VICE (2013) s05e05 Episode Script

1 Shane Smith: This week on Vice: Policing and race in America.
Let me see your hands! Keith Williams: Was talking to some officers, and they said, "Black people are genetically predisposed to be criminals.
" (woman shouts) Cord Jeffers: It says "Missouri Highway Patrol" on it? - It's a cop's gun? - Yep.
Smith: And then, life-changing innovation in bionic technology.
I'm here in Zurich, Switzerland, for the Cybathlon, which is the first-ever bionic Olympics.
One thing led to another, and I decided to get brain surgery and be the first person to move my hand with my own brain.
Toboni: Go! Go! Go! Refugee: We are not animals! With President Obama in the White House for the past eight years, a lot of people had hope that racial relations in America would continue to improve.
Crowd: No justice! Today, however, tensions between the black community and police are higher than they've been in decades, because over the last few years, a string of high-profile killings of unarmed black men has led to public outcry across the country, and in extreme cases violent retaliation and even murder of police officers themselves.
So we sent Cord Jefferson to Washington, D.
C.
, to report on the chaotic state of the civil rights movement in America.
(crowd chanting) Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter! (cheering, chanting continues) We're hearing a ton of "Black lives matter" chants as we walk toward the White House.
It seems like under President Trump, that the Black Lives Matter issue is gonna be only more important to these people.
(crowd shouting) Jeffers: Clashing between police and protesters over the issue of race has become a common occurrence, one which seems to be reaching its tipping point.
Brittany Packnett, one of the most prominent leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, explained to us why so many people came out to the White House.
Chaos aside, what do you think brought people out tonight? People being clear that you can't sit on the sidelines anymore.
We are not confused that this isn't the America that we've always been in.
This is confirmation for us, but for some people, it is a wake-up call.
So, this was a conversation, very clearly, about a choice that was made at the federal level.
Lots of the protests that happened here, though, happened because of the work of local organizers, because of issues of local police violence, right, local issues of poverty, local issues of what's happening with young people in juvenile justice.
Jeffers: The Black Lives Matter movement itself gained attention after a local shooting rocked the town of Ferguson, a suburb of St.
Louis.
The shooting of unarmed teen Mike Brown was just the first of what would become a series of police killings caught on camera and shared on social media.
All appeared to have common themes of excessive force on black victims and little accountability for the officers involved.
Bystander: Damn, man.
(police shouting) Crowd: No justice, no peace! (gunshots) Aah! (shouting) He's going for a gun! (gunshots) Crowd: No justice, no peace! I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hand off it! Man (on bullhorn): Move back now! (screaming) Man 2: Shit! Fuck! Jeffers: But while the Black Lives Matter movement is most known for its protests, behind the scenes, Brittany Packnett and other leaders of the movement have been developing a comprehensive plan for action known as Campaign Zero.
What's the difference between Campaign Zero and the Black Lives Matter movement? So, it's a comprehensive policy platform to end police violence in the United States.
It is a platform that articulates what the solutions can look like, so that we're able to get to a place where police violence is a thing of the past.
Jeffers: One of Campaign Zero's biggest efforts is pulling statistics on police killings from local news, social media, and national databases.
They analyze the data to compare police departments in cities across the country.
What we do is actually use the data to answer important questions about what's going on.
There are some police departments that are not killing anybody, and there are police departments that are killing people at extraordinary rates.
Depending on the month, St.
Louis is either the number one or number two highest police department in terms of police-involved killings.
And almost everybody killed by St.
Louis Police Department is black.
Almost everybody.
It's like about 90%.
Jeffers: Campaign Zero calls for simple reforms, like increased training on De-escalation, community oversight, and the ability to independently investigate and prosecute cases of extreme negligence or bias.
But to date, St.
Louis has only adopted two laws that apply to those proposed policies.
We met up with the police chief of the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department to find out why reforms are so slow.
One of the outgrowths of the Ferguson protests was this group called Campaign Zero.
And we looked at some of the-- it's a 10-point policy platform-- independent investigations into police shootings, body cams.
Why is it so difficult to get these policy solutions actually utilized by police forces? Here's the balance.
That group doesn't represent the entire community.
There are people that want us to do more aggressive-style policing.
There are people that want us to do more stop-and-frisk, if you will, just as an example.
And it's law enforcement's job, it's the police chief's job, to find the balance in their community between those.
We've done a lot of the things that are there, but law enforcement doesn't get any credit for it.
At the moment, 97% of police will never face jail time for killing someone.
A lot of people say that contributes to the erosion of trust between the community and police officers.
So, I think we have to look at every case individually.
The question is, "Did they violate a law?" Because in that case, what you just told me, is 97% of the officers followed the law, only 3% didn't.
I don't know, because I haven't looked at every one of those cases.
But that's really where we have to start.
Jeffers: A common argument against many basic reforms is that places with higher crime rates call for a more aggressive style of policing.
We wanted to look at the relationship between police and community, and the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department granted us access to the first ride-along since Ferguson.
Roll down the window! Show me some hands! Do you have a driver's license on you? You're good to go.
Have a good night.
Don't run over my toe or anything.
Brandon Wyms: With car stops, it's just-- you know, you can't just walk up to a car anymore and expect to just talk to someone and say, "Hey, this is what you did wrong.
" Now, you gotta worry about walking up to a car and somebody pulling out a gun and shooting you.
Post-Ferguson and stuff, I wanna show people that we're not all bad.
You know, kind of a goal of mine is to get a thank you from somebody.
(man speaking on radio) (Becherer shouts) (Jeffers speaks) Jeffers: While the police could not confirm how this gun was acquired, arrests like this are a common occurrence on the streets of St.
Louis.
What was shocking, however, was how quickly the bystanders turned on the police.
(crowd murmuring) (woman shouts) (woman 2 shouts) (man shouts) (woman shouting) (man shouts) Has it made your job harder? The, uh, the sort of tension between the black community of St.
Louis and the police? I'm the traitor, because I don't put down my gun and badge, as they all say, and come join them in protest.
I'm the traitor, the Uncle Tom.
Um, I get that one a lot.
Yup.
Good to go.
Jeffers: Over the course of one night, police made two arrests and seized two illegal guns, in what appeared to us to be standard police work.
But Chief Williams of the neighboring suburb of Kinlock formerly spent 10 years on the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department, witnessing firsthand both the good and the bad side of policing.
Can you talk a little bit about what it's like to be, in our current climate, a black man and a police officer? Most police officers out here are handling their business, 24/7, with dignity and honesty.
You know, one thing you have to always keep in mind about policemen and police work is that policemen risk their lives to help people they don't even know.
But you have to always look at that "one apple can spoil the bunch" philosophy, too.
It was shocking.
One time I was talking to some officers, and they said, "You know, black people are genetically predisposed to be criminals.
" Jeffers: You had officers say that to you? To my face.
If you're telling me that people of color or black people are genetically predisposed to be criminals (laughs) that pretty much says volumes to me.
And that's really gonna color how you go out there and police that community, right, if that's what you believe.
Can't do anything but that, because you've automatically pre-judged.
I can count at least four times in my life when the police-- before I became a policeman-- were prepared to kill me, had weapons on me, and I was in fear of my life, only because I existed.
We have to figure out a way for those few to either change their behavior, get back onboard as honest, just officers, or leave the profession.
Jeffers: One of the main issues in fixing this is that there is no unified policing policy, making it difficult for the 18,000 police departments across the country to move together on reforms.
In St.
Louis, things are so fractured that they actually have two separate police unions, one which is predominantly white and one which is, by its own metrics, 99% black.
We are a group of officers and civilians who are about trying to be a voice for our community and our officers.
Jeffers: We watched officer after officer share their concerns.
Redditt Hudson: It's 2016.
That's 50 years of black officers being on these streets, in service, on patrol, seven days a week, 30 or 31 days a month, 365 days a year continuously, to this very moment.
And I can't think of-- and if you can, sir, or any other officer in this room-- can think of a black officer that has ever shot at an unarmed white person, please tell me.
Restraint is possible.
Here in St.
Louis, there's a white police association and there's a black police association.
What does that say about how police-- how the policing is done here in St.
Louis? Well, again, it says that race impacts everything, including policing in America.
We have to have a black police officers' association because the other association is not taking our interests seriously.
It's not taking us seriously when we say that we want policing in our communities to be done differently.
Jeffers: This racial division is nothing new.
This police association was formed during the Civil Rights Movement, and nearly 50 years later, it released a 112-page report outlining racial bias within the department.
If we have to take the lead in some areas, we will, because our department has created a lot of issues with our leadership or lack thereof.
Jeffers: Heather Taylor, a sergeant for the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police and president of the Ethical Society, says they are a necessary voice for minorities within the department.
There is a need for us to have an association, because we haven't been represented within the St.
Louis Police Officers Association fairly.
So, of course there is a separate police officers' association here.
There's a need for it.
Since Mike Brown was shot and killed, we've had one course.
So, you're talking about eight hours - Mmm.
- Since the civil unrest of St.
Louis city and Ferguson, to address implicit bias.
That's it.
We are so divided, that it's just-- You know, sometimes, when I think about our police department, I'm embarrassed.
I love other officers of all races on this department, because they're my friends.
I tell you what.
When I'm pulled over, my hands are on that steering wheel, I'm looking forward.
I turn on my light, you know.
It's-- it's real.
Jeffers: If even black police officers are fearful during interactions with other police, it's no wonder average black citizens around America are also scared.
(people chattering) Antoine White: But when you get down here in the city, it's a whole other monster.
You talking about kids their age getting off the school bus, getting pushed up against brick walls by detectives.
White people can see Sasquatch, they can see the Abominable Snowman, they can see the Loch Ness Monster, but these motherfuckers can't see racism.
I don't understand it.
You gotta remember, a couple of weeks after Ferguson, Kajieme Powell got killed down the street.
Come on, bro! Drop it, bro! (guns firing) Man 2: Oh! They just killed this man! Man: Come on! Man 2: Oh my God.
I'm scared for him.
The police look at him, and they don't see a 10-year-old little boy.
They don't know that he on the honor roll.
He a terror to them.
Jeffers: Fear, though, is not only felt by the community but by police as well.
The recent calculated attacks on officers have sent shock waves through precincts nationwide.
(gunfire) Man: Police across the country on high alert right now, after four police officers were shot in four separate cities.
We've lost 12 officers.
I don't care what race they are.
They were shot and killed in 30 days.
This officer was driving down the road and was ambushed.
Man (on radio): Shots fired! Officer down! Shots fired! Officer down! Jeffers: The St.
Louis Police Wives' Association shared their fears about the escalating violence.
We call it a crisis, because law enforcement has become disenfranchised with the community, or disconnected, seeing protest just because they're wearing a uniform.
(people shouting) Jeffers: Are you concerned that it's gotten more unsafe? Lowe: We know it.
Just sitting at this table here, you have two women whose husbands have almost been killed-- myself and her husband.
- Jeffers: And your husbands have been shot at? - Lowe: Uh-huh.
- Shot.
- Lowe: Oh, shot? And they've-- They've all been shot at.
Lowe: They've all been shot at.
All of your husbands have been shot at.
Mine-- mine particularly, was ambushed.
We had protesters show up in front of the hospital, protesting Woman: Yes, they did.
with signs that said, "Well, how does it feel?" Yes, they did.
We're also sitting at home, now, watching our communities implode.
Mm-hmm.
But now, we can at least all admit that we have a problem.
That's-- that's the first thing, okay? So, revolution, problem, now let's seek some solutions.
I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear Jeffers: As the new administration prepares to pull back federal oversight on police, one thing is clear (people shouting) policing needs to change if lives are to be saved.
And ultimately, reform is in the hands of local police departments.
I don't know how to fix poverty.
I don't know how to deal with education systems that are failing.
What I do know is how to do police work, and when those things don't happen, we're left with communities that have greater demands on their law enforcement.
Well, we have to solve them, or we're going to continue to do this over and over and over again.
(woman shouts) Wyms: People don't understand what we deal with.
You know, until you're actually put in those shoes and you have to try to defend yourself or someone else.
We're to the point where you have so much division.
Both sides need to get it together.
Williams: You'll notice around the country more and more officers are beginning to speak out.
We have to be the change that needs to be.
(distant sirens wailing) More than 36 million American adults live with physical disabilities, but rapid advancements in bio-engineering and robotics have brought about a revolution in bionic technology that is realizing possibilities that, up until now, would have been considered science fiction.
Wilbert Cooper has been following this story.
I'm here in Zurich, Switzerland, for the Cybathlon, which is the first-ever bionic Olympics, to see the state-of-the-art in assistive technology.
(applause) (man speaks on PA) (buzzer sounds) Cooper: The Cybathlon is the first competition of its kind, featuring teams from around the world, showcasing the most advanced technologies for people with disabilities.
Can you tell me about your hand? It has five motors, and I control those motors by electro-impulses from my muscle.
And the wicked one is 360.
Cooper: That's cool.
Where is it gonna go from here? I don't know.
How good's your imagination? Mark Daniel: With the exoskeleton that we brought today, I can actually take a normal walk now, and, you know, step-by-step, there is no hesitation.
It's one, two, three, four.
(man speaks on PA) (applause) Daniel: It just gives me the ability to do the simple things in life that you don't really think about.
For me, it-- it means freedom.
(applause, cheering) Cooper: New developments in scientific research and practical engineering are pushing boundaries, making that freedom possible.
It's phenomenal to be in this place and see the way that technology is transforming and changing people's lives.
(applause) Cooper: And some of the most advanced developments are actually happening inside the human body.
A team from Cleveland, Ohio, is using an implanted device that restores movement to those with severe spinal cord injuries by electrically stimulating their paralyzed muscles.
I have implants in both sides of my belly to which these wires are attached.
Little box here tells where my legs are and when to fire which muscles.
So, below my arms, without the system, the only thing I can do is wiggle my big toe.
How did you become paralyzed? It was a skiing accident on a family trip in Lake Tahoe, California.
And we were on, of course, the last run of the day, I had an accident where my skis were caught under a branch, and I flew out of the skis and hit a big granite boulder head-first and fractured a bone in my neck.
It left me paralyzed immediately.
And with the system, obviously, this is over the top.
Cooper: Now, for the first time since his accident, Mark is competing athletically.
(buzzer sounds) (cheers, applause) Pioneering this technology is Dr.
Ronald Triolo, a professor at Case Western Reserve University and the executive director of the VA's Advanced Platform Technology Center.
Triolo: We're at the verge of an era where robotic technology can make a real impact in people's lives.
Our long-term goal is to make the technology as invisible as possible.
That means that we have some sort of man-machine interface that is completely internal and indistinguishable.
It's just stretching what it means to be human.
(cheers, applause) This technology has helped you win this race, and do something really incredible.
What can you say about the way technology is sort of integrating itself into our lives right now? What do you think that holds for the future? Getting deep into the human body, getting technology into the human body is one of the last frontiers, and I think that we've tapped into it.
There's some great things-- not just what you've seen today, but there's some great things being done medically through technology as well.
Cooper: And the technologies on display in Zurich are only the beginning.
Researchers around the world have begun experimenting with implanting electronic devices directly into the human brain.
In Columbus, Ohio, we met with one of the world's foremost neurosurgeons, Dr.
Ali Rezai.
Now, in the past decade especially, we've learned so much about the human brain, the human nervous system, that's now allowing us to use technology to help patients with nervous system disorders.
So, it's a very active area of technology that evolving.
Cooper: Today, Dr.
Rezai is performing a procedure called deep brain stimulation on a patient suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Rezai: Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, involves a tiny stimulator that we implant in a part of the brain to shut down the tremor and to reduce the excessive movements that are caused by Parkinson's.
(Rezai speaks) (drill whirs) (Ali speaks) (man speaks) (Ali speaks) (Terry speaks) (feedback) (Ali speaks) (Nicole speaks) (Ali speaking) Cooper: As the electrode enters the brain, Dr.
Rezai is able to listen to the neural activity in order to locate the area causing the tremors.
(static) (Ali speaking) (woman speaks) (Ali speaking) (Ali speaking) (man speaks) - The left arm.
- Good.
(man speaks) (man speaks) Woman: Yeah.
(Ali speaks) (Terry speaks) (Ali speaks) Cooper: The operation is nearly instantaneous.
80% improvement displays the power of deep brain stimulation.
The procedure can be used for conditions from epilepsy to chronic pain, and scientists are exploring its use to treat severe depression.
In Dublin, Ohio, we saw an even more advanced brain implant system.
Ian Burkhart, a quadriplegic, is another patient of Dr.
Rezai's.
After suffering a traumatic injury, he was implanted with one of the most cutting-edge neurotechnologies.
Burkhart: Just a few days after finishing my freshman year at college, I went on vacation with some friends and dove into a wave in the ocean, and I didn't know where I was diving was actually only a few feet deep.
So, I initially hit my head extremely hard and that caused me to break my neck.
I lost all function from about my elbows down and all feeling from the middle of my chest down.
I can't move any of my individual fingers or open and close my hand.
So, after I had my accident, I was always looking towards what type of technology could help me in my everyday life.
And one thing led to another, and I decided to get brain surgery and be the first person to move my hand with my own brain.
Rezai: Ian is the only human being who's had this technology applied that allows him to move his hands using his thoughts.
Cooper: A small port on Ian's head opens a direct channel between his brain and a computer.
Rezai: The computer interprets Ian's brain signals, his thoughts, and then links those thoughts to a external wearable garment, so, basically, the sleeve that Ian wears that allows him to move, and this is called brain-computer interface.
Cooper: When Ian thinks about moving, the computer delivers electrical impulses to his high-tech sleeve, allowing him to use his hands in ways that haven't been possible since his accident.
Man: All right, I'm starting in three, two, one.
(clatters) (clatters) Rezai: After four years of not moving a flicker, he started moving a little bit two years ago, and now he's able to perform more sophisticated movements.
and right now he's able to do those movements much faster than he did before.
That's amazing.
That was awesome.
That went really well.
That was your best time.
That went really well.
That was good.
Cooper: Restoring functionality through brain-computer interfaces has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of those with disabilities and could even open up entirely new avenues of human experience.
Right now, there's a convergence of so many elements in terms of technological innovation.
This is really opening up a whole new window into possibilities, so you're able to record brain activity and link it within milliseconds to result in purposeful movements, that can be potentially a means by which we can be able to detect other elements beyond movements.
For example, sensations.
Index.
Pinkie.
Rezai: Right now is a fantastic time for us, because we're learning so much more, more than ever before, about the human brain.
One of the final frontiers.