Both online and on television, CNN edited out Sherelle Smith, the sister of a black man who was killed by police in Milwaukee on Saturday, calling for rioters to take their violence “to the suburbs.”
Correspondent Ana Cabrera reported Ms. Smith was “calling for peace” in a televised segment Monday on CNN Newsroom, NewsBusters reported.
The network showed a brief clip of Ms. Smith telling protesters: “Don’t bring the violence here and the ignorance here.”
But CNN cut away before Ms. Smith called for rioters to “take that s—- to the suburbs.”
“Stop burning down s—- we need in our community,” Ms. Smith said in her extended remarks. “Take that s—- to the suburbs. Burn they s—- down. We need our s—-. We need our weaves. I don’t wear it. But we need it.”
A CNN.com article on Monday framed the issue similarly, reporting that Ms. Smith “condemned violence carried out in her brother’s name, saying the community needs those businesses.”
SEE ALSO: Sylville Smith’s sister, Sherelle, urges crowd to torch suburbs: ‘Burn that s—- down!’
The article made no mention of her call for violence against other communities.
CNN later updated the piece to include Ms. Smith’s full remarks, saying she “urged protesters to take the violence elsewhere.”
The network said an earlier version of the story “mischaracterized what the victim’s sister was trying to convey.”
“She was calling for peace in her community, urging the protesters to go elsewhere,” CNN said in a statement.
Sylville Smith, 23, was killed by police Saturday when authorities say he refused to drop a gun. The shooting sparked riots across the city’s north side that evening, with protesters torching businesses and throwing rocks at police officers.
Four officers were injured and 17 people were arrested, the mayor’s office said.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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