Kanye West Blasts Federal Hurricane Relief Efforts During Telethon
Posted by Michael Melchor on 09.04.2005
"George Bush doesn't care about black people."
Kanye West surprised viewers of NBC's "A Concert for Hurricane Relief" on Friday night when he lashed out at President George W. Bush and the government for delayed rescue efforts to the devastated areas of Hurricane Katrina.
West joined comedian Mike Myers on stage, where he refused to read the teleprompter, instead expressed his disgust for the way the media has portrayed some of the black people in New Orleans.
"I hate the way they portray [African Americans] in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food," West said. (The comment referred to a pair of News Photos from New Orleans showing different races of people carrying parcels of food while wading through water. The caption of the black family said they were "looting" while the caption of the whites doing the same were "looking for food".)
West continued, "We already realized a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way, and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us.
"George Bush doesn't care about black people."
Myers was stunned, as was co-host Chris Tucker after the camera abruptly cut away from West.
NBC released a statement saying that West's comments in no way represent the views of the networks, and that he chose not to read the comments that were prepared for him.
"It would be most unfortunate," the statement read, "if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion."
Meanwhile, West released a statement of his own on Friday directed toward looters in New Orleans, the U.S. government and his music peers before appearing on the telethon:
"My plea is this, and I hope you will hear it: Please stop the chaos. Stop hurting each other. Do only what will be helpful. To our government officials, please do whatever it takes to bring aid and relief to our suffering people, and do it immediately. To my fellow artists and entertainers, please give your time and use your voice to help spread a message of unity. Please, let's come together in this time of crisis to help our people and our communities and our country. Let's volunteer, donate our time and money, or help in whatever ways we can."
