COME BACK AS THIS SCENE HERE
MAKES MORE NEWS BUT FOR NOW THE
SECOND NIGHT IN MINNEAPOLIS, A SUBURB THERE, ERUPTED IN
SUBURB THERE, ERUPTED IN
VIOLENCE AND IT IS A HUGE STORY.
AFTER SUNDAY’S DEADLY POLICE
SHOOTING OF A BLACK MAN
20-YEAR-OLD DAUNTE WRIGHT
POLICE ARE USING TEAR GAS ON
UNRULY PROTESTORS WHO SET OFF
FIREWORKS AND LOOTED STORES.
THEY WERE HURLING PROJECTILES
AT POLICE.
IT GOT MORE VIOLENT THAN JUST
THE LOOTING.
SOME OFFICERS WERE INJURED.
MINOR INJURIES SO FAR WE’RE
TOLD THANKFULLY.
THE INCIDENT REIGNITED THE
DEFUND THE POLICE DEBATE.
DO THE POLITICS DIP INTO THIS
NOW?
CONGRESSWOMAN TLAIB TWEETED
THIS.
IT WASN’T AN ACCIDENT.
POLICING IN OUR COUNTRY SIN
HERENTLY AND INTENTIONALLY
RACIST.
NO MORE POLICING, INCARCERATION
AND MILITARIZATION.
IT CAN’T BE REFORMED.
AN OP-ED SAYS THIS SHOOTING
ILLUSTRATES WHY IT’S ESSENTIAL
TO FUND THE POLICE, QUOTE,
DON’T TELL THE DEFUND THE
POLICE CROWD BUT IF YOU WANT
OFFICERS WHO ARE SMART AND
EMPATHETIC AND WELL TRAINED YOU
WILL HAVE TO PAY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU WANT
THE KEYSTONE COPS TO RUN AROUND
WITH BADGES AND GUNS, JUST DO
WHAT THEY DID IN MINNEAPOLIS IN
DECEMBER AND DEFUND THE POLICE,
END QUOTE.
JASON RANTZ, SEATTLE RADIO TALK
SHOW HOST IS WITH ME NOW.
JASON, I TURN TO YOU AS TIMES
LIKE THIS.
YOU HAVE SEEN THIS PLAY OUT ON
THE GROUND IN YOUR CITY.
YOU’VE BEEN IN THOSE CROWDS.
YOUR FIRST THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT
IS UNFOLDING IN THAT SUBURB OF
BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA.
>> MY FIRST THOUGHTS WERE ANGER
AND DISGUST THAT WE’RE SEEING
YET AGAIN THE SO-CALLED SUMMER
OF LOVE BUT HAPPENING EARLIER.
IT IS GOING TO RESULT IN MORE
DEATHS AND MORE ANGER AND ANGST
AND CONGRESSWOMAN TLAIB IS
MAKING IT WORSE.
I CAN’T HELP BUT COMPARE THE
IMAGES WE’RE NOW SEEING TO WHAT
WE SAW MOMENTS AGO WITH OFFICER
BILLY EVANS.
YOU HAVE ON THE ONE HAND
DEMOCRATS COMING TOGETHER AND
I’M GRATEFUL THEY ARE TO PRAISE
POLICE.
YOU ALSO HAVE PEOPLE LIKE TLAIB
AND OTHER DEFUND POLITICIANS
WHO ARE PARTISANS WHO DEFINE
THEIR OUTRAGE BY THE DEAD BLACK
BODIES THAT THEY USE AS PROPS
TO FORWARD A RADICAL AGENDA TO
DEFUND THE POLICE.
BILLY EVANS LOST HIS LIFE
PROTECTING PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF
THEIR RACE OR THEIR RELIGION OR
THEIR GENDER BECAUSE THAT’S
WHAT HE SIGNED UP TO DO.
IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY TRUE THAT
OFFICERS MAKE MISTAKES.
A MISTAKE WAS MADE AND IT WAS
DEADLY.
AND THAT OFFICER IS GOING TO
PAY A PRICE FOR THAT.
BUT TO TURN TO THIS AND SAY
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOME SORT
OF INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM
THAT MEANS WE SHOULD BE NOT
JUST DEFUNDING THE POLICE BUT
ABOLISHING THE POLICE.
ABOLISHING PRISONS.
SHE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THESE
VICTIMS.
SHE IS USING THEM FOR A VERY
SPECIFIC POLITICAL AGENDA SHE
MAKES NO BONES ABOUT.
SHE IS NOT HIDING IT.
THEY SAY EVERY INSTITUTION IN
THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN BUILT
UPON WHITE SUPREMACY AND NEEDS
TO BE TORN DOWN.
THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO
DO.
AND OKAY IF A FEW COMMUNITIES
GET DESTROYED IN THE PROCESS
AND LIVES GET DESTROYED IN THE
PROCESS.
IT IS FOR THE GREATER GOOD,
THEY BELIEVE.
IT IS SOULLESS, IT IS
DISGUSTING.
>> Harris: I WANT TO BRING THIS
INTO OUR DISCUSSION, JASON.
REPORTERS ARE SCOLDING THE
BROOKLYN CENTER POLICE CHIEF
THE UNREST A RIOT.
WATCH.
>> WHAT WAS YOUR DECISION TO
ISSUE A DISPERSEAL ORDER WHILE
THEY WERE PEACEFULLY PROTESTING
IN FRONT OF THE POLICE STATION?
>> JUST SO EVERYBODY IS CLEAR,
I WAS FRONT AND CENTER AT THE
PROTEST, AT THE RIOT.
WE DID NOT --
>> IT WAS NOT A RIOT.
>> THERE WAS.
>> Harris: ALL RIGHT.
SO POLICE HAVE CERTAIN WAYS,
JASON, I WOULD IMAGINE, OF
DEFINING A RIOT.
IN FACT, THEY SAY WHAT ONE IS
AND THEN THEY TAKE DIFFERENT
ACTION WHEN THEY SEE ONE.
WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE IS GOING
ON WITH THE LOCAL MEDIA THERE
AT THAT PRESS CONFERENCE AS YOU
WATCH AND HEAR IT?
>> WELL, WHAT WE’VE SEEN ACROSS
THE COUNTRY IS THIS WILLINGNESS
TO SIDE WITH THE RIOTERS.
THEY DON’T WANT TO UPSET THE
CROWD.
THEY DON’T WANT TO UPSET THE
PEOPLE THAT THEY TURN TO FOR
SOUND BITES AS THEY ARE
COVERING THESE STORIES.
IN SO MANY INSTANCES WHETHER
LOCAL OR NATIONAL YOU HAVE
REPORTERS WHO SIDE
IDEOLOGICALLY WITH A LOT OF THE
UNDERLYING CAUSES BEHIND SOME
OF THESE PROTESTS THAT TURN
INTO RIOTS.
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
WHEN YOU DECLINE TO DEFINE A
RIOT AS A RIOT, YOU ARE
JUSTIFYING THE VIOLENCE AND
DESTRUCTION.
YOU ARE EMBOLDENING THESE
PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME THINGS
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN
AND IT IS NOT GOING TO STOP.
THAT’S WHY IT HAS BEEN GOING ON
FOR SO LONG IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST BECAUSE OF POLITICAL
COWARDICE AND MEDIA MEMBERS WHO
REFUSE TO CONDEMN IT.
IT IS NOT WRONG TO CONDEMN
VIOLENCE THE SAME WAY IT IS NOT
WRONG TO CONDEMN A MISTAKE OR A
PURPOSEFUL USE OF FORCE THAT
GOES TOO FAR.
IT IS LUDICROUS TO ME THAT
WE’RE STILL A YEAR AFTER THE
START OF THE VIOLENCE REFUSING
TO CALL IT OUT FOR WHAT IT IS.
WHAT IS THE DOWN SIDE TO
CALLING OUT A RIOT A RIOT?
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THE ANSWER
TO THAT.
>> Harris: IT IS IRONIC IT WILL
BE A YEAR MAY 25th WHEN GEORGE
FLOYD WAS BRUTALLY KILLED.
AND SO IT FEELS A LOT LONGER
THAN IT HAS BEEN AS YOU POINT
OUT.
IT HASN’T QUITE BEEN A YEAR YET.
I WOULD SAY THIS, THOSE
REPORTERS MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY
BY NOT ASKING THE POLICE CHIEF
HOW DO YOU DEFINE A RIOT?
THERE IS A WAY TO GET TO THOSE
ANSWERS WITHOUT DRIVING THAT
NARRATIVE.
JASON RANTZ, GREAT TO HAVE YOU