This Week with George Stephanopoulos – June 21, 2015

Host: Martha Raddatz

Reporters:

Steve Osunsami

Guests:

S.C. State Rep. Rev. Carl Anderson

Fmr. Rep. Barkari Sellers

Joe Riley – Mayor of Charleston

Waltrina Middleton – cousin of shooting victim Depayne Middleton

Malcolm Graham – brother of shooting victim Cynthia Hurd

Michael German - Fmr. FBI agent

Dan Abrams

Charlayne Hunter-Gault

Jelani Cobb

Rick Santorum

Raddatz: wow I'm coming live

from a church service in Charleston

Raddatz: it's a holy city with many churches

Osunsami: the city has a message

– hate wont win

Osunsami: law enforcement authorities

are trying to determine if the killer 

was a racist

Osunsami: the killer wrote that blacks are

the biggest problem American faces and

that he meant to kill black people and

since the town has no KKK or skinheads

he had to kill the black people

Audience: so it's inconclusive

Osunsami: also he was outraged that

Trayvon Martin got away with stealing

George Zimmerman's bullets

Killer's Black Friend: the church

wasn't his primary target!

Audience: define 'primary target'

Osunsami: the families are forgiving

Family member: hate won't win!

Raddatz: the whole nation was

relieved when the families

forgave the murdering white

guy for killing black people

Raddatz: tell me about your sister

Graham: she was an angel who

loved her family and her community

Middleton: she was an inspiration

and was the voice of reason and

she loved her children

Raddatz: what do you tell her kids?

Middleton: that I love them

Raddatz: but white people all

want to hear about your forgiveness

Middleton: yes we said that –

but we are also angry and hurt

and are seeking justice

Graham: I'm not forgiving –

this was hate and I want justice

Middleton I know white people 

want to hear all about forgiveness 

but you also need to acknowledge 

marginalization and oppression of black people

Raddatz: how can we get past this?

Graham: you'll see us in the Emmanuel

church come together because we have to

Raddatz: thanks

[ break ]

Raddatz: welcome State Representative Reverend Carl Anderson

Anderson: good morning Martha

Raddatz: you're a pastor and legislator

– what would you say to the congregation?

Anderson: we're praying for you

Sellers: today we're thinking about

families going without their fathers

Raddatz: if Senator Pickney were 

here instead of being murdered in 

a terrorist attack what would he say?

Sellers: if Pickney were here

he's say stand up and celebrate

Raddatz: so how about that Confederate flag?

Anderson: I hope we can take

that flag down in a bipartisan way

Raddatz: how fragile is racial progress?

Sellers: my father was shot in a

racial massacre and I'm only 30 years old

Raddatz: so pretty fragile

Sellers: Senator Pickney will be

lying in state in the Capitol and yards

away will be the confederate flag flying high

Raddatz: I take your point

Sellers: it is a banner under

which this racist murderer acted

Raddatz: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Raddatz: where does

racial hate come from?

German: they have hate and

anger and they look for any justification

Raddatz: are lone wolf 

white supremacists new?

German: no they're not

Raddatz: is this a hate crime or terrorism?

Abrams: South Carolina has no hate crimes

Raddatz: oh how nice for them

Abrams: but he'll probably be charged

with murder in South Carolina

and get the death penalty

Raddatz: do you see any defense?

Abrams: well he can forget 

the insanity defense Martha

[ break ]

Raddatz: Welcome Mayor Riley

Riley: it was wonderful to offer our help

Raddatz: he's been mayor since 1975

Riley: if the murderer thought

he was going to divide this city he failed!

Raddatz: powerful stuff

Riley: we had black and white

together which is just so Charleston

Raddatz: but a recently a white

cop murdered a black guy

Historian: Charleston was

built on kidnapping and murder

Raddatz: that's disturbing

Historian: there are still

institutional leftovers of racism

Raddatz: why target that church?

Historian: that church resisted slavery

Raddatz: that church was closed

down and was burned down but

they always came back better than ever

Activist: you hope you people 

will get over racism

Riley: we're going to help

those families and that church

[ break ]

Raddatz: Jelani you said 

language matters – why?

Cobb: this wasn't an accident or a

natural disaster or just a tragedy

– it was terrorism

Raddatz: good point

Cobb: remember when Republicans

were obsessed with language over

Benghazi and calling it terrorism

or your were weak on terror

Raddatz: that rings a belligerent

Cobb: darn right – well this is the same

Raddatz: you say he wasn't just a loner

Cobb: correct – we've have terrorism

in America against African-Americans

for 300 years

Raddatz: you wer the first African-American

at UGA – have we made progress?

Hunter-Gault: we have made progress

– but this young man wasn't even

born during apartheid or when

Rhodesia existed so how did 

get obsessed with them?

Raddatz: what should young

African-Americans be thinking?

Hunter-Gault: I want to know what

the hell young white people are thinking!

Raddatz: thanks for coming

[ break ]

Raddatz: was this terrorism?

Santorum: no question – and pure evil

Raddatz: what charges should be brought?

Santorum: it doesn't matter as long as

we show how precious life is by killing him

Raddatz: with so many mass

shootings do we need so many guns?

Santorum: we need to forgive

our mass shooting terrorists

Raddatz: of course

Santorum: the way to overcome

terrorism is through reconciliation

with terrorists

Raddatz: of course – but does

America have a problem with racism?

Santorum: they key is to forgive the racists

Raddatz: what about the confederate flag?

Santorum: oh I have no opinion

on that – that's a state issue

Raddatz: so are abortion and

gay marriage and you won't 

shut up about those issues

Santorum: yes but gay people are bad

Raddatz: so should the flag

fly on Capitol grounds?

Santorum: that's a private matter

between a racist woman her flag provider

Raddatz: but you're running for President

Santorum: but that's a federal office

like postal carrier or national park guard

Raddatz: you must have an opinon

Santorum: yes I do – it's my opinion that

pandering to un-American racists would

be good for my campaign

Raddatz: what about Donald Trump?

Santorum: I like him and he's a good man

Raddatz: he's also a racist

Santorum: well nobody's perfect

Raddatz: thanks for coming and

dodging all my questions Rick

Santorum: thanks Martha