Activist D.L. Hughley uses the 'benign racism' of NBC host Megyn Kelly to explain why cops get away with shooting blacks
Appearing on CNN with Michael Smerconish to promote his new book, comedian and activist D.L. Hughley and the host used an old Fox News clip of then-Fox host Megyn Kelly to get into what Hughley called the "benign racism" of white people.
In the clip, Kelly -- who has since moved on to NBC -- refused to give the presumption of innocence to Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black teacher who was shot and killed by Minnesota police officer.
Using that as a leaping off point, Hughley -- whose new book is called "How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People" -- explained that little has changed since the death of Castile.
"That conversation angered me so much and rather than being angry and getting frustrated, I put it into action," Hughley explained. "I wanted to write a book that was satirical and had factual data."
"That mind-set that Megyn Kelly expressed is why these things keep happening, It's that benign racism where you can go, no matter what we see, we're going to ascribe it to --" he continued before changing direction. "We will blame 12-year-old boys in Cleveland for having toy guns and being shot down. It's that mind-set that allows these things to happen. And my goal was, how can I show them what I see and let them see it in a way that makes them -- that they're less threatened by it."
"You deal with that which you most often hear from guys who look like I look when there is one of these shootings, " Smerconish agreed. "Like just comply with police orders, don't talk back, or, my favorite, I've got to admit and I've said it: don't break the law."
"We're saying we'd rather have policemen who decide that you not complying with them is a death sentence," Hughley replied. "I don't think ultimately that's what we would like in a society."
Watch the video below via CNN: