Dr. Ben Carson went toe-to-toe with the Rev. Jesse Jackson on "Fox News Sunday" over the shooting of teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, after the civil rights activist argued that the incident happened because of race.
The conservative neurosurgeon, whom many believe has a big political future in the Republican party, shot down Jackson's conclusion that the Brown shooting was part of a pattern of violence that had yielded little justice for black youth,
The Daily Caller reported. Jackson had described the shooting in Ferguson, which has sparked riots and a federal investigation, as a "state execution."
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“Whether it was the killing of Trayvon Martin, the killer walked away free, the killing of [Amadou] Diallo in New York, shot 41 times by police, they walked away free. The Oscar Grant case in Oakland, or the case of Rodney King in L.A. At some point, we require and need to have a sense of justice,” Jackson said of the case. “All we do know about Mike Brown is, really, he was shot unarmed six times.”
Carson, who defied stereotypical odds to move from poverty to become a world-class neurosurgeon, was having nothing of Jackson's position. He shared his own struggles to move from a place of anger to a self-reliant position of prosperity,
Real Clear Politics noted.
"You know, as a youngster, you know, I had anger problems also. But for the grace of God, I wouldn't be talking to you today," Carson told host Chris Wallace. "I tried to stab another youngster with a knife. A belt buckle saved him. You know, anger issues get in the way."
He added: "If you take race out of the issue altogether and you take a group of young men and you raise them with no respect for authority, not learning to take on personal responsibility, having easy access to drugs and alcohol, they’re very likely to end up as victims of violence and incarceration. Has nothing to do with race."
Carson also defended law enforcement, noting that the issue is larger than it has been portrayed in the media, where criticism has been leveled against police and journalists.
"I think the issues are really much bigger than what has been portrayed to be," Carson said. "And it can't be resolved in a short segment like this. But, you know, I've seen police excesses living in inner city Detroit and inner city Boston. But I've seen a lot more situations where the police saved the situation. And I'm not sure that this is a police versus black community issue."
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