CNN Contributor: ‘Dangerous Rhetoric’ to Say There’s ‘Vicious Cycle of Black Men Shooting at Police’

As the news of the Baton Rouge cop killing unfolded Sunday, CNN's Bakari Sellers said it's "dangerous rhetoric" to say there's a "vicious cycle of black men shooting at police."

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Sellers' comments came after Erin Burnett, who hosted a panel discussion Sunday on the attack's aftermath, suggested that the shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge are part of a growing anti-police sentiment among young black men. CNN law enforcement analyst Art Roderick agreed with Burnett, adding that the recent events have prompted law enforcement authorities across the country to be extra vigilant.

That's when Sellers intervened, calling it “dangerous rhetoric” to assert that black men are targeting police.

Sellers stressed that people mustn't make a connection between the race of the attackers and the police they targeted.

Image source: YouTube/Mediaite

"We don’t have a vicious cycle of black men shooting at police," he assured the panel. “That [message] ratchets up the tension in this country where it doesn’t need to be, but two, it puts in danger more black men.”

Pastor Mark Burns agreed with Sellers, adding that problems springing up in the wake of the Baton Rouge and Dallas shootings can't be solved by advancing an “us versus them” mindset.

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