COLOR OF CHANGE CALLS OUT BILL O'REILLY FOR HIS RACIST ASSESMENT OF BLACK CHILDREN IN THE GHETTO

This is from a mass email by the group Color of Change. This is not the first time Bill O’Reilly has used his program to childishly attack African American neighborhoods, but it does get old after awhile.

Color of Change

During a July 28th segment on his FOX News program, Bill O’Reilly claimed that “in certain ghetto neighborhoods it’s part of the culture” for 9-year old Black children to smoke marijuana. ¹

Apparently, O’Reilly thinks criminality and drug abuse are woven into the very fabric of Black life. He even had the audacity to decry Black parents for allegedly smoking marijuana in front of their children.

This is dangerous rhetoric; a classic example of FOX News and conservatives attacking Black communities in order to advance their outlandish, right-wing agenda and smear fair policies. Such irresponsible speech shapes perceptions of Black people in the minds of viewers, endangering Black people in workplaces, courtrooms, and classrooms across the country. Bill O’Reilly’s latest antics cannot be tolerated.

Click here to check out video of the segment, and join us in demanding Bill O’Reilly issue an apology and correction regarding his outrageous statements about the Black community.

Bill O’Reilly’s race-baiting statements aren’t just offensive, they’re inaccurate. Earlier in the program, he suggested Black people do not suffer disproportionate legal repercussions for marijuana use and possession.² In reality, Black people are almost four times as likely to be arrested for possession than whites, even though Blacks and whites use marijuana at roughly the same rates.³ There is no question that Black people have unfairly shouldered the greatest burden from the failed, costly War on Drugs. These types of inaccurate, dehumanizing representations of Black people on the news actually lead to the over-policing and mass incarceration to which O’Reilly wants his viewers to turn a blind eye.

O’Reilly’s rhetoric exploits racial stereotypes in order to sour his viewers on worthwhile progressive policies. In fact, the next night O’Reilly was at it again, explaining away the role of racial profiling in drug arrests because Black neighborhoods are essentially filled with criminals deserving of harassment from police.⁴ Research shows there are dire consequences for Black people when these outlandish archetypes rule the day; abusive treatment by police, less attention from doctors, and harsher sentences from judges, just to name a few.⁵

We know that Bill O’Reilly rarely apologizes or recognizes his mistakes; making outrageous and race-baiting comments has been a part of his ugly brand of punditry for years. But enough is enough. With such a large following and platform, he must be held accountable for the dissemination of these harmful mistruths about Black communities. And those politicians and more “mainstream” public figures who continue to join his show, benefit from his platform, and align themselves with him will be held accountable as well. We can no longer let them silently stand by while O’Reilly makes such dangerous and dehumanizing remarks again and again.

Stand with us in demanding Bill O’Reilly issue an apology and correction regarding his dehumanizing statements about Black people.

Thanks and Peace,

–Rashad, Arisha, Matt, Aimée, Dallas and the rest of the ColorOfChange team.
   July 30, 2014

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References

1. “O’Reilly: ‘In Certain Ghetto Neighborhoods It’s Part of the Culture’ for Children to Smoke Marijuana,” Media Matters, 7-28-14
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3716?t=7&akid=3529.1537768.J-kCqX

2. “Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly Claims Ghetto Culture Causes 9-Year Old Black Kids to Smoke Weed,” Politics USA, 7-29-14
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3717?t=9&akid=3529.1537768.J-kCqX

3. “The War on Marijuana in Black and White,” ACLU, June 2013
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3718?t=11&akid=3529.1537768.J-kCqX

4. “O’Reilly on Racial Profiling of Drug Offenders: It’s Not About ‘Let’s Hunt Down the Black People Today,’” Media Matters, 7-29-14
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3719?t=13&akid=3529.1537768.J-kCqX

5. “Media Representations and Impact on the Lives of Black Men and Boys,” The Opportunity Agenda
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3685?t=15&akid=3529.1537768.J-kCqX