Fox News guest says Black protesters would have been treated better than Trump supporters at Capitol
On Hannity Thursday night, frequent Fox News guest Larry Elder dismissed the assertion by many that if President Trump’s supporters who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday had been Black, they would have been treated much differently by police. While there were violent clashes between police and rioters, after the Capitol was overtaken, police were seen letting many of the violators walk free.
“When I was watching these tragic events unfold on television, watching windows being smashed, watching tear gas, watching these protesters being dispersed,” Elder said, “my first thought wasn't ‘Hmm, what would've happened if the protesters had been black?’”
In an attempt to prove that police treat white people worse than they treat Black people, Elder cited a 2016 study that appeared in the New York Times, and one that appeared in the Washington Post. Both studies showed that police are more likely to shoot white people than Black people. But Elder left out the details. The Times article also showed that police are much more likely to use force, which was much more prevalent at the Capitol, against Black people. And, as far as the shootings are concerned, the study only counted incidences in which police stopped the person, and studies show that Black people are more likely to be stopped by police than white people. But Elder went on.
“If these protesters had been black,” Elder said, “the likelihood is it would have been worse because the police would have been more reluctant, more hesitant to use force against Black people than white people, as evidenced by studies going back to the 70s.”
Video Transcript
LARRY ELDER: When I was watching these tragic events unfold on television, watching windows being smashed, watching tear gas, watching these protesters being dispersed, my first thought wasn't, what would have happened had the protesters been black?
- On Hannity Thursday night, frequent Fox News guest Larry Elder dismissed many people's assertions that supporters of President Trump, who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, were treated better than they would have been had they been black. To prove his point, Elder incorrectly cited a 2016 study that showed that once the subject is stopped, a white person is more likely to be shot by the police. But use of force is much more commonly used against black people.
LARRY ELDER: If these protesters had been black, the likelihood is it would have been worse, because the police would have been more reluctant, more hesitant to use force against black people than white people as evidenced by studies going back to the '70s.
- Among the many voices who disagree with Elders' opinion is President-elect Joe Biden, who gave a statement on the matter earlier in the day.
JOE BIDEN: No one can tell me that, if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, there wouldn't have been-- they wouldn't have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol.
