A lot of people in the black community are upset with Charles Barkley, yes again. Many feel he’s the guy who got money and turned into an “Uncle Tom”. Barkley’s latest comments surely ruffled quite a few feathers as he recently called Ferguson looters “scumbags,” praised police officers who work in black neighborhoods, and said he supports the decision made by the grand jury not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the Michael Brown shooting.
During an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the day after the Ferguson decision was announced, host Mike Missanelli asked Barkley about it and why “black America” doesn’t trust the ruling.
His response surprised some listeners.
“The true story came out from the grand jury testimony,” Barkley said, adding that he was made aware of “key forensic evidence, and several black witnesses that supported Officer Darren Wilson’s story…” He continued, “I can’t believe anything I hear on television anymore. And, that’s why I don’t like talking about race issues with the media anymore, because they (the media) love this stuff, and lead people to jump to conclusions. The media shouldn’t do that. They never do that when black people kill each other. “
“[W]e have to be really careful with the cops, because if it wasn’t for the cops we would be living in the Wild, Wild West in our neighborhoods,” he said. “We can’t pick out certain incidentals that don’t go our way and act like the cops are all bad…. Do you know how bad some of these neighborhoods would be if it wasn’t for the cops?”
Regardless of the feedback he gets on his Ferguson comments, Barkley made it clear on the Philadelphia radio show that he will continue to share his thoughts on the Ferguson decision and on race in America, telling listeners, “I ain’t shutting up and I ain’t backing down.”
