As all the major news networks this week have highlighted the tragic case of Minnesota bride-to-be Justine Damond being shot to death by a police officer, far-left News One Now host Roland Martin -- who sometimes appears on MSNBC -- has conspicuously given no attention to the story even while continuing to update viewers on high-profile cases of blacks being killed by the police.
But on the morning after the story broke, Martin did take the time to air a pre-recorded piece that included liberal activists accusing the National Rifle Association of racism against blacks for not speaking out more forcefully in the Philando Castile case. The liberal host even slammed "white evangelical Christians" as having "warped ideas" over Obamacare repeal, and repeated a discredited fake story that the Reverend Pat Robertson praised nude photographs of First Lady Melania Trump.
Ironically, just a few weeks ago, Martin seemed unaware that twice as many whites are shot by the police as blacks as he commented that more whites would have to be shot by police before the white population would take the issue seriously. Even so, he still paid no attention to this high-profile case of a white woman being shot under questionable circumstances.
As the news of the Justine Damond shooting broke on cable news late Monday morning, it took until Tuesday for most morning shows to catch up. And, although Martin devoted a considerable portion of his Tuesday show to discussions of blacks being shot -- both by police officers and in Chicago gang violence -- no mention was made of the Damond story that was getting so much attention elsewhere.
At 7:20 a.m. ET, Martin introduced a piece which had been delayed a day because of technical difficulties that showed scenes from a march of liberal women against the NRA from the weekend. He referred to a recent ad by the NRA as "shameful" as he announced:
Women's march organizers -- they last week had a rally, a march against the National Rifle Association responding to their shameful video targeting protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. The women's march in D.C. demanded an apology.
At one point, a clip of Castile's mother, Nekima Levy-Pounds, was shown as a speaker attacking the pro-gun group as racist:
The NRA should be ashamed of themselves for waiting a whole damn year to issue a statement about my son. Now that everything is said and done, they want to issue a statement. I know they waited this long because Philando was black. But my son followed all the rules -- he took the class to become licensed -- he passed a background check and did everything that he was asked to do. But did the NRA stand behind my son? Hell no!
In fact, the NRA did release a statement a year ago the day after the Castile shooting in which the pro-gun group expressed concerns about the killing of the concealed carrier holder, but also pledging to give the investigation time to play out before commenting further.
Then came a clip of human rights activist Jamira Burley adding to the charge of racism:
I think the NRA likes to pick and choose when it stands up and who it stands up for, and we know black or brown people are rarely stood up for by the NRA. And so I think it's just a part of their overall agenda, which is to recognize that everyone has access to the Second Amendment unless you're black or brown.
Later in the program, Martin updated viewers on the case of Richard Collins who was murdered at College Park, Maryland, by a man with a racist history, followed by the case of Jordan Edwards, who was killed by a police officer in Balch Springs, Texas.
After spending the first segment on Obamacare repeal, the second segment on the anti-NRA protest, and the last segment on the film Girls Trip, the rest of the show -- more than 17 and a half minutes -- was devoted to crime-related issues including a spree of shootings in Chicago, a police shooting in Texas, and efforts by a Black Lives Matter leader to participate in a commission on police reform. No mention was made of the Damond shooting even though it was very much relevant to the show's ongoing interest in the police violence issue.
Earlier in the show, the first segment was devoted to the debate over Obamacare repeal, and Martin notably spread misinformation in the form of a fake news report targeting the Reverend Roberston. Martin:
And then of course you have folks like Pat Robertson who was highly critical of course of Michelle Obama baring her arms -- I mean, he called the nude pictures of Melania Trump, you know, "God's beauty." So you see the warped ideas when it comes to white evangelical Christians.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Tuesday, July 18, News One Now:
7:01 a.m. ET
ROLAND MARTIN, IN OPENING TEASE: A 10-year-old boy and a community activist among 11 fatally shot and at least 56 wounded in another weekend of violence in Chicago. Police say more than half of the shootings happened between Saturday night through Sunday morning. We will talk to an activist in Chicago about what is going on there as well. Dallas County grand jury indicts the former police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards on a murder charge. We'll talk with the family's attorney. Also, Larenz Tate part of the party in the hot new movie, Girls Trip, opening this weekend. It is a fabulous, fabulous film.
(...)
7:05 a.m. ET
MARTIN: And, of course, white evangelicals have been absolutely silent.
REVEREND RAPHAEL WARNOCK, EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH: Oh, absolutely. Well, they've been silent, and then there have been others who have been in support of this. I've seen preachers on television saying this man is God's anointed, and I'm wondering what Bible are they reading and, "Do they know that Jesus whom I encountered in the Gospel of Luke who says he came to preach good news to the poor?" Well, this is bad news for the poor, and I don't see how you can say that you're standing on the side of justice and on the side of Christian faith -- (inaudible)
MARTIN: And then of course you have folks like Pat Robertson who was highly critical of course of Michelle Obama baring her arms -- I mean, he called the nude pictures of Melania Trump, you know, "God's beauty." So you see the warped ideas when it comes to white evangelical Christians.
(...)
7:21 a.m. ET
MARTIN: Women's march organizers -- they last week had a rally, a march against the National Rifle Association responding to their shameful video targeting protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. The women's march in D.C. demanded an apology. Now, of course, over the weekend, the rally took place. They walked 17 miles from the headquarters of the NRA to the Department of Justice -- also had a rally, a vigil on Saturday. We had some technical issues yesterday, so we wanted to bring that to you today.
(...)
7:22 a.m. ET
NEKIMA LEVY-POUNDS, MOTHER OF PHILANDO CASTILE: The NRA should be ashamed of themselves for waiting a whole damn year to issue a statement about my son. Now that everything is said and done, they want to issue a statement. I know they waited this long because Philando was black. But my son followed all the rules -- he took the class to become licensed -- he passed a background check and did everything that he was asked to do. But did the NRA stand behind my son? Hell no!
JAMIRA BURLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I think the NRA likes to pick and choose when it stands up and who it stands up for, and we know black or brown people are rarely stood up for by the NRA. And so I think it's just a part of their overall agenda, which is to recognize that everyone has access to the Second Amendment unless you're black or brown.
(...)
7:39 a.m. ET
MARTIN: The man accused in the stabbing death of Boise University student Richard Collins III will not face hate crimes charges. Collins -- who served in the ROTC -- had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, died after being attacked with a knife at a University of Maryland bus stop just a few days before his college graduation in May. Sean Urbanski is charged with one count of murder in Collins's death. Although authorities discovered that Urbanski belonged to a racist Facebook group called "Alt Reich Nation," Prince Georges County states attorney said there is not yet enough information to add hate crimes to the murder charge. Authorities say it is possible that Urbanski could face hate crime charges in the future if new information warrants.
Let's now go to Balch Springs, Texas, where a police officer there has been indicted for murder in the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards. In April, the 37-year-old Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver responded to a call about a house party. He shot into a car, killing high school freshman Jordan Edwards in the front passenger's seat. Investigators originally said the car was headed toward Oliver in an aggressive manner. That was a flat-out lie. After reviewing body camera video, police said the car was moving away from Oliver. Following the video review, Oliver was fired for violating the department policies. The grand jury also indicted Oliver on four counts of aggravated assault for each of the other four teens in the car. Dallas County prosecutor Faith Johnson says the indictments are a step forward.
Joining us now from Dallas is attorney Lee Merritt. He's representing the Edwards family. Lee, first and foremost, again, your thoughts on the grand jury actually indicting this officer? Still a rarity across this country.
