Georgia
judge who gave blacks-only lecture teams with Cosby
By WALTER PUTNAM
| Associated Press Writer
6:13 AM EDT, April 25, 2008
ATLANTA
- Bill Cosby says apathy among
some black Americans about violence, drugs, profanity and teenage sex has sunk
to a level of asking someone to "pass the salt."
The comedian, who has made waves by criticizing the black community in the
past, appeared Thursday night with a Georgia judge who kicked whites out
of his courtroom while he lectured black defendants.
Cosby and Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington spoke at a forum for at-risk
youths from the Atlanta
area. Both men are black.
"Our children are trying to tell us something," Cosby said to the
predominantly black audience at BenjaminMaysHigh
School as he talked about the importance of
education and family.
He
amused the invitation-only crowd of about 600, which included teenagers
identified as "at-risk" by juvenile authorities, with a lament about
nonchalant reactions to common problems.
"Well, the mother's on crack cocaine. Pass the salt."
"That girl's baby has no father. Pass the salt."
"Oh, he shot him in the head? Pass the salt."
Cosby, dressed casually in sneakers and a Morehouse College T-shirt, said there
are examples of success, and there are examples of failure.
"We look at failure and we're like, pass the salt."
He dismissed critics of his approach who have said that he is airing dirty
laundry in the black community.
"That's crazy," he said. "There are black people who have to
walk around this dirty laundry."
The judge, who in contrast to Cosby was wearing a gray, three-piece suit with
white shirt and pink bow tie, said the comedian contacted him two weeks ago and
said, "`I want to come to Atlanta and help you with your fight to try to
turn these young people around.'Chris Tucker also attended at
the event. The comedian-actor, who starred in the "Rush Hour" films, urged
audience members to find something they're passionate about, saying it's
otherwise very easy to get into trouble.
"These young people are worth saving," Arrington said.
The judge has admitted he shouldn't have made white people leave as he tried to
scare straight some young black men during the March 27 court session. He said
he wanted only to get the defendants' attention without dressing them down in
front of whites.
He recounted a litany of criminal defendants who come before him in court,
including young men who kill during drug deals and a father who slept with his
daughters.
"Somewhere, you can cannot tolerate this uncivilized conduct,"
Arrington said.
