Will Smith was called N-word over 10 times by Philadelphia cops, says Black community's 'rage is justified'
As the Black Lives Matter movement rages on in the United States, gaining a new life after the George Floyd killing on Memorial Day in May, actor-rapper Will Smith recently revealed that he was not spared from the clutches of racism and was called the n-word over 10 times by police while growing up in Philadelphia. Speaking to political commentator and activist, Angela Rye on her podcast 'On One With Angela Rye', the 'Aladdin' actor said that he was "frequently stopped by police during the years that he was growing up" in the 1970s. "I grew up under Mayor Rizzo. He went from the chief of police to becoming the mayor, and he had an iron hand," he said.
There was a marked rise in racially motivated incidents of police brutality after Rizzo, who became mayor of Philadelphia in 1972. He was a well-known staunch opponent of desegregation in schools. "I’ve been called n***** by the cops in Philly on more than 10 occasions," Smith said. "I got stopped frequently. So I understand what it’s like to be in those circumstances with the police."
The actor added that he learned "what the disparities are" at a very young age when he began attending a Catholic school in the suburbs. He came to realize that the interactions that people of color had with the police were not the same as the experiences that white people went through when they came in contact with law enforcement.
Regarding the BLM movements following the death of Floyd, an African American man who was killed after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes on May 25, Smith said: "We are in a circumstance that we’ve never been in before. The entire globe has stood up and said to the African American people, 'We see you and we hear you. How can we help?' We’ve never been there before."
He also commented on the riots and violence breaking out in different parts of the country. "Rage is justified under oppression. But it also can be really dangerous. You got to be careful not to be consumed by your own rage, and that’s something that I’ve worked really hard on. Peaceful protests put a mirror to the demonic imagery of your oppressor. And the more still you are in your peaceful protest, the more clear the mirror is for your oppressor — for the world to see and for them to see themselves. I was really encouraged by how powerfully this generation was able to hold that mirror, and then the response of the world seeing and responding. I was deeply encouraged by the innate connectivity of the protesters, globally," he said.
The actor also said that he did not think that racism will ever be eradicated from the world. "You are going to come across people that have made poisonous conclusions and have false beliefs, and they’ve got insane narratives running through their minds. Don’t succumb to lovelessness no matter how much evil you face, because [then] you poison yourself and you poison your own community," he said.
He added: "I am pledging my unending devotion to the evolution of my community and the evolution of my country, and ultimately the world, towards the greatest harmony that we’ll be able to create. I am happy to be alive during this time, and to serve."