Darren Wilson Resigns from Ferguson Police; Cleveland Police File Suit Over 2012 Police Shooting; Questions Raised about Suicide of Ohio State Football Player
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Ferguson fallout, protests continue, President Obama meeting with civil rights leaders and its cabinet to figure out what to do about the unrest. How can Ferguson and the nation heal divisions between the law enforcement and the black community? This as Darren Wilson announced that he is resigning, there is a twist.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Former Ravens runningback, Ray Rice wins his appeal reversing his indefinite suspension and his wife shares her side of what happened in that elevator. Will any team want him after that ugly attack?</s>MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Crunch time, Congress returning today only two weeks to take on immigration, the war on ISIS, and funding the government. Will lawmakers meet their deadline or could gridlock cause another government shutdown?</s>CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now. Good morning. Welcome to NEW DAY. It's Monday, December 1st, it's 6:00 in the east almost about a minute shy there. It's actually a new day, a new week, and a new month. Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota here. Listen, I know you've been hearing a lot about Ferguson, but it is not going away. The president is taking it on now because the issues there exist in many places. Today, he will meet with his cabinets, civil rights leaders and law enforcement officials to discuss what happened there and what to do about it.</s>CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, Ferguson's mayor is outlining plans for improving relations between the community and the police which includes efforts to recruit more minority officers. Over the weekend, Officer Darren Wilson resigned from the force. The mayor insists, Wilson will get no severance pay and a "Hands Up" don't shoot gesture by some St. Louis Rams players Sunday in support of the Ferguson protesters sparked new controversy. CNN's Ed Lavandera is following all the latest developments for us. He is live Ferguson. Good morning, Ed.</s>LAVANDERA: Good morning. Well, the good news is it was a quiet night on the streets of Ferguson and around here quiet is a good thing.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have not severed ties with Officer Darren Wilson.</s>LAVANDERA: After six years on the Ferguson Police Force, Officer Darren Wilson turned in his badge over the weekend.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The city of Ferguson will not be making a severance payment to Officer Wilson.</s>LAVANDERA: Wilson says the risk of violence to residents and police officers prompted his letter of resignation, which reads, if part, It is my hope my resignation will allow the community to heal." City officials are ready to move on.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now is the time for the city of Ferguson to begin its healing process.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're no doing nothing.</s>LAVANDERA: But protesters in Ferguson and around the country from Oregon...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice!</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice!</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice!</s>LAVANDERA: ... to Washington, D.C....</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice!</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice!</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice!</s>LAVANDERA: ... aren't ready to let go.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He got away with murder.</s>LAVANDERA: During Sunday's match-up between the Rams and Raiders, 50 extra security officers surrounded the St. Louis stadium, while protesters chanted outside. While inside...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many were joined by the rest of the receiving core.</s>LAVANDERA: ... several Rams players staged a show of solidarity as they took the field, displaying the "hands up, don't shoot" pose adopted by protesters. The players' support for Michael Brown struck a sour note with the St. Louis Police Officers' Association. The organization's business manager said in a statement, "I'd remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser's products. It's cops and the good people of St. Louis that do." A community polarized and in need of money. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called for critical funding Friday to cover the payroll of thousands of National Guard and state highway patrol members who have been policing Ferguson's restless streets. This as the NAACP calls for reform, taking their message on a 120-mile march from Ferguson to Nixon's mansion.</s>CORNELL WILLIAMS BROOKS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: Our goal is really to bring about a reform of policing in this country and an end to racial profiling.</s>LAVANDERA: And President Obama will be meeting with various official civil rights leaders in the White House today. Attorney General Eric Holder will also begin a nationwide tour conversation to improve relationships between local law enforcement and the black community across the country. Alisyn, back to you.</s>CAMEROTA: Yes. A lot of meetings to watch today. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much. Now to another embattled police force: nine Cleveland officers, eight of them white, one Hispanic, filing a federal lawsuit, alleging they endure harsher discipline than their African-American colleagues when it comes to officer-involved shootings of African-Americans, all of that unfolding in the wake of last weekend's tragic police shooting that left a 12-year-old boy dead. CNN's Alexandra Field is following the latest developments for us. What do we know, Alexandra?</s>ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Alisyn. Well, this lawsuit is being filed two years after two people were shot and killed. The officers involved in that shooting now say that, in the wake of that shooting, they are the ones who have been treated unfairly.</s>FIELD (voice-over): Over the weekend, family and friends in this Cleveland neighborhood mourned the life of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Many in this community outraged over a police officer's split-second decision to fatally shoot Rice, who was flashing a pellet gun. The officer says it looks like Rice was reaching for a real firearm when they arrived on scene.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice!</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No peace!</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No peace!</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No peace!</s>FIELD: Frustrated community members taking to the streets, demanding police reform.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not one more family loses their child.</s>FIELD: The public outcry calm but firm.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A black person reaches for something, knee-jerk response now is to shoot.</s>FIELD: So far, Cleveland has been spared the racially-charged violent protests that have been rocking Ferguson, Missouri, after a grand jury decided not to indict white police officer for killing an unarmed black teenager who the officer says attacked him. But now, eight white officers and one Hispanic officer with Cleveland P.D. have filed a federal lawsuit against the city and police officials, alleging racial discrimination. The officers claim their superiors subject them to harsher discipline than African-American officers when it comes to police-involved shootings of African-American civilians. The lawsuit stems from a 2012 high-speed car chase. Two unarmed African-Americans killed inside their vehicle by a hail of 137 bullets. Later, a grand jury indicted six of the officers involved, including one who was facing two counts of manslaughter.</s>FIELD: CNN reached out to the city and the police for comment after hours. We have not yet heard back from the six officers who were indicted. All pleaded not guilty. As for the officers involved in that lawsuit, they are looking for an unspecified amount of damages -- Chris.</s>CUOMO: All right, Alexandra. Thank you very much. Let's bring in somebody who understands these issues very well, because it's an ongoing struggle to figure out what will happen in communities like Ferguson and Cleveland now. So his name is Cedric Alexander. He's the president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and a deputy chief operating officer of public safety in De Kalb County. It's very good to have you with us, as always.</s>CEDRIC ALEXANDER, PRESIDENT, NOBLE: Good morning, Chris.</s>CUOMO: Let's -- let's go through all these headlines, sir. The first one: what do you make of this lawsuit of white officers saying, "When we shoot a black guy it gets treated one way. If a black cop shoots a black kid, it's treated a different way, more leniently? Do you ever see anything like that?</s>ALEXANDER: No, I haven't. In 37 years of policing, Chris, it's the first I ever heard of that. Let me say this first: I think that just speaks to where we are in this country in terms of police-community relations. And we've really got to do something to begin to have not only conversation but really some real dialogue so that we can begin to resolve some of this, because this is really getting out of control as it relates to public safety in this country.</s>CUOMO: What's your big concern?</s>ALEXANDER: Well, the big concern for me is -- and I'm glad it's here today, that the president and his administration, his cabinet, are going to set down and they're going to look at this issue around policing and community relations across this country. As you and I have spoke about before, as you well know, Ferguson was just a tipping point of this historical events of bad relationships between police and community, and it just came to a boil again. Even though a lot of gain has been made, we still have a lot of work to do. And so I'm glad to hear that the president is taking -- taking time out of everything that he has to do to address this very important domestic issue in this country.</s>CUOMO: Do you think he should have gone to Missouri sooner? Do you think the governor of Missouri should have been much more visible in the streets of Ferguson? Has there been a vacuum of leadership?</s>ALEXANDER: Well, to me, yes, absolutely. Right from the beginning, the governor there should have gotten out a whole lot earlier. And I think some of the decisions that he made, as well, too...</s>CUOMO: Should the president have gone? Should he go now?</s>ALEXANDER: No, I don't think the president should go at all. I don't think it's necessary to do so. I think what's occurring right now is that we have the attorney general, who will be here in Atlanta today and also is going to travel to several other countries -- I mean other cities, across this nation to begin the dialogue and start talking about and begin to take some action so that we can begin to confront this issue of police and community relations.</s>CUOMO: What do you think about the actions that have been taken so far, in terms of, one, Darren Wilson resigning, but no pension, no severance, no benefits? From the law enforcement perspective, why is that OK? If he was exonerated by the grand jury, why should he have to resign without any benefits?</s>ALEXANDER: Well, I'm not sure if he was made to resign.</s>CUOMO: But do you think that's a good move? Or is that an admission that he did something wrong?</s>ALEXANDER: What I think it is, is it's a healing for that community that is coming forth. I think his resignation, along with some potential other changes that need to be made in that community is going to help that community, Chris, begin to heal and there is no way that Darren Wilson would be able to stay in that department, quite frankly, without that community continuing to feel weight that it does now. That's a very hurt community. They have not had police-community relations there. And I think he's moving on with the rest of his life. Whatever he decides to do is up to him. And that was a decision that he made.</s>CUOMO: What about the Rams players holding up their hands?</s>ALEXANDER: Very interesting. Here again, a group of young men who have their own thoughts about that whole event there in Ferguson. They made a statement. But here again, it speaks to, nationally and internationally, Chris, the concerns that people have about police and community relations in this nation. You're talking about a group of professional athletes, young African-American men, who in some way feel very heartfelt about this whole incident. That was their statement. And...</s>CUOMO: You know -- you know, Doctor, it's hard to find a young black man who doesn't feel that cops in his community have been unfair to him at some point. I mean, it may sound like a generalization. But, you know, you know that's the reality. In terms of their perspective.</s>ALEXANDER: It is the reality. In terms of their perspective. And we all have varied perspectives, depending on race and depending on economic demographic, as well, too. And this is what we have to fix. This is what we have to address, and there are no easy answers. But we got to begin to set down and not just talk about it. Because quite frankly, I'm tired of talking about it. We got to come up with some real answers, some real actions that we can put into place to help move this country along. Police got to have community. Community must have police.</s>CUOMO: Right.</s>ALEXANDER: This is -- this is fundamentally important.</s>CUOMO: When you've got the main dialogue between your cops and your community is tear gas as a communication mechanism, talk is a good thing, though.</s>ALEXANDER: That doesn't work. That doesn't work.</s>CUOMO: So talk, we'll take progress where we find it. Sir, thank you very much for coming on</s>NEW DAY. ALEXANDER: Thank you for having me.</s>CUOMO: We look forward to having you on again. It is an important conversation. Thank you, sir.</s>ALEXANDER: Thank you, Chris.</s>CUOMO: Mick, a lot of news this morning. Right to you.</s>PEREIRA: Sure is, Chris. All right. Thanks so much. Ten minutes past the hour. Here is a look at your headlines. Police are investigating now the death of an Ohio State football player who had been reported missing for several days. Twenty-two- year-old Kosta Karageorge was found in a dumpster, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. There are now concerns that recent concussions he may have suffered could have led to his suicide.</s>PEREIRA (voice-over): The search for missing Ohio State University football player Kosta Karageorge is now over.</s>SGT. RICHARD WEINER, COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT: We are able to confirm through tattoos here at the scene that it is the body of Kosta Karageorge.</s>PEREIRA: According to Columbus police, the 22-year-old's body was found inside a Dumpster Sunday afternoon by a woman and her son scavenging. A handgun was also recovered at the scene.</s>WEINER: Preliminary investigation is showing that he died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.</s>PEREIRA: According to the missing person's report, Karageorge's mother told police her son had been complaining about confusion, possibly due to a concussion. Karageorge's sister told "The New York Times" her brother sustained a concussion in December and had suffered at least four or five others in his life. Just a half hour before he went missing, the football player texted his mother, saying, "I am sorry if I am an embarrassment, but these concussions versus my head all</s>PEREIRA: Ohio State athletic officials released a statement saying that they are shocked and saddened by Karageorge's death. We'll continue to follow that story. U.S.-led coalition warplanes pummeling ISIS in and around its de facto capital in Syria. A London-based human rights groups says more than 30 coalition airstrikes targeted positions in Raqqah overnight, including an airbase that ISIS seized from government troops. Up until now, much of the coalition's focus has been the area around Kobani on the Turkish-Syrian border. Quite a disturbing story: the father and stepmother accused of hiding a 13-year-old boy behind a war (sic) in their Georgia home. They are going to remain behind bars. A judge denied bond for Gregory Jean and Samantha Joy Davis. They both are charged with false imprisonment and cruelty to children. That little boy was found over the weekend behind a wall camouflaged with towels. Somehow, he was able to text his mother, which led police to his location. Gregory Jr. is now reunited with his mother. He had been reported missing four years ago. A story very close to our heart, former New York governor Mario -- Mario Cuomo spent Thanksgiving hospitalized, being treated for a heart condition here in Manhattan. The 82-year-old was last seen in public on November 4, celebrating his son, Andrew's reelection to his former governor's seat. He had been rushed to the hospital for a heart procedure the next day. Mario Cuomo served three terms in the state's highest office between 1983 and 1994. It's no secret the connection has to your pop, as you call him, Chris. How's he doing?</s>CUOMO: He's doing well. I was actually OK having it in the news, because I love looking at the video.</s>PEREIRA: I was wondering about that.</s>CUOMO: You know, I wanted you to hear this from me. Obviously, the team here knows everything that's going on in my life. But like many people my age, my parents are getting old, and my pop is dealing with some old man issues. And he is in the hospital. Media got that right. But he's fighting along pretty well. And that's the good news. And he's watching the show right now. And I'm sure he is not happy to hear us talking about this. Not because of his health. But because it's a waste of valuable news time, he would say, in one of his ongoing criticisms about the media. But I appreciate very much how you guys have been reaching out as the news hit the media. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to my family. And hopefully, I'll have good news to share...</s>PEREIRA: Absolutely. We'd like that.</s>CUOMO: ... about it.</s>PEREIRA: We got you.</s>CUOMO: So Pop, I'm sorry. It's my job. I had to report it. Now I'll move on. A lot going on with the weather. So we'll go that way.</s>CAMEROTA: And you are grounded. Meanwhile, let's get to meteorologist Indra Petersons. She's keeping track of the latest forecast. How's it looking?</s>INDRA PETERSONS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A lot of people still struggling, trying to get home. So we're going to give you some good news today. Not seeing too much out there. Yes, there's some showers from the Northeast, back in through Texas, but overall we're not looking for too many delays. And maybe that hot spot into the Midwest. We are looking some places, looking out towards maybe southern Illinois, also into Missouri, for a hint of freezing rain. But this quickly makes its way to the east, even bringing D.C. a chance for commute time tomorrow morning, some flurries. Yes, it's December. It is this time of year. All of that wintry mix makes its way into the northeast, in through tomorrow, but quickly exits out of here. Not a major storm. We're not talking about a lot. Most of you just seeing a couple flurries out there. Bigger thing, again, is the temperature drop. This is not stopping any time soon. We are looking for a huge one (ph): D.C. almost 70 degrees today. Let me show what happens in through tomorrow. Look at that drop. We're going back down to the 30s in just one day. The good news, it's not lasting. So by the day we get to Wednesday, it's going to look a lot better out there. Also, the bigger story is also going to be out West. Huge low out there. This is a big deal. We're talking about drought conditions, really, for the entire year. It's a lot of rain in a short period of time. Will bring some strong flooding concerns. We're talking about a good five inches of rain in an area that hasn't seen it in a long time. We know that well.</s>PEREIRA: Yes, we do.</s>PETERSONS: Not just all at once.</s>PEREIRA: Yes, not all at once.</s>CAMEROTA: All right. Thanks so much. Great to see you, Indra. Ray Rice and his wife Janay making their first public comments since he was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for punching her. Rice appealed the suspension and won. Now he's a free agent. But is any team interested? That's next.</s>CUOMO: We also have news breaking overnight. A bloody attack on a mosque in Nigeria. A hundred dead. The culprit, a familiar name now: Boca Haram. We have a live report right ahead.