A New York Black Lives Matter leader who recently threatened “bloodshed” if there was not police reform clashed with Fox News’s Dan Bongino Saturday after he refused to condemn rioting.
Bongino, a former NYPD officer, asked Hawk Newsome if he condemned “riots and burning down buildings” which took place in New York City last year.
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“No. What I’ll say is, I understand when a police officer unjustifiably kills someone, why people lash out. I understand that completely,” Newsome explained.“I’m not going to condemn, nor am I going to condone it.”
Bongino pressed Newsome on the topic and called him “cowardly” and “all over the place.”
“Do you condone violence or you condemn violence? You’re all over the place. Just condemn violence and burning of buildings down. How hard is it?” Bongino said.
Newsome likened instances of police misconduct to the attacks on September 11, 2001, asking Bongino if he expected a peaceful response in the wake of that incident.
“OK, so when Osama bin Laden attacked the World Trade Center, did you say America should deal with it peacefully?” Newsome asked.
Bongino fired back that 9/11 had nothing to do with rioting against police.
“OK, I’ll give you this,” Newsome said. “I don’t condone it, I don’t promote it, but I will not condemn it.” Newsome walked off the interview after telling Bongino, “You’re trying to bait me.”
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Newsome garnered attention last week when he promised there would be “riots” and “bloodshed” if Mayor-elect Eric Adams brings back plainclothes anti-crime officers to combat violent crime in the city.
“If they think they are going back to the old ways of policing, then we’re going to take to the streets again,” Newsome said in a statement. “There will be riots, there will be fire, and there will be bloodshed.”
