A Fox News segment on Thursday devolved into a shouting match after Geraldo Rivera asked network contributor Leo Terrell, who is Black, “when was the last time you were in the ghetto?”
The comment came during a discussion on “America’s Newsroom” about the newly elected mayor of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones, and statements she made last month during a televised debate against her opponent, Cara Spencer. Jones said she didn’t believe white candidates “have the lived experiences to lead a majority-minority city,” a claim Terrell vehemently rejected during the Fox News segment on Thursday.
“To say that she is basically in a better position because she is Black is insulting, is racist, and makes no sense whatsoever,” Terrell said in video you can watch above.
Rivera then responded with his question about the “ghetto,” earning an angry response with the repeated refrain of “How dare you say that” from Terrell. “I have been a civil-rights attorney for 30 years and fought against this for 30 years. How dare you,” Terrell exclaimed.
Attempting to talk over Terrell, Rivera said his question was only meant to suggest that lived experience can be “helpful.”
Before the shouting match could continue, host Bill Hemmer shut down the conversation and ended the conversation. “I love you both. … We started out on a moment of peace. That moment is fleeting,” he said. “We’ll try again next week.”