In a wide-ranging Wednesday interview with famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked if he agreed with NBA hall-of-famer Charles Barkley that is was “ridiculous” to claim white police officers are “killing blacks.”
“Well, I think it’s true that the police are our friends,” Carson told Blitzer. “And I challenge people all the time; imagine living for 24 hours with no police. People would be walking into your house saying, ‘Hey, I think I like that television, I’m taking that.’ It would be total chaos.”
“So the police are our friends. Are they perfect in all cases? Of course not. No one is perfect in all cases. Doctors are not perfect in all cases.” (RELATED: Democratic Strategist: Ben Carson Taps Into ‘Anger Among Right Wing White People’)
He also called for a dialogue in Ferguson between the police and the members of the community who didn’t trust them. “I think it’s important for the police to also understand why people have raw feelings… When people stop talking, that’s when things break down,” Carson said.
“Sounds like you basically agree with Charles Barkley, right?” Blitzer asked.
“Well, I think he has some very valid points, absolutely,” Carson agreed. “I probably wouldn’t have expressed them quite so vehemently. But I think he has very good points.” (RELATED: Charles Barkley: ‘Unintelligent’ Blacks ‘Brainwashed’ To Keep Successful Black Men Down [VIDEO])