>>> WELCOME BACK
COMEDIAN AND "SATURDAY NIGHT
LIVE" ALUM JAY PHAROAH ISHAS BEE
MAKING US LAUGH FOR YEARS.
RECENTLY HE GOT SERIOUS SHARING
A FRIGHTENING ENCOUNTER HE SAYS
HE HAD WITH THE LAPD BACK IN
APRIL.
JAY EVEN POSTING THIS
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO HE SAYS SHOWS
OFFICERS APPROACHING HIM WITH
GUNS DRAWN
HANDCUFFED HIM AND THEN HAULED
HIM DOWN WITH A KNEE TO HIS
NECK
NBC NEWS HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO
INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE FOOTAGE
WHICH FARRPHARAOH SAYS HE OBTAIN
THROUGH A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
POLICE TOLD HIM HE MATCHED THE
DESCRIPTION OF A SUSPECT
HE JOINS US NOW.
JAY, GOOD TO SEE YOU
GOOD MORNING, MY FRIEND.
>> GOOD MORNING, AL. HOW YOU DOING?
HOW YOU DOING?
>> DOING GOOD.
VERY NICE.
WE WANT TO FIND OUT FIRST OF ALL
SINCE THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE
LAPD ANDHOW IT EVEN HAPPENED
YOU SAID YOU WERE EXERCISING AND
YOU HEAR POLICE YELL GET ON THE
GROUND
SO WHAT HAPPENED
>> I WAS EXERCISING ON VENTURA,
ACTUALLY RUNNING DOWN VENTURA
BOULEVARD.
YEAH
I HAD MY HEADPHONES ON
I WAS ON A REST FROM THIS APP I
HAVE CALLED THE RUN TRACKER APP.
AND WALKING.
I LOOKED TO THE LEFT OF ME AND I
SEE A POLICE OFFICER WITH HIS
GUN RAISED POINTED AT ME TELLING
ME TO GET ON THE GROUND.
I’M LIKE, WAIT
LIKE ARE YOU TALKING TO ME
BECAUSE I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING.
SO YEAH.
THEY APPROACHED ME TELLING ME TO
GET ON THE GROUND.
TAKE YOUR HEADPHONES OFF, GET ON
THE GROUND
OFFICER PUT HIS KNEE ON ME,
STARTED PUTTING ME IN CUFFS.
I WAS FLABBERGASTED.
LIKE ARE YOU PUTTING ME IN CUFFS
RIGHT NOW?
YEAH, YOU’RE BEING DETAINED.
FOR WHAT
MATCHED THE DESCRIPTION OF A
BLACK MAN WITH A GRAY SHIRT AND
GRAY SWEAT PANTS, SO THEY SAY.
YEAH
I AM OKAY.
LUCKILY I GOT THROUGH THAT
SITUATION.
THEY LET ME GO
I TOLD THEM THAT, YOU KNOW, IF
THEY LOOKED UP JAY PHAROAH,
THEY’LL SEE THEY’RE MAKING A
MISTAKE.
A COUPLE MINUTES AFTER THAT IT
WAS OVER
YOU KNOW, THEY LET ME GO
I’M SORRY.
YOU KNOW, YOU’RE NOT THE GUY
WE GOT A CALL.
ALL RIGHT, MAN
WHATEVER
OKAY
SO I’M JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE
BREATHING.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MY OTHER
BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO WEREN’T
AS FORTUNATE AS I WAS IN THAT
SITUATION.
AL, WHAT’S CRAZY TO ME IS ALL OF
THE TRAINING THAT I DID OVER
THIS QUARANTINE WITH THIS APP,
IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN RUNNING
THROUGH THAT SITUATION AT THE
TIME AND THE APP WOULDN’T HAVE
BEEN TELLING ME TO WALK AND IT
WOULD HAVE TOLD ME TO RUN, I
WOULDN’T HAVE HEARD THAT POLICE
OFFICER AND THE STORY COULD HAVE
BEEN DIFFERENT
YOU KNOW
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW,
BLACK MAN ON VENTURA RESISTS
ARREST
BUT LUCKILY I’M HERE TO TELL MY
STORY.
SO I’M GOOD.
>> YEAH.
THANK GOODNESS
I MEAN, THE PARALLELS TO GEORGE
FLOYD, OBVIOUSLY, ARE PRETTY
OBVIOUS.
YOU KNOW, ONCE THAT HAPPENED,
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU?
I MEAN, THANKFULLY YOU SURVIVED,
IT WASN’T THE SAME OUTCOME
BUT YOU REALIZED IT CAN HAPPEN
TO ANYBODY
>> YEAH.
SO WHEN I SAW GEORGE FLOYD’S
SITUATION AND I’D ALREADY BEEN
THROUGH MINE, I WAS -- I GOT
SERIOUSLY INFURIATED
BECAUSE, AL, YOU CAN SEE THESE
STORIES A MILLION TIMES ON THE
NEWS, YOU CAN HEAR ABOUT THEM.
IT WON’T RESONATE WITH YOU THE
SAME WAY UNTIL SOMETHING SIMILAR
HAPPENS TO YOU
SO I WAS JUST MORE PASSIONATE
FOR CHANGE AND WANTING A
DIFFERENT REFORM WITH THE
POLICING SYSTEM.
EVEN AHMAUD ARBERY
AHMAUD ARBERY HAPPENED -- THE
FOOTAGE CAME OUT A WEEK AFTER I
WENT THROUGH MY SITUATION.
WHICH WAS ONE OF THE REASONS I
WAS APPREHENSIVE TO PUT THE
FOOTAGE UP BECAUSE I HAVE MY
LIFE
AGAIN, YOU KNOW, A BLACK MAN
RUNNING LOST HIS LIFE.
JAY PHAROAH, I RAN, I HAVE MY
LIFE
I DID NOT WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING
AWAY FROM THE BLACK LIVES MATTER
MOVEMENT, SO I DID MY INSTAGRAM
VIDEO WITH A FEW OTHER SOCIAL
MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND, YOU KNOW,
IT WENT VIRAL.
YOU KNOW, DIDN’T THINK ANYTHING.
I WAS LIKE, OKAY, COOL
WHEN IT WAS EVERYWHERE, I WAS
LIKE OKAY NOW IT’S EVERYWHERE TO
SEE.
A POSITIVE THAT’S COME OUT OF
THIS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OF
NON-COLOR WHO HAVE HIT ME UP, MY
FRIENDS.
THEY SAY IT KIND OF PUTS THINGS
IN PERSPECTIVE FOR THEM NOW AS
WELL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY
COULDN’T, LIKE, FEEL WHAT IT WAS
UNTIL SOMEBODY THAT THEY KNEW
WENT THROUGH IT.
SO NOW, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT
TO -- I’M KIND OF BRIDGING THE
GAP AND SHOWING PEOPLE, LIKE,
YEAH
LIKE YOU’RE SAYING, AL, IT
DOESN’T MATTER
A BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA -- AN
INNOCENT BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA
CAN LOSE THEIR LIFE AT ANY TIME
OR THEIR LIFE COULD BE
THREATENED AT ANY TIME
IT SHOULDN’T BE LIKE THAT.
THESE ARE BASIC HUMAN CIVIL
RIGHTS
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
>> I HEAR YOU.
>> YEAH.
>> WELL, WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE OKAY.
MAYBE YOU’LL COME BACK AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT KANYE WEST
YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT KANYE WEST
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.
>> YOU KNOW, AL.
AL
THE COUNTRY’S ALREADY GOING
CRAZY.
WE GOT CORONA OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW
WHAT I’M GOING TO DO
I’M GOING TO MAKE KIM KARDASHIAN
MY RUNNING MATE BECAUSE I WANT
TO TAKE EVERYBODY OUT.
IT’S LIKE --
>> WE’RE GOING TO PICK THIS UP A