The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 6.11 Why The Internet Is Mocking Aaron Paul, Tucker Carlson Fights Elmo, & LivePD Controversy

Starting point is 00:00:00 People of color, especially in the black community, are being treated unfairly because of how they look. It's a children's show. Got that, Bobby? America is a very bad place, and it's your fault. So no matter what happens, no matter what they do to you when you grow up, you have no right to complain. That's the message, and it starts very young.

Starting point is 00:00:23 What are you even talking about? How are you gonna take the informing, the educating, the arming the youth of America with the knowledge that they or people they may come across in their life are gonna be treated unfairly due to the color of their skin which is backed up by pretty much all of our history. Much of which is also not properly talked about in our school system.

Starting point is 00:00:41 I had to learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre and Black Wall Street by watching Watchmen. Do you know how ridiculous it system. I had to learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre and Black Wall Street by watching Watchmen. Do you know how ridiculous it is that I had to learn about that from a TV spinoff of a movie adaptation of a graphic novel? How do you take that attempt at raising awareness, that hope that we can instill empathy, and you turn it and you twist it

Starting point is 00:00:58 into this fear-mongering statement, trying to play victim? How? The message is literally, racism is bad, don't be racist. I just, I can't with this guy. Welcome to the Bad to Franco show, the show that is the best show that's not really a show, but it's me talking to a camera for 15 to 24 minutes. Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:01:17 Hey, a throwback Thursday, intro, pander, pander, hit that like button, you beautiful bastards. Yes, welcome back to the show. I hope you're having a good, or at the very least, not a horrible Thursday. And the first story that we're having a good or at the very least not a horrible Thursday and in the first story that we're gonna jump into today actually involves Tucker Carlson because that LL clip aside over the last Week there's actually been a lot of outrage about some of the remarks that he's made during his Fox News show You know a few weeks ago as protests were starting up people were responding to the death of George Floyd

Starting point is 00:01:39 He discussed the remarks former UN ambassador Nikki Haley made in a tweet She said it's important to understand that the death of George Floyd was personal and painful for many. In order to heal, it needs to be personal and painful for everyone. It's seeming to promote empathy, the understanding of another's pain, and we saw Carlson respond.

Starting point is 00:01:55 But wait a second, you may be wondering, how am I quote, personally responsible for the behavior of a Minneapolis police officer? I've never even been to Minneapolis, you may think to yourself, and why is some politician telling me I'm required to be upset about it? But really the clip that sort of sparked the most outrage

Starting point is 00:02:10 happened on Monday when we saw Carlson claim that none of what is going on has to do with protecting black people. Saying that if Democrats really cared about that, they would instead invest more in predominantly black neighborhoods and schools and take abortion clinics out of black neighborhoods as well. Then referring to the protests as theft

Starting point is 00:02:23 and mayhem and continuing. This may be a lot of things, this moment we're living through, but it is definitely not about black lives. And remember that when they come for you, and at this rate, they will. Right, and so that clip especially is the one that really blew up. With people saying things like Tucker Carlson said black people are coming for you, that just happened. Another saying a nationally aired white supremacist told his racist viewers

Starting point is 00:02:42 to protect themselves against black people. That's how I see it. With many calling him a race baiting fear mmonger others just going straight to racist Fox News for their part They said that when Tucker said they he was referring to Democrats and not black lives matter activists But still the damage was kind of already done So that's why we're now seeing a ton of brands pulling their advertisements from his show this including T-Mobile who said we haven't run ads And Tucker Carlson tonight since early May and have canceled all future placements. "'We will continue to support those "'who stand against racial injustice.'"

Starting point is 00:03:07 With their CEO, Mike Siebert, also saying that Carlson's messages were not the kind T-Mobile wanted to send, adding, "'Bye-bye, Tucker Carlson. "'Hashtag Black Lives Matter.'" Papa John's and Smile Direct Club also pulled out from his show, but perhaps the biggest company

Starting point is 00:03:19 to withdraw their advertising here was Disney, though their situation is actually a little bit complicated. According to Deadline, Disney had run ads 29 times on Fox News this year, at least some of those ads being for shows on ABC, which Disney owns. But reportedly, they were not intentional on the company's part, with ABC telling them in a statement,

Starting point is 00:03:35 "'The ABC advertisements were placed on the show "'without our knowledge by third-party media buyers "'who were unaware that we do not advertise on the show, "'and they have now been notified "'not to place any further ads.'" Now, as far as what happens next from here, I mean, we're just gonna have to kind of wait and see. Notably, this isn't the first time

Starting point is 00:03:48 that Carlson has lost advertisers due to things that he has said on his show. I also do not think it will be the last time. Right, last year, he got a ton of backlash after calling white supremacy a hoax. White supremacy, that's the problem. This is a hoax. Right, and back in 2018,

Starting point is 00:03:58 he lost over two dozen advertisers after saying immigration makes the country dirtier. Instead, our leaders demand that you shut up and accept this. We have a moral obligation to admit the world's poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer and dirtier and more divided. But ultimately, that is where we are with this story right now. And I guess I just want to pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this? And then let's talk about the I Take Responsibility campaign and the reaction to it. So today, you may have seen this video floating around on social media featuring stars

Starting point is 00:04:24 like Kristen Bell, Kesha, Aaron Paul, Stanley Tucci and others saying I take responsibility for every unchecked moment. For every time it was easier to ignore than to call it out for what it was. Every not so funny joke. Every unfair stereotype.

Starting point is 00:04:41 Every blatant injustice no matter how big or small. And in that video they pledged to stand up for the black community condemning hate and the rate at which black people are killed while doing everyday things. Black people are being slaughtered in the streets, killed in their own homes. These are our brothers and sisters, our friends, our family. We are done watching them die. We are no longer bystanders. We will not be idle. Enough is enough. They also call for accountability

Starting point is 00:05:08 in cases of police violence with Aaron Paul saying, and killer cops must be prosecuted. They are murderers. We can turn the tide. It is time to take responsibility. Call out hate, step up and take action. And that video then directs you to the campaign's website, which includes a bunch of resources for what people can do

Starting point is 00:05:29 to get involved in making change. That video was reportedly created by the entertainment production company, Confluential Content in partnership with the NAACP. Right now it basically calls on white people to stand up for the black community through education and action. Right, so this video goes out

Starting point is 00:05:41 and it gets a ton of mixed reactions online. With some saying things like, what are they auditioning for? Ending racism, the musical. And another reading, well at least this video goes out and it gets a ton of mixed reactions online with some saying things like what are they auditioning for ending racism? The musical and another reading well at least this video succeeds in being the exact opposite of understanding what structural racism is in particular We really saw people mocking Aaron Paul for his dramatic delivery at the end of the video and in fact so much so that his name Eventually began trending on Twitter with people saying things like I lost it when Aaron Paul went full Jesse Pinkman at the end in case You missed your daily dose of white liberal patronizing with a peak performance when Aaron Paul went full Jesse Pinkman at the end. In case you missed your daily dose of white liberal patronizing with a peak performance by Aaron Paul.

Starting point is 00:06:07 So I'm also comparing it to the now infamous Gal Gadot Imagine cover video. In this situation, we also had others pointing to people like John Cena, right? Saying that rather than participating in something like this, he put his money where his mouth is and actually just helped the BTS Army match a donation that the band made to Black Lives Matter.

Starting point is 00:06:20 But also to be fair, you also did have people defending these stars. With one writing, they are all in a no-win situation. They get asked to take part to help promote an important message. If they agree and do their bit, they are self-righteous. If they say no, they will be outed as not wanting to speak out about the subject.

Starting point is 00:06:32 What is it people want them to do? And also a number of people happy that you have these stars in their positions of power using that platform. As far as my personal reaction, I end up being somewhat torn. I am an inherently cynical person. It is something that I have to fight against every day. So when I see someone that seems overly happy

Starting point is 00:06:48 or seems to be trying too much to be a good person, I'm like that L.A. Noire doubt me. I'm like, really though? Especially in this situation where you throw in the fact that you have actors seemingly all reading from the same script doing really a format that gets bashed a lot. The we're all completing the same sentence sort of thing.

Starting point is 00:07:03 It's why you're gonna see a video like this getting bashed, whereas you're not gonna really see those same things being said about The Rock, for example. He put out that eight minute video, it's just him. He has emotions that are showcased in the video, but it feels like the words are actually coming from him. But then also with this video, I kind of think of the words that they're saying,

Starting point is 00:07:20 and yes, most likely it is a script. And so to combat my general cynical nature, I try to just appreciate maybe what is at the core of those words, which is none of us are perfect. We've all done or said things we wouldn't do today or did not act when others did or said something that was incredibly wrong. So I'm gonna try to now be part of the solution.

Starting point is 00:07:36 And so if I take this video and I boil out, put it on the stove, we turn up the heat, we boil out what can feel like acting and it can feel like pandering. And it's us acknowledging that today is a new day. We can be a part of the solution great Yeah It needs to be done in a way that doesn't elicit a cringe from even the people who agree with your point it kind of

Starting point is 00:07:51 Goes back to something we've said over the past 10 years sometimes it doesn't matter what you say if you say it like an asshole Not calling them assholes here, but it's not just what you say It's how you say it like for instance this week Nancy Pelosi in kente cloth kneeling. Sure, speak your word, sure, kneel, but the kente cloth is obvious pandering. So much so you even had Jordan Peele pointing to a get out meme. So I think it kind of boils down to how you do it sometimes matters more than the message itself. But yeah, with all of that said, I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this? And then let's talk about a story that a lot of you requested. Yesterday I touched on it so incredibly briefly

Starting point is 00:08:25 and actually it makes sense to talk about because there are now updates. What I'm talking about is Live PD and the death of Javier Ambler. You had Paramount canceling Cops, you had HBO temporarily removing Gone With the Wind, and of course you had A&E pulling new Live PD episodes that had been set to air.

Starting point is 00:08:38 Right, but after we posted yesterday's show, we ended up seeing the breaking news that A&E was actually officially canceling Live PD. However, it appears that unlike these other cancellations or removals, A&E didn't just cancel Live PD because of the protests and the conversations that we're seeing around the death of George Floyd. Right, because it appears that a lot of this

Starting point is 00:08:53 revolved around the reports that the show confirmed on Tuesday that it had filmed and then deleted footage from an in-custody death of a black man. That man being Javier Ambler who died on March 28th, 2019 after a car chase with deputies in Austin, Texas. Now as far as how that situation began, according to deputies, Ambler failed to dim the headlights of his SUV to oncoming traffic.

Starting point is 00:09:11 An officer behind him then flips on his flashing lights. Ambler then reportedly sped across highways and onto neighborhood streets for 22 minutes. He also reportedly smashed into four stationary objects before crashing a final time. And while dash cam footage of that chase has not been released, local news outlets were able to obtain body cam footage.

Starting point is 00:09:25 Now, because that footage is so graphic, we're not gonna be able to show it here. In it, we see an officer run up to Ambler, who is already surrounded by deputies. We hear another officer telling Ambler to put his hands behind his back, or he would tase him again. Right, so implying that he already had at least once.

Starting point is 00:09:38 From there, we see Ambler on the ground, police over him, and all the while, he's telling them that he has congestive heart failure. And in this situation, we hear him say words that we've heard in other instances. He tells the police, I can't breathe. Ambler then repeating that phrase as police grab his arms and they try to handcuff him.

Starting point is 00:09:52 You then hear the deputies tell him to stop resisting. He says he's not resisting, he very much sounds like he is in distress. He cries out, save me before being tased again. The officers keep trying to force his hands behind his back. At one point we even hear an officer say that he thinks that he just broke Ambler's finger. From there, they eventually handcuff him.

Starting point is 00:10:07 However, at that time, Ambler becomes unresponsive. Deputies then search for a pulse. They do not find one, and they reportedly perform CPR for four minutes. But ultimately, Ambler dies after being turned over to medics, with an autopsy later determining that Ambler had died, in fact, due to congestive heart failure,

Starting point is 00:10:20 as well as hypertensive cardiovascular disease, in combination with forcible restraint. It's also learned that those deputies had tased him four times, of course, including after he told them he had congestive heart failure. You know, keep in mind that in this whole time, you also have a camera crew standing by and filming all of this.

Starting point is 00:10:33 That said, moving forward, in a report filed with the Attorney General's office, Ambler's manner of death was listed as homicide, with it also noting that the homicide could have been justifiable. However, notably, that report also says that Ambler did not attempt to, nor did he assault deputies. It also says that he did not verbally threaten others

Starting point is 00:10:48 or attempt to get control of any officer's weapons. And also alongside this report, you had the Williamson County Sheriff's Department conducting an internal affairs investigation. However, that later concludes that the deputies did nothing wrong and that they did not violate the agency's pursuit or use of force policy. And so because of that,

Starting point is 00:11:01 they have not faced any repercussions. Right, but with all of that, to also give you a sense of how little was publicly known about Ambler's death before this body cam footage surfaced, his own parents said last week that they didn't know anything more than he had died in police custody.

Starting point is 00:11:12 Right, and so it was actually reporters who told him that he died after a chase following something that would have been a minor traffic violation. Right, but that said, after we start getting more information, after we start seeing this new body cam footage, we saw three of the four Williamson County commissioners

Starting point is 00:11:23 calling for Sheriff Robert Chody to resign. Though also to be clear, Travis County District Attorney, Margaret Moore, has also been investigating Ambler's death. And in a statement to the American Statesman, she said that her civil rights division plans to present the case to a grand jury, adding, "'It is a very serious concern to any of us

Starting point is 00:11:36 "'who are in law enforcement "'that the decision to engage in that chase "'was driven by more of a need to provide entertainment "'than to keep Williamson County citizens safe.'" And notably, she has also accused both Chody and Live PD of stonewalling and refusing to provide evidence. But Chody has dismissed these accusations as misleading, also denouncing the calls for his resignation

Starting point is 00:11:53 as politically motivated. Chody also saying that his department is ready and willing to help Moore's office. Now currently, it is unclear how aggressively or how quickly investigators acted with the information they did have, this including what steps they took to obtain video from Live PD.

Starting point is 00:12:04 However, in a statement on Twitter, Moore has said that her office has been fighting with the William they did have. This including what steps they took to obtain video from Live PD. However, in a statement on Twitter, Morris said that her office has been fighting with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office to have Live PD video footage related to Ambler's death released. We've also seen Williamson County DA, Sean Dick, kind of back up that claim saying, "'The Sheriff's Department has let Live PD

Starting point is 00:12:16 "'into his crime scene for the last two years. "'And all I've ever requested were the witnesses "'that were in the crime scene "'and the evidence they gathered "'while they were in the crime scene. "'And to date, we've never gotten that kind of information. Right, and so with these investigations, we ended up seeing kind of two big questions.

Starting point is 00:12:29 One, did Live PD's footage play a role in those investigations? And two, why did they delete the footage? Right, so as far as the first question, according to reports, no. With reports saying that Live PD never turned the footage they had over to investigators, with A&E saying that the network nor the show's producers,

Starting point is 00:12:42 quote, were asked for the footage or an interview by investigators from law enforcement or the district attorney's office. With A&E also saying that the network nor the show's producers quote, were asked for the footage or an interview by investigators from law enforcement or the district attorney's office. With A&E also saying that the incident didn't happen while it was filming live and the footage was not aired later either. With A&E also saying the show didn't keep the footage after the initial internal affairs investigation closed. And that, according to reports, is because of a contract between Williamson County and Live PD that was in place at the time of Ambler's death, with the show being allowed to destroy unaired footage within 30 days unless a court order or another state

Starting point is 00:13:05 or a federal law required it to be retained. Now following the news of the show being canceled, we saw the host, Dan Abrams, saying on Twitter, shocked and beyond disappointed about this, "'The Loyal Live PD Nation, please know I, we, "'did everything we could to fight for you "'and for our continuing effort "'at transparency and policing.

Starting point is 00:13:20 "'I was convinced the show would go on, more to come.'" And since that post, we've also seen Abrams answering more questions on his website Right as far as why didn't live PD air this he says it's because it involved a fatality and any standards and practices didn't permit Us to show a fatality on the show as far as why any no longer has the footage He says live PD had a long-standing policy to only keep footage for a few weeks Absent a specific legal request to retain it and all the departments We followed were aware of that policy and adding the reason for this policy was so that we did not become an arm of law enforcement

Starting point is 00:13:46 attempting to use Live PD videos to prosecute citizens seen on the footage. Live PD was there to chronicle law enforcement not to assist the police as a video repository for prosecuting alleged criminals. And adding, in this particular case, the Williamson County Sheriff apparently requested that Live PD retain the video pending an investigation.

Starting point is 00:14:00 Live PD did, just for that three months until June 2019, when the Williamson County Sheriff informed Live PD attorneys that their investigation was complete using the body cam footage that they had. Also in response to the question, Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore has said she is quote troubled that the show so far has produced no video So why didn't Live PD turn over the video in the first place? To which Abrams responds the Live PD attorneys informed me that's because she never asked nor did anyone else in law enforcement or any other attorney make a request to them for the footage before this week over one year later. But also noting, given what happened

Starting point is 00:14:27 I wish the tape had been preserved and the policy should have had an exception for this sort of situation. Many of us were advocating for a change in the policy before the show was cancelled. And also going on to say that Live PD should have shown this video in the show, but specifically everything up to Javier Ambler's final moments. It would have been very difficult to watch but in an ongoing effort to show all sides of policing. I wish this had been aired just as we had shown many other controversial moments that led to criticism of and appreciation for police. The final question answered on this site,

Starting point is 00:14:54 I think kind of touches on something that Abrams and fans of the show think. And that is specifically the difference between a show like Live PD and Cops. With Abrams writing, I am frustrated and sad because I truly believed in the mission of the show to provide transparency in policing. I completely agree with advocates calling

Starting point is 00:15:08 for more body cams on officers and more uniform rules for their use. It seems to me that the antidote to bad policing and officers is transparency, and that means more body cams and more shows like Live PD. It's important to distinguish Live PD from a show like Cops that just presented a highlight reel of crazy moments.

Starting point is 00:15:22 But with all of that said, that is ultimately where we are with this story. More may come out, I know Abrams is trying to do the rounds right now on TV. Of course one of the questions to you with this story is, you know, what are your thoughts about Live PD being cancelled? What do you think about the arguments being made? I'm personally still trying to digest this. My greatest concern with this though is that this is a giant he said she said about the evidence. Right, Chodi in Live PD saying that Moore's office just never asked for that Live PD footage. You have Moore saying that her office has been fighting to get that footage from them. And all that complicating yet another death of someone in police custody.

Starting point is 00:15:48 In a situation that unfortunately appears to have been buried for 15 months. But for now we need to wait and see what else comes out, if there's a response to Abrams. And until then of course I want to keep that conversation going with you in those comments down below. And that is where I'm going to end today's show. And as always, thank you for watching, liking the video, maybe even sharing it and being a part of that conversation down below. Also, if you're new here, definitely hit that subscribe button and for everyone, make sure you also have that bell tap so it looks like this.

Starting point is 00:16:10 That's the best way to make sure you don't miss these daily videos, which on that note, if you're looking for more to watch, maybe you missed yesterday's show or you want to check out that brand new podcast with Watsky, you can click or tap right there to watch that right now. But of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you next time.

Starting point is 00:16:25 I hope you liked the video. Subscribe if you like it.

The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 6.11 Why The Internet Is Mocking Aaron Paul, Tucker Carlson Fights Elmo, & LivePD Controversy

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