Dave Chappelle is not happy. After a crazy person with a makeshift bayonet attached to a toy gun assaulted him on stage, you would think the attacker would be hit with felony charges and put behind bars for a while. At the very least, you’d expect serious mental examinations and assistance if there’s a psychological disorder. But in Los Angeles, it may have once been a city of angels, now it’s just a city of felons running away with wrist slap misdemeanors. That’s how you arrive at a point where a man can attack a famous comedian and walk away free. No, we’re not talking about Will Smith, we’re talking about Dave Chappelle’s attacker.
“It’s a travesty of justice that Gascón is refusing to prosecute this case as a felony,” Gabriel Colwell told the New York Post on Friday. “The city attorney, who filed the case, is doing his job but DA Gascón should also do his job and charge this as a felony. “… Entertainers in LA need to know this is a justice system that will protect them. There is no question here that when someone is violently assaulted by another in possession of a deadly weapon that it should be charged as a felony.”
I”m thinking that maybe the crazy person was just Alec Baldwin wearing a realistic mask. Otherwise how can you explain a lunatic potentially attempting to murder a celebrity on stage and being out on the streets days later?
In all seriousness, California has huge problems and this is one of the most important. The lackadaisical enforcement of safety norms is making the state less hospitable for famous persons, for average persons… basically anyone who isn’t into crime. Do you know what happens when a psychopath attacks a celebrity and basically gets away with it? Another psychopath thinks it’s a good idea to try the same thing but try to be successful the next time. If you’re a comedian especially, just think about the amount of security you’re going to want now. Do we really want to live in a world where comedians need to tell jokes behind bulletproof glass or metal bars? It’s something to think about when putting people like district attorney George Gascón. And it’s something to think even more intensely about before putting anyone like this fellow in charge of prosecuting criminals in the future. The LA Times sums up the issue pretty succinctly:
These aren’t normal times in the D.A.’s office.
On a positive note, Netflix won’t be airing the attack as part of their special with Chappelle. They weren’t originally going to, but you know the ratings would have been tremendous had they included it. So not doing it deserves an applause to everyone who said “no”. There would have been no better way to create copy cats than to glorify it in the minds of crazies by putting it on the streaming platform for the masses to watch. Better that the attacker is best known for his post-assault photos where he looks like he was hit by a bus.
Nobody:
The guy that bum rushed Dave Chappelle: pic.twitter.com/uvImQ0tkQp
— ₮Ø₦ɆⱤ (@tonerrr_) May 4, 2022
For the sake of free speech, let’s all hope intelligence and wisdom win out. We need to protect comedians, hold attackers accountable and stop permitting the idea that free speech can merit violence against the speaker. It’s okay to be offended from time to time, everybody.
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place! As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below. After all, that’s what free speech is all about!
