An MSNBC analyst and member of The New York Times Editorial Board claimed Thursday that the U.S. seems to be “invested in the spectacle of black death.”
Mara Gay argued on “Morning Joe” that Americans are protesting because they have nothing left but anger over society being “unable, uninterested, unwilling” to do anything to prevent the deaths of black people at the hands of a system that “benefits” from “ignoring” the problem. (RELATED: ‘When All Else Fails, Blame Black People’: The New York Times’ Mara Gay Says Trump At Fault For ‘Desperate’ GOP Turning To ‘Racism’)
Host Joe Scarborough began by mentioning several high-profile cases of black individuals who were killed in encounters with police, and how the cases ended without a conviction in court, or in the case of Eric Garner, charges not being filed against the officer. He said he believed that there was “one example after another example” suggesting that the jury in the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin could have a “biased” member, potentially leading to a hung jury despite “overwhelming evidence.”
“That’s right, Joe. You know, we seem to be extraordinarily invested in the spectacle of black death in this country. And that goes back a whole long way, unfortunately, to when there were picnics around lynchings,” Gay responded. “Now, I see a direct line from that to this ritual that we have now, where we go over and over these killings that don’t stop, but yet we seem unable, uninterested, unwilling in doing anything to prevent them as a society.”
She said she believed the level of frustration among people watching the trial was “extraordinary,” and that people are protesting in response to the shooting of Daunte Wright because society is not making necessary changes in her opinion. “What do we have left but anger?” she added.
“Why are we so invested as a country, as a justice system, in ignoring what is in front of our eyes, ignoring what we see? Who benefits from that? It’s certainly not black Americans. It’s not just individual police officers, but it’s the system that they represent,” Gay continued.
“So you know, the lesson learned here for black Americans is, there are no rules to follow. There are no rules to follow to keep you safe,” she concluded.