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Whoopi Goldberg is amassing a soaring backlash on social media after stating her opinions on police reform. On her show, The View, the co-host questioned whether we “need to see white people get beat” before changes are made in the policing system. Several netizens rallied for her to be fired, by claiming that she was inciting violence and was being racist.
Whoopi Goldberg made the comments following Tyre Nichols’ death, which sparked nationwide outrage. In graphic bodycam footage, the Memphis-native was seen being brutally beaten by police officers. The 29-year-old died in the hospital three days after his attack.
Speaking about the same on Monday, Whoopi Goldberg questioned viewers on whether one had to see Caucasian people get brutally attacked before changes are made to police reform.
What exactly did Whoopi Goldberg say on The View?
The co-host started the discussion on police reform and went on to say that it did not matter whether it was a Black or Caucasian policeman. Whoopi stated that it was a “problem with the policing itself.”
The 67-year-old said on the show:
“Seems things don’t make sense to people unless it’s somebody they can feel or they can recognize. Do we need to see white people also get beaten before anybody will do anything? I’m not suggesting that, so don’t write us and tell me what a racist I am. I’m just asking is that what people have to see in order to wake up and realize this affected us all.”
As the show progressed, she stated that it doesn't seem like it matters to people until someone of their own race gets beaten up.
Co-host Ana Navarro also seemed to agree with Whoopi's statement. She noted on the show that there was a larger problem at hand rather than simply the race of the policemen. She stated:
“What we saw, in this case, is that good cops come in any gender, any class, any color. And bad cops can be any gender, any color, and these cops were blue before they were black… That night they were out hunting for a victim, who just happened to be this young man, Tyre Nichols. How many more times are we going to have to see black youth beaten to death"
Netizens react to Whoopi Goldberg’s statement
Despite the co-host noting that she was not trying to be racist, several netizens felt like she was doing so and inciting violence as well. Many called for her immediate dismissal. A few reactions to her statement read:
People worldwide drew comparisons to the deaths of George Floyd and Elijah McClain. The two men, and Nichols were all black men who were killed at the hands of American police officers.
The five now-former Memphis police officers who were behind the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols have been fired following the incident. They have also been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault amongst other charges. The Scorpion Unit has also been disbanded since their involvement in beating Nichols.
