News June 01, 2020
‘Extra’s’ Billy Bush & Nate Burleson Talk George Floyd Protests and Ways to Change America for the Better
After a weekend of both peaceful protests and riots over George Floyd’s death, “Extra’s” Billy Bush and Nate Burleson are discussing the unrest, and the ways America can change for the better.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died last Monday shortly after being arrested for a non-violent act in Minneapolis. Video of the arrest shows a white police officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd says he can’t breathe and pleads for help.
Nate said he was upset by some of the protest video, saying, “I’m angry because there are peaceful protestors that are out there with a purpose and it seems like there are agitators, agents of chaos, whether they come from the men and women that are in uniform, or individuals that are put in place to disrupt what we're trying to do, which is we're trying to make a point. We can be peaceful and protest and still make a point loudly. But as soon as violence erupts, oftentimes, I think the finger is pointed at the individuals that are protesting, which isn't always the case.”
Burleson is looking at ways to promote long-term change, telling Billy he hopes to bring together people of “different races, backgrounds, cultures, religion, we can bring all ages… and let's openly talk about how we can bridge that relationship, because right now there's a disconnect.”
Billy and Nate also talked of grassroots change within police departments. Nate said, “I feel like we do need to go to the grassroots of how these guys are prepared, how they're placed into communities, how they are re-evaluated… we need to figure out the foundation.”
