On “The Rubin Report,” BlazeTV host Dave Rubin talked to Brandon Tatum, former police officer and author of “Beaten Black and Blue: Being a Black Cop in an America Under Siege,” about what it’s really like to be a black police officer, the impact the defund-the-police movement has had on police morale, and the truth behind some of the prominent myths surrounding cases like Michael Brown and the Breonna Taylor shooting.
In this clip, Brandon shared his recent experience of being booed while speaking at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Revolt Summit 2021 for having a different viewpoint. Then, he and another police officer had their panel discussion comments deleted from the final broadcast of the summit.
“I was on the panel as a black police officer, and literally everything I said was to support the relationship between law enforcement and the black community. I got booed,” Brandon explained. “People may not understand that this is what it’s like actually being a black man in America on the police department.”
He added, “The funny thing is, they scrapped … everything me and another black officer said. And we said a lot of profound things that I think could be invaluable to the community. And they deleted it when they posted it, which is shameful.”
Brandon also discussed the tension between black officers and the communities they are sworn to protect.
“People just projected negativity on you. [They thought] you had to be a murderous thug,” he said. “It was very disheartening. Because I knew the men and women who worked with me, and worked around the country, putting your life on the line for other people. I mean, this is not a video game, man. This is not, you know, like a pre-recording of something. I mean, if you mess up, it’s real life. This is real time. And the men and women I knew, and their families, a lot of people [who are] just great individuals who have a passion for supporting their communities. And to see them get just ragged on with false narratives being pushed was something that was like, you know, I’ve got to write a book and I’ve got to tell the story and correct some of this stuff, because people aren’t getting a fair evaluation of law enforcement.”
Watch the video clip below or find the full episode of “The Rubin Report” here:
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