Fox host says those protesting police violence should be ‘barred’ from calling 911

‘Let’s just hope, in your life, you never need a police officer,’ Brian Kilmeade says

Louise Hall
Thursday 22 April 2021 20:05 BST
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A host on Fox News has suggested that those protesting against police violence towards Black Americans should never be allowed to call 911 again.

The comments came as Fox & Friends discussed the fatal shootings of Daunte Wright and Ma’Khia Bryant on Thursday, as the presenters made reference to ongoing unrest over the killings.

“In Minnesota, protesters were yelling at police ‘get the blank out’ and in New York at that local restaurant, ‘we don’t want you here,’” Ainsley Earhardt said.

“Good. Do you know what? You should be barred from — anyone who says that, you are no longer allowed to use 911,” Brian Kilmeade responded.

He added: “Let’s just hope, in your life, you never need a police officer.”

The commentators argued that the police officers involved in such incidents may have just made “a really tough call, or the wrong call, in the moment”.

Pete Hegseth concluded the segment by saying: “All that’s gonna mean is less cops and more crime. The equation is quite simple,” before adding: “maybe that’s what they want.”

Mr Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop amid the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of the murder of George Floyd on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old’s killing prompted successive nights of unrest in the city and Kim Potter, a former police officer in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, is now facing manslaughter charges. Bodycam footage shows Ms Potter shouting ‘Taser’ before firing her gun in what was claimed to be an “accidental discharge”.

On the day the Chauvin verdict was announced, 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot by police when officers were called to a disturbance in Columbus, Ohio, after reports of an attempted stabbing.

Bodycam footage from the responding officers shows the teenager brandish a knife and charge toward one female who falls backward, before moving towards another, at which point an officer fired at her.

Following the shooting, hundreds of protesters marched in the city on Tuesday night outside of the Columbus police headquarters.

The demonstrators on Tuesday chanted “Bryant” as they approached officers outside of the building, while a group of protesters was heard shouting: “She was just a kid.”

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