Killer Mike Discusses Guns, Police Brutality, And Racism With MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid

Killer Mike appeared on MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid’s Sunday talk show AMReid today to further discuss the issues brought up in an online altercation between the two last week. The appearance was agreed upon by both parties after Killer Mike commented on an Instagram post, trying to imply that Reid was supporting the clothing company H&M in spite of a recent ad campaign which was pulled for being racist. It turns out that Mike was wrong. Reid wasn’t promoting H&M, she was congratulating her hair and makeup team. Reid then took the opportunity to publically call Mike out for choosing to appear on the NRA’s media outlet NRATV.

“H&M” stands for “hair and makeup,” Mike. The two women beside me in this pic did my hair (H) and makeup (M) for a shoot. The blouse I’m wearing is by @norisolferrari and I doubt you can buy it at the retail chain you’re thinking of. (I got it from the designer via a stylist.) And here I was thinking you were an intellectual, and not just the guy who hangs out in the sunken place talking guns with the NRA’s “official black guy” who literally changed his last name to “black.”

Mike realized he had made a mistake and apologized on his social media while also setting up the discussion with Reid to talk about the very issues they were slinging accusations and insults at each other about.

Today the discussion took place and in a clip released on Twitter Mike and Reid talked about the recent controversy involving the police being called to a Starbucks. Reid asks a very specific question about the situation.

“My thinking is that if either of those two men had been concealed carry holders, and any of those police officers had seen a gun, even though they were being a peaceful as they were, there is a great probability that they would be dead. Do you worry that encouraging black people to carry endangers black peoples lives?”

Mike replied by repeating “Michael Brown was not armed. Michael Brown was not armed.” Joy re-states her question to which Mike replied: “black men are in danger from law enforcement because we need to teach better policing.” He then thanked the white allies in the video who stood up in defense of the young men and praised the men in question

“(they) showed themselves dignified, and regal in that arrest. They actually kept the situation calm by not raising voice, by not hiding their hands.”

Mike goes on “In matters of Philando Castile, I would rather start to congratulate the man he was, he was a working man, he was a legal firearms earner.” Philando Castile is the young man who was a legal conceal carry holder pulled over and shot point blank by police even after politely following their instructions and informing the police officers he was a legal concealed carry holder.

Reactions to the interview have so far been mixed.

https://twitter.com/mshotspot70_kc/status/985549080700096515

https://twitter.com/arw2007/status/985550451683840002

In any event, it is fair to say the issues of racism, gun violence, and police brutality are too complex to be fixed via a few pull quotes and discussions on morning television, but you can watch the clip for yourself.