We are excited to hear there are black people in front of cameras and national television not falling for media tricks. In this example, Wolf Blitzer attempts to control the discussion with Baltimore activist, Deray McKesson forcing him to denounce and discuss the civil unrest in the city.
However, McKesson was apparently hip to the angle and spin CNN’s Blitzer was attempting to put on the discussion. Turning the focus from police brutality and an inhumane system oppressing people of color to focusing on property damage and loss of assets in the community, which the community don’t own anyway.
“You want peaceful protests, right?” Blitzer began his interview by asking McKesson.
“Yes,” McKesson replied, after being momentarily taken aback by the obvious nature of the question. “Remember, the people that have been violent since August have been the police. When you think about the 300 people that have been killed this year alone. Like that is violence.”
The property damage in Baltimore Monday was unfortunate, KcKesson agreed with the sentiment, but refused to allow Blitzer to toss all the peaceful protest under the carpet.
“But at least 15 police officers have been hurt, 200 arrests, 144 vehicle fires — these are statistics,” Blitzer countered, robotically reading a police press release. “There’s no excuse for that kind of violence, right?”
“Yeah, and there’s no excuse for the seven people that the Baltimore City Police Department has killed in the last year either, right?” McKesson shot back.
“We’re not making comparisons,” Blitzer stuttered. “Obviously, we don’t want anybody hurt. But I just want to hear you say that there should be peaceful protests, not violent protests in the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King.”
“Yeah, there’s should be peaceful protests,” the community organizer replied. “And I don’t have to condone it to understand it, right? The pain that people feel is real.”
“And you are making a comparison,” McKesson added….
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