The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - American Cities Respond to Protests Against Police Brutality

Episode Date: June 13, 2020

Following protests against police brutality, several major cities have announced plans to cut law enforcement budgets, while Minneapolis considers disbanding its police force. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. Never before in American history has there been an

uprising like this, exactly like this where you have huge numbers of people coming out every single day in every single state in the country. And it's particularly notable because it's almost completely spontaneous. Usually big demonstrations take months of planning, publicizing, getting permits. These ones are just, a-yo, meet me outside in five minutes, and people are there. Since starting in Minnesota after the murder of George Floyd, these protests for black lives have spread like nobody could have imagined, from tens of thousands of people

in big, multi-ethnic cities to 200 people in towns that are 90% white. And now, even more impressive is that this protest has started blowing up all over the world. In Paris, they marched as they did in Rome and Tokyo. In Hungary, a silent crowd took a knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds. COVID-19 kept tie protesters off the streets, but on screen, in a massive zoom session. In London, joining this protest mattered far more than the lockdown rules. Thousands, many masks against coronavirus gathered outside the American embassy. Your message is heard over here and we'll keep fighting the same fight that you are.

We'll keep fighting the same fights that you are. Yeah. That right there. That right there is why this movement has become as big as it has. Because everyone, everyone is not realizing that we're all in the same fight. Like, these protests may have been sparked by one killing in one American city. But the truth is, the truth is that if you are a black person or a minority or a poor person in many places around the world in London, Berlin, Seoul, Cape Town, you understand what it means to be a target of the police and a target of a system that is designed to keep you down with violence if necessary.

And that's why you now have people in every country standing together, standing together to say this is not acceptable anymore. Black lives matter. And whenever there are big protests, whenever they're a big protest, there's always going to be people who stand on the sidelines, right? There's always going to be people who sit in their newspaper offices or TV news studios and say, I sympathize with you, but this is not the way that you should be doing the way the way the way, the way, thape, thape, think, think, think, and the way, and the way, and the way, and think, and, and the way, the way, the way, the, the way, the way, the, the, the, thi, the way, the, the, tho, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thr, thr, thrown... thrown. throwne, throwne, throwne, the, the, the.. the. the. thea, the. the. the, thrown, want. This is not the way that you should be doing it. Protesting is a waste of time. It turns people off.

It's just performative. It doesn't accomplish anything. Well, you know what? I hope those people are hungry because they're gonna be eating their words. Because after two weeks, just after two weeks of theate of thr-o'e, For example, for decades, Americans have been arguing about Confederate monuments and other racist statues littered around this country.

The people have said, take them down. And government officials have said, oh, we'll think about it, we'll study it, we'll start a commission, we'll get back to you. Well, this time, the people said, take them down. And the government officials responded with, yeah, you're right. There were cheers Thursday night at the foot of Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue after the governor announced the monument which stood for 130 years is coming down. Mobile, Alabama removed a Confederate statue this morning and Indianapolis announced this one is coming down.

For days protesters in Philadelphia have tried to tear down this controversial statue of former mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo widely accused of being a symbol of racism for his tactics against the black community in the 1960s and 70s. The city taking it down in the middle of the night. Yes in Philadelphia they decided to take down a statue of a racist police commissioner. And I guess the question we should be asking is, why did a racist police commissioner have a statue in the first place? And yeah, there are still people out there who are like, yeah, but if you take down the statues, how will people learn their history?

These statues are about history? That's how you learn history. No one really thinks that these statues are teaching anybody history. The bubonic plague was a major event in history. We don't go around putting up statues of rats. You don't see that shit anywhere. And speaking of learning, that's another thing that these protesters are affecting. That's another area that we're seeing the impact of the protest protest protest people, people, just average people are hearing these conversations about racism and policing.

And they're saying, you know what? Since there are no statues, maybe I should read. Books on systemic racism are making bestseller lists as protests continue across the country. Six of the top 10 best-selling books on Amazon are on the topic of race in America. White fragality, the new Jim Crowe and just mercy are their.. their their their their their their their their their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the the the the the the the the the the the the top 10 best-selling books on Amazon are on the topic of race in America. White Fragility, The New Jim Crow, and Just Mercy are some of the books at the top of Amazon and Barnes and Noble's best-selling list today. S-O-O-N.

S-O-N. S. the book, How to stop accepting them. Yes, thanks to the protests and thanks to the conversations and thanks to people pushing, Americans are so concerned about what's happening in their country right now that books about race and racism in America are sold out. And yes, I know a lot of people might say it's too little, too late. Why are you only reading now? That is a good question, thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that, that, that, and, that, and, and, and, that, and, and, and, that, that, that, and, and, and, and, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, th. th. th. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. And, th. And, th. And, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, thoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. And, that, that, might say it's too little, too late. Why are you only reading now? That is a good question. But I think at the same time, we've got to be happy that people are reading now.

How many times have we seen a video? How many times have they been protested? And no books? No conversations have been had. So this is movement. This Because people aren't just buying books. People are saying Black Lives Matter, and they're not just saying it. They're saying it in public. Black Lives Matter has become the phrase that people admit needs to be said.

And maybe it's because of George Floyd's video. Maybe it's because the whole world was forced to sit at home and watch that video, but it's happening. Everyone from Mitt Romney to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to toe like toe like the world thiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thiolight thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thiiii. thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. thi. thi. fans are saying Black Lives Matter. Corporations are saying Black Lives Matter. Amazon, Bud Light, Gushes. Everyone is saying Black Lives Matter. And don't get me wrong. I don't know if these companies are actually going to do something to show that they believe Black Lives Matter other than just saying it, but it is still a major step to have American corporations who just a few years ago were terrified of that phrase saying it as part of their corporate ethos.

Because Black Lives Matter shouldn't be controversial as a phrase. Black people having lives shouldn't be a controversial thing at all. And you can tell that this protest is working because even the NFL, even the NFL, even the NFL has stepped up to say, you know what, we can do better. Roger Gaddell is apologizing for how the league failed to support players who are protesting police brutality and racial injustice during the national anthem. For many, this is an about face that was a long time coming. NFL Commissioner Roger Gaddell is changing the league's message, releasing this video

statement late Friday. We the National Football League condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. Yeah. Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL has come out with the statement that you just saw, which is one hell of a statement from the NFL. And look, it is a bit weird that he's affirmed their commitment to Black Lives Matter and protest and then not mentioned Colin Kappenick, the person who was blackballed by the NFL the NFL for protesting for Black Lives Matter in the first... I I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, th. th, th. th. th. Yeah, th. Yeah, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. to thi. thi. th. thi. thi. thi. thi.appenick, the person who was blackballed by the NFL

for protesting for Black Lives Matter in the first place. I mean, that's what I mean about people actually doing something. Like, it's nice to see the NFL say this, don't get me wrong. But I hope that Gaddell and everyone at the NFL are actually going to look at doing things. Because every other industry, you know, they have have the the the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that, that that that that thi, that thi, that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. thi. theeeea. thi. thi. thi. thi. thea. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, they have to prove their commitment by hiring thousands of new black people. The NFL's just got to hire one. And yes, I know I said, I know I said that even purely symbolic gestures are nothing to sneeze at, but we all agree the posting statements, taking down statues and selling books is not enough. It's part of it, but it's not enough.

Companies have to hire more black people. Companies have to stop not hiring people because they're black. The culture has to amplify more black voices. And of course, cities have to end the racist policing of black communities. That's where we all started. That's where this whole thing started. And that's the good thing about these protests. Is that it hasn't just gotten people talking, it hasn't just got people buying books, it hasn't just gotten like leagues and organizations saying black lives matter. The best part about these protests is that they're already producing substantive changes as well.

The killing of George Floyd is fueling calls to defund America's police departments. Defund the police chants are spreading at protests and the hashtag is gaining momentum on Twitter. The idea may also be catching on at City Halls. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday he will not be increasing the police budget. He also announced 250 million dollars will be invested in such areas as jobs in education, especially in black and non-white communities. Yes, Los Angeles has announced, but they will be taking money away from the LAPD and putting it into programs like education.

And please don't get it wrong. This is not a spite thing. I've seen so many conversations where people seem like they're punishing the police. No, studies have shown that when you invest in people, when you invest in communities, you don't need to invest in the police. It makes sense. Prevention is always better than a cure, especially when the cure kills black people. And after the mayor of Los Angeles made this,, after Mayor Garcetti came out and did this, which was huge, other cities quickly said that they're also going to try,

at least try to fix their policing problems. New York has announced that they're planning to cut the police budgets and change some of the laws Sacramento and other cities are banning chokeholds and certain other uses of force, which is not enough but it's a start. And Democrats in Washington have introduced a bill that would among other things make it easier to investigate and punish violent police, as well as banning no-knock warrants like the kind used by the cops who killed Brianna Taylor. And if all of this actually happens, these will be meaningful reforms. But one of the themes that has come out of these protests is thes, thes, thets, thes, thes, but thes, thes, but th, but th, th, but the, the, the, but the, thi, but thi, but thi, but thi, but thi-in, but the, but the, but thia, thia, but the, but the, but the, but thi, but thiats, but the, but the, but th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the, the, the, thea, thea. And, thea. And, theauui. And, theaui. And, theauiauaua. And, thea. And, thea, the, thanna Taylor. And if all of this actually happens, these will be meaningful reforms. But one of the themes that has come out of these protests is that reform is not enough.

What a lot of people are saying is, you cannot reform something that was inherently designed to be bad. And so what many people are demanding now is to defund or abolish the police. Let's stop having police in schools. Let's stop having police deal with homelessness or people with mental illness. Let's stop having police patrol neighborhoods where they don't live and give that job to residents. And a month ago, a month ago, if you said any of this, you seemed like you were crazy

and it was a pipe dream that would never happen. But again, after these protests, it may soon become a reality. In an unprecedented move, the Minneapolis City Council has vowed to defund and go beyond that, dismantle the city's police department. They're promising to replace it with a new system of public safety. We are seeking to disband the Minneapolis Police Department because it is not keeping Minneapolis

safe. We have looked at ways to reform this department. We do not believe it is possible. Yeah. The city where this all started is actually promising to defund the police. And look, we're not naive. We know that promises aren't always kept. Politicians weasel out of things all the time,

and even good intentions only go so far. But to have gotten this far with less than two weeks of protest is truly amazing. And it's not over yet. The people are still fighting. The people are still pushing. And something tells me t they keep at it, full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more.

This has been a Comedy Central podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News, listened to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17.