As Black Lives Matter protests took place across the country Thursday night, Fox News' Megyn Kelly, host of "The Kelly File," remained skeptical of the movement, and said overall, the police treat people fairly.
"This issue has reached a boiling point," Kelly said. "The cops are fed up with being called racists. Some of them are fed up with their fellow cops. They don't make a lot of money. They put their lives on the line to protect us. Ninety-eight percent of them are good cops who don't run around trying to shoot people unnecessarily; and yet there's no question that there are some bad ones. And there's no question that young black men in America today—many of them—feel like their lives are on the line if they have any sort of an encounter with a police officer."
"And that fear is very realistic," Eric Guster, an African-American attorney and frequent Fox News contributor, told Kelly.
A recent encounter of his with the police is one that rings true for many.
"I was pulled over two months ago for a traffic violation," Guster began. "Megyn, I am a well-known lawyer, especially in the South, in Alabama, where I practice, and I was pulled over and I was afraid for my life based upon being pulled over just for a traffic violation, so that reality is something that so many African Americans deal with on a daily basis."
"It goes back to the police officers… Some of them simply should never have been hired. That’s one of the major issues at hand," he said.
Guster also revealed some startling statistics.
"Black individuals are three times more likely to be stopped by police… two times more likely to be shot by police, and that’s why these people are out here protesting," Guster said.
It's also why Seema Sadanandan, a member of the ACLU, is educating high school students at Washington, D.C.'s predominantly black Dunbar High School on what to do if stopped by police.
“First rule: don’t run,” Sadanandan tells the students.
Other tips include asking the officer if you are free to go, why you are being stopped and requesting to remain silent. She also advises students to let the police officer know when you do not consent to a search and if you would like a lawyer.
Regarding the New York protest, Guster pointed to the importance of white allies as well.
"The beautiful thing about [it is] that the people out there marching are at least 50 percent white," Guster said.
