The fathers of Michael Brown and Terence Crutcher, as well as George Floyd's uncle, reflect on the moment that forever altered their families’ lives following the killing of their loved ones by police officers in the US. Poet and songwriter Cornelius Eady navigates sobering and moving first hand accounts of what it means to raise a black man in America today. He learns how three father figures have coped in the face of harrowing loss.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Welcome to the documentary from the BBC world service, where we report the world, however difficult the issue. However,
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as a new reign begins. Bbc select brings you the full story on the royal linus extension past present and future prime ministers. Governments come and go. The monarchy goes on. This child is never going to be with me because this child is going to be the king king discover the complete story of Britain's royal families. Only on BBC select the new hub for documentaries. My name is cornelius eady, I'm a poet, playwright and songwriter. This is a poem I wrote about my father, one of the things my father never liked
me was my dark skin you used to be so pretty was the way he put it and it was true. There is proof.
the picture of a curly haired. Does I hears breath away from their skin child me?
my small fingers balled up into this and then
if some god shrugged and suddenly turned away its gaze, something caved in and I was dark dark and all that implied. So what happened? You used to look real good, my father, a man of slightly lighter you will say to me his son is changing. Maybe
You want to watch more if the poem and my father's words seem harsh, perhaps
we should consider the world from which there made, perhaps behind my
are these desire for me to have what he saw is pretty fair, skin mise. Another truth: he knew that being a black man in america carried risk.
We have two more names to add to a list of african americans killed by police officers, who show
for sir, I don't know
She was thinking very
troubled by that, once again, a black man. It's been sharply
police in broad daylight,
The whole watch watched listening as I speak to me,
the figures of victims of police shootings, as they remember their loved ones,.
Michael brown, junior, chance creature, george lloyd,
It's a tale of precious memories, harrowing
us
and finding a way out of no way
in amerika there's a conversation, a new tradition, naturally between black fathers and mothers, and we call it the talk. It's about
to do when approached by a police officer at all.
Yeah. We stop a big day projects in arizona sale. They lowered
reaching for a gun best like a b c. The birds are debates when the police pull you
how J intending to shut up. Yes, man, no man but statistics suggest the talk. Isn't working
police killings are leading cause of death for young men and america, specifically for young black men, in fact, or a black man? The risk
being killed by a police officer is more than twice as high as the rate for a white man ever police car all over to catch a bit right on its own lease. That's supposed to but tat does it seem like their fight against
Because every time you look, you saw another young men, men to about a police life and crime is complicated,
a thirty minute, radio show can fully sought out
Although the elements twined through these shootings, poverty, crime, racism, it's too thick us due to properly boil and some cases, self defense was truly.
Self defence, but the heart of this programme is an about reforming the criminal justice system is about human lives. By name is uncle cell blood alcohol of late
george parasols selwyn jones found out about his nephews, killing like so many others did when a video
in forty six seconds long made viral raven, rightly around a disturbing scene.
caught on camera by witnesses incensed over the police's actions. George Floyd, please
with officers who have him restrained on the ground, one of them using his
I want to pin the man down by his neck or wake up children's pop song, and I see the police and dirt just devastating this dude man I'll take the damn man, they're gonna kill them if they don't stop, and my sister calls me
She tells him that that dude on the tv is his nephew, George floyd, better known as perry to his family. I just sat there and I watched I waited for my sister's baby boy to die and I would take pity I still see it today. I see it every night I see my sister baby boy, leno late, Graham taylor. I can't breathe. It feel, like somebody stuck their hand at my chest. It just gripped my chest out. You see somebody that you've changed her diaper before begging,
The blue.
I can't make it
the ground,
the
Another fatal police using a toaster oklahoma after taser. I think it shows that on a black man, terence crotch, his arms held a loft being shot
by female officer when rehman jewelry creature found out.
and terence greater shot by the police. He was in church leading a choir,
Hence one of the best tenors in the choir should have been in church. To that that day he chose not
two ten, I was doing a musical workshop at the antioch napkins church in tulsa. Then I saw my sisters come into the church and wonder what they only offer and she came.
Was the man she sometimes get shot turns day. I had about sixty.
voices and requires man and register
scream and in holland
and then he went over and whispered in my wiser, she was on the piano she stored at home could have been teacher.
Should have been
frazier
the
it was the
two years before turns greatest death tragedy had struck another family?
Living in a neighbouring state
You didn't tell me
for the streets of ferguson to erupt, my moments
Michael brown, sr. The father
Michael brown, Joe you,
the same rules, Missouri ferguson came after the grand jury decided not to press charges after the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager. Michael brown.
Michael brown junior was fairly shot by a police officer on the night of august,
two thousand fourteen in ferguson Missouri, his killing triggered weeks. A protest.
the founding of the black lives matter? Movement Michael, was eight.
When he died still a teenager, gulfy funny the mullahs biggest Juxta stood out of what
the causes- and I said I pass- I got Leah prim am I what
what was worn out so I'm column colony.
now ass. Well, so now really give aid.
So these are too late around it. Even if I may say so,
What's going on what you're talking about? You've got a baby on the way you like it or you ain't paying attention. Today is Wednesday April fool's day, man, man, wow
Yes,
is our way. We see it so you
joker man. Drooped aside the talk between Michael brown senior and michael brown,
junior came at a young age.
Always been a big e taller than me safe for two seventy air from
hi. Sadly, we all look grown right, so he definitely understood those conversations.
You were very aware.
So he wasn't blind to adjust was said he had to answer with the and die.
He was just give. China is blowing his own life. You know, we know what we want for our children, but sometimes they still have to see things
lighten worn. This will mean a grown up being grown up and
tat involved was just within reach, but it was never.
for mike graduated august, pharisees keel august night that, following week we were prepared,
for his burial should have been going to college Michael was unarmed when he was killed. The police officers who shot him six times, cleaned that Michael with violent.
The round and county prosecutors did not find enough evidence to bring charges against the police officer who shot Michael brown dead in two thousand and fifteen. The justice department concluded that the officer had fired in self defense, the black folk. Now, there's a difference between much legal
what's real tonight to ten thousands gather in Houston, texas for the funeral of George floyd, the african american who die
while being detained by police
The episode is exposed america's racial divisions to the greatest extent, since the tensions of the late nineteenth sixties, crude lithuania's
a name that would resound around the world on one faithful spring day and two thousand and twenty
But there's a man behind that viral video clip a real person who was laughed. I call them the to Barry, bury him away to tolerate me. Then he had a little bit more care about complexion.
But we are the same. Do cylinder bunk
Have you used to call him with a kind of father figure?
to assist a charge way lad. Chill laughter was free. Cornelius, when you grew up
We didn't have pot pie in or one of those throw it out or we didn't have indoor plumbing. We didn't have no running water, you could always land mine
now I would call perry I get also.
By the council regarding the ground and get our superstars people don't ever
the
will smile beautiful heart. He hit with little kids playing basketball, while his mind was healthy and stable man. If life wasn't always easy for george perry floyd, it certainly held at small pleasures, neighborhood family, a sense of belonging and a deep love for his mother.
my god, my then we'd cry out for pinta that sidewalk black men and their mama's, I thought
I love your mama. She was a wonderful soul. She was my fifth or sixth sibling. She was sweet, but she was in a bad place and she did the best she can do. I think one of the reasons why I had a closeness to parry. I knew what he was going through and I talked to him repeatedly. I call it a demon, my brother, something that grabs a hold of you.
and you can't shake it or it won't. Let go of your daemons have destroyed many many men and it seems like in an economic polished area. That's politically correct way of saying the kettle creek into a lot of people seek refuge in sentences at eight twenty six fifteen seconds, homemade, twenty fifth, two thousand and twenty.
beautiful human being, take time taken for a bigger cause. He outdated two weeks before he could have done better prices and
lower said you know what george flow I'm not gonna. Let you emilia to embarrass yourself anymore. Uncle may may twenty fifth, that day that you are going to
to improve on the garden gate. On june twenty fifth, two thousand twenty one
In the, u S, city of minneapolis, sentenced to form a police officer, Derek chairman knelt, on George Floyd's neck, while he begged for his life, the twenty two and a half years in jail.
Murder did a victory, but it's rare.
With justice system to punish a police officer,
My name is roman jury, homeward corruption,
here in the great city of torture.
go home,
I am the father, Terence crutcher, Terence crutcher was shot dead by a police officer in Tulsa Oklahoma. On the sixteenth of september,
four thousand and sixty offices encountered his stationary car.
on their way to another call out. The encounter would end in tragedy, but let's begin at the beginning,
The parents was born on august. Sixteen nineteen, seventy six and two weeks before me and my wife was at the doctor and not to say guess what you're going to have?
twins. He was the first one and I was really looking at him suspiciously.
I hope you don't have another brother. I didn't want that. Many boys, I wanted a nada and he had come terence and that's my first encounter with terrance reverend Joey creature is a pillar.
but he's community entails there. They grossly grew a passionate, wonder, saying I didn't know we could say: you'll teaches eating,
my dad's good thing: an album musician men of the music get my church. Has it getting saying getting turns of one of my best tenors gnats alters the eighty distraught all of them.
Just like George Floyd tenants struggled with a world where temptations were great and solutions narrow and the aid. Is we start
and would you call this new wave of gang balance in our cities?
and for some strange reason, terrorism is gravitate towards that cold and
with such a love involving a minister, and I will talk to, but a distant help. We were marian.
Parents is free and that the rate of one every month
as was always escaping nails when he got hooked on this drought that they called pcp. And that's when the spiral started going down. Quick meme book movie tv show saw a poem with a black man
Canada is praise for doing their. Do domestic duties going to work, paying bills etc? Were there.
My vote is: were robert hayden grand boom to his father,
Winter, sundays, but you have to work, you have to think about it. For a minute
There's a lazy myth that black fathers are absent and therefore black boys, violent crime and gangs as they search for another,
the model we dont often celebrate or share the stories about the black dad, who show up
That was, I dunno streets it two in the morning,
turns batter years in his dreams.
Their mothers would call men. We went on a lot of hard aches channel
so many young friends that get killed that plane and preaching at their funerals
No one it is they that just knew. I would get they'd call and I got it.
We are now at this moment police uprooting tunes creature. He stands next to it
He has his hands in the air and places them on the side of the car.
Video obscures him moments before he is shot police say
He had ignored officers commands.
Terence, was unarmed, her toxicology report, but later fine, but he was under the influence of the synthetic drugs tcp at times less than a year after the killing
in may two thousand and seventeen police officer who shot turns dead, was acquitted of the charge of first degree manslaughter by a jury. Aw is a club. Nobody wants to be a part of the parent of a child fatally shot
I oppose whose job it is to protect us. So how do you even kinda here at such tragedy? Our way
if I want to go up against the police? I want to go get the system. I was very angry
we want to deal with nobody?
will even believe the thoughts that I had in mind, important that I'd ever feel. Like you had a moment when I started to calm down enough for you to take a breath
the moment. Everyone must have one in bills.
I was in a tub I and workplace.
believe in god that it is man and the man is not supposed to be questioned, you know so it made me grow up.
Let me go all the way you do too,
Not inclusion had no choice but to quickly piquancy
After some son terence's death
there's so much more to this story than meets the eye turns have three children by one young lady girl had a problem with them.
She was out alcoholic, and so, when turns get killed, she was in jail. Looking at fifteen years
knows well thought what a deadly web.
Incredibly and his wife suddenly found themselves with young children to look after
almost four years omen is dated bad me. So
the only one in the world. My bed in the box. Welcome you don't get up
Explain to him your dad is dead. He didn't know what that meant, and so at seventy four years old having crusher, he is raising his grandson. He is a carpet
of his dad. It's like I'm raven tyrants, all over reverend creature and his family campaign against police brutality, and I set up a foundation in towns. His name turns the sun has it.
Every protest all of these people idea, because in your bed utterance you say well, you know, am I famous and I'll say yeah you're famous, am I rich as a now?
go bone senior has also said
foundation to help us,
in a similar situation. Is his father's. Thirty five
so allow georgia for fast retreat.
It can be around other me, but I feel like do I get a chance to breathe no disrespect to the mothers, but fathers are taught to take it. Take it. Take you. Wake up
go back to work, take the yellow arabic
take it. Easy take people
if we need time to heal, uncle, selwyn is also fighting for change. Building on the outrage of people from across the world who watch george floyd take his last breath, a change can come. I believe it can happen because the whole world put their foot down. I get tired of going to funerals of african americans black folks. The only pay this travesty traumatic trauma that has been
could a parent people. If we all band together and say, stop you are a true pure warrior. Sollten. All I know man is. I have my mouth. I have my words. I have my motions that I can give to the world. We all come here richard the little bit of time. Why not make this place a better place,
then where's when you left, when you came,
It's cold towns, creature, Michael brown.
These names, I remembered lack of brown,
cs says his son is everywhere. He turns,
These are walls
still on tv, so
you know they steal colson
I believe
to the great sit on grass chill out in peace so
I do a lot of times around one two o'clock in the morning. What did you think when you're talking to
mason was always truth is, as far as compensation, reverend creature also still chance to his son,
I talked with tears in spirit all the time, a man at the graveyard all the time, and I will be at their land and in talking about crazy man, his mentors, indeed the girl I get to you.
does that you do this, I mean even than it does in the people. This. We want a europe that lead from about some talk and deterrence.
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Transcript generated on 2023-04-22.