Activist Deray McKesson has been one of the most vocal champions against police violence and brutality, especially in cases where Black people have suffered at the hands of the authorities. At Sunday night’s 2015 MTV Video Music Awards show, actress Rebel Wilson made a joke referencing police that McKesson didn’t appreciate.
As reported by Raw Story, McKesson observed Wilson’s appearance at the VMAs in where she joked about strippers dressing as police. McKesson looked at Wilson’s police stripper getup as an affront to the Black Lives Matter movement and other related protests against police violence.
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On Twitter, activist DeRay McKesson wrote: “@RebelWilson/@MTV, police violence isn’t a joke, as the deaths of #TamirRice, #RekiaBoyd, #FreddieGray, #MikeBrown, & #MyaHall remind us.”
Wearing a t-shirt reading “F*ck Tha Stripper Police,” Wilson never mentioned police violence, aiming her jokes at the strippers who dress up like cops, saying: “A lot of people have problem with the police, but I really hate police strippers.”
“They come to your house, you think you’re getting arrested, and you just get a lap dance that is usually uninspired.” she said. ” I hired a police stripper for my grandma’s 80th, and he wouldn’t even feel her up. I hate this injustice, hence the shirt.”
While Wilson’s comments and t-shirt didn’t seem to offend singer Nicki Minaj who danced on stage with the actress, her routine didn’t sit well with McKesson and others who felt her jokes made light of the ongoing police violence against black Americans.
While many sided with McKesson, others chimed in and thought Wilson’s joke wasn’t terribly offensive. Even Montel Williams, who has clashed with McKesson, agreed with the perceived tasteless nature of the joke but thought that Wilson was mocking police.
However, most agreed that Wilson could have used the high-profile moment to show support for those who have lost their lives to police over the past year.
Do you think Deray McKesson was right in taking Rebel Wilson to task over her police stripper joke? Sound off in the comments section.
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Photo: Instagram
