Stephen A. Smith Sparks Outrage For Calling ICE Shooting “Justified”
Stephen A. Smith Sparks Outrage For Calling Minneapolis ICE Shooting “Justified” But “Unnecessary”
Despite video evidence contradicting his claims, Stephen A. Smith defended an ICE agent who killed Renee Nicole Good, dismissed public outrage as media spin, and doubled down by blaming the victim—further cementing his status as a megaphone for narratives that criminalize Black dissent and excuse state violence.
Stephen A. Smith just won’t stop yapping.
The ESPN commentator who is as well known for his theatrics as he is for his takes has, for some reason, moved his analysis over to politics, and he just won’t stop his onslaught of egregiously bad takes.
Smith’s latest hot take claims during his SiriusXM “Straight Shooter” talk show that the killing of Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis woman who was stopped and later shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, was “completely unnecessary,” he also added that the agent “from a lawful perspective” was “completely justified” in firing his gun at her car.
“From a humanitarian perspective, however, why did you have to do that? If you could move out the way, that means you could have shot the tires. That means you could have got a few feet away after you shot the tires. And if you were unsuccessful in doing that, you could have got her down the road.
“Smith’s comments about the agent being in harm’s way echoed the views of Deputy of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Good engaged in an “act of domestic terrorism” by attacking officers and attempting to run them over with her vehicle, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Video from the incident, shown from different angles, appears to indicate that the agent was not in front of Good’s car when he opened fire.
“Local officials contend that Good posed no danger to ICE officers. A video posted by partisan media outlet Alpha News showed Good talking to agents before the shooting, saying, ‘I’m not mad at you,’” the Times reports.
Smith’s comments once again, continue to fan the flames of injustice as several thousands gathered to protest not only the shooting of Good but the overpolicing of Black and brown neighborhoods by immigration officers.
During his “Straight Shooter” show on YouTube on Friday, an angry Smith claimed that his comments had been taken out of context and called out the New York Post and “media personality Keith Olbermann, while saying that people were trying to get him fired,” the Times reports.
Smith also took a moment to double down on his original claim that Good provoked the incident that led to her death.
“In the moment when you are dealing with law enforcement officials, you obey their orders so you can get home safely,” he said. “Renee Good did not do that.”
Smith has continued to the ire of Black media who many consider to be a mouthpiece for white media to say the things that can’t for fear of being considered racist.
Most recently Joy Reid called out Smith for his comments against Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas whom he accused of using “street verbiage” when criticizing President Trump.
“The way that Jasmine Crockett chooses to express herself…,” Smith said. “Aren’t you there to try and get stuff done instead of just being an impediment? ‘I’m just going to go off about Trump, cuss him out every chance I get, say the most derogatory things imaginable, and that’s my day’s work?’ That ain’t work! Work is, this is the man in power. I know what his agenda is. Maybe I try to work with this man. I might get something out of it for my constituents.’ ”
To which Reid responded: “You’re willing to take their denigration of Black women and put it in the mouth of a Negro. And because you’re willing to put the denigration of Black women in particular, into a Negro’s mouth, you now think that, ‘Oh, I must be a freakin’ political genius,’” she continued.
“But let’s just be clear, you’re not being paid for your numbers. You’re being paid for what you’re willing to do to us for white people’s entertainment.”
See the reactions to Smith’s opinion’s below.
