The View Co-hosts Reflect on Violence in Charlotte and Tulsa

In the wake of two recent police-involved shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday and Charlotte, North Carolina Tuesday night, The View  co-hosts tackled the newest developments in a disturbing pattern of violence involving law enforcement and the black community on the show Wednesday, September 21. After both incidents prompted protests in the respective cities, Whoopi Goldberg asked the hosts: "What do we do about this?"

"Where I can start is at home," Candace Cameron Bure said. "It gets me incredibly emotional when I think about it."

"We need to love our neighbors as ourselves. I don't know what else I can do."

For Whoopi, it's what people are neglecting to do: "What doesn't help is pretending it's not happening, or that it is somebody's fault."

"It feels sometimes like it's open season," she says of the pattern of violence.

"If we could start that conversation with, 'There is a problem!' If law enforcement could say to us, 'We're often nervous. We're scared. We don't know what's out there!' If it could become about how we can help each other, that would be helpful. Help us understand who you are as police officers, so we can help you do your job and we don't feel like you're hunting us!"

On the #WhiteLivesMatter and #BlueLivesMatter responses to #BlackLivesMatter, Whoopi says, "We know white lives matter. We've seen it! There's a disconnect for us. We want to bring up the fact that … there's institutional racism. We need to remind people. We have to hold everyone accountable."

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Jedediah Bila shared an exchange she had with her mom that made her realize "people are waking up."

"She was so bothered, imagining being an African American woman having an African American son or daughter, and someone assuming that person is doing something wrong, just because of the color of their skin."

She also discussed the fact that supporting police officers and criticizing their wrongdoings aren't mutually exclusive:

"There's this perception that you can't criticize law enforcement and at the same time, stand up for something good that the police force is doing. No! You're standing up for the good in law enforcement when you criticize these moments. You're standing up for what it means to be an American, what it means to be unified in this country. People are coming together and they will come together more in the future."

Jedediah addressed white privilege in these discussions, as well: "African Americans in this country have suffered a different experience. It's incumbent upon people who have not suffered that experience to not only acknowledge it, but things have to change. That falls on us!"

The conversation continued with Anthony Anderson, who has a 16-year-old son and 20-year-old daughter. He shared his advice to his son after getting him a car: "I want you to come home. Whatever it is that you need to do. Make it home … You don't make excuses for them to pull you over."

What's your take on the heightened tension between the black community and law enforcement? What do you think is needed to calm it?