Spike Lee On Chicago Violence
COOPER: By the way, the -- information we just got is that that pastor sent out that tweet of Hillary Clinton with the black face has now gone online, making an apology. We'll show you some of that in just a few minutes. A fifth grader shot in the back, still in the hospital after several operations. His mother says he is still in pain, a man shot and killed on a basketball court. A young mother as we mentioned Nykea Aldridge, pushing a stroller, shot and killed by stray gunfire. The "Chicago Tribune" which has been telling these sad stories day after day, reports that the city has seen more shootings that dooms and homicide this year than New York and Los Angeles combined. Filmmaker Spike Lee has directed a movie about it "Chi-Raq". And as we talked about before the break, Donald Trump is taking heat from making a political point out of it. His first tweet yesterday about Nykea Aldridge cause something even uproar, "Dwayne Wade's cousin was shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I've been saying. African-Americans will vote Trump." Only later on the third tweet did he tweet condolences. Now the end of the day though, and the end of this terrible month, stories about so much more than presidential politics. I spoke more about it earlier tonight with "Chi-raq" director, Spike Lee.</s>COOPER: When you hear more about the number of deaths, as we give the number of shootings, I mean everyone is focusing on, you know, Dwyane Wade's cousin.</s>LEE: Right.</s>COOPER: Nykea Aldridge.</s>LEE: At this with today, this is going to be the most deadly August in 20 years in the history of Chicago. 20 years. We're not even done with it, I mean we got more couple ...</s>COOPER: When you hear that, what do you think? I mean.</s>LEE: My heart is broken. And I think that somebody needs to come in from outside Chicago. And make of a special polls position -- give him some power. I let General Honore.</s>COOPER: Russel Honore?</s>LEE: Yes.</s>COOPER: Did such a good job during Katrina.</s>LEE: He -- if they gave him the power to do what needs to be done, I think the general would make a great, great difference in the city of Chicago.</s>COOPER: Why is Chicago different than what we're seeing in New York City or other cities? I mean there's generations of gang violence there.</s>LEE: I think there's a whole bunch of things.</s>COOPER: Gangs coming from other states.</s>LEE: Chicago is the biggest segregated city in America. It's been a gangster town since way back to Al Capone. I mean we could do -- you could do 20-part series of what is -- what of all the things coming together.</s>COOPER: Chicago, as you said, is incredibly segregated and I mean there -- the south side of Chicago is another world from the downtown Chicago that a lot of course.</s>LEE: I mean is -- we said this in "Chi-Raq" as Sam Jackson's character to say, is a tale of two cities. Downtown Chicago is hot. South side, west side, it's like you're in a different part of the earth. And it's the same city.</s>COOPER: But when you hear politicians talking about it, I mean do ...</s>LEE: Which politicians are you talking about?</s>COOPER: Well, I mean ...</s>LEE: The name them. Name them.</s>COOPER: Well, Donald Trump, I mean tweeting out in the wake of this, "Dwayne Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I've been saying, African-Americans will vote for Trump." I think on his third tweet, he expressed, you know, condolences.</s>LEE: Yea, but then he got his name wrong.</s>COOPER: Spelled his name wrong. Right.</s>LEE: But, look, we can't get caught up on what he is saying. I mean is this what happens in Chicago is way bigger than Donald Trump I think just doing to capitalize on it. And for the third -- to wait for -- he should be giving condolences to the Wade family from the first tweet. To me, that just shows where his heart is.</s>COOPER: When you hear, you know, Donald Trump says he's reaching out to African-Americans, he says what the hell have you got to lose?</s>LEE: How long we got in this segment?</s>COOPER: Your school, he says your schools, you know, are terrible. You get shot in the street. Your youth are unemployed, over 50 percent. You know, what the hell have you got to lose? When you hear that as a black man in America, what do you think?</s>LEE: I laugh, because I don't think he's a good person. I don't think he has a good heart. And I don't think he cares about anybody but himself. And I think that he -- goes with the lowest common denominator. And ...</s>COOPER: Because to me, I mean the picture he's painting of black America is, I mean his painting with a very broad brush what life is like for everybody.</s>LEE: There goes my black guy out there. I love him. I love him. My black guy. I mean like the one guy they probably paid to be there. Look, it's bigger than Donald Trump. And I think that people, I believed Americans are smarter, and go for this okey doke, you know. So that's all okey doke. And we have to be. And for him to say that he's the choice for not only black people. I don't even know how he expects to get any Hispanic.</s>COOPER: Well, you know, there is a belief that he's not, you know, he said he wants to be seen as reaching out to African-Americans mainly so that white Americans who maybe are on the fence about voting for him will feel oh well, you know, he's reaching out so it's ...</s>LEE: Hey, he can reach all he wants. That's not going to work. So -- in my opinion. And I think that he understands. I think he had some people around him are saying that if you don't have the African- American vote, if you don't have the Hispanic, Latino vote, if you don't have -- how are you going to win the numbers just don't add up.</s>COOPER: You were a Bernie supporter. Where are you -- I mean are you one of the Bernie supporters who are never Hillary Clinton or have you come around to Clinton?</s>LEE: Slowly.</s>COOPER: Slowly?</s>LEE: But, look, I'm not even -- I take that back. I think that in no way, shape or form can Donald Trump have the nuclear code numbers. For me, that's number one.</s>COOPER: That's what it boils down there?</s>LEE: I had a benefit for Obama at our house Sinai (ph), and I saw the thing.</s>COOPER: You saw the guy with the football?</s>LEE: That was one of the most scariest moments in my life.</s>COOPER: That made it real?</s>LEE: I mean, you hear about it.</s>COOPER: Right.</s>LEE: Hence, when you see that bad boy, it's like oh, god. And if he have those nuclear codes, and no matter where you move to -- we're talking about the entire planet.</s>COOPER: Spike Lee. Spike, thanks.</s>LEE: Thank you.</s>COOPER: With that tip a little bit couple hours ago Spike should have come back in the 9:00 hour, we're going to get his take on the quarterback refusing to stand up during the national anthem, saying United States suppresses black people, and people of color. Coming up next, the Anthony Weiner and a three-letter question, why. Talk to a psychologist about what could possibly be going on in his head. That's next.