Spike Lee Reiterates President Obama’s Words on Gun Violence: ‘People are Numb’
Multi-award winning filmmaker Spike Lee believes Americans are apathetic about the daily gun violence in Chicago because it doesn't generate the same amount of media attention like Sandy Hook, Charleston and most recently, San Bernardino.
In an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press, Lee talked about his new movie "Chi-Raq" and shared his thoughts on why gun violence in The Windy City has largely gone unnoticed. The 58-year old New Yorker said part of the indifference can be attributed to Chicago being the country's biggest segregated city.
"It's a tale of two cities. You see downtown Chicago which is thriving. While we're filming this summer you had the NFL Draft, the Grateful Dead concert and Lovapalooza," said Lee. "Now the southwest side of Chicago, that's another universe."
Todd inquired, "Why do you think there isn't this sense of outrage about what's happening in Chicago? Are we numb?"
Lee countered, "It's not Sandy Hook."
Todd referenced the nationwide outrage that usually ensues after a heinous crime has been committed, whether it's in Sandy Hook, Charleston or San Bernardino. The journalist then asked Lee to comment on why he thinks the same can't be said of Chicago.
"Obama said it himself. People are numb. He said he's tired of giving these speeches after every mass shooting and that's why I hope people take away from this film is guns," said Lee. "As Americans, I think there are very simple things we can do that aren't infringing people's second amendment rights."
Lee is an avid NBA and New York Knicks supporter, and on Christmas Day, a handful of NBA superstars appeared in a short, albeit powerful, PSA that also featured victims of gun violence and their families.
The video, posted below, was directed by Lee himself and showed Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Joakim Noah advocating for the campaign. The league allocated air time for the PSA while three other TV spots are reportedly ready to air.
NBA's top communication director Mike Bass said that the new ads are intended to raise awareness for personal safety issues in the country.
"Everytown for Gun Safety" director Jason Rzepka indicated that the spots are just snippets of an even larger campaign.
"There are people that work at the NBA that either know people that were lost to gun violence or have seen the headlines we all see every week and are fed up with it," Rzepka shared on SBNation. "They understood they had an opportunity to make a significant impact and do something about it."
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