Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Jay Pharoah Discusses Encounter With Los Angeles Police Officers | TODAY

>>> WELCOME BACK

>>> WELCOME BACK

COMEDIAN AND "SATURDAY NIGHT

LIVE" ALUM JAY PHAROAH ISHAS BEE

MAKING US LAUGH FOR YEARS.

RECENTLY HE GOT SERIOUS SHARING

A FRIGHTENING ENCOUNTER HE SAYS

HE HAD WITH THE LAPD BACK IN

APRIL.

JAY EVEN POSTING THIS

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO HE SAYS SHOWS

OFFICERS APPROACHING HIM WITH

GUNS DRAWN

HANDCUFFED HIM AND THEN HAULED

HIM DOWN WITH A KNEE TO HIS

NECK

NBC NEWS HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO

INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE FOOTAGE

WHICH FARRPHARAOH SAYS HE OBTAIN

THROUGH A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

POLICE TOLD HIM HE MATCHED THE

DESCRIPTION OF A SUSPECT

HE JOINS US NOW.

JAY, GOOD TO SEE YOU

GOOD MORNING, MY FRIEND.

>> GOOD MORNING, AL. HOW YOU DOING?

HOW YOU DOING?

>> DOING GOOD.

VERY NICE.

WE WANT TO FIND OUT FIRST OF ALL

SINCE THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE

LAPD ANDHOW IT EVEN HAPPENED

YOU SAID YOU WERE EXERCISING AND

YOU HEAR POLICE YELL GET ON THE

GROUND

SO WHAT HAPPENED

>> I WAS EXERCISING ON VENTURA,

ACTUALLY RUNNING DOWN VENTURA

BOULEVARD.

YEAH

I HAD MY HEADPHONES ON

I WAS ON A REST FROM THIS APP I

HAVE CALLED THE RUN TRACKER APP.

AND WALKING.

I LOOKED TO THE LEFT OF ME AND I

SEE A POLICE OFFICER WITH HIS

GUN RAISED POINTED AT ME TELLING

ME TO GET ON THE GROUND.

I’M LIKE, WAIT

LIKE ARE YOU TALKING TO ME

BECAUSE I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING.

SO YEAH.

THEY APPROACHED ME TELLING ME TO

GET ON THE GROUND.

TAKE YOUR HEADPHONES OFF, GET ON

THE GROUND

OFFICER PUT HIS KNEE ON ME,

STARTED PUTTING ME IN CUFFS.

I WAS FLABBERGASTED.

LIKE ARE YOU PUTTING ME IN CUFFS

RIGHT NOW?

YEAH, YOU’RE BEING DETAINED.

FOR WHAT

MATCHED THE DESCRIPTION OF A

BLACK MAN WITH A GRAY SHIRT AND

GRAY SWEAT PANTS, SO THEY SAY.

YEAH

I AM OKAY.

LUCKILY I GOT THROUGH THAT

SITUATION.

THEY LET ME GO

I TOLD THEM THAT, YOU KNOW, IF

THEY LOOKED UP JAY PHAROAH,

THEY’LL SEE THEY’RE MAKING A

MISTAKE.

A COUPLE MINUTES AFTER THAT IT

WAS OVER

YOU KNOW, THEY LET ME GO

I’M SORRY.

YOU KNOW, YOU’RE NOT THE GUY

WE GOT A CALL.

ALL RIGHT, MAN

WHATEVER

OKAY

SO I’M JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE

BREATHING.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MY OTHER

BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO WEREN’T

AS FORTUNATE AS I WAS IN THAT

SITUATION.

AL, WHAT’S CRAZY TO ME IS ALL OF

THE TRAINING THAT I DID OVER

THIS QUARANTINE WITH THIS APP,

IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN RUNNING

THROUGH THAT SITUATION AT THE

TIME AND THE APP WOULDN’T HAVE

BEEN TELLING ME TO WALK AND IT

WOULD HAVE TOLD ME TO RUN, I

WOULDN’T HAVE HEARD THAT POLICE

OFFICER AND THE STORY COULD HAVE

BEEN DIFFERENT

YOU KNOW

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW,

BLACK MAN ON VENTURA RESISTS

ARREST

BUT LUCKILY I’M HERE TO TELL MY

STORY.

SO I’M GOOD.

>> YEAH.

THANK GOODNESS

I MEAN, THE PARALLELS TO GEORGE

FLOYD, OBVIOUSLY, ARE PRETTY

OBVIOUS.

YOU KNOW, ONCE THAT HAPPENED,

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

I MEAN, THANKFULLY YOU SURVIVED,

IT WASN’T THE SAME OUTCOME

BUT YOU REALIZED IT CAN HAPPEN

TO ANYBODY

>> YEAH.

SO WHEN I SAW GEORGE FLOYD’S

SITUATION AND I’D ALREADY BEEN

THROUGH MINE, I WAS -- I GOT

SERIOUSLY INFURIATED

BECAUSE, AL, YOU CAN SEE THESE

STORIES A MILLION TIMES ON THE

NEWS, YOU CAN HEAR ABOUT THEM.

IT WON’T RESONATE WITH YOU THE

SAME WAY UNTIL SOMETHING SIMILAR

HAPPENS TO YOU

SO I WAS JUST MORE PASSIONATE

FOR CHANGE AND WANTING A

DIFFERENT REFORM WITH THE

POLICING SYSTEM.

EVEN AHMAUD ARBERY

AHMAUD ARBERY HAPPENED -- THE

FOOTAGE CAME OUT A WEEK AFTER I

WENT THROUGH MY SITUATION.

WHICH WAS ONE OF THE REASONS I

WAS APPREHENSIVE TO PUT THE

FOOTAGE UP BECAUSE I HAVE MY

LIFE

AGAIN, YOU KNOW, A BLACK MAN

RUNNING LOST HIS LIFE.

JAY PHAROAH, I RAN, I HAVE MY

LIFE

I DID NOT WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING

AWAY FROM THE BLACK LIVES MATTER

MOVEMENT, SO I DID MY INSTAGRAM

VIDEO WITH A FEW OTHER SOCIAL

MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND, YOU KNOW,

IT WENT VIRAL.

YOU KNOW, DIDN’T THINK ANYTHING.

I WAS LIKE, OKAY, COOL

WHEN IT WAS EVERYWHERE, I WAS

LIKE OKAY NOW IT’S EVERYWHERE TO

SEE.

A POSITIVE THAT’S COME OUT OF

THIS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OF

NON-COLOR WHO HAVE HIT ME UP, MY

FRIENDS.

THEY SAY IT KIND OF PUTS THINGS

IN PERSPECTIVE FOR THEM NOW AS

WELL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY

COULDN’T, LIKE, FEEL WHAT IT WAS

UNTIL SOMEBODY THAT THEY KNEW

WENT THROUGH IT.

SO NOW, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT

TO -- I’M KIND OF BRIDGING THE

GAP AND SHOWING PEOPLE, LIKE,

YEAH

LIKE YOU’RE SAYING, AL, IT

DOESN’T MATTER

A BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA -- AN

INNOCENT BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA

CAN LOSE THEIR LIFE AT ANY TIME

OR THEIR LIFE COULD BE

THREATENED AT ANY TIME

IT SHOULDN’T BE LIKE THAT.

THESE ARE BASIC HUMAN CIVIL

RIGHTS

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

>> I HEAR YOU.

>> YEAH.

>> WELL, WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE OKAY.

MAYBE YOU’LL COME BACK AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT KANYE WEST

YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT KANYE WEST

RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

>> YOU KNOW, AL.

AL

THE COUNTRY’S ALREADY GOING

CRAZY.

WE GOT CORONA OUT THERE.

YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW

WHAT I’M GOING TO DO

I’M GOING TO MAKE KIM KARDASHIAN

MY RUNNING MATE BECAUSE I WANT

TO TAKE EVERYBODY OUT.

IT’S LIKE --

>> WE’RE GOING TO PICK THIS UP A