With the country’s heightened attention on police brutality and the Black lives lost to unjust systems, Black celebrities are stepping forward with their personal experiences with police violence.

Avengers and Iron Man actor Don Cheadle made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and spoke about growing up in a mostly white suburb and being held at gunpoint by police on multiple occasions.

“I think a lot of Black people have this story of how their parents had to caution them about how to comport themselves when they would come into contact with law enforcement and the rules of how to just make sure you could come home and be safe," he began. “So, unfortunately, it was something that was put into our minds very early.”

Cheadle said the bullying and intimidation he received growing up were primarily focused on race and that his encounters with police made him feel even more ostracized by the community.

“That was when a lot of bullying started when I was at school, and it definitely predicated on race,” he said. “That’s when it started to be clear that the cops were not on ‘Team Don’ and there was a different treatment.”

The 55-year-old actor recalled the oppressive nature of the 1987 Los Angeles law enforcement program, Operation Hammer, which was initially implemented to help curb gang violence. When he moved to LA, Cheadle said he was a constant target of police and was made to feel as if he had actually committed a crime.

“I got stopped more times than I can count and guns put to my head. … I always fit the description,” he said.

The Hotel Rwanda star said he isn’t surprised by the atrocities committed against Black people by law enforcement officers but feels video evidence has proved critical in swaying public opinion.

“I have good friends who were almost killed by the police for nothing,” he said. “So this is not something that was new to me once all of these videos started to come out. It's things that we knew very well that were happening. They just weren’t being filmed.”

On June 2, Cheadle joined journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham for an NBC News special on race titled, “Can You Hear Us Now?” hosted by MSNBC reporter Trymaine Lee. In the virtual discussion, Cheadle gave a personal account of his perspective on race and encouraged white allies to join the conversation. He challenged friends and colleagues to "get on these front lines with us."

The actor also pleaded with communities affected by police brutality to carry their energy into actionable steps like voting, filling out census information and protesting.

"It's a cyclical thing, and it can lose steam," he said.

Operation-Hammer

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