The Daily Show: Ears Edition - TDS Time Machine | Civil Unrest

Episode Date: June 14, 2025

In Los Angeles and around the country, people are taking to the streets in protest of government overreach. Take a look back at The Daily Show's coverage of protest, counterprotest, and the role of law enforcement.   Jon Stewart unpacks the Occupy Wall Street movement. He covers the protest, politicization, and backlash rising from the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, and the death of a peaceful protester in Charlottesville, VA. Trevor Noah speaks on the persistence of police brutality during protests in America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central. We begin right here in New York City. There was a march on Wall Street today, sponsored by the group Occupy Wall Street and, oddly enough, Sunny D. For extreme protest thirst! The Occupy Wall Street movement has basically been a four-week downtown Manhattan live-in, which has spread to cities all around the country, causing the media to move its coverage dial from blackout to circus. It's too bad. Those are the only two

settings it has. Intrepid reporters from all the major networks and CNN went down to talk with the protesters. Of course, the reporters changed into their undercover 21 Jump Street outfits. What's up, protestors? Mind if we chillax with you in HD? Because the aspect ratio on the shot's gonna be... Why are the protesters there? Well, the answers ranged from extremely earnest college roommate-y to powerful and cogent.

What do you guys want? Bring attention to the pervasive influence that corporations have in the political process. What do we as Americans agree on? What can we do about it? We the people are here to take the power back. After 30 years of having our living standards decrease while the wealthiest 1% have had it better than ever, I think it's time for maybe, I don't know, some participation in our democracy. Ho ho ho ho! Damn!

That mother****- brought game! Mm! Mm! You know what he's saying? What's up, Tea Party? I see your tri-corner hat, and I raise you a Union soldier keppy. So those are the protesters. Or, uh, to put their words another way...

I think if you put every single left-wing cause into a blank, So those are the protesters, or to put their words another way. I think if you put every single left-wing cause into a blender and hit power, this is the sludge you'd get. I saw one guy with a guitar and they asked him, you know, what do you... It's very hippie. It's like Woodstock meets Burning Man meets people with absolutely no purpose. They are some of the most uninformed people, if you listen to them. They're all over the map.

The emolition of capitalism. If we learn to them. They're all over the map. Demolition of capitalism. If we learn to share, we can all live in prosperity. All of those quotes could have been said in 1789 France before the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution or with only slight modification when the Nazis were coming to power. This is always the beginning of totalitarianism. This group is a laughable gang of disorganized, confused Nazis.

This is an ill-disciplined, highly-trained, weed-smoking fascist organization. But the protesters do have some surprising defenders. You know, the average American taxpayer knows that at the end of the day, they're going to be on the hook for the trillions and trillions of dollars that we're using to bail out these companies, some of whom have been irresponsible, and they are expressing their frustration, which I think is quintessentially American. Bravo! Bravo, Sean Hannity.

Breaking ranks with your conservative friends. Oh, that's a clip from 2009 about the Tea Party? What does Sean Hannity think about these protesters' frustration? They hate corporations, they hate capitalism, and in the end, ultimately they want statism over free markets. So they really don't like freedom. Oh, all right. So rage against duly elected government is patriotic, quintessentially American, whereas

rage against multinational shareholder accountable corporations anti-american dot i don't get it here's a group of americans disenchanted railing against big government bailouts because they played by the rules worked hard now they're in debt from student loans and they're unemployed i mean look at this thing throws it turns into throwing trash cans into star box windows

nobody's gonna be down with that. We all love Starbucks. But these protesters, how are they not like the Tea Party? All right, some of them, you know, smoke and have pants made out of pot. So call them the THC Party. Aren't these folks real citizens with real problems? Aren't they also speaking for America? These folks aren't speaking for America.

Just your basic green anti-capitalist, anti-bank, anti-Wall Street, anti-America demonstration? That's not Tea Party behavior. That's not America-loving behavior. They probably don't even masturbate to the Constitution. That's what I think. Alright, I'll bite. Why are the Occupy Wall Street folks unworthy of Tea Party respect and ideals? They're not law-abiding citizens. They're camping in a park where camping isn't allowed. They're breaking the laws on the Brooklyn Bridge.

That's not Tea Party behavior. They're camping in a park where camping isn't allowed. They're breaking the laws on the Brooklyn Bridge. That's not Tea Party behavior. Everything you described there, I believe, is a misdemeanor. The actual Tea Party was a f----- felony. Do you know how much trouble? I mean, do you know what the Tea Party actually was? You know how much trouble you'd get if you broke into a ship, stole the cargo from the ship's owners,

and just threw it overboard? Not to mention the EPA fines and the damage it would do to your Indian costume? The Tea Party namesake, you're named after the most celebrated act of theft and vandalism of private property in our nation's history. And you can't stomach a little park camping? But if there is one criticism that nearly everyone, even their supporters, seem to share, it was this.

When you look at the message though, what is it these protesters are trying to get across here? Because it doesn't necessarily seem a very cohesive one. Seems like they're really gonna have to crystallize their message. The message is muggled. What? Did you just call the protesters muggles? But I watch a lot of movies. But this guy brings up a good point. We cannot expect a bunch of disenfranchised park dwellers

to come up with a coherent solution to our nation's economic woes. We have a political ruling class to do that. Congress demanding answers on what caused the economic meltdown. A bipartisan group of senators known as the Gang of Six is working on a proposal to cut the deficit. The Congressional Super Committee created to cut the deficit. The Simpson-Bowles Plan. Senator Coburn's plan. Doesn't this sound like a deficit. The Simpson-Bowles plan.

Senator Coburn's plan. Doesn't this sound like a great idea? Simpson-Bowles sound like a great idea. The Bowles-Simpson dead on arrival. The 10 of you spent months working on this, though, and now you have this significant dissent. I think what we should do is break these banks up. To break up every institution right now

could have been destabilizing. You haven't put your own budget together. You're sitting on the sidelines blaming others. The truth is that the Matt Smith private corporation President Obama is firing you. Gentlemen. Just get it.

I think I got it. I think I got it. Yeah. I think I got it. That's... For God's sakes, people. Now I see why you're mad at them for being muddled and incoherent. That's your f***ing job.

Oh, but wait, we did pass Dodd-Frank, the greatest Wall Street reform since the Great Depression. In just over two weeks, the Dodd-Frank law will be a year old, and we're not really any closer to fully implementing it. The stuff that would have addressed the fraud, too big to fail, derivatives, from almost all those measures were either rejected outright or watered down to almost near meaningless. Out of an estimated 400 regulations to be written, just 38 are complete. And those 38 were the easy ones.

No spitting. Don't take your d*** out before five on the wall. You know what? If the people who were supposed to fix our financial system had actually done it, the people who have no idea how to solve these problems wouldn't be getting d*** for not offering solutions. And while we all fight, the real victims, as always,

continue to suffer. I was up in Boston this weekend, and they had Occupy Boston. There were a thousand people at Dewey Square. You were protesting? I was just driving by. I was trying to get to supper and a thousand people were between me and a steak dinner. Oh.

Steve Doocy reacting to the revolution. Let me eat steak. But first, obviously the big news of the past few weeks, the town of Ferguson, Missouri, the big news of the past few weeks, the town of Ferguson, Missouri, where the shooting by police of teenager Michael Brown has sparked a series of protests, which in turn sparked a, let's say, stern response by police who appear to be auditioning for Robocop. It's a story that has a lot of people outraged and upset.

I came back from vacation because I am furious. Of course you are! An unarmed black teenager gunned down in the street by police under suspicious circumstances. Who wouldn't cut their vacation short to register their fury? You'd have to be a monster, or in my case,

enjoying a particularly nice vacation. But good on you, Mr. O'Reilly, for coming back, unless, of course, you're furious about something else. Furious about how the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown is being reported and how various people are reacting to it. Yes! That is the outrage.

The shooting of Michael Brown and any lack of transparency from the police department responsible for said incident is outrageous in how it has been reported. And I guess that's not the only reason to be angry. Is he going to get a fair shake, this officer? There has been a rush to judgment. Eric Holder flies into Ferguson, you know, with his superhero cape.

This mantra of the unarmed black teenager shot by a white cop, you know, that description in and of itself actually colors the way in which we look at this story. Yes. Describing the actual facts of the case really does color the way we look at it. White cop shoots unarmed black teen does sound terrible. Whereas, say, hero cop kills alien hunting humans for sport would put a completely different spin on things.

Which, though a very accurate description of the plot of Predator 2 is in this case, would put a completely different spin on things. Which, though a very accurate description of the plot of Predator 2 is in this case, uh, not what happened. And you know what? There's so many other stories out there. Why aren't we covering New York? Why aren't we covering black on black crime?

Yes! Why all the interest in holding police officers to a higher standard than gangs? They both flash colors and yes, one of them has been sworn to protect and defend, but still. Well, this weekend, 42 people were shot in Chicago. You know, I don't see the protests. I don't see the anger. If I were African-American, I would be outraged that more journalists aren't covering

what's happening in Chicago, and more outraged that people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson don't head to those areas. Yes. What could explain the lack of outrage about Al Sharpton and his ilk, not to mean anything about black-on-black violence in Chicago?

With Chicago's violence making national headlines, a group led by the Reverend Al Sharpton plans to convene an anti-violence summit of national civil rights leaders here. Oh, that's right, because African American leaders did hold a summit about that in November. And I've met at least three times in the city just in the last 13 months,

which is not to say it's been effective, but taking along with the President's My Brother's Keeper initiative, which attempts to address this violence in the countless vigils and marches within these violence-torn communities means they are trying, actually, to do something. You see, you being ignorant of those attempts

doesn't mean the issue itself is being ignored in the same way that when it snows where you live doesn't mean the world isn't getting hotter. Um... LAUGHTER CHEERING AND APPLAUSE **** APPLAUSE Oh, you know what? There's something else bothering you.

Isn't there? When a cop pulls me over, I say, I put my hands outside of the car. If I'm carrying a weapon, which I'm licensed to carry in New York, the first thing I tell the police officer is, officer I want you to know I have a legal firearm in the car. And then I brace myself for the taser. Well without getting into the fact that you get pulled over so much by the cops that sometimes you're carrying a weapon, sometimes you're not.

I don't know, it just depends on how I'm feeling that day. But continue. I often would even take my step out of the car, lift my shirt up so we could see where the gun is. You really do have no f***ing idea, do you? You really do. Basically, basically you're saying, if only Michael Brown, instead of holding his hands over his head, had reached down to his waist and lifted up his shirt to show the gun he did not actually have, this whole tragedy could have been avoided.

Do you not understand that life in this country is inherently different for white people and black people? A lot of people are trying to make this, Dana, about black and white and trying to make this about race. This is part of this effort to make it everything about race. Is this a story about race? Do we know that? I think it is playing the race card, and I think it's disgraceful.

The only racial divide that is created here is being created by the race faders. You know who talks about race? Racists. Did you just... He who smelt it dealt it racism? Did you really? He who smelt it dealt it racism?

All right. Hi. Forget that in Ferguson, 94% of the police are white and 63% of the people are black. Forget that 92% of police searches and 86% of car stops are for black people. Forget that the white municipal government finances nearly a quarter of its annual budget

to the fines and penalties disproportionately leveled against the black portion of the population forget that the history of this town includes this tasty nugget. A 52 year-old man named Henry Davis said that for Ferguson police officers beat him then charged him with damaging government property because his blood had gotten on the officer's uniform. So I get the straight.

You guys got tanks, but you can't keep a couple of tide sticks around. Because here's the problem with everything that's going on in this conversation. This isn't all about just one man killed in one town. It's about how people of color, no matter their socioeconomic standing, face obstacles in this country with surprising grace. Look at how upset you all get about certain things. Tonight, Christmas, under attack. Look at how upset you all get about certain things. Attack why are we allowing anti Christmas mad why do I have to

drive around my kids to look for Nativity scenes and be like oh yeah kids look there's baby Jesus behind the festival school. Beer cans and not remember. made out of beer cans, it's nuts. Remember? Remember? You were, you were furious that America's 11-month-long celebration of Christmas wasn't enough. But now, if you can, just imagine that instead of having to suffer the indignity of a Festivist poll blocking something you could have just set up in your own yard anyway, imagine that instead of that, on a pretty consistent basis, you can't get a f***ing cab, even though you're

a neurosurgeon, because you're black. I guarantee you... I guarantee you... that every... I guarantee you that... that every person of color in this country has faced an indignity, from the ridiculous to the grotesque

to the sometimes fatal, at some point in their, I'm gonna say last couple of hours. Because of their skin color. Quick story. So we live in New York City, a liberal bastion. Recently... Let me finish.

Recently, we sent a correspondent and a producer to a building in this liberal bastion where we were going to tape an interview. The producer, white, dressed in what could only be described as homeless elf attire and a pretty strong five o'clock from the previous week shadow strode confidently into the building, preceding our humble correspondent, a gentleman of color, dressed resplendently in a tailored suit. Who do you think was stopped? Let me give you a hint. The black guy.

And that shit happens all the time. All of it. Race is there, and it is a constant. You're tired of hearing about it? all the time, all of it. Race is there and it is a constant. You're tired of hearing about it? Imagine how exhausting it is living it. The grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri was deciding that Ferguson police officer, now former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson,

did nothing indictable when he shot unarmed but large Michael Brown. The angry reaction to this decision was swift and sustained with protests breaking out throughout the country. But if those who took to the streets thought that they were speaking out against systemic injustice, well, they could not have been more wrong. This is not a civil rights issue. It's not a black white situation.

It's a thug. A police officer situation. People forget he had committed a robbery. Michael Brown was the bad guy in this case, and please America, let's not turn this kid into some kind of civil rights martyr, because that he is not. Ferguson, Missouri is not Selma, Alabama.

Right! Almost by definition, Ferguson, Missouri is not Selma, Alabama. Of course, if Fox had been around for Selma, Alabama, the headline would probably have been, relax, Selma isn't slavery. So this isn't a civil rights thing. Although I don't know.

The protests I saw seemed pretty civil rightsy. From those in Los Angeles to the NFL to the streets right here in New York. I feel you. But I get what you're saying there. This is an isolated incident, like the police shooting of Tamir Rice in Cleveland, or Dante Parker in San Bernardino County, or Kendrick McDade in Pasadena, or Armand Bennett in New Orleans, or John Crawford in... What time does Colbert start?

What time does his show start? It's in like a half hour, right? All right, we'll just move on. The point is, these shootings are clearly not a manifestation of systemic inequality and mistrust between the African-American community and the somehow always justified police-American community.

But these are merely an unending, bizarrely similar series of isolated incidents. But if there's nothing to justify the anger and protest in these communities, why would so many individuals around the country spend their precious, hard-earned, pre-Christmas sale stampeding time protesting a non-existent problem? You look at Ferguson, they had a community that really worked, or it seemed to have worked,

and now all this hatred's coming out. You have so many other people inciting and trying to get their own two cents in, and they're trying to incite problems. Pitting whites against blacks. I think the racial arsonists in this country have worked these people up so much with propaganda that facts don't matter. Oh, that's why they take to the streets.

They were incited by racial arsonists. They were incited by racial arsonists. You know, I have a dream. That one day we can evolve as a people to a time when arsonists no longer see race. But see, really only the beautiful consuming fire they are criminally compelled to like When an arsonist can say the only color I see is orange But I get it there obviously wouldn't be a problem if a racial arsonist If a racial arsonist hadn't... If a racial arsonist hadn't lit the fire under Ferguson with his telling of what happened to match.

And by the way, racial arsonists were not the only insiders. These racial racketeers. The race hustlers. Race grievance industry leaders. Your race grifters. Your race counterfeiters, your race literars, your race financial advisors, your race, your race sommeliers.

What's wrong with a nice white? But, but the point is these protests may look like a spontaneous groundswell of frustration, grief, and anger amongst a community that feels disenfranchised. But they're actually just the prescribed bidding of America's race grievance puppeteers. And who might they be, you ask? Professor, the floor is yours.

The president and Eric Holder and Al Sharpton, I think they've been terribly irresponsible. Ferguson burns because of, in part, a mindset was created by Al Sharpton, by Eric Holder, and the president. Be honest, my friend. Are those the three people responsible, or did you just name the only three black guys you could think of?

What? Which one? Ferguson Burns! Ferguson Burns, my friend, in part because of... Jay-Z... the guy who plays Urkel, and let's say Hank Aaron. Ah, I don't know. Now here's where it gets interesting. What is the mindset that has been instilled

that creates the conditions for this upset within the African-American community? The head of this network, Roger Ailes, has brilliantly said that if you see yourself as a victim, then you'll become a victim. But if you see yourself as a winner, then you'll eventually win. Keep a dream journal, folks! A victim mentality is what's causing this.

A victim mentality. A gentleman on Fox, a gentleman on Fox News said that black people have been convinced by a network of shrewd propagandists that they are somehow victims. And that is wrong to agitate a population, to scare them, utilizing all the tools of modern communication, graphics, music, et cetera,

to stoke these people into a resentful frenzy. Fox News feels that's just damaging to this great nation and tears at our very fabric. I can't imagine anyone would do such a thing at just roll the f***ing tape. The president is selling class warfare. Is there a growing anti-white people movement in America? The feds and many state governments are working hard to take away your guns. Meanwhile they'll take your money. The invasion of illegal immigrants. We have terrorists crossing the Mexican border. Singled out for its

Christian message. We can pick on white guys, we can pick on Christians in this country. Food stamp abusers feeding on taxpayers. The United States of entitlement. They're stealing our money and the taxpayers should rise up. We are under a tyranny now. All hail King Obama. An imperial president. America's freedom is slipping away. America's best aides are behind her.

America, you have a choice to make. It is time that we take our country back. You need to get angry. Our worst fears might very well be here. I don't know. I don't know if I'm supposed to overthrow the government or get one of them panic rooms. I don't know what to do. But either way,

I'm just happy to not be incited. It almost makes you think that the crime that they're really upset about over there isn't race-pimping or race arson. It's race plagiarism. -♪ POP ROCK MUSIC PLAYING. -♪ So I thought, you know what? I'm gonna go back to America and just chill. Turns out I left the Third World and landed in the Third Reich.

White nationalists descending on Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee. In Charlottesville, Virginia, where protests are turning violent. At least one person is dead after a car plowed into a group of counter protesters. President Trump turns an infrastructure event

into a rambling rant, blaming both sides for the violence. You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. I think there's blame on both sides. You look at both sides, I think there's blame on both sides, and I have no doubt about it,

and you don't have any doubt about it either. Like, I know he was trying to convince us, but Trump just looks like an untrained Jedi failing hard. You know, he's just like, you don't have any doubt about it, you don't. Nazis and the people protesting are equivalent. And also, KFC is a vegetable. You know. You know.

And you know what? Like, I know that this happened a week ago, but I'm not gonna lie. I'm-I'm still processing everything. You know, first of all, a racist neo-Nazi killed a peacefully protesting woman with his car, right? Then the president of the United States defended the neo-Nazis who that dude was marching with.

And this is the thing, it's not once, but twice. Like, Donald Trump said it. Then three days later, he came back and said, hey, hey, you know how I, uh, I said that Nazi defending thing? Well, I just realized that, um, I-I messed up. I didn't defend them enough. Yeah, yeah. My-my support was here,

and I was-I was trying to get it here. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm not gonna lie, I don't know about you, but it seemed for a moment that, okay, this was it. This was clearly not what presidents do. You know, after tragic national events, a leader, even a mediocre leader, says the things to unite the country, to calm the tensions,

not inflame them, and especially not express sympathy for Nazi sympathizers. Even in South Africa, this is how crazy this is. In South Africa, during apartheid, right, we had a Nazi organization known as the AWB, and they wanted an all-white country. They had their own hip new swastika, right? It was full-on Nazi, full-on Nazi organization.

And back then, South Africa was under apartheid. But the government, right, the apartheid government, they had restricted where black people could live. Uh, it didn't allow them to study. Most importantly, it stripped away their right to vote. They were apartheid. But the government, right, the apartheid government, they had restricted where black people could live. Uh, it didn't allow them to study. Most importantly, it stripped away their right to vote. And even then, in the midst of apartheid, when the AWB would hold its rallies,

the apartheid government would be like, no, no, no, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Nazis. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, come on. I like racism just as much as the next guy, but come on, Nazis. Nazis. Come on, people. I think we can all agree as humans, or as black people,

that Nazis is a step too far, people. It's a step too far. Even in apartheid South Africa. But today, in America... we're not even at that point? Seven months into his term, 41 months to go, by the way, and the president of the United States has officially legitimized white supremacists,

basically saying, we need to see things from the Nazis' point of view. You know, march a mile in their boots. And you would think... you would think that surely this would be the straw that broke the camel's back. Well, it turns out that the president's party has a lot of camels. A new CBS News poll, uh, out this week showed

that 67% of Republicans approve of the way President Trump handled the response to the Charlottesville attack. But how?! But how? Like, two-thirds of Republicans... two-thirds of Republicans thought that Trump handled Charlottesville well. Like, I know it sounds crazy to say this,

but that's the shocking part for me. You know, Donald Trump did his thing, but 67% are like, yeah, yeah, you know? He did his thing. Like, let me put it this way. Anyone can fart, right? Person can fart. They do their thing, they fart.

But it takes a special group of people, two thirds of them, to be like... Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss And here's the thing, if so many of Trump's supporters are willing to give Nazis the benefit of the doubt, then clearly anything goes. There's no line that they won't cross, and clearly no cross that they won't burn. You know, with all these protests sweeping across America, people have been comparing this moment to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

And much like the 1960s, law enforcement officers have met these calls to end police brutality with even more police brutality. Across the country, peaceful protests have too often devolved into standoffs with heavily armed police using military style tactics. If you don't move, you're gonna be dead. Move out of the way! Flashbangs, tear gas, rubber bullets, helicopters, armored vehicles.

Law enforcement in riot gear approach a barrier. Protesters on the other side, hands up in the air, chanting, don't shoot. Don't shoot! Don't shoot! But that's exactly what they did, shooting tear gas and rubber bullets. The threat of terrorism after 9-11 convinced many departments to stock up. Now those departments are facing off against their own citizens.

Just take a moment to think about that. The police department got this heavy duty equipment to fight terrorists. That's why they got the equipment post 9-11. And now they're using it against Americans who are exercising their right to protest. And I'm sorry, what about these people screams terrorist to you?

Like maybe I've forgotten my history, but I don't remember the part where Al Qaeda attacked America with cardboard signs. And an argument I've heard some people make is that the only reason the police are doing this is because the protesters are looting or being violent. That's what they say. No, they're doing this because the people are violent.

But as happens so often, the police's story never matches the actual footage. Because for the past week, the internet has been full of videos of police officers attacking protesters with no provocation whatsoever. Caught on camera from coast to coast, alleged excessive force by police officers. Attacks against protesters

who are demonstrating against police brutality. In New York, police drove a vehicle into a crowd of people protesting there. In Los Angeles, police swing batons at people who witnesses say were simply standing with their hands up. A New York police officer caught on camera pushing a woman who was demonstrating.

An officer pulling a man's face mask off and spraying him with pepper spray. This unsettling image of an officer kicking a woman who was maced. Caught on camera, a protester run over by an HPD-mounted patrol unit at the height of the protests. We as black people deal with this every day. Black and brown people are treated brutally every day.

I don't care who you are, those images have to be upsetting to watch. Because these images are the antitheses of what America is supposed to stand for. This is supposed to be the country where you have the freedom to say whatever you want. A democracy, right? You can say whatever you want,

whether it's Black Lives Matter or let's all drink bleach. The government is not supposed to physically punish you for that. And that hasn't always been the case in America, but that is the ideal, right? When people were protesting in Michigan, saying that they wanna go out, they wanna go back to work, they wanna get haircuts,

they don't care about the coronavirus, they weren't getting beaten up. And that's what America is, the freedom to protest. And the freedom to protest isn't the only American ideal that the police have been trying to suppress lately. It seems like they've been really making a concerted effort to go after the free press. More than 300 journalists have faced

press freedom violations. Across the United States, the cameras rolling when law enforcement seem to be targeting journalists. Whoa! I am press. Please... Ooh. Oh. Targeting journalists. I am press We identified ourselves as press and they fired teargas canisters on us at point blank range this Australian cameraman and reporter were shoved and hit while live on air police now

advancing Advancing on protestant. Oh my gosh, we're moving, we're moving. I'm getting shot, I'm getting. In Louisville, Pepper Balls fired a crew on live TV. Who are they aiming that at? At us, like directly at us. Yeah, those videos are what's happening in America right now. Cops are just openly firing tear gas and pepper bullets

and everything on journalists. I mean, I can't blame them. If I was doing the shit that the police have been doing, I wouldn't want anyone recording it either. So the police are attacking unarmed protesters, defenseless reporters. I mean, at this point, you might be wondering, is there anyone non-threatening enough

that the police would not get violent with them? And what we're learning is that the answer is no. A Salt Lake City police officer in full riot gear using his shield to push an elderly man with a cane. The man falls face first onto the ground. Two officers in Buffalo, New York, pushing a 75-year-old man who falls to the ground, hits his head, and starts bleeding.

None of the officers in the video appear to help him. I don't care how many times I see that video, I will never get used to it. Cause it's bad enough that these cops push an old man who's walking over to them. But the fact that they walk over him, they walk past him while he's bleeding out on the sidewalk. Like, who are you protecting and serving,

if not that old man? And think about it. These were just two that were caught on video. Now, as usual, when videos like this come out, the excuse is always the same. People always want to defend those police by saying, those are just a couple of bad apples. That is not a signifier,

that is not representative of the entire police department. The only issue is that argument falls apart when you see what happened after they pushed this old man to the ground. A police statement released before the footage was posted online said only that a man tripped and fell. But after the video surfaced,

the police commissioner ordered an internal affairs investigation and the immediate suspension of the officers without pay. As the officers leave the courthouse, cheers from a crowd of fellow officers and law enforcement. In another show of support, all 57 members of the Buffalo Emergency Response Team resigned, but they remain on the police force.

Think about this for a second. Not only did the police department try to cover up what happened, not only did they try and lie about something that we all saw on camera, but once the truth got out and those cops were punished, the entire team resigned to protest those police being held accountable.

In fact, they even showed up at the courthouse to cheer them on as they came out. What are you cheering? That Buffalo is finally safe from old men walking around in public? What are you cheering? What are you cheering? What are you cheering? The fact that you've come out, the fact that you stayed,

like it's a scary thing to think about, what are they cheering for? And something I think people need to understand about the police is that in a way, they have the same code that a gang does, in that above all, you are loyal to your crew. That is a culture that is within every police department. And that's the heart of this issue.

If good police are willing to look the other way or even join in when the bad police abuse their powers, you can make new rules and regulations all you want, but it won't matter. America's not gonna be able to fix this problem until we have police whose first priority is protecting and serving the people instead of protecting and serving themselves.

-♪ The Daily Show theme music plays. -♪ I'm here in D.C. It's an exciting day. Almost half the adults in our country are asking for a do-over. USA! USA! USA! We're f***ing G-F**k! We're f***ing G-F**k!

We're f***ing G-F**k! I suppose if you bought all of these flags and all of these garments you gotta do something like this. I mean, they've been prepping for this at least sartorially for years. Tell me about your, what's on your back? Uh, Q flag. Q flag. Q enough.

I'm one of those crazy people. You're one of those crazy people. Q, Q is somebody who just helped wake us up. Yeah, yeah. It makes you ask questions. It makes you ask questions. It makes all of us ask questions. It's like, why would people believe in this conspiracy that a 12-year-old in a basement put on the internet

and now it's affecting our country? People can think whatever. Joseph Biden and Kamila, your buddy Kamila Harris, are not legitimate. You know what I think this is? This is a gang rape of our nation. We are watching our country be gang raped. Like look into your heart, okay? It's not a joke. Look, you make a good point, but you are wearing a one-z that is a flag, so it doesn't... Because I'm about what I

represent here. Yeah, how'd you get your bike in? Right over here. What kind of bike best works for a futile attempt to thwart democracy? Is it like a cross-track situation? That's just a weird question. The revolution will not be televised. They will also not be providing chairs, so bring your own. Hey, there's chairs up there for everybody. Great, thanks. There are pilots of chairs.

Planning ahead. People are mad about it, and. Kyle, it's a chair. Planning ahead. People are mad about it, and it came here to make a statement. I wanna redo. You wanna redo? I wanna redo. The good news is the Constitution has set aside a way to do a redo,

and that's we'll just come back and do it again in four years. I don't know. USA! USA! USA! Explore more shows from The Daily Show Podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, USA! USA! USA!