He spent fifteen years as Speaker of California’s State Assembly and became a national celebrity as mayor of San Francisco. The always outspoken, Willie Brown joins Larry King tonight on PoliticKING.
Tonight, Willie Brown gives his opinions on the politics of the day, including who he thinks is most suited for the Democratic ticket in 2016.
In the interview, Larry King references a recent article Wille Brown wrote about Baltimore being a turning point in the national debate about police misconduct.
Larry asks Willie Brown what he makes of Baltimore, Cleveland, and Ferguson, as Brown is one of the most influential African American politicians of the late twentieth century, being at the center of California politics, government and civic life for four decades.
Here is his response:
Well, I have said repeatedly, that for the first time, we have the opportunity to address what this nation has refused to address for some time. Race is still a big issue. Every time there has been conversation about law enforcement, it has always started with race. Because it was Ferguson, race. It was the Carolinas, race. It was Florida, race. It was race in Oklahoma. It was race practically all over the country, and then suddenly you arrive in Baltimore, and it is a race i.e. but it’s not race the way you think black versus white. It’s the question of how do we conduct ourselves as human beings on a law enforcement side, on the prosecutory side, as it relates to citizens who are the victims of huge racism in this country. Black people are the victims of racism in this country, and it goes far beyond anything that’s been previously addressed. Baltimore gives us the opportunity now to literally address it. We’ve got to address the reasons why there’s a perception of people from a perspective of race. We’ve got to address the reasons why people are grossly unemployed, hired, in any other category of people who are unemployed. Poorly paid, often mistreated, period. Baltimore gives us an opportunity to address an issue, and I share the view of those who have said, this time, we can actually talk about it, because we don’t have to start apologizing for racist conduct.
For more of Brown's insights into the political arena, you can read his column in The San Francisco Chronicle here.
WATCH a quick clip of tonight's interview:
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.
