Speaking on The Steve Malzberg show, a Tea Party leader told the host that he is disturbed that “thugs” like Michael Brown –recently killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO.– and Trayvon Martin, are “given the benefit of the doubt,” in news reports following their deaths.

In video captured by Right Wing Watch, Jesse Lee Peterson, founder of the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND) and the South Central L.A. Tea Party, described both Brown and Martin as “thugs,” and said that criminals in America, “especially black criminals,” are let off too easily.

“I’ve said from day one that Michael Brown is a thug,” Peterson explained before asserting that he must be a criminal by nothing “the fact that he was running from the cops, period, because good folks do not run from police officers, they follow their instructions.”

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He added, “I just think that it’s a shame that, in America today, that criminals are given the benefit of the doubt – especially black criminals because white criminals are not – but black criminals are given the benefit of the doubt and the police officers are the suspects. I don’t know what has happened to my country.”

Peterson introduced Trayvon Martin –shot and killed by George Zimmerman in 2012– into the conversation, stating, “This guys was a thug, he grew up without both parents in the home. When you look at his Facebook page, he has a gun in his hand, smoking marijuana, has tattoos, had been thrown out of school. The guy’s a thug. Why are we protecting thugs?”

Watch the video below, from Right Wing Watch:

[Image via Jesse Lee Peterson Facebook page]

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Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. We’re not part of a conglomerate, or a project of venture capital bros. From unflinching coverage of racism, to revealing efforts to erode our rights, Raw Story will continue to expose hypocrisy and harm. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

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