WaPo Columnist: System Says Whites Can Shoot First, Worry About Consequences Later

On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Mike Barnicle asked Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson to react to Monday’s grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for wrongdoing in the shooting of Michael Brown earlier this year.

Robinson explained what he has told hid kids about interacting with law enforcement and added the decision seemed to convey a message to white people that when intimidated by a black person, shooting first was appropriate.

“How many times have we talked about this, Mike? You have to talk with your children — with your sons especially. And you tell them, you know, be polite and keep your hands in sight and don’t talk in an aggressive tone to police officers because it could be a matter of life and death. And it’s just frustrating to have to bring this up again and again because these things keep happening. And as Joshua said, you know, if you’re a white person in this country and you feel intimidated by a black person it seems that our system is saying, you know, shoot first and worry about consequences later.”

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