Trevor Noah Calls for Unity Following Shooting Deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile

In the wake of the recent police shootings which resulted in the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, Trevor Noah used his role as host of The Daily Show to address the attitude of animosity and division which often follows these events.

Noah’s main concern is the apparent belief among many citizens that it is impossible to support both the police and the members of the black community who feel disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.

“The hardest part of having a conversation surrounding police shootings in America [is that] it always feels like, in America, if you take a stand for something, you automatically are against something else … For instance, if you’re pro-Black Lives Matter, you’re assumed to be anti-police, and if you’re pro-police, then you surely hate black people.”

Noah’s message is simple: “In reality, you can be pro-cop and pro-black, which is what we should all be.”

During the segment, Noah does emphasize that there is a problem that needs to be addressed regarding police violence toward black citizens, one which is too often denied despite the availability of video evidence.

“Why is the video never enough?” he asks. “Tamir Rice, there was a video. Eric Garner, there was a video. Laquan McDonald, there was a video. And yet, still, skepticism.”

Noah urges viewers to admit the possibility of a bias against people of color by police. Citing the 2011 decision by the Las Vegas Police Department to acknowledge this bias, resulting in a 36 percent decrease in police shootings, he argues that training methods can teach officers to deescalate these types of situations, limiting the number of future shootings.

Given the success of such methods in Las Vegas, Noah says, when it comes to preventing these tragedies, “the rest of America has no excuse.”