Guests:Rev. Jacques Degraff & Kevin Powell
"African-Americans make up 13% of the American population, but 36% of the prison population. African-Americans commit more murders than whites, even though the population difference is huge. That's the primary reason grand juries give police the benefit of the doubt when there's an incident in the black community. Also, most Americans understand that police work is intense, especially in poor neighborhoods. We are all human beings, we all form general impressions, and - sad to say - the overt impression formed about young black males who act and speak a certain way is negative. It may not be fair, but it's reality. Faced with that, some police officers unfairly target young black males and those officers must be stopped. But most cops try to be fair. Many politicians are too cowardly to tell you what Talking Points just stated. They know the stats, but they refuse to discuss the core problems - poor education, poor family structure, and an attitude of defiance toward law enforcement. Politicians like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio demonize the police and refuse to make judgments about personal behavior. That attitude empowers chaotic young people, and then when they finally go over the line, they wind up in prison or in the morgue. Government cannot control personal behavior. When the regular folks come together and say 'enough,' when they support the police by turning in the violent people, when they speak out against teenage girls becoming pregnant, and when they encourage solid family values, that's when the underclass crime problem will begin to subside. One final thing: When you hear someone say they want to have a 'conversation about race,' that means they want to bloviate about theory, about things that happened in America 150 years ago. They don't really want to solve the problem."

The Factor invited reaction from black political activists Kevin Powell and Rev. Jacques Degraff. "Your entire premise is false," Degraff protested. "The notion that this is a problem fueled by weak families is totally inaccurate. Racism is alive and well in America and a lot of people don't want to talk about racism. I believe, and others in our community believe, that we are at risk in a way that other Americans are not. The system has a different value towards black life!" Powell agreed and questioned the stats put forth in the Talking Points Memo "We live in a country that is so rooted in racism that it permeates every aspect of the society. People sometimes conveniently manipulate statistics to prove their agenda."

Guest:Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani turned to the overall state of race relations in the USA. "The narrative that the police are the cause of everything," he said, "gets people like Al Sharpton great attention. Another problem is that for many people it's very difficult to assume responsibility - most people point fingers somewhere else. So if you ask why 75% of the murders in New York City involve blacks killing other blacks, that is a tough question they have to answer. It has to do with family and an education system that is a disaster." Giuliani also explained why he totally froze Al Sharpton out of City Hall. "I realized that by dealing with Al Sharpton, former Mayor David Dinkins was elevating him. My rule was that I would not deal with him, I would only deal with people who had a legitimate interest in solving a problem. I turned New York City from the crime capital of America to the safest large city in four years, and the major beneficiary of that was the black community. What have Al Sharpton and the others done for the black community except watch people get killed and blame it on the cops?"

Guest:Russell Simmons
Black and white Americans agree on one thing, that race relations have been getting worse. The Factor spoke about the divide with music executive Russell Simmons. "We can create a good relationship between police and communities with sensitivity training," he averred, "both for the community and for the police. The way the police approach the community is a problem." Simmons blamed America's long-running war on drugs. "The disruption of the fabric of the black community has everything to do with the war on drugs. 95% of the people who go to jail for non-violent first-time offenses are people of color." The Factor advised Simmons that he is turning a blind eye to an inconvenient truth: "The bigger issue that you are not acknowledging is that the violent crime rate among young black men drives suspicion and hostility on the part of the police. And the crime rate is driven by the dissolution of the family."

The Factor invited Charles Krauthammer to evaluate the state of race relations in America in the wake of the Michael Brown case. "When you think about the span of the past 50 years," Dr. K said, "the division between the races has been dramatically reduced to a point that would have been unimaginable. 50 years ago there was legal segregation against black people! We have a black president who carried North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia in 2008. Clearly there are people who don't like African Americans, but they are outnumbered by the number of whites who felt it would be a good thing to elect an African American as a way to symbolize the change in the country. I would defy you to name one country in the world where that attitude change has been so radical." Nevertheless, The Factor lamented the fact that many black Americans still feel the deck is stacked against them: "The black underclass, the people who live in dangerous neighborhoods and feel they have no chance, is entrenched. And then there are demagogues like Al Sharpton who tell them white people are keeping them down."

Guest:Tavis Smiley
"On July 17th, New York City police confronted 43-year-old Eric Garner in Staten Island. Garner was a low-level street dealer of illegal cigarettes and was not happy to see the police. The officers wanted to place handcuffs on Mr. Garner and were initially cautious, but when they moved in, the worst happened. Eric Garner died at a hospital a short time later, the medical examiner calling his death a homicide. Mr. Garner had a record - mostly non-violent offenses - and was out on bail at the time of the confrontation. New York City police policy is that chokeholds are not allowed, and Mayor Bill de Blasio is clearly on the side of the Garner family. The officer who used the hold, Daniel Pantaleo, was called before a grand jury and testified for two hours. He is now free and clear of any local and state charges, but the feds say they will investigate. Talking Points does not know what happened, and until we read the grand jury transcripts, nobody can know. However, I will say that upon seeing the video and hearing Mr. Garner say he couldn't breathe, I was extremely troubled. I would have loosened my grip, and I desperately wish the officer would have done that. Eric Garner was obese and had asthma; he was in no condition to absorb what befell him. Yes, he should not have resisted, but all Americans should pity Mr. Garner and his family. He did not deserve that, and I think Officer Pantaleo and every other American police officer would agree with me."

The Factor pursued the story with black radio talk show host Tavis Smiley. "I am pleased to hear what you said," Smiley began, "and the video camera is abundantly clear about what happened that day. This was an illegal choke hold and the coroner says this is a homicide. End of story! There is no way we can justify a non-indictment, it doesn't add up. The grand jury system is become a fraud and the value of black life continues to have less respect every day!" Playing devil's advocate, The Factor reminded Smiley that this was not an intentional murder: "The choke hold is not illegal, but it's against police department policy. I don't think the police officer meant to kill Mr. Garner, he meant to stop him from resisting arrest."

Guests:Juan Williams & Mary Katharine Ham
Five Los Angeles Rams players came onto the field in the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" stance, an homage to Michael Brown. The Factor invited reaction from Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams. "I think it was appropriate," Williams averred, "and my only criticism is that they didn't tell the coach. Sports is such a large platform in American life and I think pro athletes should do more of this." Ham then criticized the police group that complained to the National Football League. "This was non-violent and fairly appropriate, but the folks who came to the NFL were police officers. It makes me a little squeamish when law enforcement has an issue with political speech and wants to get rid of it. The answer is more speech, not less."

Guest:Benjamin Crump
"By rampaging in Ferguson, those who believe police officer Darren Wilson should have been charged with murder brought worldwide attention to their cause. The looters and arsonists sent a strong message that anarchy and destruction are tools to be used in protest. Some TV networks reported that most of the demonstrators were not violent, but that is false. Once you see crimes being committed in any situation, you must walk away or you become part of the criminal activity. The mob also set back race relations in America years. Talking Points has documented how rare police killings of Americans really are, but the racial agitators are having none of that. Professor and MSNBC analyst Michael Eric Dyson wrote about 'the plague of white cops who kill unarmed black youth.' He went on to basically call President Obama a traitor to his race for not siding with the violent demonstrators who, in Dyson's view, have a legitimate right to destroy at will. Let's take a look at this 'plague.' In the past 50 years, the rate of black Americans killed by police has dropped by 70%. In 2012, 123 African-Americans were shot dead by police, while 326 whites were killed by police bullets. In 2013, blacks committed 5,375 murders, whites committed 4,396. Whites comprise 63% of the population, blacks 13%. So anyone can see that the homicide rate among blacks is way out of proportion. Michael Eric Dyson and his soul mates will tell you that is white America's fault, he will call you racist if you cite the statistics. He will label you a white supremacist, as he did to Rudy Giuliani, if you suggest that law-abiding black Americans organize against black on black crime. The grand jury examined the evidence and decided against indicting Officer Wilson. Maybe they made a mistake, human beings are fallible. But the lynch mob mentality Michael Eric Dyson, Al Sharpton and other demagogues advocate is a far more obvious mistake. That mistake is clear for everyone to see."

The Factor was joined by Benjamin Crump, the attorney who represents the family of Michael Brown. "Nobody condones violence," Crump insisted, "in any fashion or form. The people were protesting peacefully and they expected police to handle the lawbreakers. But they still wanted to voice their concerns about what they thought was unfair. Michael Brown's mother and father have been very consistent in asking for peace in the face of overwhelming emotion. They've been trying to be calm, even though this is very painful." The Factor suggested that Crump himself would never stand idly by as others engaged in lawlessness: "You're an officer of the court and an honest man. If you're protesting and you see somebody torch a store, you would walk away."