Moments after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of manslaughter and murder in the death of George Floyd, far-left MSNBC contributor and journalism professor Jason Johnson went on an unhinged rant saying he wasn’t “happy,” “pleased,” or “satifisf[ied]” with the “cultural make-up call” because there must be “radical reform” in order for police officers to stop killing African-Americans.
Johnson’s rant was so divorced from reality that even race hustler and ReidOut host Joy Reid and faux Republican Michael Steele expressed disagreement with their colleague’s scorching hot take.
Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace had given Johnson the floor and he made the most of it by acting as though the verdict had come back not guilty.
Johnson began by saying that he saw this verdict as “a cultural make-up call” and, because of that: “I’m not happy. I’m not pleased. I don’t have any sense of satisfaction. I don’t think this is the system working. I don’t think this is a good thing.”
He added that the case proved “that, in order to get a nominal degree of justice in this country, that a black man has to be murdered on air, viewed by the entire world, there has to be a year’s worth of protests and a phalanx of other white police officers to tell one officer that he was wrong in order to get one scintilla of justice.”
Johnson continued (click “expand”):
That doesn’t make me feel happy. That doesn’t make me feel satisfied. It makes me worry about what’s going to happen when these other officers are held on trial. It makes me upset all the more that we didn’t have this for Breonna Taylor. It makes me concerned about what’s going to happen in a trial for Ahmud Arbery, so no, I mean, this is not the system working. This is a make-up call.
This is the justice system trying to say, “hey, this is one bad apple,” because that’s how this is going to be interpreted. It’s going to be “this one bad apple, he got in trouble, yay, blah, blah, blah,” and yet there’s still going to be young black men and women across this country being shot today, tomorrow, and two weeks from now because unless we have some radical reform, there’s no lesson learned.
Before we get to the rebuttals to Johnson, Princeton professor and fellow contributor Eddie Glaude opened the following hour of MSNBC by giving Johnson a run for his money with his own hot take that insinuated police would retaliate for the verdict with violence against black people.
After crediting teenager Darnella Frazier for recording Floyd’s death on her cellphone, Glaude admitted that his “stomach has been in knots” over the case and even though “this is a moment of relief,” “it’s an inaugural moment.”
Glaude then warned that there will be a “reaction of the police” that, if people aren’t careful, will be lost amidst the fears of “violence” from “protests” if the verdict had been one of innocence:
[W]e need to understand that we are in this moment of transition to change the very nature of policing. The last part I would make quickly is we have been preparing for the violence of protests. Now we need to prepare for the reaction of the police. We were prepared for the protesters and what they might do if the verdict came down in a way that they were not satisfied. Now we need to be mindful of what it means that we’re seeing these tetonic plates shift in the very ways in which policing is happening in the country.
Going back to Johnson’s hot take, Wallace immediately brought in Reid and Steele to respond. Incredibly, Reid (and Steele) reminded viewers that the people whose feelings actually matter are those of the Floyd family.
And in Reid’s case, she pointed out the importance of nearly a dozen police officers stepping up to tell the world that what Chauvin did was unacceptable (click “expand”):
STEELE: You know, I have to tell you when I heard — when I heard the announcement of the first — on the first verdict, I — I fist pumped. I just had an enormous sense of relief that — that not the system worked but that this happened and it happened at a time that it needed to happen. I understand what my — my good buddy, Jason Johnson is saying but I’m not — I’m not prepared to just strip it down that bare right now. I think for the family, going back to what I said before, I think for the family, because that’s at the end of the day, what this is about. It’s not what Jason or I or anyone on this set thinks about this moment. It’s what this family feels and the sense of relief that they have, the vision that we — the issue — excuse me, the scene we have right now with people — with black people hugging and understanding what this moment means historically but also for this family. So, I think that we’ll have time, and there will be pressure to bear on all the things that Jason just talked about. I think that’s why I said this was a crucible moment. It’s hot. It’s — we — we are forging a new instrument here of criminal justice, and a new instrument on how we move forward as a country on these issues and black people are at the tip of that spear now…We have to take from this how we want the justice system to work for us and I think that’s what this jury is saying is, yeah, we got it. We need this system to work for black men and for black people if it’s going to work at all.
(….)
REID: I have. I heard, you know, both Jason and Michael, our friends, and listen, my first thoughts as I heard that verdict being read, Nicole, really were for George Floyd’s family. You and I have both interviewed members of his family, his brother Philonis, his daughter, who famously yelled out, “my daddy changed the world.” And I think that what just happened today, you know, I take Jason’s caveats to heart, but even if it took ten police officers to bring about a verdict that will bring justice and a sense of peace to this family, I’m good with that because the reality is, the verdict today was not just against this police officer. It was against the kind of defense that was mounted for him. It’s the same kind of defense that was mounted in the Rodney King case, the black Superman who, no matter how much violence you commit against his body, can raise up, even from the dead in the case of George Floyd, and pose a threat. The thought of a black man as an inherent threat, a black body as an inherent threat, that’s what Derek Chauvin’s defense tried to use in his defense. The idea that George Floyd’s own life issues were to blame for his death, the fact that he became addicted, like so many Americans who are struggling with addiction, that that’s the cause of his death….We’ve seen every excuse for the killing of black bodies, and the excuse always includes blaming the dead. The fact that that didn’t work this time, even if it took all of these other police officers, who, by the way, it’s important that they testified, Nicolle, because this was police drawing a line, right? This was law enforcement.
The only person who came to Johnson’s defense was former Democratic senator and MSNBCer Claire McCaskill, who said that the case “made us all realize that this is a war that we are fighting for justice and for equality in our criminal justice system” and that white people must realize their privilege.
To see the relevant MSNBC transcript from April 20, click here.
THANKFULLY, the world continues to turn, regardless of whether or not some paid pundit on television is “happy” or not.
Before they go after the police, maybe they should look inward and fight to get blacks to respect authority, to obey the law, to stop resisting arrest, and to stop killing each other. Just sayin’
AMEN. Semper Fi.
Justice was NOT done because Floyd was a career criminal who only needed to do what he was told in order not to die. Shut the F**k up, get in the car and STOP resisting.
I would expect the same result has the perp been white, Asian, Hispanic or green like Kermit the frog.
Look at all the cops that are killed by exactly the same kind of perp.
Start working on your decision to kick the dads out of the home in the 60s under LBJ and that is where the issue lies.
@ Candice you have no idea what was unleashed in opening Pandora’s box. Magically 13% of the population in America have been elevated to protected endangered species status allowed to do whatever they wish whenever they with to ANYONE they wish and not having to face the consequences!!
LIEberal Demoshits LIE to promote an agenda which if you don’t realize is to REMOVE any remaining rights you have they haven’t managed to remove already.
Goebbels had it right when he said if you tell a lie long and loud enough the lie becomes accepted as fact Then any ensuing lie is deemed the truth. That is how Political Correctness is designed to work.
Political Correctness is a manipulative tool employed by the left for centralizing power to end all debate on all subjects frowned upon by the one dimensional regressive Lieberal left!! That way they needn’t have to have the means to defend their agenda just employ the standard deflective tools ingrained in the vacuum between their ears!!
Political Correctness is best known as the art of shaming one into accepting and agreeing with a certain agenda to avoid being ridiculed
Political Correctness has the power to dictate one’s policies onto everyone else!!
Political Correctness is meant to silence those who disagree with one dimensional regressive hypocritical politically correct socialist-communist LIEberal doctrine/tenet!!
Politically correct language… is designed to make being an “illegal alien” (WETBACK) or ”abominable actions” (QUEERS and TRANSSEXUALISM) acceptable, lies being truthful, murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to hot air. Pure BULLSHIT!!
Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Political Correctness is America’s newest form of intolerance, and it is especially pernicious because it comes disguised as tolerance
Political Correctness is fascism pretending to be Manners
Wiley’s Dictionary Definition of Political Correctness — Silence the logical conclusion of politically correct speech.
Political Correctness is the art of employing euphemisms, lies, emotionalism, and fear mongering to dupe people into accepting or even demanding their own enslavement!!!
Political Correctness is a tsunami of raw sewage!!
AMEN Marine. Whites are dyeing at TWICE THE RATE by Cops and Blacks, yet to hear all these bleeding hearts only the blacks are being targeted. We need to get rid of all these Black Rights, Gay Rights, Transgender Rights, Latino Rights and get back to HUMAN RIGHTS! Soon all the Prejustice of races would be gone and That is what the Constitution Says “HUMAN RIGHTS” NO SPECIAL RIGHTS! Nobody is better than Anybody, but all these IDIOT Right Activists are WRONG. They make it Complicated, when the solution is “SIMPLE”! And the Satanic Socialist Dumbocrap Communist Chinese Party wants us all DEAD! Semper Fi.
You are absolutely correct!! You will never be able to drill the truth into those dumbass bone-headed assholes out there that have been brain washed to disregard the truth!! It is so sickening what our country has become. I could not have said it any better!!
Mr. Johnson, have you considered the fact, the “privileged ” white officers will stop killing the black criminals, murderes, rapist, dope addicts and drive by murdering cowards when they stop breaking the law. OHHHH, WHAT A FOOLISH CONCEPT !!! If you are black you are entitled to do as you please no matter the consequences. You are so stupid it is unbelievable.
yes, justice for blacks. meaning if you are black you can resist arrest and die in the process even when its your fault, and all the animals have to do is burn loot and murder, “peaceful protest” and terrorize the country to get your way. all that systemic rascism, how much is rascism and how much is common sense when 14% of the country commits 55% of the violent crimes , not counting the % of minor crimes, that blacks are accosted then refuse a simple request or order and then fight back either physically or with a knife or firearm, then get hurt or killed. which by the way is numbers and percentages still smaller numbers than the whites but those numbers dont effing count. thats really justice. it too easy to just follow directions, say yes sir or no sir, do what your told and go home that night or the next day then go get a lawyer if need to then sit back and enjoy the payday if the cop did get out of line. personally, i dont give a flying rats ass what color you are, if yyou are so stupid as to fight a bunch of cops for the stupid reason of being on dope or because you think youre a badass, then go ahead be an idiot but i got nothing for you. and for you protesters, if you are so stupid that you cant or wont recognize he was an idiot, then you are part of the problem too. go protest in the middle of the hiway to defund and do away with the police but then when you are being drug down that same hiway by a car or truck dont then call the police. and just remember after the police are defunded and people have to defend and protect them selves from criminals in their own home and the numbers of dead black men start piling up dont call the defunded police. i guess you can say these are rascist thought s about a bunch of dumbass idiots.
The statistics are even more alarming (e.g. Blacks committing 55% of all violent crime in the U.S.) when you consider that the majority of the offenses are committed by Black males which represent only 6% of the population. Over 70% of Black males between the ages of 18 and 36 will spend some time in jail or prison during their lifetime. Yet no one, the MSM, Social Media, etc., wants to address or talk about the problem.
Blacks, predominantly males, 6% of the population, commit 55% of all violent crimes. Why?
Shouldn’t the mothers, wives, children, sisters of these men ask that question? Can it all be attributed to systemic racism? Perhaps more black men need to take responsibility for their actions and try to be law-abiding citizens contributing to society.
That goes for a person of any color.
Women have had to endure a lack of rights throughout history until about a hundred years ago but they do not go around murdering, raping and committing horrific crimes.
Can there not be a justified murder by a white cop of a black person? Yesterday a cop shot and killed a teenaged black girl who had a knife and was attacking another girl. Was that shooting not justified? I think the cop saved the life of the girl being attacked. However it appears that the black community is upset with this action. It never ends. There were 17 killings of blacks by white cops last year. In how many was the black resisting arrest? How many white cops were killed by blacks? How many black children were killed by blacks? How about protesting black on black crime? I was never racist but I am now being tested. I have always believed MLKs words about being judged not by the color of one’s skin but by the content of one’s character. I find that in general, the content of blacks character is lacking.
You’re right to ask these hard questions, even if you’re vilified for doing so. It shows that you are a thinking person, willing to confront the false narratives.
Without a corresponding AA epiphany to the escalating genocide in their community, look for more racial Balkanization. Those decades of increased understanding, acceptance and tolerance look now to be heading toward the least desirable option…..outright avoidance. Say hello to de facto apartheid. Life at the lower, left hand side of the socio-economic-cultural Bell Curve will become even more difficult, chaotic and violent.
The cop should be put in jail . But what is so unsettling is the fact it’s only cause the victim was black in stead of just a man . If the victim was white or Asian no one would care . Shows just how races people become . all be cause the delusional democrats want it that way for their power grab . I for one am tired of hearing everyone cry about how tuff life is for them . One causes their own problems , not others . If you don’t like something about ones life … change it … is that simple . And don’t try telling me you can’t … BS , ever race befor you had to change things starting with the NA’s . You got to want it befor you can fix it . Crying racists and depending on others is not the way to fix ones life . No one Been
More a victim more then the NA’s . so stop crying about everything and be better to ones fellow man . That’s the only way to fix life .
I knew what the verdict would be the day this foolishness started, and I didn’t watch 2 minutes of the trial. I didn’t need to. The jury took an hour or less? Seriously? But they were threatened and they would probably be dead or close to it had they ruled any other way. One killing, and THREE murder charges? Stupid.
If Johnson really wants to combat racism then he will turn some of that anger towards BLM.
globalists and globalist puppet $oro$ and globalist puppet democrat criminal party and globalist puppet rino criminal party and globalist media demand our southern border open so that illegal criminal invader voters continue to supply globalist puppet, libby snow flake sheep with illegal mexico drugs to keep them addicted and stupid and refuse to leave the globalists and globalist puppet, democrat criminal party plantation .
Do not worry. This guy has his head so far up the back of his front, that he will soon suffocate from lack of oxygen. One less asshole to be rid of.
I think this TV guy should come to my hometown and get up on a box and repeat his demands. It will be just like Pakistan: Pop, Pop…Pop.