♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Crying softly ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Birds chirping, indistinct conversations ] -The House will now take up a special order of business -- The swearing in of representative elect Movita Johnson-Harrell, the 190th legislative district, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Pennsylvania House of Representative.

[ Cheers and applause ] The oath of office will now be administered by the Honorable Mary P. Murray.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Please place your left hand on your Holy book and raise your right hand and repeat after me.

I, state your name... -I, Movita Johnson-Harrell... -...do solemnly swear... -...do solemnly swear... ...that I will support, obey, and defend... -...that I will support, obey, and defend... -...the Constitution of the United States... -...the Constitution of the United States... -...and the Constitution of this commonwealth... -...and the constitution of this commonwealth... -...and that I will... -...and that I will... -...discharge the duties of my office... -...discharge the duties of my office.... -...with fidelity.

-...with fidelity.

-Congratulations.

[ Cheers and applause ] -State representative Movita Johnson-Harrell is facing jail time.

Eyewitness News is live at Philadelphia Police headquarters with more on these shocking allegations.

-The Attorney General says Movita Johnson-Harrell stole more than $500,000 from the non-profit named Motivations Education, Consultation, Associates -- MECA.

-The Attorney General says she plans to plead guilty and resign her post.

In West Philadelphia, Deanna Durante.

NBC 10 News.

-An interesting turn of events here, Deanna.

Thank you.

♪♪ ♪♪ -How you doing?

-Good.

-[ Indistinct ] -No, I'm fine.

-Thank you so much for coming out.

-Absolutely.

Absolutely.

♪♪ -Homicide that I witnessed at about 12 years old and pretty much it stole my innocence.

It stole my hope for the future.

Many of my friends got killed and a lot of them doing 20 years or more in prison.

You telling the guy to get out the corner, but you can't even provide him a job.

-Right.

-Come out here right now and let's make a difference right now.

-Today.

-Step up to the plate.

♪♪ -So can I see a show of hands how many people here have not lost a child?

♪♪ Can I see a show of hands how many people here have not lost anyone to gun violence?

♪♪ Is Phyllis Gibson here?

-My son was killed December 2010.

Why me?

Why my son?

No.

No, this can't be my son.

-I have no other children.

He was my only child.

-And he has two grandchildren that he never got to meet.

He was shot seven times and left to die out in the street by a dumpster.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Bell tolling in distance ] ♪♪ -I would like to introduce Movita Johnson-Harrell, whose life has been irrevocably changed by gun violence.

-January 12, 2011.

Not 1,000 feet from this spot, my 18-year-old son, Charles Andre Johnson, was shot four times.

And at 2:00 AM at Einstein Hospital, they took me up to a room... with a slab.

And on that slab, in a white body bag zipped up to the neck, was my 18-year-old son.

No mother should have to live with this!

No family should have to live with this.

Enough is enough.

We stand here in the gap for all of those lost to gun violence.

We stand here in the gap for the ignorant who don't know any better.

We stand here in the gap for all those who don't have a voice!

We are the voice for the voiceless.

-Amen.

[ Cheering, drumming ] ♪♪ -[ Exhales sharply ] -This is the location where the car was parked that our son was sitting in waiting for his sister five years ago when he was murdered in a case of mistaken identity.

Thank God that this grocery store on the corner had a camera posted up there and everything was videotaped.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Gunshots fire ] ♪♪ -January 12th.

It snowed that day.

[ Siren wailing in distance ] I went to bed.

I woke up.

It was 11:20.

My cellphone was ringing, and I pick up the phone.

It's my older son, Donte, and he's crying.

And he like said in this little whisper, "Mom, Chuck got shot."

♪♪ And I said, "He's going to be okay.

He's going to be okay."

And I'm praying.

And we get dressed.

We go to Einstein Hospital.

♪♪ [ Voice breaking ] And he says, "Your son didn't make it."

♪♪ [ Crying ] And I said, "Can I kiss my son?"

Because I wanted to kiss him before his skin got cold.

And they said, "You can't touch him because it's a homicide investigation."

♪♪ ♪♪ So I walked around the table... ...and I recited the Al-Fatiha in his ear.

And I said, "Charles Johnson, do you know how much your mommy loves you?"

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Sobs ] ♪♪ [ Sniffles ] And my life has never been the same.

♪♪ ♪♪ And it was agony that this boy that murdered my son was out there.

And I went running after him.

I went and got a permit to carry.

I literally lost my mind.

I was at crack houses by myself, knocking on doors.

People were giving me leads, I was following them.

I was going to kill him.

But I had to live.

I have another son that I don't think I could survive if I lost him.

♪♪ I was so scared for Donte when Charles died... ♪♪ ...because Donte lost his best friend and he lost his brother.

And the first thing Donte said was, "I don't have a problem going to jail for the rest of my life for my brother."

♪♪ I'm afraid on most days.

I'm still afraid for Donte.

And it's not guaranteed that I can protect him.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Uh... ♪♪ I was with this man every single day.

It was deeper than just a brother, a blood.

This was my twin.

That's how we felt.

And when he died, I just felt like, literally, half of me just died with him.

And I literally lost my mind.

♪♪ I wasn't eating.

I was getting drunk.

I always had a gun on me, and I always was on angles.

Ready to fight anybody, ready to do anything to anybody.

Because I felt like he's gone, that was it.

But then Charles had a son on the way and I had a daughter on the way and reality kind of set in like, alright, well, he's not here anymore.

I got to live on for him.

I gotta look after my mom.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -I grew up in Philadelphia.

I come from five generations of poverty, welfare, Section 8 Housing... alcoholism, drug addiction.

21 days before my 9th birthday, my father was murdered in front of me on Easter Sunday.

And it took me about 20 years to get over the death of my father.

♪♪ And then I lost my brother.

♪♪ A boy stabbed my brother in the neck with a butcher knife while his five-year-old son sat in his lap.

And I was using drugs at the time.

And I used that to self-medicate.

♪♪ I was living in the family home.

Illegal electrical hookup, no running water, no gas... and I had four kids.

And I was a single parent.

♪♪ ♪♪ If it weren't for the threat of my children being taken away, I probably would never have gotten clean.

♪♪ When I got my life together, it was because I wanted my children to have advantages that I did not have.

♪♪ I wanted them to have the kind of life that I always wanted as a child.

I fought to give my children better.

And I fought to protect Donte and Charles.

I didn't want my sons to become statistics.

[ Gunshots firing ] Good morning, everyone.

-Good morning.

-My name is Movita Johnson-Harrell, and I want to say thank you for bringing so many faces of color out for this issue.

People that are dying every day are African American.

We have legislators in office who don't care about our communities.

We have special interest groups with their hands in the pockets of our legislators, and they are controlling the votes in the house when it comes to gun laws.

We need to get rid of the guns.

We need to stop defunding education.

We need to stop taking resources away from our children.

I'm not a politician.

I'm a social worker.

But you now what?

We need more social work in politics.

That's why I made my decision to run for the 190th district, because somebody has to lead the charge to change the situation.

I don't want another mother that has to live with what I live with every day.

It's not fair that my five-year-old grandson never got a chance to meet his father.

That's not fair!

They don't have a right to put a gun shop here.

Families live here.

You don't wait till they cross your doorstep to do something about it.

Because when this happens to you, you can't change the pain that you have to live with every day.

I'd give anything to have my son back.

I'd rather have my son back, but God has a different path for me.

So, you know what?

I left the city to protect my sons, and that didn't work.

I'm coming back to protect yours.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ -Register to vote.

Get out and vote.

We need your vote.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Help us help her, y'all.

Come out and vote.

April 29th.

♪♪ -Raise it up, raise it up, raise it up.

Right there.

Let's go to tape.

How are you, Jim?

I'm calling you for something specific.

[ Laughs ] Alright, Trump man.

No, I'm calling for your money.

[ Laughs ] Yes, I want to know if you and Lydia can make a donation.

I'm trying to raise $1,000 today to put up a billboard in the district.

-[ Indistinct ] -No.

-Okay, $50.

I love it.

Alright, I'll see you this afternoon.

Alright.

Bye-bye.

-Okay.

Well, Movita's not a politician, she's a social worker.

Her passion is public safety and illegal guns off the street.

And if you need further information, please feel free to call www.electmoivta@movita.com.

Thank you, and have a blessed day.

-What was her response?

-Ye-e-e-es!

-Really?

-[ Laughs ] -Instead of spelling it out, it might not be a bad idea to say, "Hey, go to our website.

It's ElectMovita.com.

and Movita is spelled M-O-V-I-T-A.

-Okay.

-Right?

-Okay.

-And just really emphasize the fact that Movita is, you know, she is a mother who has lost her son.

Right?

-Okay.

-The thing of it is, I think people need to understand the importance of electing you.

You are a vehicle, you are a catalyst for change.

And people need to understand, by having your voice, your experience, your know-how.

Harrisburg is dominated by white men.

-Yep.

-White men don't interact with Black women like you every day.

-Right.

Barely.

-They interact with Black women who are attorneys.

You're not an attorney.

You're a social worker.

That's, like, part of the reason why I think that you're the perfect candidate.

You have firsthand experience and accounts of people who have been -- people who are underserved and most vulnerable.

-Right.

I have been one of those people.

-Exactly.

The most vulnerable populations is the sector that you represent.

-Movita Johnson-Harrell is my name.

My ballot number is 22.

I've been going back and forth to Harrisburg to advocate for education and get the illegal guns off the streets.

I'm trying to stop murder.

We need to do that by providing education, providing jobs, creating better situations in our own community.

-Every time you turn around, southwest, young teenagers, everything is getting killed.

And it's just so sad.

-It is.

-It's so sad.

-And it's not a problem when it happens in our communities.

-Exactly.

Yes.

-If it happens up in Connecticut, it's a problem.

-It's a problem.

Exactly.

-But it's not every day that Black blood is running through the streets of Philadelphia?

-That's right.

-And this is the same stuff I say up in Harrisburg.

I want you guys to put me in office so I really have a voice and be able to make some change.

I'm raising grandchildren in this neighborhood.

-I know that's right.

Me, too.

-So I got another Black man out here, my other son that I need to raise, and my two grandsons that I need to raise.

I need them to have long, quality life.

Can I count on your vote?

-Yeah.

-Button number 22.

Thank you.

Have a great day.

-She just brought tears to my eyes.

My Lord.

-Dear Lord, thank you so much for this day and thank you so much for your love and your care, your kindness, and how you have looked over us and watched over us.

Lord, I thank you so much for each and every woman here.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

-Amen.

-I don't be wanting to do none of this stuff.

I know it takes time.

Everybody grieves different.

I know that.

I'm aware of that, but I don't want to deal with it.

My grandson called me.

He said, "Grandma, somebody just got killed on my block.

Come get me."

And my mind wandered off.

Then he asking me all these questions about his dad.

"Grandma, you got to take me to the cemetery to see my dad."

-The biggest known rule in this group is that we do not relive our children's homicides in this room, right?

We don't relive that stuff intentionally because that will keep us from healing.

Now, will we ever be fully healed?

Absolutely not.

-You said don't relive the day that it happened.

-We don't relive it here.

It's going to always be in your mind.

-It is, because [inaudible].

-Why do you still hurt that bad?

Because that was my son.

-Yep, that's right.

-That was my son.

[ Siren wailing in distance ] -In order for things to change in this district, it's not going to be my great wisdom.

It will only be by God's wisdom.

This is something that has to be done all throughout the -- -Aah!

I want to go!

I want to go.

I want to go.

I want to go.

I want to go.

Damn!

Jesus!

-You want to go home?

-I want to go.

-Come on, let's go.

Let's go.

I'll take you home.

-Charisse!

Charisse!

Charisse!

I want to go home.

I want to go home.

-Because this is your neighborhood.

-We parked down here.

Come on.

-Hold on, woman.

Jesus!

This hurts so bad.

My daughter was 18 years old.

My daughter.

My daughter.

My daught-- Where's my baby?

-We got her.

We got her.

We got her.

-Oh, God.

-Because this is your neighborhood.

Your neighborhood.

I'll be gone one day.

You'll still be here.

-So that wasn't nothing but God.

-Yep.

[ Indistinct ] -Because we knew nothing about this happening.

We in a diner, I get a text and we show up and who's there but the mother that I want to support because her daughter was murdered?

-[ Indistinct ] -And people standing around and nobody helping her.

So what, she getting high?

-Exactly.

That's why when I found out who she was, I ran and got you.

I said, "You need to go."

Yeah.

-She lost her kid.

So what, she getting high?

-Exactly.

-That don't make her any less of a human being.

-Then when you walked up and you said you lost your son also, she was able to immediately identify and she was able to calm down when you was able to take her home.

-A girl standing on the porch, 18 years old.

-Yep.

Just standing there.

-That's why we got to do something.

Ain't nobody safe.

Your grandma ain't safe, your mama ain't safe, your uncle ain't safe, and your kids ain't safe.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -I just wanted to say that.

Look, everything is Black -- got a Black president and Black mayor, Black police commissioner, Black religious leaders and our community still remain a black hole.

We're suffering.

[ Applause ] And so, people keep running around with all this stuff about Black Lives Matter and all that.

That's nice.

But Black lives, it only matters when a white person kills a Black person or when a cop kills a Black person.

How about when a Black person kill an innocent girl sitting on the steps that's getting her hair platted?

Girl 14 years old just got shot two days ago.

Girl 18 years old got killed last week.

So, Black lives don't matter when we do it though, huh?

When y'all going to get mad?

When you going to say something about it?

They took our jobs, they took our homes, they took our cars, they took our money.

We just got out of slavery.

And we still ain't mad.

-Get us mad!

-Yep.

That's what we trying to do right here.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Salaam-Alaikum.

-Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.

-My name is Movita Johnson-Harrell.

I am running for a state representative in the 190th legislative district, which is this district that we are standing in.

I had the opportunity to create a foundation called the CHARLES Foundation, which is an acronym for Creating Healthy Alternatives Results in Less Emotional Suffering.

Since creating the CHARLES Foundation, I have been boots on the ground in trying to save our children.

Going into schools to advocate, to get our children to improve their self-esteem, to help them make better decisions.

[ Applause ] I have the will, I have the energy, and I have the motive.

Because the Lord gave me the motive.

[ Cheers and applause ] It looks like I really may be winning the seat for state representative.

If I win the primary, then I will be running uncontested in the general in November.

-No, we winning.

-Yes, we winning.

-I'm just looking at all -- I mean, everybody says I'm winning.

Even politicians.

-Lady, you're winning.

-[ Indistinct ] -[ Laughs ] You got hood... voting for you.

-Danae.

-[ Indistinct ] -Well, but here's the thing.

We have to be realistic.

-Okay.

-So the plan is, and I believe Yancy, the plan is that we're winning this seat.

Then we need to talk about the boys.

-Yes.

-My life is about to change.

I'm going to have to go back and forth to Harrisburg.

-What's in Harrisburg?

-The State House.

[ Laughter ] Everybody needs to help with this.

-So how do you want me to help?

-A lot of politicians get in trouble because they try and run nonprofits and be in office.

I'm removing myself.

Danae, you can take over the director's position.

Yancy has taken over president of the foundation.

Donte...you need to take a role in the foundation.

[ Doorbell buzzes ] -Daddy!

-Where are their coats?

I need everybody's support.

I need everybody doing their part.

Can we please ask Allah make Charles's grave spacious, to illuminate it with light, to forgive him his sins, to raise him to be amongst the ranks of the righteous and the [inaudible].

Alright.

Who's praying?

-[ Speaking in Arabic ] [ All speak in Arabic ] [ Clock chiming ] -I'd like to talk about the issue of guns and is there a path to successful gun control?

-So again, as chair of Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, this is an issue that we've been working on for a very long time.

So we need to understand that where I sit and go to work doesn't look like the room that we're in right now.

We can stand on the floor, we can hoot and holler.

We can have the best, the best heartfelt debates about gun legislation.

But the reality was that those other members had to vote their district where they are NRA members where they take days off from school to go hunting.

That is their reality.

That is their life.

They don't have the same reality that we have here in Philadelphia.

The Black Caucus has been a champion on gun control for many, many years.

All of the representatives from Philadelphia are voting right on every piece of gun control legislation.

They vote the right way.

[ Applause ] -Movita, you've lost loved ones to gun violence.

How can we bring this to an end?

-You know, this is directly correlated to the school issue.

You go into a school and you ask the first grade class how many of them have ever heard gunshots, and they all raise their hands.

You ask them how many of them have been affected by violence, how many of them have experienced homicide, and 80% of the hands go up.

Our children are traumatized.

I need for Black and brown blood to stop spilling through the streets of Philadelphia.

-Exactly.

-I need for someone to represent the [indistinct]... and the Justins, and the Kyres, and the Charleses, and the Damians, and the Barrys.

-Come on, let's give all of these candidates a hand, please.

[ Applause ] [ Sirens wailing, indistinct police radio chatter ] [ Dog barking ] -♪ If God has been good to you, get up on your feet ♪ ♪ We wanna clap our hands ♪ ♪ Stomp our feet ♪ ♪ Shout "hallelujah" ♪ -When I am sworn in, I will be the first State Rep in Pennsylvania to be sworn in on the Koran.

I will use Charles's Koran.

I will use Charles's Koran.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation ] ♪♪ Morning, everybody.

-Good morning.

-You're going to 5429 Chestnut, Madeline.

Where's Christine?

Is Christine here?

-I'm not sure.

-Madeline's here.

-I'm sorry.

What's your name again?

-[ Indistinct ] -Okay, you guys want coffee?

Naomi Bellinger is at 4400 Fairmount.

They're going to try and steal votes there.

Watch it, Naomi, you got me?

We got three hours to win this race, and I'm ready to fight for my people!

I'm ready to do what I need to do to stop Black men from dying in the streets!

I'm ready to do what I need to do to make sure that they educate and feed our children!

I'm ready to do what I need to do to make sure they recognize us and stop throwing our men in jail!

I want to fight for y'all!

I want to make sure y'all can live in a community, safe.

But I need your help today.

What's my number?

-22.

-What's my number?!

-22!

-What's my number?!

-22!

♪♪ [ Car horn blaring ] -It's a big district.

We got 53 polling places.

You've got 150 people out there working.

-They said they voted for me, y'all!

[ Cheering ] ♪♪ Making lunches.

[ Indistinct ] ♪♪ -You're the first candidate to come to this poll today.

-Are you kidding me?

Oh, wow!

-Go in there and vote.

Your voice counts.

-Y'all good?

-Yeah.

-Almost over, right?

I'm just out here trying to save a Black man.

-Thank you very much for your vote, sir.

Thank you for voting.

Have a good night.

-Okay.

Thank you so much.

Have a good evening.

Bye.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Dog barking in distance ] ♪♪ -How are you?

-I'm good.

♪♪ -Almost over.

-Yes.

-Almost over.

♪♪ -How you doing, sister?

-Huh?

-You good from here?

-Yeah, I'm good.

[ Indistinct ] -Anything [indistinct] -I just need to go to sleep.

-Yeah.

It's... -A delay doesn't mean denial.

-A delay doesn't mean denial.

-Right.

♪♪ [ Car horns honking in distance ] [ Camera shutters clicking ] -Alright.

Good morning and welcome to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

We are here to introduce the men and women of the office's Crime Victim Advisory Commission.

All of our CVAC members have personally experienced incidents that have shaped their activism and lives.

They're here because they have committed to bringing their heads, hearts, and their powerful life-altering experiences to help us do our job better.

Many, many of them come with extraordinary achievements separate and apart from those experiences, and they all come with an extraordinary capacity to change the way this office thinks about and cares for victims.

It is now my pleasure to introduce Movita Johnson-Harrell, the supervisor of our Victim Services unit, who will detail how CVAC will work.

Movita.

-Good morning, everyone.

-Good morning.

-Most of you know that I am a victim of crime.

I lost my father, my only brother, my youngest son, and my cousin to homicide.

I am also a rape survivor.

So what this committee we'll be looking to do is to look at some of the gaps in the system system-wide so that this office, as well as other offices, are not re-traumatizing victims of crime.

A lot of times when people become victims of crime, they either get touched too often or they don't get touched at all.

We have everyday people that are going to help create policy that will come out of Victim Services so that we can make sure that we are trauma-informed and that we are providing people with the care that they deserve in the most horrific times of their lives.

So I am very, very grateful to introduce the CVAC.

[ Applause ] Hey, come on in.

So I've asked a special guest to join us just to come and say hi to everybody.

[ Laughter ] So, welcome, guys.

And we know that you have a meeting to get to, Larry.

First of all, I want to thank everybody.

I feel very, very honored to be the first victim to ever sit in the head seat of Victim Services.

And I see that as a privilege and an honor and something that I do not take lightly.

We will not be harming victims that we are supposed to be helping.

That's my goal.

They will never be returned to pre-victimization state.

That does not occur.

But what we can do is we can make this process easier and less traumatizing for them.

-As you know, we are looking at a time when this office is going to change.

And I would like to say it's going to be a transformational change.

And that's certainly what we intend.

I know that's kind of a scary concept.

I'm also asking you to think about what victims actually want.

Maybe not what you've experienced asking them about, maybe not what district attorneys have told you they should want, but what they really want.

We're going to make sure that Movita, who, as you can tell, is a leader's leader, gets you some things to read about and think about.

And we'll all be coming together to see if we have better ideas for how to make things better.

[ Indistinct conversation ] -Thank you, everybody.

-Where that's going to change.

[ Keyboard clacking ] All Care Crisis responders... will have the lived experience... of being co-victims... ...of homicide.

Trauma-informed... service provision.

Retaliation reduction... reducing isolation... ...and the scope of impact.

Improved access to services.

Cultural-based.

Very nice.

This is good.

Done.

Print.

[ Printer whirring ] The 13th of this month, it'll be eight years I lost my son to gun violence, my youngest child.

The past eight years I have been showing up to homicide scenes, showing up to the medical examiner's office, me and several other mothers who are co-victims, to support these families through this awful tragedy.

So I created a model to provide this service.

And I'm hoping we get two direct results from this.

We know that a lot of retaliation happens right after the homicide occurs.

Peer Crisis Responders are very well-known by the people in their communities and they can possibly reduce some of this retaliation.

That's number one.

Number two is that we understand how difficult it is for you guys to close these homicides because people typically don't want to talk to you.

They want to take matters into their own hands.

And these people that we have hired are credible.

We want the responders to encourage the public to talk to the police.

-That's wonderful.

-I've got a couple questions though with that.

Does that conflict with any of the other Victim Services organizations that's out there currently?

I just want to make sure there's no competing services or anything where we are telling people to go one place and then you're saying another.

-This as a yes/and.

This is not an either/or.

-Right.

Right.

-This is a layer of assistance and protection that was not there before.

So the whole idea is if, from the moment that the killing occurs, Movita's folks are on site, they're the ones who can tell the family, "Mrs. Jones, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but your son has been killed a block away and I'm going to stay here with you and I'm going to drive you over so you can identify and I'm going to talk you through all this kind of stuff."

And of course the detectives will come in, they will ask their questions, they'll spend as much time as they have to, but they don't have to be the grief counselors anymore.

-Gotcha.

-They don't have to sit there for two hours.

They want to hit the street and do what they got to do.

-One of the outcomes I would love to see from this program is that we solve more homicides.

-It sounds like a win-win program to me.

But we are going to have to run this up.

-Absolutely.

-And probably speak to our law department.

-Okay.

-We've got...

Thank you, Movita.

-You're welcome.

Thanks, Tony.

[ Elevator bell dings ] What's going on in our communities is we have a high rate of unsolved homicides.

And in most instances, people know stuff, but they're not telling because they're afraid.

One thing that people aren't realizing -- like, when you don't tell, that person is likely to shoot again.

If they got away with it once, they're likely to shoot again.

So, if they know that there's help available and that they can be safe and that they can help make their community safe, I think people are more likely to tell.

[ Indistinct conversations ] Wow.

Instead of the young people who have the guns bringing them in, they send their grandmothers or their mothers with the guns because they don't want their peers to see them turning the guns in.

We want the guns.

We don't care who brings them.

We just want the guns off the street.

Anything we can do, let us know.

[ Indistinct conversations ] The homicide detective who worked my son's case said, you know, "Movita, while your son was an innocent victim, this boy was gonna kill somebody."

So, if they knew that this boy was going to kill somebody, what did they do?

What did they do to help stop this from happening?

I was afraid of the trial because I knew I had to relive the actual murder.

And I can remember some of those people on the other side of the gun acted arrogant, and my children and their friends were getting mad and they wanted to act out.

And I just kept saying to them, "We're not like these people.

We're not like these people.

We're not like these..." At one point, one of the ladies on the other side, she came over to me, she said, "Ma'am, we're not like these people either."

Her daughter was married to one of the defendants.

She said, "She's been struggling and she feels bad for you, but she doesn't know how to talk to you."

And when she came, I hugged her, and she just melted in my arms and cried.

I remember after that day, everything in that hallway changed.

People weren't acting funny anymore.

Everybody started speaking to one another.

[ Sighs ] And, as I sat through this two-week trial, God began to soften my heart.

And I think it was two days before the end of the trial, God laid it on my heart to forgive them.

I sat my family down and I told them, "God has asked me to ask for mercy for these young men."

And while my family didn't understand, they agreed.

When the judge gave me an opportunity to make my victim-impact statement, I asked for mercy.

They were victims, too.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Hi, Carolyn.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Bob... -Bob, nice to meet you.

-Morning, Julie.

-Okay.

-And Movita.

-Hi, Julie.

-How are you doing?

-Good.

Good to see you, Julie.

Movita came up with a model, in believing, as I know, she feels very strongly that people who have experienced the violent loss of a loved one have unique and particular ability to assist others who have been in that situation and could be trained so that they would be able to go out to the families.

And this was Movita's brainchild.

It was her baby.

But it came kind of organically, I think, not just from Movita's experience.

First of all, Anti-Violence Partnership has been providing services to survivors of homicide for over 30 years.

-Oh.

-We started out as a support group for family members.

What is really significant for AVP is that it be seen as a collaborative project.

And so I would really like any kind of press statements or releases or anything to take that in mind.

-It's more important that we include the grassroot community organizations that are gonna be doing the work, too.

-Absolutely.

-And I concur with that.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

-This is groundbreaking because it's going to provide a service for victims of homicide that's never been provided before.

So we really think this is so special that we want it to benefit other homicide victims... -Yes.

-...not just in our city, but in other cities across the country, because there's so much that's missing that we can bring a whole new perspective to because of your experiences, your vision, and your ability to work in a way that you're doing and helping them get this grant.

So this is very special to all of us, and we're looking forward to it.

Alright?

-Okay.

-Okay.

-And really a pleasure.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-So I think what we can get done today, and I think we probably need to meet once more to sort out... -Oh, I would say.

-Yeah.

So it sounds like, to me, if I've understood the structure correctly... -So the constant struggle has been, this is my model.

Don't get it confused.

This came from my experience.

And while I'm willing to work with you and let you get some credit from it, you won't take it.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -[ Laughs ] -Anybody else in this meeting?

-Nope.

We're fine.

-Okay.

-It can be us.

-Good.

-So, all of this at the top with the crisis response grant is kind of a moot point 'cause I just found out this morning we have problems with sharing information, communicating with victims, people falling through the gaps.

And Julie has intentionally got in front of the MEO and told them, "Do not share information with the DA's office."

-Where does this come from?

-And we pay them.

-We're doing homicide prosecutors.

-We them pay.

-But we can't have contact information for the victims and their witnesses?

-If we map out what's the process from the first time, why wouldn't we have this information if we're prosecuting on this side and -- -No, I hear that, but you're talking about persuasion.

I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about, this is what we need you to do now.

Do you agree?

Oh, you don't agree.

Well, you can expect your money to stop next year.

We're gonna have 12 people as of Labor Day who are running all over the city, and they are performing that function.

They're going with the family to the ME's office.

If they don't want to get with a good program and they don't want to perform and be accountable, then we will cancel it.

-Sounds great to me.

[ Elevator bell dings, indistinct conversations ] -I've had some family members -- they don't want the DA's office and all the criminal-justice system, to have full access to their contact information.

-We basically just asked for the sign-in sheets from the medical examiner's office so that we have every person that comes in as a contact.

-So are you aware of that problem?

-Oh, I'm aware of it.

And I consulted with a lot of people.

-Is this a legal issue or a personal value issue?

-As a social worker, if you have any interaction with a client, that information belongs to you and to your organization.

And you don't give it out to anybody beyond that without the explicit permission.

-And so, the information we're talking about is the names and contact information of the people who sign... -It's just the sign-in sheet.

-Well, it's just not a sign-in sheet.

It's -- -Why is it that we can't get the information?

I mean, that's all I really -- I just assumed... -Why should you get the information?

We are funded by a grant to provide crisis and grief counseling to family members when they come in to identify the remains of their loved ones.

And they give us the information.

So why would you automatically assume that you should have access to that information?

-I don't assume anything.

I was asking a question.

That's what I started off asking at.

-So that is why.

It seemed like it was private information.

-The whole purpose behind the grant acknowledges that people may never recover from the incidents that they've been a party to, but they can at least, you know, help make sure that they get the full services that this grant can provide and ultimately get justice for their family.

-So, that was one question I had.

-Oh.

-I had one second question.

Can y'all produce for me just a timeline?

-My part of it's a piece of cake.

-Yeah, but you're missing the point, though.

When you say that, you're missing the point.

You said, "Oh, you guys do that.

And my part's a piece of cake."

I'm saying it the other way around.

It's ours.

And we've heard that several times around this table.

It is ours.

So, your piece by itself -- it won't be working.

-Let's go.

[ Camera shutters clicking ] -Today we are here to talk about something that has never happened before in the Philadelphia District Attorney's office or the city of Philadelphia.

Thanks to a $1 million grant, we will soon be able to provide the survivors of homicide with immediate -- I repeat immediate -- comprehensive support and advocacy services to Philadelphians after a loved one has been identified as a victim of homicide.

The moment of being told that your loved one has not only died but been murdered -- it requires some help.

You need some assistance.

I will let them speak to that so you will understand the necessity of having this person, this PCR, at the door of the family of homicide victim coming in, talking, handling everything that flows from that moment, the moment they will never forget.

-The Philadelphia CARES model will be a model that will directly affect co-victims of homicide right after a homicide occurs.

They help families apply for funeral assistance or call agencies to get food in the home for the children.

They will introduce these families to the community-based agencies that provide services already in Philadelphia.

We're gonna create a bridge across the system to make sure that all of us in this city who work with homicide victims are working together to ensure that we are delivering trauma-informed care to people who need it the most.

-The CARES crisis responders, the two of them, will go with the homicide detective to the family's home?

-Yes.

We plan on taking over notification, notifying the families.

In my case, the doctors came, tell me that my son died.

They did not do a good job.

Well, we want to take that job away from them because we want to do it more trauma-informed.

So that CARES crisis response team would notify that family that their loved one has passed away.

-Okay, so instead of the homicide detectives?

-Yes.

-Everyone here.

Three, two, one.

[ Camera shutter clicking ] A lot of times when people are grieving, we want to help them, right?

We want to soothe them.

We want to comfort them.

We want to provide the answer.

Sometimes the answer is to just be present in the moment with them, right?

Just be there with them.

They just want to be heard.

Initially, engagement is most important.

Anything you need thereafter, we will make sure you have.

You say, "Movita, I went to this family's house and they don't have electric in the house and they have children."

We will work with PGW to get the electric on in that home.

We will not be penalizing people because they're poor.

We will not.

That's why we're doing this, because we know people are poor.

We know people are suffering, and we want to help them through the most trying times of their lives.

And Phyllis' favorite -- mints.

[ Laughing ] What's the mints for, Phyllis?

-I guess -- Where's Myra at?

-Right behind you.

-Myra, we used to give them out in court as a form of comfort.

Just rub her back, as we would say in church, to comfort ministry.

And you'll hear somebody say afterwards, "I remember you.

You're the lady that gave me the peppermints," or, "You rubbed my back," or, "You hugged me."

-Mm-hmm.

-It's a form of comfort.

-And these are sugar-free.

-Stop it.

[ Laughing ] She gonna break their heart.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -Alrighty, Movita, go home.

-You, too.

-Alright.

-I need to go through these e-mails before I leave.

[ Mutters indistinctly ] Okay.

I'm getting police alerts!

[ Laughs ] -That's a huge deal!

-That's a big deal.

It gives you what district, the address, the time, a brief description of the incident, and the hospital, and the badge number of whoever approved it.

I am getting police alerts.

-...anonymously about the young girl that was arrested and charged with dumping a baby in a trash can in North Philadelphia.

I know for a fact that this li ttle girl was sexually abused and she was raped by her mother's boyfriend.

Her mother knows about the rape.

Her mother knows that she was pregnant.

-Oh, my God.

-And she also was raped by her mother's boyfriend.

-I want to make contact with that child.

-But we'd have to make contact with the child.

We absolutely have to.

-Mm-hmm.

[ Church bells tolling ] Did the baby make it or what?

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-Sir, I'm not leaving my... [ Indistinct conversation ] [ Knocking ] -[ Coughs ] So I think...

...I want to slip it under the door.

-Okay.

-There we go.

-Alrighty.

-Alright.

So it's in there.

So what we can probably do is come back later.

-Okay.

-We'll do the -- -Alright.

Yep.

-I was on my way to church last night, and I heard the lady scream about a baby, you know.

-Mm-hmm.

-And so... And so I came to the door.

-Right.

-And I looked outside, I seen her grab a bag, and she set the bag right where that open bag is on the trash.

She took it out.

She -- It was a little bag, so I thought it was maybe, like, some ground beef or something in there, some garbage.

That's the way it looked.

-Okay.

-And then, so she put the bag in the back of her car, and I stood there as she was opening it, and I seen the fetus.

-[ Gasps ] -Yes.

I just seen it.

I've never seen anything like that, you know, face-on.

-Right.

-Yes.

And then, so we called 911.

We called 911.

Like three, four of the neighbors called.

We never got an answer.

Never got an answer.

About four of us different people called.

911 never answered.

I left and went on to church.

-Okay.

-Yes.

-So we work for the DA's office.

I'm Movita.

I'm the head of victim services for the city.

So we were just trying to engage the family.

Thank you about the information for 911.

That's very, very important.

-I never experienced anything like that neither.

-I'm so sorry.

-Yeah.

-Well, you need to take care of yourself, too, okay?

-Yes, I will.

-So, please make sure that you're just looking out for any changes in how you're feeling.

-Yes, I will.

-Okay?

And please reach out to us.

-Okay.

-Well, make sure you reach out.

-Okay, boo, guess what?

Healer help thyself.

Right?

-Absolutely.

-We gotta take care of ourselves.

-Yes.

-So, I'm sorry you had that experience, but if you need anything from us, you feel free to give us a call.

-I surely will.

-Alright.

God bless you.

-Take care of yourselves.

Alrighty.

-The baby wasn't a fetus.

It was one.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Siren wailing in distance ] All of this is irrelevant now.

Toothpaste.

Goes to the next office.

"To all of the DAO, it's been my extreme pleasure and privilege to work with all of you here at the office.

I have provided DA Krasner with my resignation as of January 25th, 2019.

Thank you for an amazing year."

There are certain programs that can reduce violence, that can improve education, that can improve poverty, that can create jobs and community development.

And to have some real power, I have to take it to the next level.

I have to become a politician.

-♪ Lift every voice and sing ♪ ♪ Till Earth and Heaven ring ♪ ♪ Ring with the harmonies of liberty ♪ -Hey, Larry.

How you doing?

I'm good.

Good to see you, too.

-♪ Let our rejoicing rise ♪ ♪ High as the listening skies ♪ ♪ Let it resound loud as the rolling sea ♪ -As my ancestor Sojourner said, "Ain't I a woman?"

It's important to me that we not just have a woman, but we have the most skilled, the most qualified person who's in the race!

This woman has been on the front line for years, not looking for an elected office.

And it will be your support and your help to help her make Black history on Tuesday, March the 12th.

Say it loud.

-I'm Black and I'm proud!

[ Applause ] -There is currently legislation that was introduced 10 years ago that has been stalled, which would give the CDC the permission to study gun violence as a national health epidemic.

We also need to look at a mental-health component... -Amen.

-...because our communities are so traumatized.

Our partners on the other side want to say that this is a Second Amendment fight.

This is not a Second Amendment fight.

This is a constitutional right.

All of our children, all of our seniors, everyone that live in our communities have a right, a constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

-Amen.

-And we cannot do that with a prevalence of gun violence.

[ Applause ] Good morning.

You say good morning, boys?

-Good morning.

-Good morning, gentlemen.

-How are you?

-Come on.

Y'all ready?

Good morning.

-How are you?

-Good.

Johnson-Harrell.

-Can I push the button?

-I want you both to put your finger there on the box.

-This one?

-Push.

And we cast our vote.

You alright?

-Yay!

-Come on.

[ Applause ] -Sticker.

-Get a sticker.

Okay, put your sticker on.

Say, "Have a nice day, ladies."

-Have a nice day.

[ Hip-hop music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -See, I was fine till, like, just now.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -Oh, my God!

-How are you?

-Hey, baby.

-You hear anything yet?

-Not yet.

We're waiting.

-Okay.

-We're waiting.

♪♪ [ Cheering ] -We won!

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ -Oh my God!

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God!

[ Laughs ] [ Cheers and applause ] -This historic day -- the first Muslim woman elected to the Pennsylvania... [ Cheers and applause ] -When a bunch of good men can't get the job done, it's time to find a sister to get it done.

-Amen!

-[ Speaks indistinctly ] A sister that's gonna get this job done for us.

The next state representative in the 190th District -- our sister, the honorable State Representative Movita Johnson-Harrell.

[ Cheers and applause ] -I'm looking forward to joining these champions up in Harrisburg to push our agenda, to protect our children, to educate our children, to keep them out of prison!

[ Cheers and applause ] And I understand that sometimes God gotta give us a tragedy to turn it into something wonderful.

And something wonderful gonna come out of this.

I promise you that on my son's grave.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -How about say, "Cheese!"

-Everybody look at the camera.

-Cheese!

-Yay!

-Yay!

-Newly elected state representative Movita Johnson-Harrell and 55 of her friends and family were on hand, including dozens of fellow Muslims.

Everyone was greeted by a prayer delivered by her soon-to-be colleague, GOP Representative Stephanie Borowicz.

-Jesus, I thank you for this privilege, Lord, of letting me pray, God, that I, Jesus, am your ambassador here today, standing here representing you, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Great I Am, the one who's coming back again, the one who came, died, and rose again on the third day.

-Borowicz invoked Jesus' name 13 times, Lord and God 6 times each.

Her message struck many as problematic.

-And as I came here to be sworn in to an invocation that was layered with Islamophobia, where I was told in so many words, "You're not welcome here."

But God said, "You are welcome here."

-Yes!

-But this is the People's House.

I knew I had a target on my back.

You know, and then May somebody got me word that, you know, "Something's going on, Movita.

Just watch yourself."

This budget leaves behind our most poor and our most vulnerable.

I've never been an elected official before.

I just jumped into the deep end and started to swim.

...access to resources for our veterans and for children.

By the time I was a six-month freshman in the House of Representatives, Leader Dermody approved me for half a million dollars for gun violence intervention in Philadelphia.

People need to realize homicide in urban communities is big business, and I'm disrupting business as usual.

And you know what?

I'd do it all over again.

Representative Movita Johnson-Harrell plans to resign from her position here at the Pennsylvania House sometime next week.

This comes after the attorney general says she was using money from her own nonprofit.

-Hi, special lady.

How you doing?

It's always a pleasure.

You okay?

-[ Crying ] -Let it go.

-[ Continues crying ] -Just let it out.

-[ Sobbing ] -Come on, now.

Let it out.

Take a deep breath.

-[ Inhales ] -And let it off.

And again, bring it all the way up, all the way up through your naval, through your chest, the back of your throat, up through the top of your head.

Yes.

Breathe.

And know you're not alone.

You are still here.

And I see you.

And there are people that you know nothing about that are thanking you.

So I'm thanking you for them.

I'm in your face saying thank you.

Thank you for who you are, for having the courage to do what you do.

Don't ever forget how far you've come.

-So, as you know, there is a conference tomorrow at the Criminal Justice Center in front of Judge DiClaudio at 9:00 a.m., at which point you could potentially enter a plea and potentially go right to sentencing.

So we're gonna sit down and talk through what's gonna happen tomorrow.

Alright?

-They want three months in jail, eight and a half months on house arrest, and two years' probation for the theft by unlawful taking.

They had $12,000 to $25,000.

So where did half a million dollars come from?

My lawyer's looking at this stuff and saying, "Are you crazy?"

Like, here's the thing.

They're trying to say that I stole money from MECA in the form of rents.

So there were several properties where MECA operated out of.

Those properties were in my name.

MECA paid me rents for renting those properties.

If I was doing something illegal, why would I deposit it in my account?

So I was literally just reimbursing myself.

Most of this stuff is poor bookkeeping, poor record keeping, um... sloppiness, as opposed to criminal.

-I'm hoping we go in there, the judge makes his decision to say that the charges are excessive and, you know, don't send her to jail.

We've had some other opinions.

And we talked to some other lawyers, and they said that this is excessive.

They said a lot of this stuff don't even require jail time.

-Watch your step.

-When they dismiss all of the work that I've done nationally to protect people, when they dismiss all of the trauma that I've gone through in my life being a survivor of molestation, being a survivor of rape, seeing my father murdered, losing my brother, losing my son, losing my cousin, and they don't give me anything -- anything for my PTSD or for my depression or for the great works that I've done, this was a witch hunt.

This was a witch hunt.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Voice breaking] I've been in and out of jails all my life.

Now I'm on the other side and my wife is there.

Today is my wedding anniversary.

But we gonna make it to the other side, man.

And thank God I got brothers like y'all that I could come and I could express my emotions.

And I know -- I know y'all got my back.

I know if I need y'all, y'all gonna be there for me.

[ Sniffles ] I know that, man.

-It's alright, brother.

-Former Philadelphia state representative Movita Johnson-Harrell has been released from jail.

Now, we learned that she was granted early parole in part because of crowding concerns at the jail amid the outbreak.

-[ Speaking Arabic ] [ Continues speaking Arabic ] [ Church bells tolling ] -Almost two years ago, a wise, young man gave a passionate speech at the House Policy Committee regarding gun violence.

Quote, "My name is Donte Johnson.

I'm the co-founder of the CHARLES Foundation.

I am Movita's second-born child.

I am 29 years old, and I was born and raised in the city of Philadelphia.

I am a husband and I am a father to a seven-year-old daughter named Jaiyana and a two-year-old son named Saabir.

I am also an endangered species."

-There is very few people that are as strong as Movita Johnson-Harrell.

Very few people who've had to endure the level of loss and trauma that we've seen Mo go through and Yancy have to deal with.

But at every turn -- at every turn, they don't just stay in the house, put their head under the covers, and not come out.

They turn this pain into a movement.

And if Movita and Yancy and this family can stand up time after time after time, then it's time for us to stand up!

[ Crowd cheering ] To stand up!

We know what we need to do.

The question is, where we gonna get the damn political will to do it?

♪♪ -This is the sound that Charles Johnson heard and the sound that Donte Johnson heard.

[ Gunshots ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Sobbing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Sobbing ] No!

[ Continues sobbing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ I started writing "Phoenix Ascending" 28 years ago while I was still in an active crack addiction.

In my despair, living in the family home, which had turned into a crack home, living out in three rooms and filth and squalor, no running water, illegal electrical hookup... [ Sobs ] ...four children, DHS, once again, came knocking on my door, threatening to take these four children away if I did not get my life together.

And they meant more to me than anything else in this world.

And I got clean.

And Wednesday, September 15th, I celebrated 27 years in recovery.

[ Cheers and applause ] You do not have to let the trials that you have gone through in your life dictate who you are.

They do not define you.

They are circumstances that helped you to propel you to something greater.

And even in the despair of losing Charles 10 years ago where I wanted to curl up in a fetal position and die, I didn't.

When Donte was taken, I just knew I was gon' die, but I didn't.

I got up, because you know what?

Those grandchildren I have need someone speaking for them.

Your children need someone speaking for them.

And I promised Charles as he laid cold and dead on that slab that I would do this until the day I die.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Sighs ] [ Sobs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Sniffles ] [ Softly speaking Arabic ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪