Trevor Noah claims he's been stopped by cops 8 to 10 times in 6 years

Noah tackles the harsh reality of living in America as a black man on last night's "The Daily Show"

Published June 21, 2017 2:29PM (EDT)

Trevor Noah on "The Daily Show" (Youtube/Comedy Central)
Trevor Noah on "The Daily Show" (Youtube/Comedy Central)

"Daily Show" host Trevor Noah has never shied away from speaking out against police brutality. His Tuesday night broadcast was a particularly strong example of that.

During his segment "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That", the South Africa-born Noah discussed his experiences as a black man living in America, and the acquittal of Jeronimo Yanez, the man who fatally shot Philando Castile in July 2016.

"It's just a part of a black person's life in America," says Noah in a Between the Scenes video. "Here's how crazy it is — I've lived in America for 6 years. . .  I have been stopped by the police maybe going on at least 8 to 10 times."

Through jokes and a reenactment of an interaction with police, Noah discussed a harsh truth that was highlighted in Castile's death and the countless other cases like it: even a traffic stop can prove fatal for a black person in America regardless if they do every single thing they're told to do. "As soon as I come to a dead stop I throw my hands out the window," he says while launching his hands at his desk.

Though he garners a round of laughs from the audience, Noah explains a reality much more vicious than his witty reenactment. He explains that there is a "state racism" that is created by the police force as an institution.

"Oftentimes in America, the conversation gets caught up in racism as it pertains to black and white," he says. "But I don't believe that that is the conversation . . . I believe that the police force is trained in such a way that it creates a state racism that's different."

See the whole segment below.


By Alessandra Maldonado

Alessandra Maldonado is an editorial intern at Salon. You can find her on Twitter at @alessamberr

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