June 3, 2020
Watch: 'Pose' Star, Trans Activist Angelica Ross Goes Viral for Powerful Message About Racism in Police Force
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Earlier this week, "American Horror Story" stars Angelica Ross and Cody Fern went live on Instagram together to discuss racial injustices and how white people can help the black community during this time of unrest. But a portion of their chat, where the "Pose" star called out systemic racism within the U.S. police force, is going viral on Twitter.
"Here's a conspiracy theory I would love for all of your followers to understand...when I say, 'fuck the police,' I mean that shit," Ross told Fern. "And what I mean when I say that – because some people are like, 'Oh my cousin...they're a police officer and they're a great person,'...Listen, great on them – encourage them to find a new career.
"And the reason why I say that is because the police force – please understand history – and to know the police force was only created once the slaves were freed and they needed to protect white people and white property," she continued. "For the longest time white people have not been scared of us getting freedom they've been scared of us wanting revenge.
"On 400 years of all this stuff, so you've got these thin-skinned racist folks behind the badge and they've always been behind the badge. And you've had the K.K.K. behind the badge," Ross, a trans activist, said. "So when you've got some young black boy dreaming about one day becoming a cop and getting into the system and changing the system, we've got to educate our people more to understand what a system is...
"I understand that it sounds nice that you want to get in there and do different and change things but this is a system, sweetie," she said. "It was made before you were here and it will continue to go on long well after you are gone. So as much as you want to be in the police force and do these things, you can see how many good cops are calling the bad ones."
The video clip from their conversation has been shared several times on Twitter, earning 3.2 million views.
Watch Ross's message below. Also below is the full conversation between Ross and Fern.
