Michael Douglas says videos of police brutality help cause of BLM

‘People cannot argue with what they’re seeing’: Michael Douglas says videos of police brutality make it impossible to ignore Black Lives Matter

As the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, braces for more unrest following the shooting of an unarmed Black man by white police officers Sunday, Michael Douglas is speaking out about racial injustice.

The Hollywood star, 75, says the capturing and sharing of cell phone video of incidents involving police brutality means it’s impossible to ignore Black Lives Matter.

‘In all the situations where we have had video presence, the questions become much clearer than they were before. So I hope for that matter alone, and it’s reached this point, where people cannot argue with what they’re seeing,’ the actor and producer said.

Power of the camera: Hollywood star Michael Douglas says cell phone videos of police brutality help Black Lives Matter because ‘people cannot argue with what they’re seeing’

Douglas’s remarks are part of a broad-ranging conversation for Liberatum’s global humanitarian series Lifesaving Conversations, which was released online on Monday.

Douglas chatted remotely with former Sierra Leone child soldier Ishmael Beah about racial justice, the role of the United Nations, and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ever since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, BLM protests have been ongoing around the world with calls for greater racial equality and justice.

Floyd’s last moments as he lay dying with a white police officer’s knee on his neck, was captured on cell phone video as bystanders pleaded with cops to release him. 

On Sunday night, cell phone video once again went viral, this time appearing to show Jacob Blake being shot multiple times in the back by police officers in front of his children in a residential neighborhood of Kenosha. Blake, 29, is hospitalized in serious condition.

Speaking out: Douglas, 75, spoke about BLM and racial justice in a recorded conversation with former Sierra Leone child solider Ishmael Beah for Liberatum’s Lifesaving conversations

Viral moment: On Sunday night, cell phone video appeared to show Jacob Blake being shot multiple times in the back by police officers in front of his children in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Flashpoint: The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white officer knelt on his neck sparked protests around the world in support of Black Lives Matter 

With  our own eyes: ‘It is the fact that transparency has come through us being able to see these situations,’ Douglas observed. ‘With the whole situation in Minneapolis it was so obvious and it was so clear to so many people that there was no argument’

‘It is the camera. It is the fact that transparency has come through us being able to see these situations,’ Douglas observed. 

‘With the whole situation in Minneapolis it was so obvious and it was so clear to so many people that there was no argument.’

He went on: ‘It’s not a racial issue i.e. black versus white. It’s black and white. It’s a political issue now much more than ever was before. And I really strongly believe that we have a real opportunity here to make a larger jump in our racial division.’ 

The star of Wall Street and Fatal Attraction also spoke about the ongoing pandemic and the way that the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting minority communities.

‘When you start seeing the proportion of black and brown people who have been kicked down and knocked down by this COVID next to white people, you understand why. Especially in New York you understand the housing situation, how people are focused into small groups and it’s much more likely to get the disease,’ he said during his Liberatum conversation.

Douglas serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and his conversation partner Beah is UNICEF’s first Advocate for Children Affected by War.

Their recorded conversation is the latest in a series hosted by Liberatum, which describes itself as a ‘Global Multimedia and Multidisciplinary Cultural Organization Empowering and Inspiring Minds to Promote Social Change and Raise Consciousness.’

The video posted Monday seeks to raise donations for the work of World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit founded by chef José Andrés to provide food for those affected by natural disasters.

His thoughts: ‘It’s not a racial issue i.e. black versus white. It’s black and white, Douglas said of the BLM. ‘It’s a political issue now much more than ever was before. And I really strongly believe that we have a real opportunity here to make a larger jump in our racial division’ 

Wide-ranging discussion: Douglas serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and his conversation partner Beah is UNICEF’s first Advocate for Children Affected by War. Their full conversation also addressed the work and importance of the United Nations

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