All language subtitles for VICE - S05E05 Black and Blue - Our Bionic Future

This week on Vice:

Policing and race in America.

Let me see your hands!

Was talking to
some officers, and they said,

"Black people are genetically
predisposed to be criminals."

It says "Missouri
Highway Patrol" on it?

- It's a cop's gun?
- Yep.

And then, life-changing
innovation in bionic technology.

I'm here in Zurich, Switzerland,
for the Cybathlon,

which is the first-ever
bionic Olympics.

I'm here in Zurich, Switzerland,
for the Cybathlon,

and be the first person
to move my hand

with my own brain.

Sync & corrections by honeybunny
www.addic7ed.com

Go! Go! Go!

We are not animals!

With President Obama
in the White House

for the past eight years,

a lot of people had hope

that racial relations in America
would continue to improve.

No justice! Today, however,
tensions between the black community

and police are higher than
they've been in decades,

because over the last few years,

a string of high-profile
killings of unarmed black men

has led to public outcry
across the country,

and in extreme cases
violent retaliation

and even murder
of police officers themselves.

So we sent Cord Jefferson
to Washington, D.C.,

to report on the chaotic state of the
civil rights movement in America.

Black lives matter!
Black lives matter!

Black lives matter!
Black lives matter!

Black lives matter!

We're hearing a ton of
"Black lives matter" chants

as we walk toward
the White House.

It seems like under
President Trump,

that the Black Lives Matter
issue is gonna be

only more important
to these people.

Clashing between
police and protesters

over the issue of race
has become a common occurrence,

one which seems to be
reaching its tipping point.

Brittany Packnett, one of
the most prominent leaders

of the Black Lives Matter
movement,

explained to us
why so many people

came out to the White House.

Chaos aside, what do you think
brought people out tonight?

People being clear that you can't
sit on the sidelines anymore.

We are not confused that this isn't the
America that we've always been in.

This is confirmation for us, but for
some people, it is a wake-up call.

So, this was a conversation,
very clearly, about a choice

that was made
at the federal level.

Lots of the protests
that happened here, though,

happened because of the work
of local organizers,

because of issues
of local police violence, right,

local issues of poverty,
local issues of what's happening

with young people
in juvenile justice.

The Black Lives
Matter movement itself

gained attention
after a local shooting

rocked the town of Ferguson,

a suburb of St. Louis.

The shooting of unarmed
teen Mike Brown

was just the first
of what would become

a series of police killings

caught on camera and shared
on social media.

All appeared to have
common themes

of excessive force
on black victims

and little accountability
for the officers involved.

Damn, man.

No justice, no peace!

Aah!

He's going for a gun!

No justice, no peace!

I told him not to reach for it! I
told him to get his hand off it!

Move back now!

Shit! Fuck!

But while the Black
Lives Matter movement

is most known for its protests,

behind the scenes, Brittany
Packnett and other leaders

of the movement
have been developing

a comprehensive plan for action

known as Campaign Zero.

What's the difference
between Campaign Zero

and the Black Lives
Matter movement?

So, it's a comprehensive
policy platform

to end police violence
in the United States.

It is a platform
that articulates

what the solutions
can look like,

so that we're able
to get to a place

where police violence
is a thing of the past.

One of Campaign
Zero's biggest efforts

is pulling statistics
on police killings

from local news, social media,

and national databases.

They analyze the data

to compare police departments

in cities across the country.

What we do is
actually use the data

to answer important questions
about what's going on.

There are some
police departments

that are not killing anybody,

and there are police departments
that are killing people

at extraordinary rates.

Depending on the month,

St. Louis is either the number one or
number two highest police department

in terms
of police-involved killings.

And almost everybody killed
by St. Louis Police Department

is black.
Almost everybody.

It's like about 90%.

Campaign Zero
calls for simple reforms,

like increased training
on De-escalation,

community oversight,
and the ability

to independently
investigate and prosecute

cases of extreme
negligence or bias.

But to date, St. Louis has
only adopted two laws

that apply to those
proposed policies.

We met up with the police chief

of the St. Louis Metropolitan
Police Department

to find out why reforms
are so slow.

One of the outgrowths
of the Ferguson protests

was this group called
Campaign Zero.

And we looked
at some of the--

it's a 10-point
policy platform--

independent investigations into
police shootings, body cams.

Why is it so difficult
to get these policy solutions

actually utilized
by police forces?

Here's the balance. That group doesn't
represent the entire community.

There are people that want us to
do more aggressive-style policing.

There are people
that want us to...

do more stop-and-frisk,
if you will, just as an example.

And it's law enforcement's job,
it's the police chief's job,

to find the balance in their
community between those.

We've done a lot
of the things that are there,

but law enforcement
doesn't get any credit for it.

At the moment, 97% of police will never
face jail time for killing someone.

A lot of people say that contributes
to the erosion of trust

between the community
and police officers.

So, I think we have to look
at every case individually.

The question is,
"Did they violate a law?"

Because in that case,
what you just told me,

is 97% of the officers followed
the law, only 3% didn't.

I don't know, because I haven't
looked at every one of those cases.

But that's really where
we have to start.

A common argument
against many basic reforms

is that places
with higher crime rates call

for a more aggressive
style of policing.

We wanted to look at the relationship
between police and community,

and the St. Louis Metropolitan
Police Department

granted us access to the first
ride-along since Ferguson.

Roll down the window!
Show me some hands!

Do you have
a driver's license on you?

You're good to go.
Have a good night.

Don't run over
my toe or anything.

With car
stops, it's just-- you know,

you can't just walk up
to a car anymore

and expect to just talk
to someone and say,

"Hey, this is
what you did wrong."

Now, you gotta worry
about walking up to a car

and somebody pulling out
a gun and shooting you.

Post-Ferguson and stuff,
I wanna show people

that we're not all bad.

You know, kind of a goal

of mine is to get
a thank you from somebody.

While the police could not
confirm how this gun was acquired,

arrests like this are a common
occurrence on the streets of St. Louis.

What was shocking, however, was how quickly
the bystanders turned on the police.

Has it made your job harder?

The, uh, the sort of tension between the
black community of St. Louis and the police?

I'm the traitor,
because I don't put down

my gun and badge,
as they all say,

and come join them in protest.

I'm the traitor, the Uncle Tom.

Um, I get that one a lot.

Yup. Good to go.

Over the course of one
night, police made two arrests

and seized two illegal guns,

in what appeared to us
to be standard police work.

But Chief Williams of the
neighboring suburb of Kinlock

formerly spent 10 years on the St.
Louis Metropolitan Police Department,

witnessing firsthand both the good
and the bad side of policing.

Can you talk a little bit
about what it's like to be,

in our current climate,
a black man

and a police officer?

Most police officers out here

are handling
their business, 24/7,

with dignity and honesty.

You know, one thing you have to always keep
in mind about policemen and police work

is that policemen
risk their lives...

to help people
they don't even know.

But you have to always look at that "one
apple can spoil the bunch" philosophy, too.

It was shocking. One time I
was talking to some officers,

and they said, "You know, black people are
genetically predisposed to be criminals."

You had officers
say that to you?

To my face.
If you're telling me

that people of color
or black people

are genetically predisposed
to be criminals...

...that pretty much
says volumes to me.

And that's really gonna color
how you go out there

and police that community, right,
if that's what you believe.

Can't do anything but that, because
you've automatically pre-judged.

I can count at least
four times in my life

when the police-- before
I became a policeman--

were prepared to kill me,
had weapons on me,

and I was in fear of my life,

only because I existed.

We have to figure out
a way for those few

to either change their behavior,

get back onboard
as honest, just officers,

or leave the profession.

One of the main
issues in fixing this

is that there is no unified policing
policy, making it difficult

for the 18,000 police
departments across the country

to move together on reforms.

In St. Louis,

things are so fractured that they
actually have two separate police unions,

one which is predominantly white

and one which is, by its
own metrics, 99% black.

We are a group of officers
and civilians

who are about trying to be
a voice for our community

and our officers.

We watched
officer after officer

share their concerns.

It's 2016.

That's 50 years of black
officers being on these streets,

in service, on patrol,
seven days a week,

30 or 31 days a month,
365 days a year

continuously,
to this very moment.

And I can't think of--
and if you can, sir,

or any other officer
in this room--

can think of a black officer
that has ever shot

at an unarmed white person,
please tell me.

Restraint is possible.

Here in St. Louis, there's
a white police association

and there's
a black police association.

What does that say
about how police--

how the policing
is done here in St. Louis?

Well, again, it says
that race impacts everything,

including policing in America.

We have to have a black
police officers' association

because the other association is not
taking our interests seriously.

It's not taking us seriously
when we say

that we want policing in our
communities to be done differently.

This racial
division is nothing new.

This police association
was formed

during the Civil
Rights Movement,

and nearly 50 years later,
it released a 112-page report

outlining racial bias
within the department.

If we have to take the lead
in some areas, we will,

because our department
has created a lot of issues

with our leadership
or lack thereof.

Heather Taylor, a sergeant
for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police

and president
of the Ethical Society,

says they are a necessary voice

for minorities
within the department.

There is a need for us
to have an association,

because we haven't
been represented

within the St. Louis Police
Officers Association fairly.

So, of course there is

a separate police officers'
association here.

There's a need for it. Since
Mike Brown was shot and killed,

we've had one course. So, you're
talking about eight hours

- Mmm.
- Since the civil unrest

of St. Louis city
and Ferguson,

to address implicit bias.

That's it. We are so
divided, that it's just--

You know, sometimes, when I think
about our police department,

I'm embarrassed.

I love other officers
of all races on this department,

because they're my friends.
I tell you what.

When I'm pulled over, my hands
are on that steering wheel,

I'm looking forward.
I turn on my light, you know.

It's-- it's real.

If even black
police officers are fearful

during interactions
with other police,

it's no wonder
average black citizens

around America are also scared.

But when you
get down here in the city,

it's a whole other monster.
You talking about

kids their age getting off
the school bus,

getting pushed up against
brick walls by detectives.

White people can see Sasquatch,

they can see
the Abominable Snowman,

they can see
the Loch Ness Monster,

but these motherfuckers
can't see racism.

I don't understand it.

You gotta remember, a couple
of weeks after Ferguson,

Kajieme Powell
got killed down the street.

Come on, bro!
Drop it, bro!

Oh!
They just killed this man!

Come on! Oh my God.

I'm scared for him.
The police look at him,

and they don't see
a 10-year-old little boy.

They don't know
that he on the honor roll.

He a terror to them.

Fear, though,
is not only felt

by the community
but by police as well.

The recent calculated
attacks on officers

have sent shock waves
through precincts nationwide.

Police across
the country

on high alert right now,

after four police officers were
shot in four separate cities.

We've lost 12 officers. I don't
care what race they are.

They were shot
and killed in 30 days.

This officer was driving down
the road and was ambushed.

Shots fired! Officer down!

Shots fired! Officer down!

The St. Louis
Police Wives' Association

shared their fears
about the escalating violence.

We call it a crisis,

because law enforcement
has become

disenfranchised with the
community, or disconnected,

seeing protest just because
they're wearing a uniform.

Are you concerned
that it's gotten more unsafe?

We know it. Just
sitting at this table here,

you have two women whose husbands
have almost been killed--

myself and her husband.

- And your husbands have been shot at?
Uh-huh.

- Shot.
- Oh, shot? And they've--

- They've all been shot at.
- They've all been shot at.

All of your husbands
have been shot at.

Mine-- mine particularly,
was ambushed.

We had protesters show up in front
of the hospital, protesting...

Yes, they did.

...with signs that said,
"Well, how does it feel?"

Yes, they did.

We're also sitting at home, now,

watching our communities implode.
Mm-hmm.

But now, we can
at least all admit

that we have a problem.

That's-- that's
the first thing, okay?

So, revolution, problem,
now let's seek some solutions.

I, Donald John Trump,
do solemnly swear...

As the new administration
prepares to pull back

federal oversight on police,

one thing is clear...

...policing needs to change
if lives are to be saved.

And ultimately, reform is in the
hands of local police departments.

I don't know how to fix poverty.

I don't know how to deal with
education systems that are failing.

What I do know
is how to do police work,

and when those things
don't happen,

we're left with communities that have
greater demands on their law enforcement.

Well, we have to solve them,

or we're going to continue to do
this over and over and over again.

People don't understand
what we deal with.

You know, until you're
actually put in those shoes

and you have to try to defend
yourself or someone else.

We're to the point where
you have so much division.

Both sides need
to get it together.

You'll notice
around the country

more and more officers
are beginning to speak out.

We have to be the change
that needs to be.

More than 36 million
American adults

live with physical disabilities,

but rapid advancements
in bio-engineering

and robotics have
brought about a revolution

in bionic technology that
is realizing possibilities

that, up until now, would have
been considered science fiction.

Wilbert Cooper has been
following this story.

I'm here in Zurich, Switzerland,

for the Cybathlon,

which is the first-ever
bionic Olympics,

to see the state-of-the-art
in assistive technology.

The Cybathlon is the
first competition of its kind,

featuring teams
from around the world,

showcasing the most
advanced technologies

for people with disabilities.

Can you tell me about your hand?

It has five motors,

and I control those motors

by electro-impulses
from my muscle.

And the wicked one is... 360.

That's cool.

Where is it gonna go from here?
I don't know.

How good's your imagination?

With the exoskeleton
that we brought today,

I can actually take
a normal walk now,

and, you know,
step-by-step,

there is no hesitation.

It's one, two, three, four.

It just gives me the
ability to do the simple things

in life that you don't
really think about.

For me, it--
it means freedom.

New developments
in scientific research

and practical engineering
are pushing boundaries,

making that freedom possible.

It's phenomenal to be in
this place and see the way

that technology is transforming
and changing people's lives.

And some of the
most advanced developments

are actually happening
inside the human body.

A team from Cleveland, Ohio,

is using an implanted device
that restores movement

to those with severe
spinal cord injuries

by electrically stimulating
their paralyzed muscles.

I have implants
in both sides of my belly

to which these wires
are attached.

Little box here tells
where my legs are

and when to fire which muscles.

So, below my arms,
without the system,

the only thing I can do
is wiggle my big toe.

How did you become paralyzed?

It was a skiing accident
on a family trip

in Lake Tahoe, California.

And we were on, of course,
the last run of the day,

I had an accident where my skis
were caught under a branch,

and I flew out of the skis

and hit a big granite
boulder head-first

and fractured a bone in my neck.

It left me paralyzed
immediately.

And with the system,

obviously, this is over the top.

Now, for the first
time since his accident,

Mark is competing athletically.

Pioneering this technology
is Dr. Ronald Triolo,

a professor at Case Western
Reserve University

and the executive director

of the VA's Advanced
Platform Technology Center.

We're at the verge of
an era where robotic technology

can make a real impact
in people's lives.

Our long-term goal
is to make the technology

as invisible as possible.

That means that we have some
sort of man-machine interface

that is completely internal
and indistinguishable.

It's just stretching
what it means to be human.

This technology
has helped you win this race,

and do something
really incredible.

What can you say
about the way technology

is sort of integrating itself
into our lives right now?

What do you think
that holds for the future?

Getting deep
into the human body,

getting technology
into the human body is

one of the last frontiers,

and I think that
we've tapped into it.

There's some great things--
not just what you've seen today,

but there's some great things
being done medically

through technology as well.

And the technologies
on display in Zurich

are only the beginning.

Researchers around the world
have begun experimenting

with implanting electronic devices
directly into the human brain.

In Columbus, Ohio,
we met with one

of the world's foremost
neurosurgeons,

Dr. Ali Rezai.

Now, in the past
decade especially,

we've learned so much
about the human brain,

the human nervous system,
that's now allowing us

to use technology to help patients
with nervous system disorders.

So, it's a very active area
of technology that evolving.

Today, Dr. Rezai
is performing a procedure

called deep brain stimulation

on a patient suffering
from Parkinson's disease.

Deep brain
stimulation, or DBS,

involves a tiny stimulator
that we implant

in a part of the brain
to shut down the tremor

and to reduce
the excessive movements

that are caused by Parkinson's.

As the electrode
enters the brain,

Dr. Rezai is able to listen
to the neural activity

in order to locate the area
causing the tremors.

- The left arm.
- Good.

Yeah.

The operation is
nearly instantaneous.

80% improvement displays the
power of deep brain stimulation.

The procedure can be used for conditions
from epilepsy to chronic pain,

and scientists are exploring its
use to treat severe depression.

In Dublin, Ohio, we saw an even
more advanced brain implant system.

Ian Burkhart, a quadriplegic,

is another patient
of Dr. Rezai's.

After suffering a traumatic
injury, he was implanted

with one of the most
cutting-edge neurotechnologies.

Just a few
days after finishing

my freshman year at college,

I went on vacation
with some friends

and dove into a wave
in the ocean,

and I didn't know where I was diving
was actually only a few feet deep.

So, I initially hit
my head extremely hard

and that caused me
to break my neck.

I lost all function
from about my elbows down

and all feeling from the
middle of my chest down.

I can't move any of my individual
fingers or open and close my hand.

So, after I had my accident,
I was always looking towards

what type of technology could
help me in my everyday life.

And one thing led to another,
and I decided to get...

brain surgery and be the
first person to move my hand

with my own brain.

Ian is the only human being

who's had this technology
applied that allows him

to move his hands
using his thoughts.

A small port on Ian's
head opens a direct channel

between his brain
and a computer.

The computer interprets
Ian's brain signals,

his thoughts, and then
links those thoughts

to a external wearable garment,

so, basically, the sleeve that Ian
wears that allows him to move,

and this is called
brain-computer interface.

When Ian thinks about moving,

the computer delivers
electrical impulses

to his high-tech sleeve,
allowing him to use his hands

in ways that haven't been
possible since his accident.

All right, I'm starting
in three, two, one.

After four years
of not moving a flicker,

he started moving
a little bit two years ago,

and now he's able to perform
more sophisticated movements.

and right now he's able
to do those movements

much faster than he did before.

That's amazing.
That was awesome.

That went really well.
That was your best time.

That went really well.
That was good.

Restoring functionality
through brain-computer interfaces

has the potential
to dramatically improve

the lives of those
with disabilities

and could even open up entirely
new avenues of human experience.

Right now, there's a convergence
of so many elements

in terms
of technological innovation.

This is really opening up a whole
new window into possibilities,

so you're able
to record brain activity

and link it within milliseconds

to result
in purposeful movements,

that can be potentially a means
by which we can be able

to detect other elements
beyond movements.

For example, sensations.

Index.

Pinkie.

Right now is a
fantastic time for us,

because we're learning
so much more,

more than ever before,
about the human brain.

One of the final frontiers.

Sync & corrections by honeybunny
www.addic7ed.com