Thousands of people across the U.S. are currently protesting against police brutality and racism, sparked by the death of George Floyd. The 46-year-old father died on May 25 after police handcuffed him and knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes, continuing to do so even after he stopped responding.
On Thursday, Late Show host Stephen Colbert noted that "the vast majority" of ongoing protests have been peaceful, though the ones that have gotten out of hand have been more attention-grabbing than the ones where everyone sits down and sings "Stand By Me."
However, numerous viral videos have proven that lack of provocation has not stopped police from firing upon civilians with tear gas and rubber bullets — which Colbert pointed out are "a lot more bullet than rubber," and can absolutely kill you.
"That's why law enforcement doesn't call them 'non-lethal,'" said Colbert. "They call them 'less-lethal' ammunition. Less-Lethal Ammunition, from the makers of Arsenic Lite! Most of the poison, none of the guilt!"
Colbert further noted that police have been corralling protesters and refusing to let them leave, guaranteeing they break curfew and thus giving the police an excuse to arrest them. Not that lack of an excuse appears to have stopped the police before.
"There's a name for when police box in a crowd of people to create a pretext to arrest them. It's called a 'kettle,'" said Colbert.
"I guess that's a case of the cops calling a kettle on anyone black."
Topics Activism Stephen Colbert
