We don’t spend a lot of time covering Bill O’Reilly’s hot takes because they’re usually just that. They’re often contrarian by design and outlandish enough to not be taken at face value. But some of his recent comments must be addressed.

This past week, O’Reilly went on-air to to blame the Black Lives Matter movement and what’s being called the “Ferguson Effect” on a supposed new crime wave.

“Thousands more Americans are being murdered because police are being more passive since the Ferguson situation and the Black Lives Matter protests,” said O’Reilly.

The “Ferguson Effect” is based on a theory that police officers in the United States only believe in two extremes. They either do their job incorrectly with the use of abuse and benefit of a system that allows them to do so or don’t do their jobs at all out of fear that they’ll be punished for somehow doing what they’re supposed to be doing.

“Blacks of all ages commit homicide at a rate of eight times higher than whites and Hispanics combined,” he continued. “Conclusion: There is a violent subculture in the African-American community that should be exposed and confronted.”

O’Reilly reports on this so-called “Ferguson Effect” even though multiple outlets and individuals have come out to classify it as a myth. Him having this opinion isn’t the concern. The concern is the thousands, or maybe even millions, or people that will adopt this way of thinking as a result.

Black people speaking out about their lives having value shouldn’t be seen as so threatening that others feel its somehow leading to a loss of life.

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