When it comes to crime, liberals prefer to talk about guns rather than criminals. Morning Joe gave two examples of that today, first playing a clip of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo bragging about being the first to declare something called a "gun violence disaster emergency." It seems little more than a PR stunt, with the only measure mentioned being enhanced crime-reporting requirements for large police departments.
Then came a clip of the Chicago police department superintendent decrying "too many illegal guns in our city." But Al Sharpton then sounded a surprising, and pretty gutsy, voice of reason, saying the black community, in addition to condemning unjustified police shootings, needs to focus on black-on-black crime.
Here's Sharpton:
There is just as much concern about what is going on with gun violence, this kind of violence, this kind of violence that you're talking about. In Chicago, 100 people shot over the weekend.
We must have the balance of outrage, where we are outraged if police do things in blue uniforms, but outrage when we have people in blue jeans that are openly being criminal, acting like it's normal in our community. It is NOT normal. It should not be accepted. People should understand the underlying issues, but they shouldn't patronize us, like we do not know how to deal and challenge with criminal behavior.
...
Civil rights leaders, some of us are meeting with President Biden this week. We not only want to talk about voting rights, and we do, and police reform But how we have to factor in, in dealing with gun violence in this country. You can't love our people when they're shot by police, and then look the other way when we're shooting each other. We have to deal with both.
The civil rights leader's surprising statement elicited two "wows" from the ever-emotive Mika Brzezinski.
Sharpton has a shameful history of promoting violence himself. But here, at least, he's actually making a point the liberal media should listen to. So far, journalists don't seem to care about the epidemic of violence in cities like Chicago. As Sharpton pointed out on MSNBC: "In Chicago, 100 people shot over the weekend." But as Nick Fondacaro reported for NewsBusters, ABC's World News Tonight and the CBS Evening News skipped the rampage of violence.
Al Sharpton surprisingly saying that the black community needs to focus on black-on-black crime in addition to police shootings was sponsored in part by Allstate, Expedia, and Sandals.
Here's the transcript. Click "expand" to read more.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7/7/21
6:12 am EDTMIKA BRZEZINSKI: Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday issued an executive order declaring gun violence a disaster emergency as part of a new strategy to curb gun-related crime in the state. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.
. . .
ANDREW CUOMO: Today, first state in the nation is going to declare a disaster emergency on gun violence.
GABE GUTIERREZ: Among other things, New York state will now require large police departments to submit data on shootings in hot spots. In many major cities nationwide, homicides are surging, up 33% in Los Angeles compared to 2019, and 40% in Chicago, where it was an especially brutal holiday weekend. 100 people shot. 18 dead.
CHICAGO PD SUPERINTENDENT DAVID BROWN: There are too many illegal guns in our city, and too little consequences in the courts.
. . .
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Talk about the real concerns in black and brown communities for this rising crime wave.
AL SHARPTON: It is a very, very serious problem. I was in a place called Beebe, Arkansas, yesterday, doing the eulogy of a funeral of a young white teenager named Hunter Brittain that was killed by police.
But the irony is when I got to Little Rock, Joe, to prepare for the sermon yesterday, a black that was working in the restaurant said, I hope you go over to what was the black community and talk about these kids shooting each other. Four kids killed each other over the weekend.
There is just as much concern about what is going on with gun violence, this kind of violence, this kind of violence that you're talking about. In Chicago, 100 people shot over the weekend.
We must have the balance of outrage, where we are outraged if police do things in blue uniforms, but outrage when we have people in blue jeans that are openly being criminal, acting like it's normal in our community. It is NOT normal. It should not be accepted. People should understand the underlying issues, but they shouldn't patronize us, like we do not know how to deal and challenge with criminal behavior.
MIKA BREZINSKI: Wow.
SHARPTON: Civil rights leaders, some of us are meeting with President Biden this week. We not only want to talk about voting rights, and we do, and police reform But how we have to factor in, in dealing with gun violence in this country. You can't love our people when they're shot by police, and then look the other way when we're shooting each other. We have to deal with both.
MIKA: Wow.
