Dave Chappelle Stands Up Before His City Council For Change Instead Of Laughs (Video)
Dave Chappelle, the comedian known for his outspoken views about American racism, has once again taken to the microphone to voice his concerns. However, it wasn’t on a big stage, but rather at a local community meeting in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio. There, on the night of December 31, a public New Year’s Eve ball drop turned violent when local police officers tasered two individuals. Chappelle had been there earlier in the evening with his children, explaining his appearance at a Yellow Springs City Council meeting in which the town’s response to the tragedy and its ongoing struggle to redefine how it polices itself were hot topics of debate.
“I gotta be honest. For me personally, the police have been actually sensitive to my situation,” Chappelle begins while addressing the Council and his fellow residents. “There were two occasions where they protected my own wellbeing, my personal wellbeing, unsolicited from me. I appreciate that.” He continues, “huge gaffe New Year’s Eve…given what the culture of our town is like, the Council has a tremendous opportunity to be like a leader in progressive law enforcement.” Chappelle goes on to support the argument for more vocal local involvement by saying that it without it, “it feels like we’re being policed by an alien force.”
After sharing his personal anecdote of the New Year’s Eve tasing and acknowledging that “in all fairness, the crowd was drunk,” Chappelle admits that he still has questions involving that night and how the town has responded via law enforcement. “What is this pool of law enforcement that you can pull a chief out of that is special enough to police this town? I would beseech the Council to look deeply…’cause we have a golden opportunity. We could kill the game. If there’s an opportunity to show everybody that local politics reign supreme, we can make our corner of the world outstanding.”
Earlier this month, Dave Chappelle released a trailer for his forthcoming comedy specials, his first in 12 years.