Charles Barkley Defends NYPD Against Alleged ‘Homicide,’ Ferguson Comments

In a new interview with CNN, former NBA all-star and Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley defended the NYPD against reporter Brooke Baldwin after she alleged the death of Eric Garner in New York was a “homicide.” Once again, CNN hosts draw their own conclusions without having all of the facts and before the grand jury has had a chance to issue a decision.

The controversial police chokehold that resulted in Garner’s death earlier this year was applied after he — a large man — resisted arrest. Barkley said he doesn’t believe the cops were trying to kill Garner, but he was a “big” man and they were trying to get him to the ground.

“I don’t think that was a homicide,” Barkley replied.

“What was that? It was a chokehold, you see it,” Baldwin interjected.

“I think that cops were trying to arrest him and they got a little aggressive,” Barkley explained. “I think excessive force, you know, something like that. But to go right to murder — Brooke, when the cops are trying to arrest you, if you fight back, things go wrong.”

Earlier in the interview, Barkley also refused to back away or apologize for his recent comments about the Ferguson grand jury decision in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

“The ‘scumbag’ comment — respond to that,” she said.

“When you’re looting people’s property, that’s what you are,” Barkley replied. “That’s against the law. It’s not your property. You wouldn’t want people to do it to your house. If you go back to the stepdad, he didn’t want people to burn down his house.”

Ironically, Barkley’s earlier comments were also in response to an interviewer asking if he wanted to explain himself for comments made about mogul and leftist Richard Simmons.

“There’s a perception among some black people that if you’re not a thug, a hood rat or you don’t wear your pants around your ass, then you’re not black enough,” he said.

Barkley also said later in the interview that it was tragic — and always is — when parents lose a child, regardless of how. However, he said the “notion that white cops are out there just killing black people” is “flat-out ridiculous.”

“Cops are actually awesome,” he added. “They are the only thing in the ghetto between this place being the ‘Wild, Wild West.’”