that's not what michael eric dyson wants to do. he wants to hold up somehow that bill o'reilly is a racist and target of the conversation and therefore we should be about somehow going after bill o'reilly. well, who does that help? let's think about that. if this is a real conversation about helping people, if you truly love people, want to help those in need, how does it help to go after conservatives o'reilly, white people, rich people. let's go to the people who need help and give them help. but that's not what michael eric dyson is doing. oh, no. when you start talking about well, are you doing anything to help the schools in the inner-city? no. what about the carnage on black streets with kids shooting themselves. no. what about any of the issues attached to family breakdown. 70% of children born out of wedlock, what about that. no. so what we're doing here is a huge distraction. yes, there's legitimate rage in the black community over the zimmerman verdict, but the idea that we have to use the power that exists in this countr

with me, michael eric dyson, maya wiley and melissa harris perry. you did a press event to talk about what possible investigation might be pursued at the federal level. what avenueses of redress are there for people that feel that justice was not done in that courtroom or even if the verdict was right and proper based on the evidence that jury saw, that the larger sense that something wrong here that should be held to account has gone unaddressed? >> congressman rangel, congressman meeks, members of the new york delegation, one wanted to support the continuation of the justice department investigation as it relates to the civil rights violations that we believe took place in the killing of trayvon martin. we also wanted to make sure that it was a comprehensive investigation that ultimately led to the presentation of evidence to a grand jury so that the grand jury can decide whether the civil rights of trayvon martin were violated. that a justice department that ultimately yields no prosecution will only result in a further continuation of the frustr

joining me is michael eric dyson, msnbc political analyst. and professor of sociology at georgetown university. karen desoto, criminal defense attorney. and karen cadet, "huffington post black voices." that account george zimmerman gives in that taped interview differs from other testimony we heard. maybe he jumped -- but it's like you followed him, you followed him. you precipitated this whole thing. if it ends up being the case you precipitated him and trapped him for no reason other than he was a suspect in your mind, then it went down the way you said, and this dude beat the crap out of you because you were following him, then you get to shoot him and what? >> you're making the point because this is the frailty of the -- or i think the inherent injustice of the stand your ground law. who can stand their ground? you jump on me, you ambush me, you have a set of stereotypes in your mind and i cream you. i'm getting the best of you. oh, you're going to beat me? >> the standard here isn't even stand your ground. this is just self-defense. righ

. >> joining me is michael eric dyson, nbc political analyst and karen desoto and daniel cadet. great to have you here. this so, it was really riveting watching george zimmerman in these various incarnations in various straps of tape being interviewed, debriefed by a police officer doing this walk and talk where he is describing it. one question just strategically in terms of trial question. >> okay. >> karen, if you're the prosecution it amounted weirdly to watching george zimmerman testify about the events of that night. >> right. >> it felt like this bizarre one-side id situation. there is something that happened between men, he's the one there in court describing what happened. why would the prosecution be playing that type. >> because its uncommon to have statements and video. usually that doesn't happen in a normal criminal case, you don't get that much information but there is always inconsistencies between videotape and multiple statements to show what he said on one day is different than the next. >> they were pointing out, obviously, the prosecution was pointing outwei

with me, michael eric dyson, maya wiley and melissa harris perry. you did a press event to talk about what possible investigation might be pursued at the federal level. what avenues of redresser there for people that feel that justice was not done in that courtroom or even if the verdict was right and proper based on the evidence that jury saw, that the larger sense that something wrong here that should be held to account has gone unaddressed? >> congressman rangel, congressman meeks, members of the new york delegation, one wanted to support the continuation of the justice department investigation as it relates to the civil rights violations that we believe took place in the killing of trayvon martin. we also wanted to make sure that it was a comprehensive investigation that ultimately led to the presentation of evidence to a grand jury so that the grand jury can decide whether the civil rights of trayvon martin were violated. that a justice department that ultimately yields no prosecution will only result in a further continuation of the frustratio

joining me is michael eric dyson, msnbc political analyst. and professor of sociology at georgetown university. kar karen desoto, criminal defense attorney. and karen cadet, "huffington post black voices." that account george zimmerman gives in that taped interview difers fr e difers from other testimony we heard. maybe he jumped -- but it's like you followed him, you followed him. you precipitated this whole thing. if it ends up being the case you precipitated him and trapped him for no reason other than he was a suspect in your mind, then it went down the way you said, and this dude beat the crap out of you because you were following him, then you get to shoot him and what? >> you're making the point because this is the frailty of the -- or i think the inherent injustice of the stand your ground law. who can stand their ground? you jump on me, you ambush me, you have a set of stereotypes in your mind and i cream you. i'm getting the best of you. oh, you're going to beat me? >> the standard here isn't even stand your ground. this is just sel

. >>> michael eric dyson is a professor at georgetown. steve kornacki is on msnbc -- some are accusing him of simply repeating speeches, and that's it. do you agree what he's actually doing is just not emphasizing what he would like the agenda to be, but prepared for these budgets battles? >> i think it certainly make sense to talk about it right now. you have the debt ceiling. buff that, though, if we could come to some kind of agreement, there's the prospect of a shutdown. if you think back two years ago to the summer of 2011, the debt ceiling and all of that. this is sounding different to me. it feels different than two years ago, and we're hearing republicans all right, republicans in the senate like john mccain. -- who are sort of saying, no, we don't want to go down this road again. obama i think is trying to capitalize on that, sort of employed that. >> john boehner has just said he's happy to have another fight here. >> i think the game is trying to exploit the dissension and isolate boehner and worry about the pressure on them. >

he will continue to speak but i'm joined now by professor michael eric dyson who has been listening with me to the speech. the attorney general talked about having to sit down with his own 15-year-old son and have the conversation that he wished would have stopped when his own father had to speak to him about what it means to be a young black person in this country. but i have to say the burden always seems to rest on the shoulders of the black individual. >> that's absolutely right. and you're absolutely right. eric holder knows as a black man that he has to have that conversation as i have that will conversation with my son and grandchildren. but the reality is, why is the burden shifted on to us? why is it trayvon martin has to be careful how he looks? if he wears a hoodie? he shouldn't run. here's the point. george zimmerman wasn't even a policeman. he was an ordinary citizen. should i now show my freedom papers as if in slavery to any person who asks evidence of my freedom and have to produce evidence that i am an american citizen and solid with a person waving a gun that i can't st

msnbc political analyst, michael eric dyson. thank you. >> thank you, sir. >>> up next, boehner's dilemma deepens. will he have the calves to deal with his steve king problem head-on? that's coming up. >>> i want to be clear. there's no place in this debate for hateful or ignorant comments from elected officials. earlier this week, representative steve king made comments, that i think, were deeply offensive and wrong. what he said does not reflect the values of the american people or the republican party. >> that was speaker of the house john boehner realizing just how big his steve king problem has become. king, for his part, isn't backing down from recent comments he made in which he described young immigrants as drug mules with, quote, calves the size of cantaloupes. in fact, he's claiming victory. people start calling you names, that's what confirms you've won the debate. king told "the wall street journal" those remarks were, quote, anything but ignorant. they may have been the best informed in the entire u.s. congress. and

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michael eric dyson and mr. kweisi mfume. i stand on the shoulders of committed ancestors who toiled and struggled and pioneered and died to enable us to gather here today. we meet to discuss developing programs policies and practices that among other things increase entrepreneurship and employment and leadership development opportunities and change private thoughts and negative public conversations about black boys. if the former black caucus member working for congressman rangel and now serving as the executive director of the white house initiative on educational excellence for african-americans i have the responsibility and opportunity to insured the administration is a thoughtful partner in supporting african-american learning and development. the worker initiative has never been more important as we consider opportunities to ensure we no longer avoid tough conversations about investing in our children and protecting them. particularly our most vulnerable and often the most neglected. while my remarks here today will foc

michael eric dyson and executive director david j johns of the white house initiative on education excellence for african-americans for the public service they are offering today in this inaugural event of a congressional caucus on black men and boys. establishing the congressional caucus on black men and boys earlier this year, representative danny davis and i thought to raise to the national level beginning with the congress serious issues that we and other members of congress are grappling with in our districts along with state and local officials and especially parents and relatives in our african-american communities. the issues are spread across the spectrum of the life of black males in america today. clothed in stereotype from their years as boys, you, -- youth, and finally as men. we seek a society that does not define black men and boys but allow african-american males the opportunity to define themselves as individuals. today's event entitled "the status of black males: ensuring our boys mature into strong men" cannot drill down to the entire multitude of issues that require attent

georgetown university professor and msnbc political analyst michael eric dyson. the conversation about race in this country, if it happens is a fraught one. i guess i wonder in the wake of the ruling of the george zimmerman trial how much you think this truly engenders a national conversation about skin color. >> it is really important that it has started a national conversation. i'd say the question is whether it is a good one. and if you think about what attorney mark o'mara said, which was probably one of the most jarring and incorrect things i've ever heard in terms of what the facts and. statistics tell us with, is that if george zimmerman was black, he would have never been prosecuted. all of the numbers tell us the exact opposite is true, even if you look at stand your ground laws. so look at stand your ground laws. if you are white and have killed someone black, 35% chance that it is justifiable homicide. if you are black and shoot someone, 3% justifiable homicide. so i'm sorry, that's not an accurate, fair or honest conversation about race. >> michael, t

michael eric dyson, and executive director david j. johns of the white house initiative on educational excellence for african-americans. for the public service they are offering today in this inauguration event of a congressional caucus on black men and boys. in a establishing the congressional caucus on black men and boy earlier this year, representative danny davis and i i raised to the national level beginning with the congress serious issues that we and other members of congress are grappling with in our districts. along with state and local officials, especially parents and relatives. and our african-american community itself. the issues are spread across the spectrum of the life of black males in america today clothed in stereo types. from their years as boys as youth, as finally as men. we seek a society that does not define black men and boys, but allows african-american males the opportunity to define themselves as individuals. the day's event entitled the status of black males ensuring our boys mature to -- that requires atte

we're joined by joy reed, karen desoto and michael eric dyson. fundamentally profiles this young man, and then alleges he's an outright liar. what was your performance? >> his performance was great given the facts of this case. now you have the law, now questions and assumptions, and secondhand differences is not going to get them to the end goal of a second-degree murder. s because nobody knows what happened, nobody knows who started the fight. one is dead and the other one is not talking. so that's the problem here the defense will give up and say these questions. they just conceded that. they could be firmly convinced thatself dense was not being used here, and that's the unfortunate problem here, and it's going to go back to the state of florida. the prosecution were working from much of what george zimmerman had said instead, reference to the a-holes who always get away with it, and the -- this proving the motive, that animus toward an individual he did not know that he believes was a criminal. an observer like mr. zimmerman to profile him.

you should be fighting -- >> and michael eric dyson said as many white kids need to die as black kids for us to fully understand this. if i can end on a quick unifying note, martin luther king junior's niece, alveda king said martin luther king junior wouldn't wear a hoodie, wouldn't say this is about race, we are all human beings and stop the division. right on point. >>> one of the six women that acquitted zimmerman explains whether she thought race played a factor. and the star witness rachel jeantel takes a shot at the jurors after the verdict and explains her controversial creepy cracker remark. hear from them next on "the five." ♪ >>> two big interviews with two key players in the zimmerman trial. first up, the juror known at b 37. explaining why she voted to acquit. listen. >> i think george zimmerman is a man whose heart was in the right place, but just got displaced by the vandalism in the neighborhoods and wanting to catch these people so badly that he went above and beyond what he really should have done. but i think his heart was in the right place, it just went terribly

you should be fighting -- >> and michael eric dyson said as many white kids need to die as black kids for us to fully understand this. if i can end on a quick unifying note, martin luther king junior's niece, alveda king said martin luther king junior wouldn't wear a hoodie, wouldn't say this is about race, we are all human beings and stop the division. right on point. >>> one of the six women that acquitted zimmerman explains whether she thought race played a factor. and the star witness rachel jeantel takes a shot at the jurors after the verdict and explains her controversial creepy cracker remark. hear from them next on "the five." alert. the beach on your tv is much closer than it appears. seize the summer with up to 50% off hotels at travelocity. ♪ >>> two big interviews with two key players in the zimmerman trial. first up, the juror known at b 37. explaining why she voted to acquit. listen. >> i think george zimmerman is a man whose heart was in the right place, but just got displaced by the vandalism in the neighborhoods and wanting to catch these people so badly that he wen

listen to georgetown professor michael eric dyson. >> mr. o'reilly, i would love to have that conversation about protecting yourself behind white picket fences and fox news and having digital courage. come in the streets where you went to sylvia and you were surprised that black people don't throw bananas at each other or swing from trees. >> bill: again, dyson teaches young americans at georgetown university. yesterday's -- today's, i should say, today's congressional hearing was a circus. nancy pelosi the ring master. didn't mean anything, but it did prop up the race hustlers. and that's a shame. and that's the memo. now, for the top story tonight, let's bring in fox news channel's chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel who covered the hearing today on capitol hill. what was the headline for you? >> bill, the headline for me was house democrats african-american community we hear your concerns and we agree with you. i was struck by being in the room by the lack of texas in the room if you will because obviously these are difficult i

. >> and michael eric dyson, i want to bring you in on this. zimmerman brings this in as god's plan. and from the standpoint of having studied religion, does it trike you as odd that zimmerman's response to, having killed a young man, is to be very serene and say, it was god's plan. does that strike you as odd? >> yeah. i'm with attorney bloom there. i think it is really bizarre. this kiis at the expense of a boy's life. if you're on god's side, god doesn't want it kill, hurt, maim or he cdestroy others. this is not abraham and isaac. the reality is that he displays, i think, a rather cold-hearted demeanor. and he is not moved to the -- at the very least at feeling remorse about the boy's death. i mean, given the chance to say, look, if i had to do it all over again, i wish i wouldn't have killed him. i wish he wouldn't have been there. i wish the situation had not turned out to the degree of violence that it turned into. he is using religion and any signed of fatalistic destiny to cover his own tracks. i know you didn't ask me about this, but

michael eric dyson back with us it note for the discussion. also joining us, joy reed. always great to have you both. joy, in your opinion is rampant black on black crime just a myth? >> you know, all of this discussion from the right -- first of all, black people are not disabused of this notion that these conservatives on fox or elsewhere care at all on black on black crime or victims of the same. they are saying this to deflect from the fundamental issue because the reality is that killers, criminals, murderers, tend to operate within their own geographic space. so a killer will operate within the community he lives. he wouldn't go into a black community and kill children in a preschool there. he stays local and does it in his own community. we don't talk about white on white crime when we talk about white people killing other white people. >> michael, your response to that narrative tape, it seems like they are on a mission. >> of course. and i mean, they are ignoring what you put out and ignoring what joy reid so eloquently articulated. people kill where they live.

michael eric dyson, "time" magazine wrote this. we have liberals rejoicing about the gay marriage ruling, a lot of conservatives rejoicing about the voting rights ruling. here's what was written. "the thread running through all these cases is the possibility of change in american society. justice anthony kennedy was only stating the obvious when he wrote the changes in thinking about same-sex marriage have come clowe sloely at first and then in rapid course. if such change is possible in this area, is it also possible in the realm of race relations? the court thinks so, writing that the ghost of the 1960s can no longer be held against those states, particularly in the south." wi where does this go now? >> it's not the ghosts. it's the real living problems that are prenltsed. think about attorney general holder's response to this, talking about the corrosion of the foundations of american democracy. he pointed out that texas' redistricting plan and south carolina's i.d. plan were both rejected by lower courts, federal courts in texa

>> let's get right to our panel, joining us now is professor michael eric dyson from george two university and republican strategist hogan gidley. welcome back to both of you. professor after listening to "top lines," i'm seriously concerned we're witnessing widespread forms of thuggery and republican on republican violence. i thought this kind of dlint sit only took place in certain urban communities but this is what we're seeing between republican presidential candidates? >> they'll blame black culture first for its wide influence. >> it's all down to baggy pants. >> it's no doubt about it. you know, obviously, squabbles are good and healthy. people ought to express their differing viewpoints. it's rather interesting that the soul of the republican party is at stake here and that people are making arguments based upon you know, strange alliances and they become strange bedfellows because on the one hand, they're forced to acknowledge that maybe some liberals or progressives have a viewpoint that is legitimate and on the other hand, some of the conservatives are finding themselves at a lo

>> msnbc analyst michael eric dyson, criminal defense attorney karen desocietdesoto. "the rachel maddow show" starts rite now. >>> thanks to you for joining us this hour. they held a party today in texas. 5,000 people turning out on their lunch hours in austin. look at this. outside the state capitol in the baking july heat. they had dancesing and music including from natalie maines from the dixie chicks and a band called the bright light social hour did a song that went on for at least four minutes and contained a single word, wendy. ♪ wendy, wendy, wendy that would be wendy as in wendy davis. the texas democratic state senator who last week filibustered an antiabortion bill in texas until the clock ran out on the special session. and even though texas' majority republicans are back again this week as of today trying to pass that same bill, the scene outside the texas state capitol in austin today, at least for opponents of that bill, it was kind of a party today. it was kind of a party. a righteous texas party in the heat. thousands of people on the steps of the s

a group of african-american men including tracy martin, the father of trayvon martin and michael eric dyson and a former president of the naacp and spoke about challenges facing young black men including poverty, racial profiling, and childcare. they hear is for wednesday. -- the hearing is from wednesday.

many on the left got upset including michael eric dyson, who said and i quote. this is about justice clarence thomas. a symbolic jew invited a metaphoric hitler to commit holocaust and genocide on his own people. >> it is a rule of the public discourse you don't compare someone to be like hitler. it doesn't work. that particular commentator is excitable and said extreme things and it is not clear to me if we should pay a great deal of attention to him. >> i will jump in. it is one comment and one guy. i agree with you. as someone who covered clarence thomas hearings, he's tock a heat for a long time from the left. we just saw last week someone called him uncle tom and this guy is saying like a jew who invits hitler n. the vitriol for the only african-american justice. when he does anything that the left doesn't like is unseemly. >> there is a special level of antipathy that the left extends to blacks that are not liberals and clarence thomas is a leading figure in that regard. he's a member of the supreme court for goodness sake and has been there for a while an

back at the table, michael eric dyson, representative barbara lee, anthropology professor jonathan rosa, and elon james white. beef between harry belafonte and jay-z, whose presence is charity. >> i'm one of probably the three people on twitter that said i get his argument. it was just really badly made. we deal with situations in spaces that literally there are non-profits that do nothing but raise awareness around things. right? that is their job, to raise awareness. jay-z shows up to somewhere, like the trayvon march, he automatically -- that was the story everywhere. like jay-z and beyonce, jay-z and beyonce. he did raise the profile of that particular event. >> so his presence in that -- >> his presence did in fact add something to it. now, please note, this is a terrible way of making this argument, and you can easily make the argument that as artists, especially once you grow to a certain level, that you could say you owe something back to the community, that you should speak out more and do these things. but it's not -- you can't force people to do that. and two, when he does do

eric dyson, a professor at georgetown university who joined us from new york. michael, the attorney general now called for an honest discussion about the issues raised by this case. where in your view does that conversation go? >> well, first of all, i want to congratulate the attorney general for that courageous move. the conversation has to be about the stand your ground laws which have had a disproportionate and disparity racial effect and had an effect on african-american women and women and people of color tend to be the victims and perceived as the predators and as a result of that, they are murdered at an exceedingly high rate. we have to talk about your stand your ground laws, number one. number two, we have to be aware of the perception. george zimmerman was armed that night pursuing an unarmed young man. there's nothing within logic or reason to suggest that because of his skin color alone he presented a threat to george zimmerman except we have racial profiling and subconscious and unconscious racial beliefs and stereotypes that prevail so we have to

eric dyson, a professor at georgetown university who joined us from new york. michael, the attorney general now called for an honest discussion about the issues raised by this case. where in your view does that conversation go? >> well, first of all, i want to congratulate the attorney general for that courageous move. the conversation has to be about the stand your ground laws which have had a disproportionate and disparity racial effect and had an effect on african-american women and women and people of color tend to be the victims and perceived as the predators and as a result of that, they are murdered at an exceedingly high rate. we have to talk about your stand your ground laws, number one. number two, we have to be aware of the perception. george zimmerman was armed that night pursuing an unarmed young man. there's nothing within logic or reason to suggest that because of his skin color alone he presented a threat to george zimmerman except we have racial profiling and subconscious and unconscious racial beliefs and stereotypes that prevail so we have to