Police officers "deserve better" than the hate speech that has pervaded protests in the aftermath of the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, talk show host Joe Scarborough said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
Scarborough said the heightened rhetoric could have fueled the animosity that led to the deaths of two police officers Saturday in Brooklyn by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who had voiced anger over police activities on social media.
"We have seen many protesting the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. We've heard them chanting 'black lives matter.' Of course they do. And, this weekend, we heard supporters of the NYPD responding to these assassinations with a hash tag 'cops lives matter.' And they, of course, do to all of us. But, the tragic consequences of these recent months should remind all sides that, in the end, words matter the most.
"St. Louis' finest deserve better. New York City's finest deserve better. So do police officers all across America. Maybe now they'll get it," Scarborough said Monday.
Scarborough, a former Florida Republican congressman, said "protesters, editors, and left wing talking heads" had given the impression that "white police officers were randomly driving through black neighborhoods searching for young black males to shoot down."
He also criticized lawmakers for "recklessly promoting the phrase, 'Hands up, don't shoot.'"
"I was angered at the inflammatory phrase, and warned that repeating a phrase that the grand jury itself concluded was never used slandered St. Louis cops, and would make a bad situation worse for police officers around America. And, it did," he said.
Protesters had been "stirred up over the past four months of constant anti-police propaganda online, in newspapers and, yes, on cable news," Scarborough said, adding that the hate speech gave reason "to fear for the lives of all police officers, who are the only people standing between you and anarchy."
Scarborough said the deaths of two New York policemen could "reset the conversation" for an "honest discussion about how we balance the rights of all Americans and the safety of the men and women who are keeping us safe at night."
Watch the video here.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.