As tensions continue to run high in cities across the country between law enforcement and protestors, police aren’t the only ones who are feeling the heat from citizens.
On Sunday, Byron Cole, a protestor in Baton Rouge confronted a Fox News reporter. As Cole was protesting that evening he noticed the reporter trying to cover up his Fox News badge while reporting on the scene. The Huffington Post captured the scene on Facebook live.
Cole decided to educate the reporter on a few matters. As it pertains to policing, Cole described how there was a double standard in the way law enforcement police certain communities, particularly those of color. In black neighborhoods, he says an officer has discretionary power to use at whim which includes shooting a black man in the parking lot of a gas station.
Whereas in a white neighborhood, Cole says everything has to go by the book and cops are not alone to abuse their power.
Cole also took issue with the way mainstream media portrayed police shootings, in particular how they report on black deaths without giving communities a fair chance to tell their stories. Noticing that there has been a shift in the way news is reported with the help of Twitter and Facebook live, Cole told the reporter that the media isn’t the only option for citizens looking to stay informed.
“We are empowered and we don’t have to rely on any of your institutions to spread any of the words because, first and foremost, y’all mitigate everything and you spin everything from your perspective. All black people now have smartphones and we’re all aware of the contradictions and double standards. The cat’s out the bag, man. We understand,” Cole said.
