Samuel L. Jackson Is Tired of 'Racist Police,' So He Issued a Challenge to His Fellow Celebrities

Samuel L. Jackson, action star of the big screen, wants to hear his fellow celebrities sing...about the "racist police."

In a video message posted to Facebook Saturday, Jackson called on the rich and famous to start a viral trend like the ALS "Ice Bucket Challenge" that swept the internet a few months ago — except instead of fundraising to cure a debilitating disease, Jackson wants to protest the police.

"All you celebrities out there who poured ice water on your head, here's a chance to do something else," Jackson said, before launching into song.

Here's what Jackson sang:

I can hear my neighbor cryin’ ‘I can’t breathe.’

Now I’m in the struggle and I can’t leave.

Callin’ out the violence of the racist police.

We ain’t gonna stop, till people are free.

We ain’t gonna stop, till people are free.

Jackson's video had been shared more than 52,000 times on Facebook as of Monday morning.

Some commenters criticized Jackson for emphasizing the racial aspect of recent cases of police killings — the line "I can't breathe" is a reference to Eric Garner, the unarmed black man who died after police officers wrestled him to the ground in New York City, and whose killing has been protested by thousands who claim that police target minorities violently nationwide.

Other commenters accused critics of being racist, with one writing, "[O]nly racist people are mad about what [Jackson] is saying."

For his part, Jackson seemed willing to engage his critics.

When a commenter posted a link to a story of an unarmed white man shot and killed by a black police officer, Jackon responded to the post, writing, "Perfect example of the lyric 'racist police'! No matter the Race!!"

Image via Facebook

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