surges going on. we don't know what the numbers are. last year tws busy and retailers were disappointed. it's unclear. we'll know better as the next couple of days wear on. >> every nickel, penny and dime count for sure. i say more people to people who are buying for themselves. jersey city. hour two you're watching cnn. we begin with this deadly scene in austin, texas, under investigation. this gunman went on the shooting rampage targeting multiple government buildings in the texas state capital. cnn has learned the suspect who is still unidentified opened fire on multiple targets first the federal courthouse, local bank, mexican consulate and the austin police headquarters, all four. the gunman is now dead. but it is unclear if he shot himself or was killed by police. they are still investigating that. here's what we do know. he fired off more than 100

rounds and may have been trying to use his car as a weapon. >> we didn't find any explosive devices on the suspect, or on him or in the suspect vehicle. again, the officers first suspicions that we have the easy ly -- these cylinders in the vehicle he was going use it as a weapon to burn down the mexican consulate. victor, i talked to the police chief in the last hour and he said they did find propane tank, i think it was in the gunman's car, they searched the gunman's person. what about the home. are they searching the home? >> they have not cleared the home. what we do know they are approaching this as a potential threat. he mentioned that, it seems we've seen it before namely the colorado shooting that sometimes there are booby traps in these homes that it's so planned out,

that they are approaching this as a potential threat. but brooke you got to think about this scene. 2:20 in the morning local time. it's a holiday. bars have just closed and the police chief says there were crowds who heard the shooting there and they feared, the calls to police that this were some semiautomatic weapon because there were so many shots more than 100 rounds. there's the bank, the mexican consulate, the federal building, also the police headquarters there, all damaged. and they are pretty close to one another. it all happened within a ten minute span but they don't know in which order this all happened. they are trying to figure that out. this ended when there was a sergeant who was securing horses and this is a really amazing part of the story, at least for me, that he's holding the reins of two horses with one hand and reached out with the other hand to fire a single hot at the suspect. he went down and as you said the medical examiner will have to determine if it was a

self-inflicted gun wound or the officer's shot that killed him. >> as far as the gunman himself i know that the police chief told me he does have a criminal history. i asked if he was, they were aware of this individual. he said no he wasn't necessarily on the police radar. what more do we know about him? >> we know that and he was 50-year-old white male who lived in austin, an austin resident as you said with a criminal history. no details about that criminal history. it was speculation when the chief said but he said if you look at the targets here you got the mexican consulate, you got government buildings as well that he pointed to some of the heated rhetoric about immigration and the political conversation that's happening in the country right now. sometimes that can be too heated, in his opinion and he believes that could have been the inspiration for what we're seeing, they are searching as much as they can to find out what the true inspiration for this shooting rampage was. >> victor, thank you.

protesters are trying to burn black friday into brown friday to highlight tissues raised by the police shooting death of michael brown in ferguson, missouri. demonstrations were planned all across the country today to urge people to stage an economic boycott against major retailers. just about an hour ago a couple of protesters went inside the macy's at herald square in new york city. here's a photo from that filling the space. police also entered the store which wassing packed with your black friday shoppers so let's talk about this with rosa flores who is live in new york for me walking along with some of these protesters. rosa tell me what they are telling you. >> reporter: yes. so let me paint the picture for you quickly. there's hundreds of people marching the streets of new york right now. we started off at macy's like you mentioned a few of the protesters marched in there. and then we talked towards times square and now we're walking

back towards macy's with the protesters p.m. i'm we're the organizer. maybe you can tell us a little more about the purpose. i know that a lot of people are wondering why, why black friday. explain it to us. >> so, i'm the executive director and we recognize that racial injustice cannot be fought on its own we need to recognize that there's economic conditions in play. the conditions in which trayvon martin and michael brown were murdered also affect how corporations are bought into the complex and support policing and surveillance and ultimately harm communities of color every single day. >> now i know that conversation is happening all over the country. a lot of people being a part of this movement. but we've seen a lot of disruption. we've seen burnt cars. we've seen bolting in to stores.

does that deviate from the overall message. >> so there is a difference between civil disobedience and overall unrest. but what is the appropriate level of response for someone who hasn't -- for a community who hasn't received justice for someone who is shot and murdered in front of them for four hours? they have frustration, how is there an appropriate response for that. when we look at it, there's frustration and we've been, folks have been trained in civil disobedience and nonviolence and deescalation techniques. but what's happening from ferguson the tone has been set by the police from day one throwing rubber bullet, tear garks they have been the aggressor in every way. >> i know this is not the first protest here in new york city. we were talking moments ago about thousands of people coming out and supporting your effort.

we're talking about probably like 14,000. the response from the police here in new york city, to this movement. >> it's been very mild. surprisingly. and it's something that, i think we're hoping to see more confrontation going forward but it's been very much more lock down and calm in a sense of what we're hoping to expect. >> is that what you're hoping for calm. >> confrontation. >> why are your hoping for confrontation. >> absolutely confrontation is a way that we actually ultimately change the culture, right. this is about how we alter the power dynamics of our communities with the police. and right now there's a severe power dynamic of the police with the community and we need to flip that. >> all right, brooke, so there you have it. the organizer of one of these protests asking for more confrontation as a way of change. brooke, back to you. >> all right. well that's one way to look at

it. rosa flores, thank you. we have some breaking news. stores in the st. louis gallery mall have been told to temporary close their doors as ferguson protesters stormed the mall. cnn is learning some stores have totally closed. some others are choosing to remain open but cnn is heading to the scene and when we hear more we'll bring that to you. on top of that we're hearing protesters have created a major delay in oakland. there are currently no trains. zero trains going into or out of san francisco as i speak. we'll take you there. tell you what's up ahead. and next i'll speak live with the former fiancee of shawn bell who eight years ago this week was shot to death by police officers the night before his wedding. those officers fired 50 times. were indicted. later acquitted. you'll hear the story and the emotion especially in the wake of what's happened in ferguson, missouri. you're driving along,

having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and...

boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $423 dollars. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. is a really big deal.u with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently

than over-the-counter remedies. prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. so call your doctor right away. tamiflu treats the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. so don't wait. attack the flu virus at its source. ask your doctor about tamiflu. prescription for flu.

>> there's no doubt the worst thanksgiving ever for the family of brown happened just yesterday. a group called ferguson action tweet out a photo of his father's thanksgiving table. you see it right there an empty seat reserved for the unarmed teenager killed by an officer back in august. a shirt reads gone too soon. my next guest is the few to know how exactly to sit at a table like this. her fiancee shawn bell was celebrating his bachelor party when he was shot back in 2006. bell and his friends leaving a nightclub had an altercation with undercover officers. then shot at bell and his friends 50 time. unlike michael brown's case three of the officers were

indicted for the death of bell. who at the time was 23. in 2008 a jury acquit all of them. in 2010 new york city settled the lawsuit giving shawn bell's estate and his friend several million dollars each. >> it's a matter of time before this happens again and the police be the one doing the shooting and get away with it again. >> no amount of money can provide closure for shawn. no amount of money that can equal the pain that my family and his family have felt. so there's no amount of money. no. i don't think there will be closure. we have to live with it, move forward and get justice in other ways. >> you saw her there in 2010. here she is now sitting next to me, shawn bell's fiancee joins me. thanks for taking the time.

eight years ago this week this happened. also in the wake of ferguson, in the wake of, i don't know if you're following the story out of cleveland with this 12-year-old shot and killed, given all of that can you describe some of the emotions you went through this week? >> having to come up on the anniversary although it was eight years ago and today i can say i'm so much stronger than i was eight years ago and able to move forward. when you turn on the news see over and over looking in the mirror is what it feels like and knowing how these families feel it's a matter of time before the justice department has to come in and start making these connections on the federal level and do something and get reform for these families. and for these victims. >> we'll talk about some of the solutions, some of the fixes some of which you tried a couple of years ago. but just looking back to eight years ago and today as far as the justice system is concerned has anything changed? >> i think we all can see that not much has changed at all.

in just to be clear, eight years ago when it happened there was no altercation with police officers. there was an altercation, verbal altercation with another man, shawn and his group and another man. the party separated. no violent altercation. the violence came when the undercover detective came and fired his weapon at shawn and his friends who were trying to just get out of the scene not knowing and he was police officer. they broke several policies then. now we're looking in 2014 and we see mike brown, we see eric gardner in staten island and the young man in cleveland, 12 years old. people are tired of this. as well as i am. just turning on the news and trying to watch news with my daughter and sfling her no not all police officers are bad and yes a police officer did kill your father, but not everyone is bad. and we have to live with this. it's very difficult. >> you tried to have the bell bill happen, which would have,

correct me, but would have required, if you have an officer involved shooting instead of involving a district attorney who has relationships with that local police department, have somebody independent, have somebody totally unbiassed. have somebody called in to prosecute the case. >> it's a conflict of interest in my opinion for prosecutors to now have to try police officers who bring them their cases on a daily basis now have to turn around and prosecute these officers. it's a complete conflict of interest. >> you didn't get anywhere with that. >> we didn't. and, you know, i want to say prosecutors did their best, to you know, bring this case to try to bring justice for us but we had a bench trial which means there was no jury only a judge, and it's too -- it's almost impossible to prove malice when it comes to police officers. because they are given the right to use their weapon when they feel a threat. but over and over and over we're

seeing innocent people losing their lives. it's not fair. we're not asking for the death penalty, we're asking for accountability. not a civil suit but accountability. for no one to be held above the law. >> i'm wondering, and there's no comparing what happened with shawn and what happened with brown but i'm wondering you had the grand jury situation, right and the no indictment in ferguson. so that family did not have to or did not get to sit through a trial and ultimately perhaps hear a not guilty. you went through as you point out a bench trial and in the end these officers were acquitted. which do you think is more painful? >> that family deserved at least a trial for the public to able to site. that family to be able to see what happened that day. but for the home be absolutely no indictment, this family -- there will be little closure even as years go on they won't receive that closure but just to have those certain steps that are taken so that they are

allowed the maybe finances to some things that they will never be able to live with. i mean a mom and dad had to bury their teenage son. none of us know exactly what happened. even the prosecutor in missouri said there was conflicting accounts from the witnesses. they didn't give -- they didn't allow the community, they didn't allow these families to sit down and be able to go through a trial and ask questions an get answers. it's a terrible thing. i just continue to pray for his family and the nation because it's, it has happened over and over, time after time again and it's a matter of time before someone does something and not just, not just rallies and protests we need accountability. >> nicole, thank you so much eight years later. it's important to talk about it and have a national conversation. thank you. >> coming up, we are getting some breaking news here. ray rice, ray rice suspended nfl player seen punching his fiancee

inside an elevator has won his appeal to be reinstated. rachel nichols joins me with the news after this quick break.

got some breaking news. as it pertains to ray rice. remember this story. it all stwortd this video suspended running back ray rice seen hitting and then dragging

his then fiancee in that elevator in atlantic city on his case put the spotlight on nfl's domestic violence policies which led to sweeping changes to have a policy. the news here today he won his appeal and is now eligible to play immediately. cnn rachel nichols joins me now. rachel, put this in more context for everyone and what more are you hearing as far as this is concerning? >> reporter: the big headline is that ray rice is now eligible to play with any nfl team that signs him. if a team wanted to sign him and put him on the field that could happen but we're not expecting that to happen any time soon. keep in mind this appeals process wasn't a referendum on the swert of ray rice's actions. it was a referendum in the way nfl handled this case and roger goodell handled this case. roger goodell suspended ray rice for two games after this

incident first came to his desk. then after the video surfaced and we saw it on tmz's website later that day he suspended ray rice indefinitely. now ray rice's side and the union that represents him said hey, you had no new information there, yeah you saw a video but like a lot of us at the time, what did you expect happened in that elevator. you compromise what happened and even further ray rice said he openly acknowledged during his initial hearing with roger goodell that he hit his wife. so the appeal was basically to say you can't just suspend me indefinitely because public opinion floss the other way and you're trying to cover your own bad decision and apparently this appeals judge that was handed the appeal she agreed because she decided to overturn that indefinite suspension. >> she. leapt me ask you this. has he been paid? >> he has not been paid. he was released by the ravens.

anything from here forward is a fresh start. key sign a new contract. there's a lot of questions. there's, course, the visuals on this. if you're a team that needs a running back are your going to sign ray rice knowing the backlash against him, how people in the public feel about it. there's the football side because as much as the optics are an issue we know night winning is the most important thing. if a team thought they could win with ray rice they would take a chance on signing him. but there's question about his performance as a running back. he his worst season as a running back last season and before all of this happened and he's 27 years old. running backs have a short shelf life in the nfl. age 30 that's where the decline hits. so as he goes into being 28 years old people will say is it worth it for everything that i would have to take to signing and will he be that good on the football field. if he does sign with another team downtown road you would

think it's a team with a strong head coach, strong quarterback, lots of room where they could handle it. incognito, you were he was getting a look from the denver broncos. paton manning was in that locker room. they didn't sign him. will a team sign ray rice. >> we'll wait to see if and when that happens. rachel nichols thank you very much. ray rice officially eligible to play ball immediately. coming up next, bill cosby's alma mater has cut ties with him. hear what the university has asked bill cosby to do.

♪ approaching medicare eligibility? you may think you can put off checking out your

medicare options until you're sixty-five, but now is a good time to get the ball rolling. keep in mind, medicare only covers about eighty percent of part b medical costs. the rest is up to you. that's where aarp medicare supplement insurance plans insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company come in. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they could help pay some of what medicare doesn't, saving you in out-of-pocket medical costs. you've learned that taking informed steps along the way really makes a difference later. that's what it means to go long™. call now and request this free [decision guide]. it's full of information on medicare and the range of aarp medicare supplement plans to choose from based on your needs and budget. all plans like these let you choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients, and there are no network restrictions.

unitedhealthcare insurance company has over thirty years experience and the commitment to roll along with you, keeping you on course. so call now and discover how an aarp medicare supplement plan could go long™ for you. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. plus, nine out of ten plan members surveyed say they would recommend their plan to a friend. remember, medicare doesn't cover everything. the rest is up to you. call now, request your free [decision guide] and start gathering the information you need to help you keep rolling with confidence. go long™. ♪

bill cosby's alma mater cutting ties with star as new allegations of rape have been surfacing. more than a dozen women 15 have accused cosby drugging and sexually assaulting them. the comedian has refused to speak publicly and his lawyers denying everything. so with me now alison kosik. >> bill cosby got a masers and doctorate and "the washington post" came out and saying there was some controversy when he got these degrees he didn't take enough course work, he got credit for appearing on "sesame street". the university not cutting ties

with bill cosby because of that, cutting ties because of these rape allegations. the university coming out with this statement. bill cosby has agreed to resign as an honorary co-chair of umass-amherst capital campaign. he no longer has any affiliation with the campaign nor does he serve in any other capacity to the university. now no other details were given just that statement. also another university, high point university that's in north carolina actually over the summer, he was added there to the board, the board of advisers because the university said that bill cosby quote used his talents to create positive change. they also cut ties reportedly with bill cosby. so this is just yet another blow to his reputation. >> all right. allison, thank you. we are now one week away from cnn's holiday tradition, cnn heroes an all-star tribute.

until then anderson cooper checks in with last year's cnn hero. ♪ >> reporter: in 17 years the team picked up 1 million pounds of trash from america's rivers. last november, for instance, he picked up a big honor. >> 2013 cnn hero of the year is chad degrac. >> reporter: one year later we cut up with him looking at what he does and how he does it. at the heart of his work is a massive 800-on thebarge. it looks like a floating junk yard but -- >> welcome. >> reporter: it's chad's part time home. >> so pretty much everything is reclaimed or recycled out of old buildings. >> reporter: the goal is serious but there's a quick in this

work. >> this would be our creepy doll collection. why do we have it? i don't have any idea other than we find a lot of creepy dolls. >> reporter: trash isn't all he needs to look out for on the river. >> one of the safety concerns is the flying carp. they really do fly out of the water and get rather big. >> reporter: it's all part of chad's work. work that also includes growing trees. chad started this environmental effort in 2007 but he was able to expand it after being named cnn hero of the year. in the end chad's crew sid is much more than cleaning rivers. >> it's about people taking action in their own communities and that's what it's all about. that's how you change the world. >> december 7th. set your dvrs now. watch it on tv. it's being called the year's best national anthem and the boy, you heard me the boy singing it, big day for him today. 12 now 13, happy birthday.

i promise you we'll play it four. it will give you chills. we got the big interview as he's en route to another gig. we'll be right back. (vo) nourished. rescued. protected. given new hope. during the subaru "share the love" event, subaru owners feel it, too. because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. we'll have given 50 million dollars over seven years. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

our hearty all-natural turkey chili is back in season. slow-cooked with turkey raised without antibiotics, tart tomatillos, chilies, carrots, edamame and more. the savory spice of the chili pairs perfectly with the black bean hummus and the fresh crunch of napa cabbage blend in our southwestern chicken flatbread. and it all comes together in a you pick two made just for you. only at panera bread.

nfl fans at the bears/lions game were very thankful for one

12-year-old boy because he belted out one heck of a rendition of the national anthem. his name quintavias johnson. take a listen. >> now to honor america, please join 12-year-old national sensation, quintavias johnson as he leads us in the singing of our national anthem. ♪ o say, can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪

♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪

♪ and the home of the brave? ♪ i need a minute. i need a minute. i mean my goodness. here you are. you dropped everything after such a night you had. you were joining me from the baggage claim of san francisco's international airport on your birthday. i would sing for you but i don't want to shatter glass. that's more your thing. happy birthday. >> thank you. thank you. fun birthday so far. >> pretty good. i'm amazed you're not going through the airport incognito. you had a big night. i'm curious if you had to sign any autographs yet?

>> yes. >> how many. >> plenty. i can't count. >> ata boy. that's a good answer. talk to me about last night. you killed it. were you nervous at all? >> i wasn't. last night, i do what i do every time i pray and then i just get pumped up. i get excited. adrenaline rushes through my body and i go out there. while i'm singing i don't think about it. it just happens. >> it just happens. it just happens. how did this, where did this gift come from? >> it definitely came from god, of course. and everybody on my mom's side sings so the whole family on my mom's side. you can just close your eyes and pick one and they will sing.

so good and family. >> god and family. who were your big influences? >> well, i was 11 months when i started singing and my big influence -- >> hang on, hang on. 11 months old. how did you even know how to sing at 11 months old? >> i was always an early baby. i was rocking at four to five months. talking, full sentence at six and seven months and then i started to sing at 11 months. >> amazing. are you a mensa. please continue. your influence, sir. >> whitney houston, the young michael jackson, maria carey, luther van johns. all the greats. >> all the greats. you, sir, are great as well. i know you have a lot of gigs ahead of you. i'm proud to say i knew you when. happy birthday. i want an autograph.

>> all right. thank you. >> thank you. >> that was awesome. here's something else that's getting traction online. the thoughts of another man we'll show you benjamin watson. you may know him. new orleans saints writes his thoughts about what's happening in ferguson on his facebook page. and those words have been liked more than 700,000 times. and i get to talk to the man whose words are resonating with so many of you out there. he ran from practice to join me on tv on cnn. benjamin we appreciate you. we'll talk live on the other side of the break. (vo) nourished.

rescued. protected. given new hope. during the subaru "share the love" event, subaru owners feel it, too. because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. we'll have given 50 million dollars over seven years. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. a secure retirement. a new home. earning your diploma. providing for your family. real associates, using walmart's benefits to build better lives for their families. opportunity. that's the real walmart. i've got a nice long life ahead.

big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request

this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is.

welcome back. you're watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. you know, you've been watching. we've been reporting on the grand jury's reaction to not indict darren wilson. there's this essay, making the rounds online that's resonating with hundreds of thousands of people. more than 750,000 people have given it thumbs up on facebook and that's just facebook. almost half a million have shared with it friends. i want details one man's very real very candid range of emotions about what happened in ferguson. the man who wrote this essay joins me now. he's nfl player of the new orleans saints tight end mr. benjamin watson. benjamin watson, truly an honor and a plea sure to have you on. >> thank you. it's an honor to be here. >> we were chatting this week about your piece in a asked you because it's much more poignant

coming from you than from me. two of your favorite paragraphs. can you read those for me? >> yes. i will. luckily i have my iphone. i want to read about being an introspective the first one is i'm introsuspective because sometimes i want to take our side without looking at the facts in situations like these. sometimes i feel like it's us against them. sometimes i'm just as prejudice as people i point fingers at and that's not right. how can i look at white skin and make assumptions but not want assumptions about me. that's not right. i'll go down and the second paragraph that i think kind of struck a chord with me was the last paragraph of the piece. is how i closed it up. kind of on a positive note. after thinking about these emotions and going through them i'm encouraged because of this. i'm encouraged because ultimately the problem is not a skin problem it's a sin problem. sin is the reason we rebel against authority. sin is the reason we abuse our

authority. sin is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own opinion sin is the reason we riot, we loot and we burn but i'm encouraged because god has provided solution for sin through his son jesus winter a transformed mind and heart. one that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing what's truly important in every human being. the cure for michael brown, trayvon martin and eric gardner tragedy is not education or exposure it's the >> it's one thing for all of us to have conversations around the water cooler or on the football field this past week. but i'm curious, what specifically possessed you to take the time to write this and then have the courage to share it? >> great question. i do a little bit of writing, and i wouldn't consider myself a writer by any stretch of the imaginatio imagination. but i do from time to time like to write about things i see in football and relate them to life, to spiritual lessons. i do some writing at times.

but after the monday night game, we didn't hear the announcement made. after the monday night game, we came on and heard about it, turned on cnn and fox and saw what was going on, saw everything that was going on in ferguson. and my heart went out to the people there, my heart went out to both sides. over the course of the next day, we had that next tuesday off. i was with the kids, helped make breakfast. i started getting my thoughts together because there are so many emotions in this one event. and i wanted to get it out to find of flesh out how i felt about the situation and didn't really know how i was going to write this piece or didn't know the format it was going to be in. but throughout that day, i literally took my iphone and started typing in the note section. and by the end of the day, i'm sitting in the parking lot of a target on clearview avenue in new orleans. my wife was in the target, the kids were in the back. she was getting some things for a few homeless people in the

city. and i just started writing. and i finished it, sent it off. i don't even know how to logon to my facebook. >> benjamin! >> i'm serious. i do twitter, but facebook, i'm not that good at. >> you get a pass. >> and then i sent it to the folks to put it on there. a couple of hours later, my phone died and my wife was looking on her computer and she said, did you post something? i said, yeah. and she said, everybody's blowing my facebook up and asking me questions. and i looked and i was speechless and floored by the response that it was getting. that was two days ago on tuesday -- actually three days ago on tuesday. now we're where we sit now. >> you and i were talking this week over twitter as you were saying that you were overwhelmed. and i think -- i've had discussions on my show about your piece. i'm just thrilled to actually talk to you about it. one part that resonates with a lot of america is the "i'm sympathetic" section, where you

say, i'm sympathetic to the officer, i'm sympathetic to michael brown and so much of america is perceiving this story as -- lz granderson said, neither side is sympathetic to the other. that's a problem. >> yeah. and i think that's a natural reaction. that's why i started off by saying that i'm angry. it's okay to be angry and to identify your emotion as being angry because like i said later, we like to protect our own. because of our life experiences, whether it is being a black american or a white american, because of stories that you've heard, because of injustices that have happened or maybe being accused of something you didn't do or being accused of being racist when you're not, we have these certain histories and we react because of those. so anger is okay. but when you get past that first level of emotion, it's important to understand, why are you angry? and then take it a step further. am i any different than anyone else if i'm in their situation.

i've had a lot of teammates that came up to me and said they read it. for them to say they enjoyed the piece warms my heart. but it was what a lot of people were thinking but didn't know how to express it. and for whatever reason, god gave me the words to put on paper and it resonated with a lot of people. it's really important that we take a step back sometimes and think about the other side before we make accusations and assumptions. >> sit in the silence, let it flow, be it on paper or in the note section of your iphone. so much, i think, also, benjamin, of this about preconceived notions, about police. i want you to think about this, if you've ever been pulled over for something minor and how your interaction, being an african-american male in our country, if that would be different dealing with a white cop. we'll be right back.

you don't need to think that makes our lives possible. because we do. we're exxonmobil... and powering the world responsibly is our job.

because boiling an egg... isn't as simple as just boiling an egg. life takes energy. energy lives here. celebrate what's new, the bigger, better menu at red lobster! with more of what you love! try our newest wood-grilled combination! maine lobster, extra jumbo shrimp, and salmon! so hurry in! and sea food differently.

now with the you can watch live tv anytime. it's never been easier with so many networks all in one place. get live tv whenever you want. the xfinity tv go app. now with live tv on the go. enjoy over wifi or on verizon wireless 4g lte. plus enjoy special savings when you purchase any new verizon wireless smartphone or tablet from comcast. visit comcast.com/wireless to learn more.

we're back live from new orleans with benjamin watson, tight end with the new orleans saints. penned this phenomenal essay that's now on his facebook page for anyone and everyone to read, like and pass along. so we were just talking. i was asking you on the other side of the break in the wake of everything that's happened in ferguson, a lot of the discussion has been about biases or preconceived notion from police in dealing with minorities and communities. i'm wondering just for you when you have, assuming you've been pulled over for something minor by a police officer, what was that like for you? >> well, i've had my fair share of traffic infractions. i'm not a model citizen when it comes to speeding sometimes. and sometimes making a right turn when i shouldn't. but i have been pulled over before. honestly, when i get pulled over, i do think about what is going to happen and how do i make the situation move as quickly and safely as possible.

so i do things like hold my hands where they can be seen and i be respectful to the police officer. you hear and see so many stories where a lot of things go wrong. but the most important thing is to realize while i have these experiences and why i react the way i react, you have to realize, the police officer that's coming to you, he may have some experience in his past as well. so there's two sides to this. i think the main thing is that you realize that you obey the law, you do what's asked of you, you present your license and your registration, you say, yes, sir, and the hope is on his side, his fears are alleviated and you're able to have the transaction without anything bad happening. but when you hear so many different stories, it's natural to come into a situation like that with certain baggage. and that is a reason why it's important first of all to acknowledge that and understand that the guy on the other side is coming from the same way you are. >> in the 60 seconds i have

remaining with you, sir, let me ask you, we talked so much about this on a micro level. on a day-to-day level, how can we, black, white, whatever, improve this? >> well, honestly, i think i point to it in the very last paragraph that i read. and i'm encouraged because things aren't the way they used to be. we don't have grandparents that told us how things were. we've all seen documentaries. we are definitely making progress. but on an individual, on a micro level, the issue is not really skin. the issue is sin. and i firmly believe that the issue is ultimately we are flawed, internally, we need salvation from our sin. internally our sin makes us prideful, it makes us judgmental, it makes us prejudice, which leads to racism, it makes us lash out at people that don't look like us. it makes us do all those things. it makes us lash out in anger and makes us point fingers. our sin that's in us makes us do

those things. and the only salvation for this season is the gospel, the only way to really cure that -- what's on the inside is understanding that jesus christ died for our sins. so to me on a micro level, it's -- >> got it. just like that, we lost him. i heard you guys wrapping me. i just couldn't let him go. benjamin watson, thank you so much. i'm brooke baldwin. see you on monday. jim sciutto up next. a st. louis mall forced to turn away shoppers on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. i'm jim sciutto. and this is "the lead." the national day of shopping turns into a national day of protest. demonstrators hold up check out lines across the country and successfully shut down a mall in st. louis all in the name of michael brown. and the sports lead, from poster boy to disgrace to a man in limbo, running back ray rice suspended for hitting his wife is now