On This Week today, George Stephanopoulos asked Stacey Abrams to comment on the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta this past Friday night, and the "disconnect" that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms decried regarding her expectations for the police.
You might have expected Abrams to denounce the police conduct, while also condemning the lawless torching of the Wendy's restaurant where the incident occurred. But no, not a word of criticism for the wanton destruction of property. Instead, Abrams responded:
"That is why you saw the reaction from protesters. That is why the virulence of anger remains. Activists are necessarily calling into question what’s actually being done. And what I would say is that, there is — there’s a legitimacy to this anger. There's a legitimacy to this outrage."
The "reaction from the protesters" was to destroy a restaurant whose only crime was to have Brooks fall asleep in its drive-thru line. Did Abrams mean to say she saw "legitimacy" in that? She did express understanding for the "virulence" of the protesters' anger. At the very least, Abrams failed to distinguish between legitimate outrage and illegitimate violence.
The Stephanopoulos setup was shoddy. Mayor Bottoms wasn't addressing the specific case in question...and he's not describing in ANY way what the video shows, just that it's a shame video needs to be reviewed.
Weird stance for a journalist....which suggests cops should never shoot suspects, even when they're coming at you with a taser!
Here's the transcript.
ABC
This Week with George Stephanopoulos
6/14/20
10:12 am EDT
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to ask you about that incident last, over the weekend in Atlanta. The killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms did speak out on this yesterday. Let’s listen.
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS: While we have a police force full of men and women who work alongside our communities with honor, respect and dignity, there has been a disconnect with what our expectations are and should be as it relates to interactions with our officers and the communities in which they are entrusted to protect.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What a disconnect that is. She mentioned it's the third time in the last two weeks she’s had to review police video.
STACEY ABRAMS: And that is why you saw the reaction from protesters. That is why the virulence of anger remains. Activists are necessarily calling into question what’s actually being done. And what I would say is that, there is — there’s a legitimacy to this anger. There's a legitimacy to this outrage.
Bonus Coverage: Abrams Calls Ben Carson Comment Fairly 'Infantile'
Earlier in the show, Stephanopoulos's asked HUD Secretary Ben Carson whether it would be appropriate for President Trump to give his RNC acceptance speech on August 27th in Jacksonville, given that the date is the 60th anniversary of "Ax Handle Saturday" in that city, in which KKK members beat a largely black group of civil rights protesters. This comes after President Trump rescheduled his Tulsa rally so as not to coincide with Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery in the US.
Ben Carson said that we as a society need to "grow up" and stop being offended by everything. Invited to comment, Stacey Abrams called Carson's comment "fairly infantile."
Imagine the outrage if a pundit of pallor called something Abrams said "infantile!"
Here's the transcript.
ABC
This Week with George Stephanopoulos
6/14/20
10:12 am EDT
STEPHANOPOULOS: The president’s convention acceptance speech is now scheduled for Jacksonville on August 27th, which is the 60th anniversary of "Ax Handle Saturday," when a KKK mob attacked mostly black civil rights protesters. Is it appropriate to be having a convention speech on that anniversary in that city?
BEN CARSON: You know, we’ve reached a point in our society where we dissect everything, and try to ascribe some nefarious notion to it. We really need to move away from that. We need to move away from being offended by everything. Of going through history and looking at everything. Of renaming everything. I mean, think about the fact that some of our universities, some of our prestigious universities, have a relationship with the slave trade. Should we go and rename those universities? You know, it really gets to a point of being ridiculous after a while. And you know, we’re going to have to grow up as a society.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Dr. Carson, thanks for your time this morning. Let’s get a Democratic response now from Stacey Abrams, former leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, author of a new book, "Our Time Is Now." Ms. Abrams, thank you for joining us this morning. Let's pick up right where I left off with Dr. Carson right there. He says we have to grow up.
ABRAMS: I think that is a fairly infantile response, actually, to say that words don’t have meanings, that dates don’t have meanings, that dates don’t have power.
