Isaiah Washington is being slammed left and right for telling Chris Rock to “adapt” after the comedian was stopped three times by police in less than two months. Rock documented his interaction with the cops on social media. Washington, who thought he was being helpful, appeared on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon Wednesday to clear the air after the backlash his comments generated.
Actor and activist Isaiah Washington is in big trouble for suggesting that Chris Rock should “adapt” to bias from some police officers. The controversy started when Rock shared a photo of himself being stopped by the police; this happened to him three times in the past seven weeks. Rock used the caption:
“Stopped by the cops again wish me luck.”
https://instagram.com/p/04R10fCm65/
Some called Rock’s post “race baiting,” others saw it as a powerful statement in the face of a serious problem in America: over-policing for people of color. “Driving While Black” has become a rallying cry in communities where interaction with law enforcement is rooted in fear and suspicion. Isaiah Washington addressed the Chris Rock police controversy by offering a very unique solution. The former Grey’s Anatomy actor wrote on Twitter:
I sold my $90,000.00 Mercedes G500 and bought 3 Prius's, because I got tired of being pulled over by Police. #Adapt @chrisrock
— Isaiah Washington (@IWashington) April 1, 2015
The statement went viral, and most commentators slammed Washington calling him an “Uncle Tom,” a black person who tries hard to fit white people’s stereotypes instead of challenging them. The 51-year-old actor is accused of trying to accommodate racism instead of fighting it. Here is a sample of what was thrown at him on Twitter.
@IWashington you are such a fucking coon
— Billie Holiday (@PaintingDaBlues) April 1, 2015
@IWashington RESPECTABILITY POLITICS WILL NOT SAVE YOU
— DJ MK Ultra (@SamGriot) April 1, 2015
@IWashington @chrisrock How would that stop them from pulling you over? It's their racism that leads them to pull you over not your car
— Robert_C (@Robert9081) April 1, 2015
@IWashington @chrisrock Blacks driving beat up cars get stopped, Blacks walking down the street get stopped. It's never about the car.
— Robert_C (@Robert9081) April 1, 2015
Fam… Fam… I hope u know that just because you change the car, doesn't change perception of the Black man in it @IWashington @chrisrock
— Brad J Howard, A.I.P (@TheBlackIcarus) April 1, 2015
The talented actor did not get much support from social media, so he took his battle to CNN, and made things worse by making more confusing comments about race in America. He told Lemon:
“We’ve been burdened for 400 years… We are in a situation where we have to survive in extreme circumstances with people who are angry and those who are practicing white supremacy — they are on the hunt and they are angry. The onus is on us. If we don’t survive, we don’t live to fight another day — and that is what I was saying to adapt.”
You can watch the clip below.
What are your thoughts on Chris Rock’s problem with the police? Is Isaiah Washington entirely wrong?
