Things got awkward between Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons as they discussed racism and crime in the wake of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
During a recent segment on his show, O’Reilly accused Simmons of not acknowledging the “astronomical level [of] crime rate among young Black men – violent crime rate –[that] drives suspicion and hostility on the part of the police.”
A calm Simmons responded,“The way that the police approaches the community is a problem. The police are afraid of the community – that’s true. They require some sensitivity training. That’s the start.”
O’Reilly quickly turned the subject to “Black drug gangs” and insinuated Simmons wasn’t doing enough to stop the drug-related violence in U.S. cities like Chicago’s Southside region. That’s when Simmons responded that he actually has contributed to anti-violence programs in U.S. schools, including Chicago. To which O’Reilly stated that “education was a different thing.”
Apparently blaming drug gangs for everything is valid but any talks of educating black children – not so much?! This is similar to the sentiments shared by other members of the Fox team over the weekend.
Watch the clip for yourself.