Niles Fitch, who stars in “This Is Us,” recently broke his silence about the fatal shooting of his cousin Rayshard Brooks, an Atlanta man who died after an altercation with police.
Fitch, who is a native Atlantan, has played the role of young Randall Pearson for four seasons on the Emmy Award-winning show. In a recent interview on FoxSoul’s “The Mix” promoting the new season of the NBC drama, the 19-year-old spoke about Brooks' death.
“I’m from Atlanta and I haven’t said anything publicly, but my cousin was Rayshard Brooks,” Fitch said during the interview on “The Mix.” “I remember watching the video and I couldn’t see who it is or anything, and I remember being like damn that’s crazy and I was a little numb to it and I kept it moving.”
Fitch’s mother later explained to him that the victim was his cousin.
“It really set on me how bad it has been and how desensitized we are,” the actor said. “It was a tough time but we got through it; you have to get through it. That is the only thing you can do.”
Brooks became a part of the national conversation about police brutality when he was shot by police in the parking lot of an Atlanta Wendy’s. The 27-year-old had been found intoxicated and sleeping in his car in the restaurant’s drive-thru. Once awakened, Brooks and the Atlanta police officers had a congenial exchange. After police attempted to arrest him, an altercation ensued involving a Taser. The conflict ended with the father being shot. He was hospitalized but died.
Several protests took place in Atlanta and abroad following his death. In regards to a protest in Los Angeles, Fitch said he found it difficult to support demonstrations because they had become “a show.”
“A bunch of influencers that I know, that be at parties... saying the (racial slur), treating Black people bad, girls that fetishize Black men now being like ‘Black Lives Matter.’ It really took the spirit of ‘I’m protesting’ out of it.”
Hear the entire interview with Fitch here.
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