The comedian expresses rage over police brutality while offering optimism for a better world.
If timing is everything in comedy, Dave Chappelle is beyond any criticism.
His immensely powerful new video about the police killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests, « 8:46, » dropped this morning, less than a day after the release of the cringe-inducing and widely panned public service announcement « I Take Responsibility, » filled social media streams with a procession of self-important celebrities insisting, in the words of actor Stanley Tucci, « I will no longer allow an unchecked moment. I will no longer allow hateful, hurtful words, jokes, stereotypes, no matter how big or small, to be uttered in my presence. »
Near the beginning of « 8:46″—the length of time that Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck—Chappelle asks archly, « Do you want to see a celebrity right now? Do we give a fuck? » Praising the mostly peaceful protests against police brutality that have erupted across the country over the past few weeks, he says, « The streets talking for themselves. They don’t need me right now. I kept my mouth shut and I’ll still keep my mouth shut.
