Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles >> Jon: WE'RE BACK. WELCOME TO "THE DAILY SHOW." SO NICE TO SEE YOU. MY NAME IS JON STEWART. MY GUEST TONIGHT DAVID ROSE AUTHOR OF "ENCHANTED OBJECTS." OBVIOUSLY, THOUGH, THE EMMYS. COLBERT REPORT. CONGRATULATIONS, TO THEM. ALWAYS WELL DESERVED. ONCE AGAIN. GREAT JOB. BUT FIRST, OBVIOUSLY, THE BIG NEWS OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS, THE TOWN OF FERGUSON, MISSOURI. WHERE THE SHOOTING BY POLICE OF TEENAGER MICHAEL BROWN HAS SPARKED A SERIES OF PROTESTS, WHICH IN TURN SPARKED A LET'S SAY STERN RESPONSE BY POLICE WHO APPEAR TO BE AUDITIONING FOR ROBO COP. IT'S A, IT'S A STORY THAT HAS A LOT OF PEOPLE OUTRAGED AND UPSET. >> I CAME BACK FROM VACATION BECAUSE I'M FURIOUS. >> OF COURSE YOU ARE. AN UNARMED BLACK TEENAGER GUNNED DOWN IN THE STREETS BY POLICE UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. WHO WOULDN'T CUT THEIR VACATION SHORT TO REGISTER THEIR FURY. YOU'D HAVE TO BE A MONSTER OR IN MY CASE ENJOYING A PARTICULARLY NICE VACATION. BUT GOOD ON YOU, MR. O'REILLY, FOR COMING BACK. UNLESS OF COURSE YOU'RE FURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE. >> FURIOUS ABOUT HOW THE SHOOTING DEATH OF 18-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL BROWN IS BEING REPORTED, AND HOW VARIOUS PEOPLE ARE REACTING TO IT. >> Jon: YES! THAT IS THE OUTRAGE. THE SHOOTING OF MICHAEL BROWN AND ANY LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR SAID INCIDENT IS OUTRAGEOUS IN HOW IT HAS BEEN REPORTED. [LAUGHING] >> AND, I GUESS THAT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON TO BE ANGRY. >> IS HE GOING TO GET A FARE SHAKE, THIS OFFICER? >> THERE HAS BEEN A RUSH TO JUDGMENT. >> ERIC HOLDER FLIES INTO FERGUSON. >> YEAH. >> YOU KNOW, WITH HIS, WITH HIS, YOU KNOW, SUPER HERO CAPE. >> THIS MANTRA OF THE UNARMED BLACK TEENAGER SHOT BY A WHITE COP. YOU KNOW, THAT DESCRIPTION IN AND OF ITSELF ACTUALLY COLORS THE WAY IN WHICH WE LOOK AT THIS STORY. >> Jon: YES, DESCRIBING THE ACTUAL FACTS OF THE CASE. [LAUGHING] >> Jon: REALLY DOES COLOR THE WAY WE LOOK AT IT. WHITE COP, SHOOTS UNARMED BLACK TEEN. DOES SOUND TERRIBLE. WHERE AS SAY HERO COP KILLS ALIEN HUNTING HUMANS FOR SPORT WOULD PUT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SPIN ON THINGS. WHICH THOUGH A VERY ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF THE PLOT OF PREDATOR TWO, IS IN THIS CASE IS -- NOT WHAT HAPPENED. AND, YOU KNOW WHAT THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER STORIES OUT THERE. >> WHY AREN'T WE COVERING NEW YORK. >> WHY AREN'T WE COVERING BLACK ON BLACK CRIME. >> Jon: YES! WHY ALL THE INTEREST IN HOLDING POLICE OFFICERS TO A HIGHER STANDARD THAN GANGS? THEY BOTH FLASH COLORS. AND, YES ONE OF THEM HAS BEEN SWORN TO PROTECT AND DEFEND, BUT STILL -- >> WELL, THIS WEEKEND 42 PEOPLE WERE SHOT IN CHICAGO. YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE THE PROTESTS. I DON'T SEE THE ANGER. >> IF I WERE AFRICAN-AMERICAN I WOULD BE OUTRAGED THAT MORE JOURNALISTS AREN'T COVERING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CHICAGO AND MORE OUTRAGED THAT PEOPLE LIKE AL SHARPTON AND JESSE JACKSON DON'T HEAD TO THOSE AREAS. >> Jon: YES. WHAT COULD EXPLAIN THE LACK OF OUTRAGE ABOUT AL SHARPTON AND HIS ILK NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT BLACK ON BLACK VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO. >> WITH CHICAGO'S VIOLENCE MAKING NATIONAL HEADLINES, A GROUP LED BY THE REVEREND AL SHARPTON PLANS TO CONVENE AN ANTI-VIOLENCE SUMMIT OF NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS HERE. >> Jon: OH, THAT'S RIGHT BECAUSE AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERS DID HOLD A SUMMIT ABOUT THAT IN NOVEMBER. AND HAVE MET AT LEAST THREE TIMES IN THE CITY IN JUST THE LAST 13 MONTHS. WHICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT IT'S BEEN EFFECTIVE. BUT TAKEN ALONG WITH THE PRESIDENT'S MY BROTHER'S KEEPER INITIATIVE WHICH ATTEMPTS TO ADDRESS THIS VIOLENCE, ALONG WITH THE COUNTLESS VIGILS AND MARCHES WITHIN THESE VIOLENCE TORN COMMUNITIES MEANS THEY ARE TRYING ACTUALLY TO DO SOMETHING. YOU SEE, YOU BEING IGNORANT OF THOSE ATTEMPTS DOESN'T MEAN THE ISSUE ITSELF IS BEING IGNORED IN THE SAME WAY THAT WHEN IT SNOWS WHERE YOU LIVE DOESN'T MEAN THE WORLD ISN'T GETTING HOTTER. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] >> Jon: [BLEEP]. OH, YOU KNOW WHAT? THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE BOTHERING YOU, ISN'T THERE? >> WHEN A COP PULLS ME OVER I SAY, I PUT MY HANDS OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. IF I'M CARRYING A WEAPON, WHICH I'M LICENSED TO CARRY IN NEW YORK, THE FIRST THING I TELL THE POLICE OFFICER IS "OFFICER I WANT YOU TO KNOW I HAVE A LEGAL FAREARM IN THE CAR." >> Jon: AND THEN I BRACE MYSELF FOR THE TASER. WELL, WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE FACT YOU GET PULLED OVER SO MUCH BY THE COPS THAT SOMETIMES YOU'RE CARRYING A WEAPON. SOMETIMES YOU'RE NOT. I DON'T KNOW. DEPENDS ON HOW I'M FEELING THAT DAY. BUT, CONTINUE. >> I OFTEN WOULD EVEN TAKE MY -- STEP OUT OF THE CAR, LIFT MY SHIRT UP SO HE COULD SEE WHERE THE GUN IS. [LAUGHING] >> Jon: YOU REALLY DO HAVE NO [BEEP] IDEA, DO YOU? YOU REALLY DON'T. BASICALLY, BASICALLY YOU'RE SAYING... [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] IF ONLY MICHAEL BROWN INSTEAD OF HOLDING HIS HANDS OVER HIS HEAD HAD REACHED DOWN TO HIS WAIST ND LIFTED UP HIS SHIRT TO SHOW THE GUN HE DID NOT ACTUALLY HAVE, WELL, THIS WHOLE TRAGEDY COULD OF BEEN AVOIDED. DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY IS INHERENTLY DIFFERENT FOR WHITE PEOPLE AND BLACK PEOPLE? >> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING MAKE THIS, DANA, ABOUT BLACK AND WHITE. AND TRYING TO MAKE THIS ABOUT RACE. >> THIS IS PART OF THIS EFFORT TO MAKE IT EVERYTHING ABOUT RACE. >> IS THIS A STORY ABOUT RACE? DO WE KNOW THAT? >> I THINK IT'S PLACING THE RACE CARD. AND I THINK IT'S DISGRACEFUL. >> THE ONLY RACIAL DIVIDE THAT IS BEING CREATED HERE IS BEING CREATED BY THE RACE HATERS. >> YOU KNOW WHO TALKS ABOUT RACE, RACISTS. [LAUGHING] >> Jon: DID YOU JUST -- HE WHO SMELT IT DEALT IT RACISM. DID YOU REALLY? YOU SMELT IT DEALT IT RACISM? ALRIGHT. [ APPLAUSE ] >> Jon: FORGET THAT IN FERGUSON, 94% OF THE POLICE ARE WHITE AND 63% OF THE PEOPLE ARE BLACK, FORGET THAT 92% OF POLICE SEARCHES AND 86% OF CAR STOPS ARE FOR BLACK PEOPLE. FORGET THAT THE WHITE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT FINANCES NEARLY A QUARTER OF ITS ANNUAL BUDGET THROUGH THE FINES DISPROPORTIONATELY LEVELED AGAINST THE BLACK POPULATION. FORGET THAT THE HISTORY OF THIS TOWN INCLUDES THIS TASTY NUGGET. >> A 52-YEAR-OLD MAN NAMED HENRY DAVIS SAID THAT FOUR FERGUSON POLICE OFFICERS BEAT HIM AND THEN CHARGED HIM WITH DAMAGING GOVERNMENT PROPERTY BECAUSE HIS BLOOD HAD GOTTEN ON THE OFFICERS' UNIFORMS. >> Jon: SO, LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TANKS BUT YOU CAN'T KEEP A COUPLE OF TIDE STICKS AROUND. BECAUSE HERE'S... HERE IS THE PROBLEM WITH EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON IN THIS CONVERSATION. THIS ISN'T ALL ABOUT JUS ONE MAN KILLED IN ONE TOWN. IT'S ABOUT HOW PEOPLE OF COLOR, NO MATTER THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC STANDING FACE OBSTACLES IN THIS COUNTRY WITH SURPRISING GRACE. LOOK AT, LOOK AT HOW UPSET YOU ALL GET ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS. >> TONIGHT CHRISTMAS UNDER ATTACK. >> Jon: WHY ARE WE ALLOWING ANTI- CHRISTMAS MADNESS? >> WHY DO I HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH MY KIDS TO LOOK FOR NATIVITY SCENES AND BE LIKE, OH YA, KIDS, LOOK THERE BABY JESUS BEHIND THE FESTIVUS POLE MADE OUT OF BEER CANS. IT'S NUTS! >> REMEMBER... >> Jon: REMEMBER, YOU WERE FURIOUS THAT AMERICA'S 11 MONTH LONG CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS WASN'T ENOUGH. BUT NOW IF YOU CAN, JUST IMAGINE THAT INSTEAD OF HAVING TO SUFFER THE INDIGNITY OF A FESTIVUS POLE BLOCKING SOMETHING YOU COULD HAVE JUST SET UP IN YOUR OWN YARD ANYWAY -- IMAGINE THAT INSTEAD OF THAT ON A PRETTY CONSISTENT BASIS YOU CAN'T GET A [BEEP] CAB EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE A NEURO SURGEON, CAUSE YOU'RE BLACK. I GUARANTEE YOU. I GUARANTEE YOU THAT EVERY, I GUARANTEE YOU THAT EVERY, THAT EVERY PERSON OF COLOR IN THIS COUNTRY HAS FACED AM INDIGNITY FROM THE RIDICULOUS, TO THE GROTESQUE, TO THE SOMETIMES FATAL AT SOME POINT IN THEIR -- I'M GONNA SAY LAST COUPLE OF HOURS. BECAUSE OF THEIR SKIN COLOR. QUICK STORY. SO WE LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY. A LIBERAL BASTION. RECENTLY -- LET ME FINISH. RECENTLY WE SENT A CORRESPONDENT AND A PRODUCER TO A BUILDING IN THIS LIBERAL BASTION WHERE WE WERE GOING TO TAPE AN INTERVIEW. THE PRODUCER, WHITE, DRESSED IN WHAT COULD ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS HOMELESS ELF ATTIRE, AND A PRETTY STRONG 5:00 O'CLOCK FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK SHADOW. STRODE CONFIDENTIALLY INTO THE BUILDING PROCEEDING OUR HUMBLE