Protests against police brutality have now passed their third weekend, and show no signs of slowing.
But even as more and more people lend their support in real life as well as in digital campaigns, more people are dying.
On Friday, 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was shot twice in the back by Atlanta police at a Wendy’s drive through, with videos of the incident being shared widely online. His death has since been declared a homicide.
Daily Show host Trevor Noah responded to the killing on Monday, breaking down what happened before making a powerful speech to finish.
“People always say the same thing,” said Noah. “They go, ‘Well if you didn’t do that, then you would still be alive.’ They say this shit all the time: ‘If you didn’t do that.’
“But the truth is, the ifs keep on changing. ‘If you didn’t resist arrest you would still be alive.’ Or, ‘If you didn’t run away from the cops you would still be alive. Well, if you didn’t have a toy gun and were 12 years old in the middle of the park, then you would have still been alive. Well, you know what, if you weren’t wearing a hoodie you would have still been alive. Well, you know, if you didn’t talk back to the cops you would have still been alive. If you weren’t sleeping in your bed as a black woman, you would have still been alive.’
“There’s one common thread beyond all the ifs. If you weren’t black, maybe you’d still be alive.”