You're listening to Comedy Central. Now, when you place a wager with Williamsville sports book, every sports moment becomes even more interesting. And we have a special twenty twenty one offer to help. You bet on all your favorite sports history downloader, William Hill mobile app. And when you sign up, you can get started with a risk free bet of up to two thousand and twenty one dollars. Use Promo Code Pod. R.A.F. must be present in Michigan, 21 plus only terms and conditions apply.

Gambling problem call the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Gambling Disorder Helpline at one hundred two seven zero seventy one seventeen. Let's make it interesting with Williamsville Sportsbook. I would love to meet Carlos Miller, but she Gilbane and we are up to 85 show and we've got some of the best guess where we had to change Zatarain's came. Yeah, everybody. Everybody, you got to catch up on all the episodes that you missed, like Fabo Guillemin plus the like the RAM he lost a couple of times.

I Heart Radio is number one for podcast, but don't take our word for it. Eighty five s shown at heart radio or wherever you get your podcast presented by AT&T.

Now every customer, both new and existing at the same great deal on the best devices. Law enforcement, historically, many of America's police departments have been strained, the relationship have been strained with their minority communities, and over the past few years, there's been an increased focus on how they can improved. You know, some people think that body cameras are the answer. Some say America needs more diverse police forces. Personally, I think all police should have to always write CIG's.

Yeah, first of all, I think it's adorable. And secondly, you can't shoot anyone because you need both hands to steer. We like free. Oh, free. Oh.

Now, just this weekend, presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg, he had to leave the campaign trail to deal with a police shooting in his own city, where many residents have blamed racism for how the police treat black people in their own town. But the sad truth is that this is a nationwide problem. In fact, recently The Plain View Project did a review of the social media posts of police officers across the country, and the findings are already making waves.

This morning, the Philadelphia Police Department under fire. Seventy two of the city's police officers taken off the streets and placed on administrative duty under investigation for allegedly posting offensive and racist statements on social media.

The Facebook posts in question contain discriminatory opinions. If our country was all Caucasian, the homicide rate would drop 70 percent. Perhaps we should be very suspicious of all Muslims in this country, said another. Or encourage violence. It's a good day for a chokehold.

Yeah, your reaction is right. Imagine seeing that the police posting. It's a good day for a chokehold. It's never a good day for a chokehold. Chokeholds don't belong in your workplace. In fact, chokeholds don't belong in any workplace like there's no unless maybe if you work at the Cheesecake Factory, maybe then, you know, after someone's had like a slice of cake with five thousand grams of sugar, that's the only way to calm them down.

Please, please, please, please. I know it's tasty. Calm down.

But this study, this study wasn't just focused on Philadelphia write. This report reviewed the social media of police officers in eight cities and counties. And they found they found in all of these eight cities that out of the thirty five hundred cops accounts, eight hundred and fifty three had posted offensive content. Imagine that. Eight hundred and fifty three had posted offensive content. Yeah, that's almost a quarter of all of the accounts. And then just the dumb cops, the ones who put it online.

Yeah. Because, you know, the smart cops, the racist ones, they keep it in their dorms.

So police departments everywhere are realizing that they could have racist cops.

And while it is encouraging that cities like Philadelphia are taking them off the streets, the bad news is elsewhere. They're getting promoted.

Controversy in Louisiana, where a police officer who shared a racist image on social media has been promoted to chief. Wayne Welsh made headlines in twenty seventeen when he shared a depiction of a white woman pushing a little girl's face into bathwater, supposedly as punishment for having a crush on a black child.

Yeah, what the I mean, it's not even just that that's a racist mean the fact that they made that person the person who posted that police chief, how do you post something like that and get a promotion? It's like if someone hijacked a plane and the FAA was like, yeah, you've got talent, you want to fly full time, come on.

And I've got to be honest, like like I don't know what's scarier than having a racist police chief.

I guess the only thing is realizing that in many places these officers are just a reflection of their communities.

The mayor says the meme is irrelevant now because it was posted nearly two years ago in July of twenty seventeen when Chief Welsch was assistant police chief.

He was disciplined, he was dealt with and then he was reelected, ran unopposed.

What does it say about the people of this community that they would elect somebody like that? You know, I was not the mayor back that time. I understand what you're saying, but I'm not going to elaborate on that.

This town racist. No, it's not. Do you use the N-word? Often, but I don't use it as racist.

I was using the N-word as a white man, not racist. I don't find it racist. I got plenty of black friends. We all use it. Yeah, we all use it. Yeah. I call my black friends nigger and they say, stop calling me nigger.

So the bad news is that racism is extremely pervasive in America's police departments and people need to acknowledge that, in fact, it's gotten so bad that Philadelphia has had to suspend 72 of their own cops. The good news is for those cops, there's definitely a town that'll hire you.

In the wake of the George Floyd killing, most Americans have now come to realize that the police need sweeping changes. But the question is, why has it taken so long? Why did so many people, particularly white people, think until now that police are just fine the way they are?

Well, one reason is that most Americans don't actually have much actual experience with police. In fact, in a typical year, only twenty one percent of us adults have any type of contact with police at all. So, I mean, most Americans see the cops less than Trump sees, Eric. So if people don't see cops in real life, how will they forming their opinions about the police?

Well, a lot of it comes from the same way I form all my opinions about Klingon television, baby police dramas are iconic, hugely popular, and now under intense fire from activists who say these shows far too readily portray cops as good and trustworthy. I don't want to hang on while undermining real life claims of systemic racism and abuse.

Police not only consult on these shows, but they're also very aware that their portrayals impact public perception and they have a vested interest in making sure that portrayal is positive.

The 2015 study found viewers of crime dramas are more likely to believe the police are successful at lowering crime use force only when necessary, and that misconduct does not typically lead to false confessions.

Yes, believe it or not, watching cop shows makes a lot of people see the police as infallible. And honestly, I don't blame any of these people. I mean, I'll admit a lot of my perceptions about reality have been shaped by TV as well. I believe spongers, weapons. I believe white people have no black friends. And most importantly, I believe that every kiss begins with K. Now, part of the reason it's easy for TV shows to convince people that cops are always right and always good at their jobs is because that's what we want to believe.

I think we can all agree that we want people who are going to enforce laws fairly and effectively so that we don't have to do it ourselves. I know I don't want to do it. Like I don't want to have to find the person who stole my car. I've got other things to do. I want to go look for a new car on the stress of having to find the thief because I mean, like, what happens when I find them?

Do I arrest them or do I throw them in prison in my apartment? Then I have to give them a job in my library. And then they educate themselves and get a degree and then they turn their life around. And I'm stuck with an inspirational story in my hands. I don't need that stress. And when you watch these shows, you understand how they can shape public perception, because according to cop shows, whenever cops are breaking the law, it's only because they have to.

We can't just break protocol because we think it's right at the time and expect to get away with it. Normally, I'd agree with you, but in this case, I'd rather ask for forgiveness than permission.

As you well know, we will need a warrant to search the house. Agent Callen, these are exigent circumstances. You let me worry about the legal ramifications.

If I have to bend the rules a little bit to get a bad guy off the street, I'm going to do it. You would to forget Morant's, forget the rules. It's on us to catch him.

Who? That was cool. Although what that guy was actually saying is the Constitution is pussies. It's amazing how cops and TV shows are always saying that the only way to catch a criminal is by breaking the law themselves. Technically, that cop is now a criminal too, which means another cop should kick his ass. But then that new cop is also a criminal because he's breaking the law, which means another cop should then be a cop. Number two.

So the third cop beats him up, then a fourth cop has to come in to beat them. Then basically every cop show should end with the entire precinct in a brawl while the suspect just sneaks out of the door. And you see that's what cop shows are really good at doing.

They make us believe that the only way the police can truly be effective is if they break the rules that society created to protect us from police. And by the way, when TV cops break the rules, there's not usually by filling form to seven instead of two seven be no, they often do it by beating the shit out of a suspect. And I told you everything.

Now you have it. But you will. I'm going to beat the balls off you. Please tell me how the only thing on this earth is going to stop him from hitting you is you telling the truth and to tell us what happened.

I'm going to do something I will regret. Not for one second.

We can do this the fast way to slow way. Then there's my.

And I'll show you. Can't you see that? But shot bones. Son of a bitch will fix you right now, so you can't live anymore. Right, right. Does it matter? Oh, you sure you didn't give him brain damage when you slammed his head against the steering wheel? Captain Grover, I think brain damage was a pre-existing condition. Don't you think, George? I need to see a doctor at once. Yeah, that guy doesn't deserve to see a doctor.

He may be committed a crime. And even if he didn't commit the crime, well, then this will be a lesson to stop him from committing one in the future. The same reason I plan to pre beat all my children, because you might not have done anything yet, but I know you will.

It's actually crazy how every cop show has police just regularly using violence to help them do their job. TV doesn't do that with any other profession, own medical dramas, whether like a doctor. This doesn't make any sense. The patient's lab work is normal, but his heart is failing. Well, maybe we need to smack him around a little bit and see what he knows. What I used to be on a cop show. Every cop show makes it seem like the reason cops have to beat suspects is just because without the beat down, they won't tell the truth.

And so those beatings protect the rest of society from these lying criminals. But in real life, beating a suspect is a great way to get them to confess to something they didn't do, which means you've locked up an innocent person and you let the real criminal walk free. And by the way, even if the person did do the crime, their lawyer can get them off because their confession wasn't legitimate, because they were beaten. So beating a suspect to solve your case is like washing your computer with water.

Yeah, the virus is gone, but so's your laptop. So whether we like it or not, TV is a powerful tool that shapes how the public sees the police, shapes, how the public sees the police's role in society and how accountable they should be. Because in real life, when rogue cops throw away the rule book and take matters into their own hands, it doesn't look cool. Like in one of the TV shows, it looks a lot more like this.

The Valdosta Police Department facing a lawsuit this morning for unnecessary and illegal force after arresting the wrong suspect and reportedly breaking his arm in the process.

Put your hands where? Oh oh oh oh. Oh, my God. That's painful.

Body cam video showing the officers handcuffing and slamming that man to the ground. That was back in February. Antonio Smith stopped for suspicious activity and accused of panhandling. But officials have the wrong man. Smith was released at the scene. Now he's filing a seven hundred thousand dollar lawsuit.

You see, unfortunately, every day in America, there are people who have encounters just like that with the police. And so all those show creators, directors and writers in Hollywood who make these cop shows and have been tweeting that something needs to be done about the police. Well, one way you can help make a difference is if you do something about the police on screen. Body cameras, they were introduced with the idea that having footage of interactions would make police more accountable, which makes sense because everyone wants to look good if they know other people could be watching.

You know, you think the Snapchat hot dog, you think that hot dog is always so happy and upbeat. You know, you should see him when the camera's off. Don't look at me. Don't look at me without the filter. But it turns out that some police only behave better if they know the camera is on.

You know how sometimes people say I'm innocent? That cop planted those drugs and you think, sure. Cracky, well, it turns out we might.

Oh, cracky, an apology video recorded on a Baltimore police officer's body camera appears to show a city officer manipulating evidence during that time. You see three city officers in an alley. Seconds later, audio of the officers begins to be recorded.

Particular, the officer is seen returning to the spot where the three were just standing, picking up a can and pulling drugs from it. The same can be made. It appears he placed the drugs in seconds earlier.

You know what? Baltimore police. I'm not saying I'm not angry. I'm I'm just disappointed. But it's one thing to apparently plant evidence. It's another to miss a golden opportunity to look like a super sleuth. Like you don't just come in and be like drugs could be anywhere from them.

You don't do that. You've got to play it up. You come in, you look around, you do that thing where you walk away and then you stop and go, Oh. Something doesn't add up. Is that a can of black olives, the pits of olives are like rocks, rocks, street name for crack. I got it. And then you find the drug. Come on, if you're going to frame people and send them to jail, at least have the decency to put on a show, especially if you're planning to make this a regular thing for a second time.

Police officers in Baltimore are suspected of planting evidence in a drug case. And once again, they were exposed by their own cameras.

Body cameras were rolling during a traffic stop last November. The video shows Baltimore police officers searching a car for drugs, according to the public defender's office. The officers found nothing in the car until turning their body cameras off when the cameras came back on. And officer is seen squatting by the driver's side of the suspect's car, apparently unaware that he's being recorded. He then stands up and steps back. About 30 seconds pass. Another officer approaches the car. That officer then squats down and pulls out a bag of drugs.

You know, I'm starting to wonder if the entire drug business in Baltimore is just cops buying drugs to plant them. That's all it seems like is like cops coming up to dealers like, hey, man, I need some evidence, man. And you've got some good evidence. Drug dealers like, nah, man, I'm out. Oh, then what's this? Wait, what just happened? I guess you just made a sale. Like as disturbing as these videos are, black people have known about police planting evidence for years, but nobody believed them.

But now there's the technology to prove it. It's sort of like how we've all assumed the hotel room was covered in semen. But then they invented the black light.

And we were like, oh, this is a thorough coating, even the ceiling. Watson it's on the black line. How does that even happen? Now, look, I know I know the two videos, it doesn't prove a systemic problem in policing that Stanford University's job.

Researchers at Stanford University collected and analyzed 60 million state patrol stops in 20 states. They found black drivers are issued 20 percent more tickets than white drivers. And Hispanic drivers received 30 percent more tickets than other drivers. Hispanic drivers were most likely to be searched, least likely to have contraband.

Wow.

Hispanics are the ones getting the most racism. That's that's like finding out the hotel room next door has even more semen than yours.

I mean, part of you is happy, but the other part is like, oh, man, I love the nerd room. Come on.

Now, one of the more interesting pieces of information that came from the Stanford study was that in areas where police regularly make broken taillight stops, stops of black and Hispanic people are both about 20 percent more likely for broken taillights than stops of white people. So if you're a minority who wants to reduce your chances of getting stopped, you've got to make sure your taillight is never out. And if you're thinking. But, Trevor, that's impossible. You've clearly never met Leo Debnam.

Are you tired of being pulled over for being black? Of course you are. Police make it up all kinds of reasons. Is this car stolen? You have a gun. Did you kidnap this white woman sitting next to you? And, of course, their favorite son? Your taillight is broken.

Officer, I might be broke, but my taillight is just fine with the Leo Develin forever tail. Like the police will have to come up with a better reason to whip your ass. These are the punk ass. Tail lights break under pressure, but not the forever tail like this indestructible tail light is made for one hundred percent plexiglass. A light so strong can make a baseball bat say goddamn Plexiglas. Let's say the pope got to this Catholic. I know what you're thinking.

How did I get my hands on some of that Pope glass? That's none of your goddamn business, which you should be asking me is if it works, right?

It does. You know why I pulled you over, man.

Tail light, though, is for Africa cocaine they planted in my car. Thanks, Leo. Dublin. With the flare of tail light, you ain't never gonna stop for the Pope.

Pope is policeman chasing me for three hours. What? I ain't stopping because I know my tail light. Good. My white woman Leo. It ain't been eighty five dollars. You get that from your mama. Black don't crack, neither should your tail light. Leo Devlins and the Institute of Public. That means forever and ever. It's a 120 by the fairgrounds next to Little Caesar's. He's home, brave, say ablaut, espanol. In the criminal justice system, there are laws and then there are laws that are dumb and make no sense, these are their stories.

We're now learning more about why Glynn County police never arrested either of the two men involved in the shooting death of twenty five year old Amont Aubury, a district attorney. Barnhill states in this letter that both men are protected under Georgia's citizen's arrest law. Citizen's arrest thought that was just some bullshit people said on TV.

But in real life, a citizen's arrest.

No Barney Fife shit. You are a individual that's 20 some odd years of age and individuals are running after you, blocking you in with cars. That's call honey. That's the wild, wild west that we talked about. This is Georgia State Representative Carl Gilliard, someone who is just as outraged about this as I am.

The citizen's arrest law gives individual citizens the right to arrest someone up to 48 hours until law enforcement would arrive.

So not only can you citizen's arrest somebody, you can just keep them for two days.

Like misere people are using laws as a justification for murder, as a justification for lynching. You have a higher form of racism. They're not wearing hoods anymore. Underwear, shirts and ties.

Yes, I'd like to play a halo. I think you're correct.

How is this still a law? Well, no one's challenged, this law was conceived in 1863, you know, it's just it's outdated. Hmm.

What possibly could have been happening in Georgia in 1863? I ask, knowing I won't like the answer.

This particular law was written during the Civil War and was a way of preventing enslaved Africans who were trying to escape to the union lines. It empowered any white person to arrest any black person.

So on a scale of Betty White to David Duke, how racist is this citizen's arrest law?

You tell me when to stop at that stage to do what?

One of the big things about Georgia is the man in charge of writing the formal laws. Thomas Cobb is an avid racist wave of racist.

You wrote books justifying racism, basically arguing that African-Americans were better off than slaves and could never really function as free people. Oh, shit, that is it. OK, continue Cobb himself.

He dies in 1862, but the system of law he had established for Georgia lives on.

And that becomes the the basis of protection for racists like the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War because they could lynch any African-American and claim it was a citizen's arrest. How is this still a law?

We still have a racist society.

We haven't gotten rid of so many elements of racism in the United States.

Well, that settles it. I talk to the experts. I studied the finest legal texts and I can confirm this law must be changed, but I have no idea how to do that.

Joe, how is this still a law? All these injustices are happening and nobody's doing anything to stop it. I am what you are. That's why I authored House Bill Toivo three.

You're proposing a law that gets rid of the law. That's a terrible law. There are some people that are trying to move forward.

Oh, cool.

As it turns out, one of the things filling up Karl's cat calendar is a bill to repeal the current citizen's arrest law.

And he's getting ready to drop it like it's don't say it.

We are getting ready to drop it. You know, like it's not. He said it's a movement. Now, the old Jim Crow has had a bowel movement and we're in a whole new movement.

So repealing the citizen's arrest law is a laxative against the Jim Crow constipation that's been holding up the progress of the black man. What we need to do with that, let's face, is to stand your ground, execute, and then we need to take a no chokehold attitude, and then we need to take a voting registration suppression laxative and get all of that moved out and into the toilet of justice. Not only time will tell if citizen's arrest gets flushed into the sewage system of history, but we're definitely a step closer to getting rid of this law for the entire country.

No, this is for Georgeanne. Oh, shit. How many states have a citizen's arrest?

LOL, all of them, with the exception of maybe two. So we got work to do. We've got work to do.

So how is this still a long yet? The Daily Show Eres Edition in the following message are brought to you by Ford Motors in the Ford F series.

The Ford F series has been America's pickup truck leader for 43 years and counting in the all new 20 21 f when 50 is completely redesigned to be the toughest, most productive F 150 ever, the interior has been given a serious upgrade with more luxury and comfort. Front and Center is a huge new available 12 inch sink Ford touch screen in an available storable gearshift that actually folds down to make room for an available interior work surface that provides a desk like workspace or even a nice flat surface for lunch to help make work more productive.

The available propellor on board gives you the ability to use your truck like a mobile generator, power work tools, an electric grill or that 70 inch TV at the center of your tailgate and available tailgate work surface helps simplify and support your work.

It includes guides for measuring and even a built in slot for a smartphone or tablet computer. Tough. This smart can only be called F 150. Check out the all new twenty twenty one Ford F 150 at Ford Dotcom built Ford proud built Ford tough.

It's crazy how much we have to pay for outdated, impersonal health care and even crazier that we all just accept it. It's time to face facts. Health care is backwards. Luckily, there's forward a new approach to primary care that surprisingly personal and refreshingly straightforward forward never makes you feel like just another patient backed by top rated doctors. And the latest tech forward gives you access to personalized care whenever you need it. Using in-depth genetic analysis and real time bloodwork, Forward's top rated doctors provide you with in-depth insights to better understand your genetics, mental and physical health.

They then create custom easy to understand plans to help guide you to achieving long term health. With forward, you get unlimited in-person visits with your doctor and access to care any time via the forward app. Offer one flat monthly fee. It's time to stop accepting backwards health care and start moving your health forward. Visit. Go forward dotcom today to learn more. That's go forward, Dotcom. While states like New York are finally passing legislation that tries to stop police violence, those changes are being resisted by a very powerful force.

The police unions, in fact, just listen to the head of the New York Police Union, Pat Lynch, lashing out at police reform.

They're asking us to pull back. They're asking us to walk away from you. They're asking us to abandon our communities. They're asking me to walk away from where I live. They're asking me to walk away from where I work. They're asking us to walk away from the neighborhoods that we brought back. And that's what's happening. And you know what? We don't have a choice.

If we put our hands on the criminal, you're going to jail, I'm not being dramatic, that's how bad it is.

OK, with all due respect, I, I think you are being dramatic. No policeman is going to jail for touching somebody.

This is almost like the police version of those guys during me to remember those guys were like, you know what? I can't even smile at a lady in the office anymore. I'll just cut my dick off. Now, we know that's coming next. Nobody is asking the police to abandon their communities. People are asking the police to treat all communities like it is their community. I mean, think about the fact that this guy even says we can't even put our hands on a criminal.

That's part of the problem. All too often in America, police treat everyone that they come across like a criminal, especially black people. And I'm not being dramatic. That's just how it is not for those who don't know. Police unions fight for their members in the ways that all unions do. They organize for better pay and they organize for benefits. There are a lot of good things that come from having a police union, but they also protect members in ways that make it virtually impossible to hold bad cops accountable.

They set the terms of internal investigations that accused cops can stonewall until the department has to give up. And then if a cop is found to be at fault, unions can put limits on the penalties so that even police chiefs who want to fire the officers who've done something wrong can't do it. And on top of all of that, there are even examples of police threatening not to do their jobs if politicians try to hold them accountable, which I'm sorry is ridiculous.

Can you imagine if nurses threatened to let patients die, if they're not allowed to steal opioids and sell them on the side? No one would accept that. And so the question is, what can Americans do if police unions, all this powerful? What can people do? Well, for more on this, I'm joined by our very own union expert, Roy Wood, Jr.. What's going on, Roy?

How are you doing? What's how you been? Well, I'm I'm as good as I can be. And I'm assuming you've seen that video of Pat Lynch, the head of the New York Police Union. What did you make of the video?

Yes, I saw Henry Winkler up at the microphone doing his thing, looked like Henry Winkler. I thought it was a Happy Days reboot. I was like, this is a terrible time to bring back this show.

Also sidebar, if you're a police union and you vote somebody to be the head of the police union, you probably shouldn't have them be named Pat Lynch. Also, the question, what are the rest of the black people that are on this diverse police department? Look at this photo that look like a 50 year reunion of a lacrosse team.

Yeah, and Roy, another problem is that the police unions are now basically showing people what a powerful force they are. They're standing up against the reforms and and they're so well organized. The politicians are afraid of them. So, like, the question I have for you is, is there anything that can be done to weaken the influence they have?

The African you think about it and see, here's the thing. Everybody's trying to make the police union weaker with. All you need to do is make a stronger union that's stronger than the police union. That's why I propose that all black people come together and we form. A black people union is called the National Black Association. Wait, hold up. The NBA. Now, think of another name. The point is, is that what's this union is together?

It brings together every black person in the country. And if you're black, you're automatically approved. It's the opposite of a home loan.

OK, fine. And then what happens once you have the Black Union? How does that help?

Once to organize every year will make America negotiate a new deal with us. And with our strength in numbers. We can finally get our demands met, hold cops accountable for misconduct, demilitarize the police, shift funding away from cops and toward schools and education. And while we're at it, rescue Kanye West from the second place. We need them back.

OK, look, Roy, that sounds like fair demands, but what if America and the Black Union can't agree on a deal? What happens then?

Well, then black people are just have to take our talents elsewhere. Like when LeBron left Cleveland. Only now is black people leaving all of America. Does America really want that? Do you really want to be without black people? No sports, no music, no more dance moves, no Tic-Tac doing the hokey pokey. You have to believe. Good luck going viral with that shit.

Wow. I don't know, Roy. I don't know if black people leave America, where will they go?

Will go anywhere. Maybe we'll go to one of them countries that doesn't have any police brutality. You know, Japan is just New Zealand is opposed to just a white one.

No way you can go to Norway. You know what? I don't think we should go to Norway because I know winter up there is brutal. That's a whole different type of brutality to black people. So we just go to Japan.

And by the way, when we do leave America, we'll get ourselves there. We don't need you offer a no boat, right? Follain for that. No more travel vouchers. OK, now if you'll excuse me, Trevor, I need to check on these fifty thousand business cards that I ordered that it in on it. See if I can get those cancel. Hey, what's up, man? You know, with all these protests sweeping across America, people have been comparing this moment to the civil rights movement of the 1960s and much like the nineteen sixties, law enforcement officers have met these calls to end police brutality with even more police brutality across the country.

Peaceful protests have too often devolved into standoffs with heavily armed police using military style tactics.

The flash bangs, tear gas, rubber bullets, helicopters, armored vehicles, law enforcement in riot gear approach a barrier.

Protesters on the other side hands up in the air chanting Don't shoot. But that's exactly what they did, shooting tear gas and rubber bullets. The threat of terrorism after 9/11 convinced many departments to stock up. Now those departments are facing off against their own citizens.

Just take a moment to think about that. The police department got this heavy duty equipment to fight terrorists, that's why they got the equipment post 9/11 and now they're using it against Americans who are exercising their right to protest.

And I'm sorry, what about these people screams terrorist to you, like, maybe I've forgotten my history, but I don't remember the part where al Qaeda attacked America with cardboard signs. And an argument I've heard some people make is that the only reason the police are doing this is because the protesters are looting or being violent. That's what they say. No, they're doing this because the people of violence. But as happens so often, the police story never matches the actual footage because for the past week, the Internet has been full of videos of police officers attacking protesters with no provocation whatsoever.

Caught on camera from coast to coast, alleged excessive force by police officers, attacks against protesters who are demonstrating against police brutality. In New York, police drove a vehicle into a crowd of people protesting there.

In Los Angeles, police swinging batons at people who witnesses say was simply standing with their hands up.

A New York police officer caught on camera pushing a woman who was demonstrating an officer pulling a man's face mask off and spraying him with pepper spray.

This unsettling image of an officer kicking a woman who was maced, caught on camera, a protester run over by an HPD mounted patrol unit at the height of the protest. We as black people deal with this every day. Black and brown people are treated brutally every day.

I don't care who you are. Those images have to be upsetting to watch. Because these images are the antithesis of what America is supposed to stand for. This is supposed to be the country where you have the freedom to say whatever you want, a democracy. All right. You can say whatever you want, whether it's Black Lives Matter or let's all drink bleach. The government is not supposed to physically punish you for that. And that hasn't always been the case in America.

But that is the ideal, right? When people were protesting in Michigan saying that they want to go out, they want to go back to work, they want to get haircuts. They don't care about the coronavirus. They want getting beaten up. And that's what America is, the freedom to protest and the freedom to protest isn't the only American ideal that the police have been trying to suppress lately. It seems like they've been really making a concerted effort to go off to the free press.

More than three hundred journalists have faced press freedom violations across the United States.

The cameras rolling when law enforcement seem to be targeting journalists.

I am press. We identified ourselves as press and they fired tear gas canisters on us point blank range.

This Australian cameraman and reporter were shoved and hit while live on air.

Police now advancing on. Oh, my gosh, I'm getting in Louisville.

Pepper balls, fire at the crew on live TV.

Who were they aiming that at?

Directly at us. Yeah. Those videos of what's happening in America right now, cops are just openly firing tear gas and pepper bullets and everything on journalists. I mean, I can't blame them if I was doing the shit that the police have been doing, I wouldn't want anyone recording it either. So the police are attacking unarmed protesters, defenseless reporters. I mean, at this point, you might be wondering, is there anyone is there anyone non-threatening enough that the police would not get violent with them?

And what we're learning is that the answer is no.

Salt Lake City police officer in full riot gear using his shield to push an elderly man with a cane. The man falls face first onto the ground.

Two officers in Buffalo, New York, pushing a seventy five year old man who falls to the ground, hits his head and starts bleeding. None of the officers in the video appear to help him.

I don't care how many times I see that video, I will never get used to it. Because it's bad enough that these cops push an old man who's walking over to them. But the fact that they walk over him, they walk past him while he's bleeding out on the sidewalk. Like, who are you protecting and serving, if not that old man, and think about it. These were just two that were caught on video now, as usual.

When videos like this come out, the excuse is always the same people always want to defend those police by saying those are just a couple of bad apples. That is not that is not a signifier that that is not representative of the entire police department's. The only issue is that argument falls apart when you see what happened after they pushed this old man to the ground.

A police statement released before the footage was posted online said only that a man tripped and fell.

But after the video surfaced, the police commissioner ordered an internal affairs investigation and the immediate suspension of the officers without pay.

As the officers leave the courthouse, cheers from a crowd of fellow officers and law enforcement in another show of support. All 57 members of the Buffalo Emergency Response Team resigned, but they remain on the police force.

Think about this for a second. Not only did the police department try to cover up what happened. Not only did they try and lie about something that we all saw on camera, but once the truth got out and those cops were punished, the entire team resigned to protest those police being held accountable. In fact, they even showed up at the courthouse to cheer them on as they came out. What are you cheering that Buffalo is finally safe from old men walking around in public?

What are you cheering? What are you hearing, the fact that you've come out, the fact that you said it's a scary thing to think about, what are they cheering for? And something I think people need to understand about the police is that in a way, they have the same code that a gang does in that, above all, you are loyal to your crew. That is a culture that is within every police department. And that's the heart of this issue.

If good, police are willing to look the other way or even join in when the bad police abuse their powers, you can make new rules and regulations all you want, but it won't matter. America is not going to be able to fix this problem until we have police whose first priority is protecting and serving the people.

Instead of protecting and serving themselves. In twenty twenty, thousands of people marched in the streets trying to defund the police, which sounds scary, but what does it actually mean?

This really is a an idea to entirely reimagine public safety and rethink how we do it.

It means taking money out of police budgets and using it to fund different types of workers who handle some nine one one calls, kind of like how Batman had to take a pay cut to fund the Justice League.

And in Eugene, Oregon, they're giving it a trial run with a program called Kahootz. What is that like? A crime solving owl is an acronym. It stands for Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Street. OK, so no, I sat down with Kahootz coordinators Tim Black and Ebony Morgan to find out how the little test project has been going.

So I'm guessing you guys started Kahootz a few months ago when everybody was marching in the streets?

No, we've actually been around for more than 30 years.

Wait 30 years. When your organization was created, the fresh prince had me left for Bel Air yet, OK, they've been doing this for a while.

But what exactly are they doing?

What type of nine one one calls do you all typically respond to as a Kahootz agent? Is it Agent Kahuta Hooty?

We respond to non-criminal and nonviolent calls for service that come through the 911 line in our area and we respond with a crisis worker and an EMT instead of law enforcement.

You say that guns are right.

No guns, no tasers, no pepper spray and gun and checks. And then just also a baseball bat.

Why is it that we assume it's going to take a weapon to get somebody up off of you? I hear what you're saying to him. But like, even more cops got mace and they protect them. Build-A-Bear Workshop.

But where other law enforcement officers are utilizing more and more expensive military gear to loosen a little white vans actually save a ton of money compared to the local police's annual budget of 90 million.

Kahootz cost about two million, around two percent of the police budget.

But Kahootz respond to almost 20 percent of emergency calls. So what does a typical Kahootz call look like?

It's really about meeting people where they are and helping them get to a space that may be a little safer. We started talking on the side of the road and it's noisy and you're overwhelmed.

Let's just have a seat in the back of the van and then we'll talk about nothing but kidnap anybody. Not a fake speculator's, get nothing. I do promise people snatch if they get in something. What kind of snatch?

You got granola bars, some water, whatever. We'll have clothes on the van, tents, sleeping bags.

I'm going just be honest. You had me a snacks. I'm a 40 year old man. I'll get a van for some snacks.

But the besides of granola bars, they have one big secret weapon just being chill, using a technique they call de-escalation.

The escalation of the practice where you're encountering somebody who is escalated and you help them get to a desolated space or a little more calm.

So what's the escalator version of pepper spray like Tabasco sauce?

You just flicked it in somebody that, oh, no, I need to be engaged. I show you that I really care about the things that you're saying and finding that way that we can work through this crisis together.

But lately, kahunas have been putting their lives on the line, responding to teret America's angriest and most dangerous demographic.

And we get a lot of calls that are placed to public safety with a certain outcome in mind, those who say racism is a safe place.

All right.

We have a lot of people that, you know, we do encounter situations where folks are calling in, you know, because of racist motivations or, you know, because they have a bias against different socioeconomic circumstances. And in those situations, I think there are two things that we need to do.

One is we need to recognize what it was that triggered that person to make that call and that if they're going to slap the shit out of them or, you know, maybe try and present an opportunity for them to confront a little bit of their white fragility, a little bit of their explicit bias and say that next.

But then also at the other end it with the individual that we called out to respond to. You know, we have an obligation to say, hey, like this, this was unfair. We know that you didn't ask us to be here. We're here now. Is there anything that we can do for you?

So essentially, Karen calls now on one for protection from the homeless person and then y'all pull up and protect the homeless person from care, basically. And then all from Snax. Exactly.

Kahootz is out there helping the homeless and trolling carrots. But I had to see it in action in a and safe way, of course, without leaving my home. You are the cops.

Technically, I can't get a hold of the police, but I would only do so if somebody was unsafe. And I'm not necessarily seeing someone say I'm safe right now.

I was so scared that Martin Luther King Jr. statue across the street has been staring at me. Can I say something to it, please? Well, maybe I'm here to talk with you right now, though. How long has this been going on for you? Every day.

Every day I come down the street and it's just a black guy and he's just staring at me. Where are the cops? Where your gun was, all of his stuff? I don't see a threat.

I got the immediate situation. Do you feel like that? You don't right now. I bet you don't. I bet you know him, you people. What if you walked down a different block? What if you put the statue in a different place?

OK, well, I'm not in charge of statue placement, but I am here to help you have a better day. And if this is going to ruin your day, you don't have to look at it.

Wow, these guys are good. And if Kahootz could do all of this with two million dollars, imagine what they could do with 90. Incredible, beautiful. The Daily Show with Criminal Lawyers edition watch The Daily Show weeknights at 11:00, 10:00 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central. Watch full episodes and videos at The Daily Show Dotcom. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to The Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. If you're ready to travel again, Dulles International and Reagan National airports are working hard to help you have a safe and enjoyable journey, we've implemented health and safety measures like sanitizing more often and requiring face coverings.

And with shopping and dining options available in every concourse, you can enjoy a meal or grab a snack before you board, visit MWI Dotcom Safety to learn more about our safety measures and see available concessions. Get ready to laugh and learn. I'm Nick Smith, I am Flamin wrote, I am hishe we pay cash a check, she'll make the money we spend. They laugh and learn is a weekly podcast bringing you the latest headlines, keeping you politically informed, mixed in with a little pop culture.

You never know what you're going to hear.

I heard radio is number one for podcast, but don't take our word for it.

Find laugh and learn on the I Heart radio app or wherever you get your podcast brought to you by peacocke.

This has been a Comedy Central podcast now.