away from the conversation have gone back to their lives in those 5 years.

>> don't think so.

I think when we even with people marching against wrong, folks, marching in solidarity Palestine.

You know, these are some of the same communities and saying organizers to get impacted comments.

One thing I will say, though, is both the Democrats and Republicans, both liberals and conservatives a pretty good job The fund, the police, right.

Some messaging coming from the Biden administration on messaging coming from the Trump administration and then Democrats and Republicans from the Senate on down local elections were very adamant about being pro police about making sure that police are funded.

So I would say that's probably the biggest backlash and a lot of the propaganda that you saw television commercials, cetera, media really propagating that.

So I think that did put her in a lot of people off movement because one they just assumed if, you know, send the cop to jail for murdering a black person, that that's just that's what we believe.

It's not.

And that, you know, please getting more money to supposed our community safe.

We don't believe that's just a city that we believe we need to be investing helling, Stuart, of justice and other things so our community and we do have a former police officer joining us from police chief Ernest Cato.

You you know, still active in law enforcement, of course, in 2020.

>> How did you feel at the time?

What was it like for you to be in the position that you were in 2020 as a black man?

>> That's always been a difficult position to be in a black and especially coming from the community that I did.

That idea come from.

But having an understanding of communities that have been and that pretty felt like they had a fear treatment and then being in a position where I had to actually also some form of law enforcement.

It's a tricky position, but my life prepared me for it.

I had an idea of what folks may have felt like in from the community that I came from, but also knew that I had a job to do.

The difficult part was trying to bring them both together.

Bringing both together and understand and make the community understand where that we had a job to do.

But at the same time, those who worked for me had to make them have understanding of.

How the community felt.

And the area that I worked and we pretty much lead that way on the west side of Chicago.

Pretty much have an understanding of the community felt but under state.

Also, we had to protect property and lives a fine line walk for you.

was a tight rope.

It was a tight rope.

Eyes sometimes may have went home.

And I just kind of just kind of.

Had to understand my purpose.

What was my purpose?

our purpose was, again, to defend lives, protect property, but also have empathy with the commute.

>> Bradley Johnson tells about the work that Bill does to foster positive police community relationship.

>> Yes, so, you know, build as a youth development organization.

You know, since 1969.

>> We worked tirelessly to make sure that there's a relationship where we communicate regularly with police officers with the police department.

We stand in gap with a young people saying that there's the issue, bring them to us and will, you know, help to work with them.

I think that.

We also have worked to partner with the police department to get feedback and hear the voices of community.

He had a voice is a by young people.

The people impacted by some of the policies and practices.

So that there's a face put too.

Policing happens and then also to humanize, you know, I sit on one of the advisory boards for the training academy for the police Department where myself, along with other leaders and nonprofits across the city.

We actually get the review.

The annual trainings that police officers get where we're able to get feedback.

And that feedback tends to be where on the police.

I know we talk about constitutionality, their work also there is this.

This focus on making sure you know what you noticed right away not to get in trouble, that there won't be you know, lawsuit and I just going I know that you that you also do some work with young people on how to interact with young people, exactly and how to interact with the police excuse.

so we do a lot of know your rights.

>> We teach young people really.

How do you actually respond officers when that when they speak to you courteous and listen but also know what, what what your rights are.

But also how do you actually made safe?

So you don't escalate the situation.

So that's really important.

And the reason why is because sometimes that a young people with their history and with the history that they picked up, they meet some.

They meet officers with aggression.

Sometimes officers meet them with aggression and they they push it right back.

But the power dynamics even okay a professor Monday.

Want to get you in here because you founded the civil rights and police Accountability Clinic in 2000, which in part seeks to improve accountability within CPD.

What progress have you seen since you've started this work?

>> Like Com, Michael yet saying.

>> We've seen real progress, but it's been far too slow.

Got a long way to go.

Particularly areas would seem the most progresses.

There's where people stood up with people.

Commuting have interview that forced the police to engage one of the areas.

First time in effort, not just my lifetime.

That the agency that investigates police piece Chicago is actually ever sought to hold officers accountable when they abuse the Polish to hurt people.

Mets Copa which is also assault.

If this moment.

Transparency, one things that that we've seen in major progress is we want a lawsuit with folks side-by-side do that makes police misconduct records.

All complaints of police misconduct records belong to the people.

that police have to release video when officers kill someone along with the chief keto.

We fundamentally transform the rules governing.

We used to support pilots with an emphasis sanctity of life for all people, the escalating situations using force only when necessary dramatically reduce the number of violent wrongful home raids targeting black and brown And all has led to a real decrease in and this matters.

Police in Chicago killed less people.

Now, then just 10 years ago when it was basically like a weekly basis on at the time Officer Van shot of 16 shots most of to the back of seventeen-year-old Kwon do But we still >> Well, yeah, as as you said, professor, it sounds like there's still more work to be done.

I wish we had more time to discuss it all with the 4 of you.

But that's where we'll have to leave it.

My thanks to Bradley Johnson, Ernest Cato, Craig Futterman and Kofi it.

Melissa, thank you all.

Up next, promises made promises broken by businesses and consumers in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

>> Chicago tonight, Black voices he's made possible in part by the support of these donors.

>> When Daniel more open semi colon books in 2019 business was slow until the social justice movement after Floyd's death launched her store into the spotlight as black businesses and books gained national attention.

But looking back more says that moment was short-lived and many black owned bookstores, including her own, are facing challenges with little support.

There's not one black bookseller who will tell you?

>> That we didn't know that this is a passing fad.

Whole companies are ordering 1000 of these books that nobody's going to read because they don't care enough.

They would place the order for these books and pay in.

Never pick them up.

They had no intention of actually doing the work.

They would just screenshot the receipt and put it on their social media to show that they did it.

We still have these books from 2020 in our stores right now that customers have not picked up of, you know, the 100,000 new customers that we gained.

We've retained about 15,000 of those.

Wow, it felt good to finally feel like we could a sigh of relief.

We could make all of our bills this month.

We could give more weight in our community this, it was also just waiting on the other shoe to drop.

You can't count on facts or moments going viral anything like that to actually sustain a business model.

It's important that people she knew when we consider the plight of entrepreneurship in the black community and what it comes We recognize that at any point we may not exist here anymore because we choose to do the work of community.

And unfortunately, there's not a lot of people who give to community in that way.

>> Moore also closed her West town shop permanently in January because of financial struggles.

But after raising over $30,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, she's reopening it on Juneteenth at a cafe.

In the 2 years after George George Floyd's murder nearly 1400 fortune 1000 companies pledged a total of 340 billion dollars towards fighting racial injustice.

That's from an analysis by the McKinsey Institute for Black and Economic Mobility in 2023, 40% of companies made statements in support of racial justice.

30% made external commitments to promote racial equity in economic opportunities.

But today, dozens and dozens of companies are dropping.

Those 3 words.

Those 3 letters from the initiatives they launched so loudly 5 years ago.

Here with more on this, our Reverend.

Well, Trina Middleton, executive director of Community Renewal, Society and on Zoom, Xavier, Remy chief executive officer of Justice informed and Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League.

Welcome back to all of you.

Thanks for joining us.

Thank Xavier.

Amy, let's start with you.

What was at the core of those dei, those diversity, equity and inclusion pledges 5 years ago.

>> Well, it was the desire to be on the right side of history in a way that would support the people that companies are trying to hire all along as well as ensure that propped up the brand.

I think a lot of what the intentions were around the financial dollars that are being spent and committed by companies was to show that they were invested in the way that we expect them to be, which is we understand the companies have cash and they were committing that cash towards challenge was that the commitments were not backed my real strategy and they certainly were backed by real accountability.

That was both community informing community accountable.

They were accountable to themselves.

shareholders.

And as soon as the market turned, so to their commitments.

>> Reverend Middleton, one of the corporation saying then what's the message when they abandoned the dei efforts as they have read?

It was quietly before Trump issued his executive order or since then.

Well, I fellow panelists said it well, I think it's speaks to just how superficial some of these commitments are.

If you are genuinely committed to your your customers, the new will be committed and faithful to them.

No matter how the tides turned.

And I think that especially during the pandemic, many people were faithful to a target what have you.

And so to have these organizations to turn their back on communities now more than ever with his dire social economic needs is quite disappointing.

Marc Morial, the National Urban League, you all released a report just last week examining the way government institutions, advocates and businesses respond to racial injustice.

>> The subtitle of Your Report asks, was it a moment or a movements?

>> What would you say?

It was.

I think you're on mute, sir.

>> I thank you for having me.

For too many.

It many of us is still fighting.

To ensure that the legacy of George Floyd remains movement.

But this is not happening in a vacuum is under cifras attack.

those attacks began before.

The election of the 47th president began several years ago was really a concerted campaign to undermine the commitments that have been made.

The financial commitment commit a survation.

Just as what we found is I find that there are 3 camps here.

There's those that walked away completely.

There will those that have maintained.

Their commitment.

Many of them are operating quietly and under the radar and then it goes to put lipstick.

On a pig.

Are they put lipstick on a beautiful, beautiful Pete in the sense that they've making cosmetic changes, purging their websites, changing their language, dropping the use of the term, the first diversity equity inclusion around what everyone to understand here when you Po good for city equity and inclusion.

When you ask questions of the American people about their commitment on the lower.

And if you just use the term DNI, it's 50, 50.

The high.

And if you talk about commitment to diversity, commitment to racial justice, commitment.

To fairness, the numbers are up at 70, almost 80.

The voices in opposition of this allow.

They're financially strong and they have political clout.

They do not represent the majority voices in this country.

So this moment is distressing.

It's disappointing.

And my greatest concern at the moment of George Floyd, all of these commitments emerge was that that come a time.

When people would back away.

Goal solved, lose their Tuesday as an for these commitments.

Now the community has reacted in some cases with selected by selected purchasing.

It's an example the reaction and the really hard feelings that many of us have somewhat of a generation that had an opportunity because of civil rights because of struggle because of lawsuits because of protests because of advocacy to walk through those doors and do this work.

I'm greatly distressed.

What a scene.

It's alright.

Thank you, Marc Morial.

I because I wanted to jump in with another thing that we hear the Trump administration using a lot to the attack on Dei has also >> its villain eyes.

The term woke that before maybe 5 years ago.

Not everybody even understood what it Reverend Middleton remind us what the word woke means, what it's intended to mean is I mean, the word woke.

It a term that appeared in the 1930's, too helped to raise consciousness to make sure that community members, we're cognizant of issues that impact them directly, either socioeconomic impact them, especially as it pertains to res.

And and I think that to criminalize or to make it seem as if folks who are where who are conscious about how things are unfolding in their community is a negative thing really shows a level of ignorance and a lack of awareness itself being woke is a positive turn because it shows that you care enough about your community and your neighbors to want to be vested in 2.

Make sure that you have all of the resources and information possible so that you could be a part of positive change in your community before we run out of time.

Really quickly, should this term be reclaimed or abandoned now that it's been hijacked this way?

Absolutely.

And I don't think it was ever abandoned by the who gave birth to the terminology.

I think people unapologetic in being woke.

And I think that the fact that you have a community that tries to demonize the term says that there are fear they are afraid of community being conscious.

There's a fear of knowledge.

Xavier, we've got one minute left.

What do you think our white individual's responsibility in the wake of George Floyd?

>> To make sure that you did not vain.

George Floyd died because of white supremacy died because of the American tradition of policing.

He died because of rampant ignorance and an assumption that Dr King somehow finished all of the work through his sacrifice.

There's real and present work that African-Americans, brown, folks, Asian folks and white folks all need to do.

But particularly white Americans, there is a different work that I hope that they invite themselves to consider.

And that work includes understanding how their privileges create a necessity.

And the reality of George Floyd's being killed.

How and why it is that currently they're taking up the levels of wealth and in space and jobs in some of the biggest companies that America has to offer and people of color still fighting just to even be considered with their resumes.

There's a reason behind this.

And I think specifically white Americans in this moment, 5 years after the murder of George Floyd need to think about one.

What does it mean to be white in America?

Not just how do we do racial equity?

What does it mean to be white and how do I use that privilege to actually change what it means to be black?

>> Some of the same conversations we had about 5 years ago with some of the same folks who are on this panel right now.

That's where we'll have to leave it.

My thanks to Reverend Doctor Welton and Middleton, Xavier, Amy and Mark Murray.

Al, thank you all again.

Thank you.

And that is our show for this Wednesday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

>> Now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a >> Is pass?

>> By Robert, a cliff and Clifford law offices, Chicago, personal injury and wrongful death.

>> It supports educational