The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.10 Why People Are Furious With This Youtube Exec, Belle Delphine Fake News, & North Carolina

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Wednesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're going to talk about today is, oh man, this story that just blew up. And maybe you've already seen the initial viral video. It shows this young boy crying. He's begging his father not to call the police on a black man who says that he was visiting a friend at a San Francisco apartment building. And if you haven't yet, let's walk through it. You have Wesley Michelle, a 35-year-old software engineer, posting this video on Facebook, which shows the encounter he had with the father and son on July 4th and in The video you see this man with his son who was later identified as Christopher Cooke er or Cucker That's a dangerous last name. I'm just gonna call him Chris and it it appears that Chris doesn't want to allow Wesley into the building

Starting point is 00:00:34 He's essentially saying prove it that your friends here I remember I remember all your friend on the call box and have them come did I have to do that? You could just walk away Oh, yes, yes, yes. Call the police. All right, so we immediately saw Chris's son telling his father not to call the police. We see Wesley in the video essentially saying, this is a familiar interaction with me at my old building. I used to get the police called on me.

Starting point is 00:00:58 You then have Wesley essentially warning Chris that he's going to be the next Barbecue Becky, which is just one of the past viral examples of black people getting the police called on them while they were just doing everyday activities like swimming or barbecuing. I'm recording you right now and you're gonna be the next person. Look at this. You don't need to threaten me, you just need to get out and tell them. I'm not threatening you.

Starting point is 00:01:15 You are. I'm not threatening you. You're gonna be the next person what? You're just gonna be the next person on TV. But we see Chris continue. The video also gets more uncomfortable because as Chris continues on the phone, you hear the son just pleading for him to stop.

Starting point is 00:01:27 Even saying that he agrees with Wesley, this man he's never met before. Yeah, there's a trespasser in my building. Dad, no! He's going to leave and he's- Please go. Listen to your son. Daddy, go. 1868.

Starting point is 00:01:37 It's the better, I agree with him, Dad. You see Chris describing Wesley on the phone. He's, he appears to be African American. He appears to be African American. Appears to be African American. I don't know. 35, software engineer. Polar shirt and a Yankees cap. All good, all good.

Starting point is 00:01:58 We then appear to see Wesley's friend Kathy show up, to which Chris's son's like, told ya. Hello! Hi, Kathy! Told you! I. No, no! Hi, Kathy. Hello. Told you. I love you, baby. Come now. And then Chris informs the authorities that,

Starting point is 00:02:10 oh, he actually is the guest of someone that lives there. He's actually here. Yeah, he's actually here. Yeah, go ahead. I'm recording this. He refused to identify the person. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And what followed the posting of this video,

Starting point is 00:02:21 well, is exactly what Wesley said was gonna happen. Chris ended up being the next person on TV with a lot of people online calling him a racist. Now, since all of this video, well, is exactly what Wesley said was gonna happen. Chris ended up being the next person on TV with a lot of people online calling him a racist. Now since all of this went viral, there have been updates to the story. Chris was officially identified. Also, it turns out he's an employee at YouTube. So if this video didn't pop up on your your homepage or your recommended, it's probably just a coincidence. You know, in the days that followed, he was identified. Social media users have been calling on the company to fire him. We've also now seen Chris respond to the backlash in a Medium post titled, "'One Conversation, Two Histories'."

Starting point is 00:02:49 My perspective on an incident in a San Francisco doorway, and in it, he defends himself, but he also apologizes to Wesley for the incident, saying, I noticed Wesley caught the door and entered the building without using the call box. I did what came naturally and asked where he was going. I want to be clear on this point. This is something I do regularly,

Starting point is 00:03:03 regardless of who the other person is." Chris goes on to say that when the incident turned confrontational, he realized he couldn't resolve it himself and so he decided to call police. And then going on to explain that his own personal history with trespassers is what prompted him to make that call, not Wesley's race. Writing, "'My father was murdered outside his home by a trespasser who he confronted alone. For my child's safety, my safety, and that of the building,

Starting point is 00:03:22 I felt it was necessary to get help in the situation. Furthermore, I've encountered trespassers in my building and we've been robbed several times. This is not uncommon in San Francisco and the bad actors are all different colors." And then going on to say, "'I now realize that Wesley was reacting "'based on his unique history as well.

Starting point is 00:03:36 "'Unfortunately, there is a terrible pattern "'of people calling the authorities "'regarding people of color for no other reason "'than their race. "'The last thing I ever intended was to echo that history "'and I'm sorry my actions caused Wesley "' to feel unfairly targeted due to his race." As far as Wesley's reaction to that, he was actually on CNN Tuesday night, and there, while he said that he was understanding of the trauma stemming from Chris's father's death,

Starting point is 00:03:54 he also said that Chris should not let it cloud his view of others, and adding, "'Personally, I am African American, and I have been stopped and harassed at stores and different locations, and I have police officers asking me if I belong there or even in my apartment complex, people randomly telling me that I don't belong at that location. But I don't let those experiences shape or define the way I see other people. And going on to say that it's those experiences

Starting point is 00:04:13 that should be used as an opportunity for learning, adding, "'My responsibility is not to make everyone around me "'feel comfortable. "'It is very important that people understand that. "'I should be able to walk around freely "'and not feel that I should constantly prove "'that I am not a threat to the people around me. Also posing the question if Chris really would have acted the same if he were white.

Starting point is 00:04:28 And adding, it is important for people to understand when you call a police officer on an African American, it is completely different than someone calling a police officer on someone else. To me, that's a death threat. I can literally die from that altercation and I would just simply be another hashtag in the news or on Twitter. It is important that people understand that. And so ultimately that is where we are with this story right now. If you look online, there's still people calling for YouTube to fire Chris. But also at the same time,

Starting point is 00:04:49 you do have people defending Chris, saying, you know, he lives in this building, he's never seen this guy before, the guy doesn't live there. But now with all that said, everyone having spoke, I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts around this story? What's your opinion on this?

Starting point is 00:05:00 Let me know in those comments down below. Then in quickie internet news, and I'm really just covering so people stop sending it to me. Two times in the past few weeks we've talked about kind of the online antics of internet meme girl Belle Delphine. She pranked her fans into thinking she was making porn. She then decided to sell gamer girl bath water, which is water that she allegedly sat in. And then over the past few days the news broke, and I'm saying news because it's not a real thing,

Starting point is 00:05:23 but it broke that one person sent to hospital after drinking internet personality's bath water. And I mean, props to the memer for including a photo of an ambulance with Florida in the background because you're like, I mean, it could have happened. But no, as of recording this video, this appears to be fake. And also the news spread that Delphine was selling her pee. But turns out that's not real either. There is a screenshot and also there's like a mimicked website that looks similar to her store But it's a different URL. Delphine also made a statement today addressing the fake accusations Also saying regarding the fake website while she finds it really funny. It's sadly not real either

Starting point is 00:05:52 Although I really can't take the stance of like I can't believe people believe this like the premise and actually real stuff was already weird Enough that it kind of opened everyone's minds to anything as possible But no, it's not true And now you can stop sending me those stories. Then in entertainment news I'd had people kind of I guess excited and also annoyed. We got the news that all the seasons of Friends in 2020 will be leaving Netflix and going to something called HBO Max. Which yes, for those keeping track at home, that means that HBO has now three digital apps. I know while some people are gonna find that confusing, I think HBO needs to lean in. More apps, more names. You have HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO Max, HBO Max Plus,

Starting point is 00:06:28 HBO Max Ultra Plus, HBO 360, HBO Before, HBO Sword and Shield, that's my personal favorite. But before we get to all that goodness, for those wondering what is HBO Max, it is Warner Media's direct-to-consumer play, right? Meant to compete with the Hulu and Netflixes of the world. Along with Friends, it's said to include HBO properties, as well as Warner Bros, TNT, CNN, DC Entertainment,

Starting point is 00:06:48 Cartoon Network, and more. Also, interestingly enough, the more includes Rooster Teeth. Now, as far as what this means for Netflix, is this the death of Netflix? I don't really believe so. I think Netflix has seen this attack coming from all angles for a long time now, which is why they focus so heavily on new originals.

Starting point is 00:07:01 I mean, they've been having to deal with Disney Plus launching soon, right? Losing a lot of properties there. And ultimately on the business side, I'm very interested to see what happens here. Like, I think that competition breeds a very good environment, right? Competition, if the system works properly,

Starting point is 00:07:13 forces everyone to be on their A game for people to innovate. Or unfortunately, in some sectors, if not properly managed, they consolidate and give you a shitty product, because where else are you gonna go? But on the consumer end of things, there are now so many digital offerings

Starting point is 00:07:25 that it feels like cord cutters are probably getting closer and closer to paying what you used to pay with cable. Granted, it's not completely like a cable package, but it feels like this chaotic, somewhat disconnected, a la carte cable package. Granted, as of right now, we don't know the official price of HBO Max. There were previous reports that claimed

Starting point is 00:07:42 that the service was gonna be like 16 or 17 dollars, but given the fact that HBO Now, which gives you everything for HBO, is 15 dollars a month, it'd be kind of crazy that if just for an extra dollar or two you could get everything, I mean, it would seemingly guarantee success, but I don't know how the numbers would work there. I don't know, but what I will say is it's gonna be very interesting to watch this space for the next 10 years.

Starting point is 00:07:59 And then let's talk about this really interesting story coming out of North Carolina, and I'm really interested in your thoughts here. And ultimately, this is a story about the extent of responsibility. So on Monday, Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 474, better known as death by distribution. And under this bill,

Starting point is 00:08:12 anyone illegally selling a controlled substance that is linked or causes someone's death could face the same type of felony charge and punishment as second degree murder. And basically, under the new law, an illegal seller or a drug dealer could be found guilty if the substance they sold, quote, "'was the proximate

Starting point is 00:08:25 Cause of the victims death and they could face one of two charges either aggravated death by distribution or death by distribution And the only difference here being that the charge becomes aggravated if the suspect has a similar previous conviction and they would be charged With a class b2 felony according to North Carolina's court system Not only is class b2 the same class as second-degree murder It could also land you in prison for over 40 years. As far as the death by distribution charge, that falls under a Class C felony, meaning anyone found guilty would be facing the same punishment as someone guilty

Starting point is 00:08:50 of first-degree kidnapping or assault, and they could face up to 19 years in prison. In the past, we've talked about opioid addiction. I mean, deaths from overdoses are a huge problem in the United States, and this problem is one of the reasons that the sponsors of the bill, Representative Dean Arps, says that the act is necessary, arguing that the law is similar to a drunk driver

Starting point is 00:09:05 being punished if they kill someone. Saying you didn't do it with malice, but you did kill somebody, so you still have to be held accountable. And also telling local reporters, for people who peddle poison for profit and kill kids, the hand of justice cannot be solved. We've also seen district attorneys around the state

Starting point is 00:09:18 support the bill and the punishment, such as Billy West, who said, quote, "'It's a violent crime, "'and the bill treats it like a violent crime.'" And Trey Robinson, who told members of the House Judiciary Committee, "'We have a violent crime and the bill treats it "'like a violent crime.'" And Trey Robinson who told members of the House Judiciary Committee, "'We have a hole in our law that is preventing us "'from going after people who are actually selling

Starting point is 00:09:29 "'this stuff as a commercial enterprise.'" But on the other side of this, you have people arguing that this could actually cause harm. Some argued that this would hurt the already existing Good Samaritan Law. That's a law that prevents people from being criminally prosecuted if they call 911 or other law enforcement for help during a drug overdose.

Starting point is 00:09:43 Representative Sydney Batch is one of the lawmakers concerned and she has previously said, I'm concerned people are not going to call when their friend, a family member, or someone else overdoses. But that said, she still did vote for the bill to pass back in June. This notably after a line was added that specifically states death by distribution will not quote, restrict or interfere with the rights and immunities provided under the Good Samaritan law. Although even with that Good Samaritan line addition, there are people concerned. People like North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition's Virgil Hayes saying, provided under the Good Samaritan law. Although even with that Good Samaritan line addition, there are people concerned. People like North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition's

Starting point is 00:10:07 Virgil Hayes, saying we're very concerned with the way and manner in which this bill impacts the Good Samaritan law. And adding, research by the CDC shows that any law that threatens or increases fear that bystanders will be incarcerated or criminalized decreases the likelihood of bystanders contacting 911 at the scene of an overdose. Right, so there's the argument that if there's just

Starting point is 00:10:23 the fear, right, you see the headline, right, I could be charged with murder. That person witnessing the overdose that could save a life might be scared to contact the authorities because they don't know about the Good Samaritan Law or have doubts if it would apply to them. We've also seen some parents whose children have died from overdoses speaking out against the bill,

Starting point is 00:10:39 saying that the law targets the wrong group, as criminals with one mother telling local papers. We don't care about the subsistence dealer, we don't care about 16-year-olds sharing We don't care about 16 year old sharing needles. We care about the people that have established a chain of commerce and are bringing this stuff into our counties. That's who we're trying to get. Right now, even though the law has been signed, it doesn't go into effect till December. So some people in North Carolina are still protesting this act with another protest planned for Wednesday night. You know, the story really stood out to me and I was really interested to know your thoughts here.

Starting point is 00:11:02 Obviously you want to crack down on drug dealers, right? I have no sympathy in my heart for some scumbag drug dealer selling fentanyl to kids. Right, but how do we create a system that, yes, demonizes and goes after the organizations, the networks, without further endangering the user of the drug? A person that I often now, and it's taken me a while to get to this point, see, is the victim of this situation.

Starting point is 00:11:21 Because even though this law tries to save victims by protecting anyone who reports an overdose It could still result in less people calling in ODs right if someone just sees the headline new North Carolina law allows drug dealers to be charged with murder and you gave your friend the drugs you may be scared to call in The OD not realizing that you'd actually still be protected right because not everyone reads the entirety of every article of every bill like everyone in Their life will make mistakes, especially when they're younger. Right, when you're talking about opioids, when you're talking about fentanyl, all it takes is one mistake.

Starting point is 00:11:49 Like I'm personally glad that my drug mistake was whippets. Most idiotic thing I've ever done in my life. Like that was huffing paint stupid, but I was young and stupid. Right, and I'm lucky that addiction to inhalants isn't common, it can still happen. Don't twist this into something else, also do not do whippets.

Starting point is 00:12:02 But you know, then I think, what if it had been an opioid? What if I was like, yeah, fentanyl sounds dope. You're talking about a drug that the CDC says is 50 times stronger than heroin. Then you get hooked and that's your life and that's also why I think that the money that we normally throw at the war on drugs should be about preventative measures,

Starting point is 00:12:17 it should be about battling addiction. So with this situation, you know, there's the question of, well, what is the right answer? And so I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think that this law is the right move, or no, it creates a more unsafe environment for the end user?

Starting point is 00:12:30 Any and all thoughts, I'd love to hear from you in those comments down below. And that's where we're going to end today's show. And hey, if you're one of the three people that actually watched the outro, if you like this video, let us know. Hit that like button. If you're new here, also be sure to hit that subscribe

Starting point is 00:12:40 button, definitely ring that bell to turn on notifications. Also, if you're not 100% filled in, maybe you missed yesterday's Philip DeFranco show. You can click or tap right there to catch up or the extra bonus news video we posted yesterday. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco.

Starting point is 00:12:53 You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

Your Ad Here

The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.10 Why People Are Furious With This Youtube Exec, Belle Delphine Fake News, & North Carolina

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.