'Full Frontal with Samantha Bee' tackles police brutality

"White people who say there are only a few bad apples in the police force live in a very different America from black people."

Samantha Bee

Samantha Bee Source: YouTube

'Full Frontal with Samantha Bee' returns for the first time since hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets after the murder of , who died after a policeman pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds until his body went limp.

The episode covers the history of police brutality in America, addressed by a visibly emotional Bee.  

"Like everyone, I'm feeling angry and devastated that our country continues to fail to confront police brutality against black people," says the late night host in her monologue.

"It is so frustrating that this keeps happening and that it took a nine-minute video of a man being killed to get people to understand that this is an emergency."

The 46-year-old African American's death sparked global outrage against police brutality and forced leaders around the world to confront longstanding issues of systemic racism.  

"We have to change the infrastructure of police and justice around the country. It all comes down to this -- black lives matter," says Bee. 

The late night host continues, showing footages of police violence against protesters around the US.

"I'm surprised they didn't ticket the people they ran over by scuffing up the paint job," she quips, noting the frequency of potentially deadly force being used on peaceful demonstrators.  

Bee took aim at a montage of politicians and members of the media using 'bad apples' to describe accused officers. 

Echoing a now-viral , Bee adds, "A police officer who murders someone isn't a bad apple. A police officer who murders someone is a murderer." 

"White people who say there are only a few bad apples in the police force live in a very different America from black people. Many white Americans don't have many run-ins with the police... but black people face constant suspicion from law enforcement," she says.  

Bee points out the increased militarisation of police in the US, and the bipartisan problems that contribute to the ongoing brutality. 

With typical Sam Bee wit, the problem of systemic racism is summed up in a sobering analogy. 

"Systemic racism is so embedded in our society that even well-intentioned people might not notice it's all around them. 

“It's like when you're in the swimming pool, everything might feel fine from your perspective, but you're actually surrounded by thousands of gallons of child's pee." 

Catch the full episode of Full Fontal with Samantha Bee's Black Lives Matter special on SBS Viceland tonight



Watch 'Full Frontal with Samantha Bee' Thursday night on at 9:50pm. The episode will be after broadcast.

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3 min read
Published 11 June 2020 3:32pm
By SBS Guide
Source: SBS


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