>>> FOR THE PAST THREE WEEKS
THERE HAVE BEEN PROTESTS AGAINST
POLICE BRUTALITY IN RESPONSE IN
MULTIPLE POLICE KILLINGS OF
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, BUT THERE ARE
INCIDENTS OF EVERYDAY RACISM
THAT CONTINUE TO BE RECORDED AND
SHARED ONLINE.
HERE’S ONE THAT HAPPENED LAST
WEEK IN SAN FRANCISCO WHEN A
WHITE COUPLE CALLED THE POLICE
AFTER THEY SAW A MAN, A PERSON
OF COLOR, WRITING "BLACK LIVES
MATTER" IN CHALK ONTO THE SIDE
OF HIS OWN PROPERTY.
>> HI.
I’M ASKING YOU IF THIS IS YOUR
PROPERTY.
>> WHY ARE YOU ASKING?
>> BECAUSE IT’S PRIVATE
PROPERTY.
>> WELL, BECAUSE IT’S PRIVATE
PROPERTY, SIR.
>> SO ARE YOU DEFACING PRIVATE
PROPERTY?
>> IF I DID LIVE HERE AND IT WAS
MY PROPERTY, THIS WOULD BE
ABSOLUTELY FINE.
AND YOU DON’T KNOW IF I LIVE
HERE OR IF THIS IS MY PROPERTY.
>> WE ACTUALLY DO KNOW THAT’S
WHY WE’RE ASKING.
>> BECAUSE YOU LIVE HERE.
>> NO, BECAUSE WE KNOW THE
PERSON WHO DOES LIVE HERE.
>> THEN, I SUGGEST YOU CALL HIM
OR CALL THE POLICE.
>> I’M NOT GOING TO CALL THE
POLICE.
>> BECAUSE YOU’RE ACCUSING ME OF
A CRIME, CORRECT?
>> WHAT IS YOUR FIRST NAME, SIR?
>> YOU’RE TALKING TO ME.
I’M ASKING YOU THE QUESTIONS.
>> WE’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING
ILLEGAL.
>> NEITHER AM I.
>> ACTUALLY YOU ARE.
>> WELL, THEN CALL THE COPS.
>> WE WILL DO NA.
>> LISA AND ROBERT, I’LL BE
RIGHT THERE.
>> AND THAT, PEOPLE, IS WHY
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
>> JAMES, WHO IS PILLFILIPINO AN
IDENTIFIES AS A PERSON OF COLOR
HAS LIVED IN SAN FRANCISCO IN
HIS HOME NEARLY 20 YEARS.
HE SAID WHEN THE POLICE DID SHOW
UP THEY RECOGNIZED HIM
IMMEDIATELY AND LEFT WITHOUT
GETTING OUT OF THEIR CAR.
THE COUPLE HAS SINCE APOLOGIZED.
THE MAN IN THE VIDEO HAS BEEN
FIRED FROM HIS JOB AT RAYMOND
JAMES, THE FINANCIAL FIRM.
JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS
CHRISTIAN COOPER WHO JUST WENT
THROUGH THIS VERY THING THREE
WEEKS AGO.
HE WAS BIRD WATCHING IN NEW YORK
CENTRAL PARK, WHICH IS WHAT HE
DOES, WHEN A WHITE WOMAN CALLED
THE POLICE ON HIM KNOWING SHE
WAS BEING TAPED AFTER HE ASKED
HER TO LEASH HER DOG, WHICH IS
WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO IN
CENTRAL PARK.
THIS HAPPENED A FEW HOURS AFTER
GEORGE FLOYD WAS KILLED.
ALSO JOINING ME IS TRYMAINE LEE
WHO
WHO HAS REPORTED ON THESE FOR
MSNBC’S EMMY-NOMINATED SPECIAL,
"EVERYDAY RACISM."
MR. COOPER, LET ME START WITH
YOU BECAUSE YOUR INCIDENT WAS
MORE SINISTER.
A WOMAN CALLED THE POLICE AND
SAID THAT YOU WERE THREATENING
HER LIFE, WHICH AS A BLACK MAN
IN AMERICA COULD ACTUALLY CAUSE
YOU TO LOSE YOUR LIFE.
>> WELL, SHE WAS VERY SPECIFIC
ALSO ABOUT MENTIONING THAT I’M
AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN SEVERAL
TIMES ON THE CALL WITH THE
EXPECTATION THAT THAT WOULD
BRING THE COPS DOWN ON MY HEAD
WITH SPECIAL VENGEANCE.
SO, YES, IT WAS MORE SINISTER,
POTENTIALLY WITH MORE DEADLY
CONSEQUENCES.
I DON’T LIKE TO SPECULATE AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT THAT MORE DEADLY
CONSEQUENCES WERE GOING TO
HAPPEN.
WHAT’S REALLY REVELATORY IS THAT
SHE WENT THERE.
AT THAT MOMENT WHEN SHE WAS
LOOKING TO GET AN EDGE IN OUR
CONFRONTATIONON
CONFRONTATION
CONFRONTATION, SHE WENT TO THAT
PLACE.
IN SAN FRANCISCO I LOVE HOW THAT
GUY ENDED UP.
HE DID EXACTLY EVERYTHING YOU’RE
SUPPOSED TO DO.
HE DID NOT FEEL OBLIGED TO
ANSWER ANY OF THEIR QUESTIONS.
HE JUST CONTINUED TO DO WHAT HE
KNEW HE WAS ENTITLED TO DO AND
LET THEM GO OFF AND DO WHAT THEY
THOUGHT THEY NEEDED TO DO.
AND THEY’RE SUFFERING THE
CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT.
>> BUT IT COULD GO THE OTHER
WAY, THAT’S THE DANGER, RIGHT?
HE SAID SOMETHING INTERESTING.
I HAD SOMEBODY TWEET ME AND SAY
WHY DIDN’T HE JUST TELL THEM
THAT WAS HIS PLACE.
TELL ME WHY PEOPLE OF COLOR
DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT, DON’T
HAVE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHETHER THIS IS MY PLACE
OR NOT.
>> BECAUSE -- FOR THE SAME
REASON THAT I DIDN’T STOP
RECORDING THE BEHAVIOR ON MY
iPHONE WHEN THAT WOMAN
THREATENED TO CALL THE POLICE ON
ME AND TELL THEM AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WAS THREATENING
HER LIFE.
YOU DON’T PARTICIPATE IN YOUR
OWN DEHUMANIZATION.
YOU DIDN’T GIVE THEM THE POWER
TO DETERMINE YOUR ACTIONS WHEN
YOU’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG,
OR ALTER YOUR BEHAVIOR TO COMPLY
TO THEIR WISHES TO GIVE INTO
THEIR DESIRE TO BE SATISFIED, TO
BE COMFORTED, TO HAVE THEIR
UNWARRANTED FEARS PLACATED BY
YOU JUSTIFYING YOUR EXISTENCE.
YOU JUST DON’T DO IT.
IT’S AGAINST ANY PRINCIPLE OF
HUMAN DIGNITY.
>> TRYMAINE LEE, YOU ACTUALLY
DOCUMENTED THESE THINGS.
SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM
MICROAGGRESSIONS, BUT THAT’S A
DIFFICULT TERM BECAUSE
MICROSCHEMES SMALL.
THE CONSEQUENCES COULD BE VERY
CONSEQUENTIAL.
HE SAID HE DOESN’T WANT TO
SPECULATE BUT WHEN SOMEBODY
CALLS AND SAYS THERE’S AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN THREATENING MY
LIFE, THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS.
>> THESE EVERYDAY FORMS OF
RACISM OR MICROAGGRESSION, THEY
HAPPEN SO ROUTINELY THAT THEY
ALMOST SEEM BENIGN BUT THEY ARE
ANYTHING BUT.
WHEN YOU CALL FOR AN ARMED
RESPONSE FOR PEOPLE SITTING IN A
STARBUCKS OR ASLEEP IN YOUR DORM
ROOM OR RENTING AN AIRBNB OR
BIRD WATCHING IN CENTRAL PARK,
YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY PUTTING THAT
MAN’S LIFE IN DANGER.
ANY INTERACTION WITH POLICE AND
BLACK FOLKS, ESPECIALLY GIVEN
HOW WE’VE BEEN CRIMINALIZED OVER
TIME, WE’VE SEEN THESE OUTCOMES.
WE ALSO LIKE TO GIVE CUTE NAMES.
WE CALL THEM KAREN OR YOU FIND
SOME WAY TO POKE FUN AT IT.
BUT THIS IS REALLY DANGEROUS.
THINK ABOUT JOHN CRAWFORD JUST A
FEW YEARS AGO IN A WALMART WHO
PICKED UP A TOY GUN OFF THE
SHELF AND WITHIN SECONDS POLICE
ARRIVED TO SHOOT HIM DEAD
BECAUSE HE WAS BEING TARGETED
AND FOLLOWED BY CUSTOMERS INSIDE
BECAUSE OF FEAR OF SOME
SHOPLIFTING OR WHAT.
AGAIN, HIS OWN FLESH WAS
CRIMINALIZED.
SO IT HAPPENS SO OFTEN WE THINK
IT’S NOTHING, BUT THESE ARE PART
OF A BIGGER SPOKE THAT ONCE THEY
GET CONTROL, WE’VE SEEN SOME
VERY, VERY DANGEROUS OUTCOME
>> MR. COOPER, AND I’M SORRY TO
TALK ABOUT YOU IN THE THIRD
PERSON WHEN TRYMAINE IS HERE AND
I KNOW YOU’RE HERE AND CAN
ANSWER FOR YOURSELF.
THE WOMAN WHO DID THIS TO YOU AS
APOLOGIZED.
THE WOMAN WHO DID THIS TO THE
GENTLEMAN IN SAN FRANCISCO HAS
APOLOGIZED.
BOTH OF THEM HAVE SUFFERED
CONSEQUENCES, AS IN THE CASE IN
SAN FRANCISCO, HER HUSBAND WAS
FIRED FROM HIS JOB AS WELL.
WHAT IS SU POUZPPOSED TO HAPPEN?
DO YOU THINK THERE’S A LESSON TO
BE LEARNED THAT I’M FULL OF
THESE LITTLE RACIST SENTIMENTS
BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE ARE
UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA THAT
THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY BE RACISTS.
>> WELL, WE ALL MAKE
ASSUMPTIONS, THAT’S HUMAN
NATURE.
WE LOOK AT PEOPLE AND WE JUDGE
BASED ON HOW THEY PRESENTING
THEMSELVES, THEIR HAIR, THEIR
CLOTHES, ALL SORTS OF MANNER OF
PRESENTATION.
WE MAKE SNAP JUDGMENTS ABOUT
PEOPLE, THAT’S HUMAN NATURE,
THAT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE.
THE PROBLEM WITH IT IS THAT
PEOPLE IN THESE CASES ARE NOT
JUST MAKING SNAP JUDGMENTS BASED
ON CLOTHES OR HAIR BUT ALSO ON
SKIN COLOR.
THAT BECOMES ANOTHER FACTOR.
AND THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT
WHEN THESE SNAP JUDGMENTS ARE
MADE, TOO OFTEN THEY LEAD TO
DIRE CONSEQUENCES LIKE THE DEATH
OF GEORGE FLOYD OR THE DEATH OF
PARTICULARLY AHMAUD ARBERY, THE
YOUNG MAN WHO WENT JOGGING IN
GEORGIA AND WAS CHASED DOWN BY
TWO WHITE GUYS IN A WHITE VAN
SIMPLY FOR GOING JOGGING BECAUSE
THEY MADE AN ASSUMPTION BASED ON
HIS SKIN COLOR THAT HE WAS UP TO
NO GOOD AND HE ENDED UP DEAD.
THEY SAID SELF-DEFENSE AND
ALMOST GOT AWAY WITH IT.
I GUESS THE POINT IS WE ALL MAKE
ASSUMPTIONS BUT YOU’VE GOT TO
CHECK YOURSELF.
IF YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE AN
ASSUMPTION BEFORE YOU MAKE THAT
STUPID, BONE-HEADED COMMENT,
BEFORE YOU INSERT YOURSELF INTO
THE SITUATION, CHECK YOURSELF.
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
IS RACE REALLY A FACTOR HERE?