Media mogul Tyler Perry has rejected calls to “Defund the Police,” and has even argued that America needs more police that are better trained and equipped to handle different situations.
Appearing Wednesday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” movie mogul and actor Tyler Perry expressed concerns over the so-called “Defund the Police” protests around the country, as well as the idea that George Floyd’s horrible death has been “hijacked” by people with a less-than-unifying message.
“So, when they saw George Floyd’s death, this horrific, horrible death played out, as this man pleaded for his life and begged, said ‘please’ many, many times, it — seeing it changes everything,” he said, as reported by Red State. “So I became very, very optimistic when everybody galvanized together because I know that’s when change comes. When people galvanize and come together as one, that’s when change happens.”
“But lately, I’ve been very, very concerned that the message is being hijacked by some other groups or political ads and parties that are trying to stop the message of what we’re asking for here [is] police reform, right?” Perry continued. “So, yeah, I was, but I’m worried now because of what I’m seeing.”
Perry said that when he first heard “Defund the Police,” he was troubled by it and feared it would become weaponized.
“Well, when I first heard it, I was troubled by it, and I thought okay, this is — this is going to be weaponized by — in this political year. I completely thought that that was happening. That’s exactly what’s happened. It’s been weaponized,” he said. “But I did some research. And what I would challenge people to do is do research and find out what it means. Now, you’ve got to understand this — I’m not for taking money from the police department. I think we need more police. My studio is in a neighborhood where I think we need police.”
“But we don’t need police that have — that are under-trained. And you’ve got to understand — I have really close friends who are police officers that I love dearly, who are really good people, who have been very, very hurt by this, as well,” he added.
"We need the police…" says director, producer and actor @tylerperry. "…But we need them reformed, we need them trained well and we need the right structure." pic.twitter.com/FY7W0v7pKg
— CNN (@CNN) July 30, 2020
Perry’s remarks echo that of former basketball star Charles Barkley, who condemned the “Defund the Police” movement by praising the many police officers who do a good job.
“We need the cops, most of the cops do a fantastic job, but instead of defunding and all this other stuff, let’s just do police reform. Everybody should be on board for that whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, conservative or liberal,” he said.
“The Democrats and the Republicans can’t even talk about police reform,” he continued. “That’s the number one thing they should do before they do anything else. That’s something we have been talking about since [former NFL quarterback Colin] Kaepernick kneeled, and these clowns in the Democratic Party and Republican Party, that’s the number one thing they should do before they do anything else.”
Likewise, actor Terry Crews has been critical of the more radical elements of Black Lives Matter. In June, the actor warned black Americans against the idea of “black supremacy.”
“Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy. Equality is the truth,” said Crews. “Like it or not, we are all in this together.”
After facing intense backlash for that comment, Crews explained that he meant for blacks to form alliances with white people as opposed to creating resentment between races.
“I was not saying Black supremacy exists because it doesn’t. I am saying if both Black and Whites don’t continue to work together – bad attitudes and resentments can create a dangerous self-righteousness. That’s all,” he said.
Defund The Police became wildly popular among the far-left when the group “Black Lives Matter” joined the incendiary hashtag by issuing a list of demands.
“We call for an end to the systemic racism that allows this culture of corruption to go unchecked and our lives to be taken,” said the organization. “We call for a national defunding of police. We demand investment in our communities and the resources to ensure Black people not only survive, but thrive. If you’re with us, add your name to the petition right now and help us spread the word.”
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