“Hand’s up, don’t shoot” is back and still false. With the latest string of protests following the police killings of Alton Sterling (Baton Rouge) and Philando Castile (Minnesota), the “Hands up, don’t shoot” chant is back. Hollywood, CBS, ABC, and NBC have once again failed to give context to the chant in their coverage.
“Hands up, don’t shoot,” was Black Lives Matter’s go-to chant after Michael Brown was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. Although it has long since been proved that the witness testimony on which this chant was based was a lie, the networks have continued to perpetuate the falsehood in their latest coverage of Black Lives Matter protests.
The chant originated from the witness testimony of one of Michael Brown’s friends, who claimed Brown was shot in the back running away, hands raised. Forensic evidence, however, revealed that Brown was shot charging the police officer, not running away.
Even the then Attorney General Eric Holder expressed confusion at how the legend of “Hands out, don’t shoot” became so popular across the nation. There is no need to be confused. CBS, ABC, NBC, and Hollywood were among the major instruments for spreading this anti-cop slander.
But the simple bumper sticker slogan is just too catchy for the left and the media to let go.
Jay Z has come out with a song called, “Spiritual,” about police killings last Thursday. Part of the lyrics read as follows.
“Yeah, I am not poison, no I am not poison.\ Just a boy from the hood that\ Got my hands in the air\ In despair don’t shoot\ I just wanna do good, ah…”
ABC’s Nightline on July 9th was the worst of the news offenders this time around. It featured four clips of protestors chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” or holding their hands in the air in reference to that mantra. It played the “hands in the air” clip from Jay Z’s song. It also showed Representative Marc Veasey striking the “Hands up, don’t shoot” pose followed by a clip of Veasey speaking about the shootings. In the entire segment, ABC did nothing to correct the myth.
CNN posted a story on Jay Z’s song, never correcting the many factual errors implied by the songs lyrics – such as the idea that Michael Brown, only wanted to do good. Just before his fatal encounter with the police, Brown had stolen cigars and assaulted a convenient store clerk.
On ABC’s Good Morning America on July 8th, a former marine, who had been at the Dallas protest, was interviewed. She described how the protesters had been changing “Hands up, don’t shoot.” She was never corrected for this mantra.
NBC News posted a story on July 9th, which described the “Hands up, don’t shoot” chant three times. None of those times did the NBC story explain that the chant was based on false witness testimony.
CBS This Morning on July 11th also showed a clip of protestors chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” Again, no context given.
“Hands up, don’t shoot” is a flat-out lie the media willfully reinforces as they carry water for Black Lives Matter.
