A video of actor Denzel Washington speaking to a police officer, while cops hold a man and frisk him, has gone viral on social media. Police atrocity leading to George Floyd's death has led to concerns about the video involving Denzel Washington too.
The video was posted by Rex Chapman, a former NBA player, on Twitter. The video has been watched over 3.6 million times. Actor Washington is seen speaking to police while a black man is being frisked. Then, mask-wearing Washington puts something on the man's pocket. Here is what happened exactly.
As per Rex Chapman's Twitter post, the incident occurred at West Hollywood. The man being frisked by cops is said to be a homeless man in distress who was arrested for safety. The details of the incident were provided by a police officer in another Twitter video shared by @MoPhoPix.
What Happened Exactly?
An officer from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) speaks about the incident and explains the reason behind the video. According to the cop, Washington was passing through the road at night when he noticed a man standing alone on the road. Worried about his safety, Washington pulled over the car and walked toward the man.
Meanwhile, another man on the road noticed this and gave a call to the police. In no time police arrived at the spot and started questioning the man. To make sure he was not going to harm himself or others, cops frisked him.
After Washington was sure that the man was not going to harm himself, he gave a mask to the man asking him to wear it citing safety in this environment (coronavirus pandemic). At the end of the video, Washington is also seen putting some masks in the pocket of the man.
The LAPD cop explained that there was nothing to worry and Washington was being a good Samaritan. However, the video involving Washington, a black man and cops received much attention in the wake of the death of a black man George Floyd allegedly in the hands of the police.
The video of Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin pressing Floyd's neck with his knees as he bled and pleaded that he could not breathe has gone viral. People are expressing their anger against the cop and currently, his house is defaced and the path to his house has been painted with the word murderer.
Floyd, 46, was pronounced dead at a local hospital on Monday, May 25. The action of the police have received flak and resulted in the firing of four cops including Derek Chauvin. But people have demanded severe action against the cops who led to the death of George Floyd.
Black Man's Safety a Matter of Concern?
But the comments on the Denzel Washington video shared by Rex Chapman is a matter of concern as many people have expressed their fear about police action relating it to George Floyd incident. A Twitter user wrote: "What this shows is how wealth and fame can get you special treatment. If I walked up on that situation, the cops would pull a gun on me and demand me to get back or be charged with interference of a police function."
Another user said, "I'm proud of Denzel for his quick recognition and call to action but it bothers me completely that we now have to be hyper vigilant when we see our fellow citizens being detained by police." Replying to Chapman, a Twitter user WreckEmTech @Guns_Up_TTU said, "We can't assume every arrest of a black male will go badly now. 99.9 of police know how to do thier jobs correctly. The .1 who don't need to find other lines of work."
Chapman was quick to reply to the man and said, "Not the right time for most cops are good IMO. Sometimes one bad a can spoil the barrel. Man murdered another man in video. In the Street. On camera. Let's talk about it."
The incident of George Floyd surely has made people look at cops with suspicion while worrying about their safety. Even a video of good samaritan deed by Denzel Washington is making people concerned about the safety of especially black people in the U.S.
