>> Stephen: LET'S PLAY IT ONE MORE TIME, "THE LATE SHOW WITH
STEPHEN COLBERT" BAND. IT WAS A ROUGH WEEKEND IN
AMERICA. ON FRIDAY, THE MEMPHIS POLICE
DEPARTMENT RELEASED DISTURBING VIDEO OF FIVE MEMPHIS POLICE
OFFICERS BRUTALLY BEATING 29 YEAR OLD TYRE NICHOLS AFTER A
TRAFFIC STOP. NICHOLS DIED THREE DAYS LATER
FROM HIS INJURIES. ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, PEOPLE ARE
RIGHTFULLY HORRIFIED, AND IT'S LED TO DOZENS OF PROTESTS, FROM
MEMPHIS, TO NEW YORK CITY, TO PORTLAND, OREGON.
AND ONE OF THE UPSETTING THINGS ABOUT THIS STORY IS HOW FAMILIAR
IT FEELS. WE KEEP SEEING THIS KIND OF
POLICE VIOLENCE. WHY DOES NOTHING GET DONE?
THAT QUESTION BRINGS US TO TONIGHT'S WORD: SEE NO EVIL. *
FOLKS, OHIO REPRESENTATIVE JIM JORDAN WENT ON TV THIS WEEKEND.
AND JORDAN EXPLAINED WHY HE DOESN'T THINK
ANYTHING WOULD HELP. >> I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE IS
ANY LAW THAT CAN STOP THAT EVIL THAT WE SAW.
I DON'T KNOW THERE IS ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP THE KIND OF
EVIL, WE SAW ON THAT VIDEO. >> Stephen: WELL, JUST ASK
THE FOLKS AT OHIO STATE, IF YOU
WANT NOTHING DONE ABOUT EVIL: JIM JORDAN'S YOUR MAN.
BUT OF COURSE, EVERYONE WANTS SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT
EVIL. THERE'S A REASON BATMAN DOESN'T
LOOK OVER GOTHAM AND SAY, "WOOF, REAL MESS DOWN THERE.
I DON'T LIKE THE LOOK OF THAT CLOWN.
ANYHOO, WHADDYA GONNA DO! GUESS I'LL GO TO THE BATCAVE AND
PLAY MARIO KART WITH ROBIN." THE THING IS, IN THAT INTERVIEW
THERE, JORDAN IS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO
UNDERSTANDING SOMETHING. ON THAT POLICE VIDEO, WE'RE
LOOKING AT EVIL. AND YOU HAVE TO STOP THAT AT ITS
ROOT. WHAT IS THE ROOT OF EVIL?
IN THIS CASE, IT'S SYSTEMIC RACISM.
SYSTEMIC, BECAUSE UNLIKE SO MANY OF THE EXAMPLES WE'VE SEEN, THE
FIVE OFFICERS CHARGED IN THIS CASE ARE BLACK AND PART OF A
SPECIAL SQUAD CALLED, STREET CRIMES OPERATION TO RESTORE
PEACE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OR "SCORPION."
YES, THE FAMOUSLY BENEVOLENT CREATURE, "THE SCORPION."
NOT A LOT OF POSITIVE VIBES AROUND THAT WORD.
AT BEST, "SCORPION" SOUNDS LIKE THE BOOTLEG VERSION OF COBRA
FROM THE DOLLAR STORE G.I. JOE: SOLDIER DAVE.
THE SCORPION UNIT HAS NOW BEEN DISBANDED, AND THE OFFICERS
INVOLVED HAVE BEEN FIRED, BUT IS IT ENOUGH TO GET RID A 'FEW BAD
APPLES?' SEEMS LIKE THERE MIGHT BE A
PROBLEM WITH THE TREE. BUT JORDAN CAN'T GO DOWN THAT
ROAD TO IDENTIFY WHAT KIND OF EVIL THIS IS, BECAUSE THEN HE'D
BE IN DANGER OF BEING, WHAT'S THE WORD: WOKE.
AND IF YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN POLITICIAN, YOU'RE AFRAID THAT
ONCE YOU'RE WOKE, YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP ON HAVING SEX ON YOUR
GAS STOVE WHILE FANTASIZING ABOUT THE SEXY GREEN M&M.
YOU SEE, IT'S -- HERE'S THE THING.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) >> Stephen: HERE'S THE THING,
HE KNOWS IT'S A SLIPPERY SLOPE!
BUT JIM JORDAN'S NOT JUST THE REPRESENTATIVE OF OHIO'S FOURTH.
HE'S A REPRESENTATIVE OF SOMETHING BIGGER.
HE REPRESENTS A POINT OF VIEW THAT IS HELD BY A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT DON'T WANT TO KNOW THAT SYSTEMIC RACISM EXISTS.
THAT'S WHY THERE ARE SO MANY ATTEMPTS TO OUTLAW BLACK HISTORY
IN SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THE MOMENT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOMETHING
IS EVIL, YOU'VE GOT TWO CHOICES: EITHER YOU CAN WORK TO STOP IT,
OR TRY TO AVOID KNOWING IT. LIKE WHEN MY DOCTOR TOLD ME TO
GET MORE CARDIO, I DIDN'T WANT TO, SO I STUCK MY FINGERS IN MY
EARS AND RAN SCREAMING FROM THE ROOM.
BUT IF -- IF -- IF YOU START PEELING BACK THE
LAYERS OF WHY MODERN POLICING IS THE WAY IT IS, YOU START TO SEE
WHO IT MOST OFTEN POLICES, AND WHO IT MOST OFTEN BENEFITS,
WHICH IS UNCOMFORTABLE. AND NO ONE WANTS TO BE
UNCOMFORTABLE. I KNOW THAT I DON'T.
AND LIFE IS FEDERATE GOOD FOR ME.
SOMEBODY PICKS OUT MY CLOTHES I GET TO TALK TO CELEBRITIES
EVERY NIGHT, AND THIS OFFICE HAS ENOUGH FREE SELTZER
TO DROWN A MOOSE. BUT IF YOU KEEP WITNESSING EVIL
AND DO NOTHING ABOUT IT, AT WHAT POINT DO YOU STOP BEING A
WITNESS AND START BEING EVIL? BECAUSE NO ONE'S COMFORT IS MORE
IMPORTANT THAN THE LIFE OF A YOUNG MAN LIKE TYRE NICHOLS.
HE WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER, A SKATEBOARDER, A FATHER, A SON.
HE DIDN'T GET TO LOOK AWAY. WHY SHOULD WE?
SO, WHETHER IT'S FINALLY PASSING THE GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN
POLICING ACT, OR SOMETHING BETTER, WE HAVE TO TRY TO DO
, WE AS A NATION AND OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, HAVE TO TRY TO
DO SOMETHING. OTHERWISE WE'RE JUST BURYING OUR
HEADS IN THE SAND. AND THAT'S THE WORD.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.