by ISHMAEL REED
Introduction to Why Killer Cops Go Free
On Wednesday, I watched Senator Tim Scott’s pitiful presentation of the Republican’s predictably weak answer to the murders of black men and women by the police. Can you imagine hanging out with Trump, McConnell, and Lindsay Graham? How Scott has to swallow his pride as they say dumb ignorant racist things? Senator Scott, like the television black pundits and guests, are seen as compatible with the interests of the networks’ advertisers. Like them, Scott is being promoted as a star. Many of the on-air black commentators are Baldwin clones, like Elvis imitators, who are attempting to appeal to the conscience of white Americans. They try to out eloquence each other instead of presenting facts. They lack Baldwin’s theatrical flair and depth. They are hemmed in by their networks’ salesmen. Whenever I become frustrated with the lack of a variety of black opinions in the media, I vent to my friend, the journalistic workhorse Richard Prince. He cited Don Lemon’s show as a sign of progress.
On June 10, 2020, Lemon said that if he said what he really wanted to say on CNN he couldn’t pay his mortgage. Don Lemon does the best he can, but most of those who referee and comment on race are white moderators and their guests, who anchor shows that take up hours of the day, which is why the truth can never be told on a media that lacks diversity.Even those who remain are in danger of being bought out or fired. If they speak up they’re in danger of receiving the Roland Martin treatment. The CEOs at CNN and Comcast, Jeff Zucker, and MSNBC’s Brian L. Roberts’ are responsible for the muting of Don Lemon and others. Zucker didn’t renew the contract of a pundit. Why? Because he talked about white supremacy too much. Both Zucker, Roberts, and their salesmen count on white supremacist cash to buy their advertisers’ products. Joy Reid has defied the requirement that the network tokens don’t come on too strong. Is that why they haven’t given her the show that was moderated by Chris Matthews? Ari Melber loves black people and loves rap. Why doesn’t he demand that she have that hour? Both CNN and MSNBC crowd their weekends with black, brown and yellow commentators, the journalistic equivalent of being placed at the back of the bus.
Lemon can’t say that the American police are a terrorist entity whose job is to hobble the advancement of blacks through intimidation, harassment and murder.Death squads backed up by a racist criminal justice system. A few bad apples my eye. Corruption and racism are widespread. It’s bad enough that criminal banks have cost black homeowners billions by dumping junk mortgages on them when they were eligible for conventional loans, but the police grab hundreds of millions by sticking up drug dealers,and pimps– a Marshall Plan benefitting whites based on revenue from the black underground economy. They can at least leave behind a couple of bucks so that we might invest in community projects, which is how other ethnic groups funneled money from the underground economy. They support each other no matter how murderous their fellow officers might be, black or white. What does it tell you about the lack of morality among its personnel when Atlanta police would support a sick depraved individual who would kick a dying man after shooting him in the back! They’re conducting a “sick out” and CNN is worried about their morale. You can imagine the morale among those bodies in the funeral home where Rayshard Brooks is being prepared for burial.
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