Fox News senior correspondent Geraldo Rivera advised black protestors on Friday to abandon the popularized “I can’t breathe” slogan in favor of a new one: “We’re the problem.”
Geraldo’s comments were made during an appearance on “Fox and Friends” in which he addressed what he believed is the real problem plaguing black communities.
Rivera first clarified that “too many young black men are being killed unnecessarily in encounters with police” and that “too many black moms are more fearful of the cops when their kids go out at night than they are the crooks.”
He then used basketball star LeBron James’ recent decision to wear an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt to share his take on “black, brown, and other minority families” that are in crisis.
“The families in crisis are in crisis not because of the interface between cops and young black men but because of family dysfunction, fathers being irresponsible,” Rivera said. “That is a much more difficult, complex situation than wanting to advocate against police violence toward, you know, toward young black men.”
Rivera criticized those who focused on police violence and challenged them to avoid the “low-hanging fruit” and instead focus on the harder problems to solve.
“We’re the victims. Yet again, we’re the victims. Let’s fix this problem,” Rivera said. “But what about the much more difficult problem of ‘We’re The Problem.'”
“We’re the problem when it comes to the dysfunction,” Rivera continued. “We’re the problem when it comes to fathers not being responsible for their children. … That’s the t-shirt he should wear. That’s fine, “I can’t breathe” this week. Next week, if you’re gonna be a billboard, a walking billboard, next week “Be a better father to your son.”
The original “I Can’t Breathe” slogan referenced the final words of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died after being put into a chokehold by a white police officer. The mantra was taken up by people throughout the nation protesting the grand jury’s decision not to indict the officer.
Watch the video below, via Media Matters:
h/t Media Matters
