I know we're on Zoom, but I wish I could be

in the same room with you.

-Yes, my brother, the world has changed.

-Yeah. It really has.

I do want to bring up --

you're such a powerful director

and a voice of generation after generation.

But -- -Going on my fourth --

-Jimmy I'm going into my fourth decade, my man.

-Is that crazy how fast time flies.

-63.

-No way.

-Black don't crack. [ Laughing ]

-No, not at all.

Honestly, I was watching this thing that you did,

because I watched this -- Don Lemon did this

special on CNN, and debuted this short

called "3 Brothers," where it is -- whew!

It is -- I just -- speechless.

What it is, it's basically, it's Radio Raheem,

Eric Garner, and George Floyd

all kind of cut in between.

So it's -- ah, it's just -- it's powerful.

I did want to show it on our show if you didn't mind.

-Can I just say one thing first before you show it?

-Yeah.

-Radio Raheem is a fictional character

from my 1980s film "Do the Right Thing."

But his murder is based upon

the real life murder of Michael Stewart,

who was a graffiti artist here in New York City, 1983.

So that's where I got that deal for the murder of Radio Raheem.

-Really, where he was choked to death?

-Yeah, came from Michael Stewart.

-Did not know that.

-Yeah, 1983. He was a graffiti artist,

down in the subway station.

New York Transit Authority Police jumped on him,

put him in a stranglehold. and he died in a coma

like several days after that.

So Radio Raheem is based -- even though it's fictional,

it's based upon the real life murder of Michael Stewart,

and who was good friends with Basquiat, too.

They were tight. -Really?

Did you ever think that that would --

I mean, that things wouldn't change since then and --

I don't know, I can't even --

-Jimmy, you know,

when I saw Eric Garner,

I'm like, that's -- that's Radio Raheem

based upon Michael Stewart.

And then to see our brother King Floyd,

and I know that he saw what happened

to Eric Garner. -Yep.

-So he's seeing that in his mind as his last

eight and a half minutes

are being suffocated out of him.

-Jeez. I want to show everyone this,

and I do want to warn anyone at home,

this is graphic, but it's real,

and it's violence from police officers.

And -- but watch and see how the film holds up.

-I'm minding my business, Officer.

I'm minding my business. Please just leave me alone.

I told you the last time, please leave me alone.

Please, don't touch me. [ Bleep ]

-Hold on, hold on, hold on. -Don't touch me, please.

-[ Men talking at once ] -Don't touch me.

[Bleep]

[ Bleep ] [ Shouting ]

-Yeah, [bleep], come on!

-Yo! [ Shouts ] -Do something.

[ All shouting ]

[ Bleep ] -...do it!

-[ Men talking at once ]

[Bleep]

-I can't breathe.

-Get the -- get the -- [ Gasping ]

-I can't breathe!

-I can't breathe!

-[ Gasping ] -Just take him down, man.

[ Bleep ]

-[ Speaks indistinctly ] Ah --

[ Gasping ]

-Mama!

-Get up and get in the car right.

-Back up then get on those steps.

-Okay. -Get off of him now.

-You're gonna choke him... -What is wrong with y'all?

-What the [bleep] He got mace.

-[ Groaning ] -Get his arm, get his --

-All he did was break up a fight.

-[ Grunting ]

-[Bleep] stopping his breathing right there, bro.

-I can't breathe.

-Back up. -Back up.

-Bro, he's not even [bleep] moving.

Get off of his [bleep] neck, bro.

-No! -Radio!

-[ Grunts weakly ]

-Radio Raheem!

-No, bro, look at him, he's non-responsive right now, bro.

-Sir, it's EMS. Come on. We're here to help, alright?

[ Shouting ]

-...back on the street!

-Don't touch him!

-You could've at least lifted him up off the ground, bro.

We wouldn't even have tripped, bro.

[ Door closes ] [ Bleep ]

-Yeah, 987. You just killed that [bleep], bro.

You just killed him, bro.

-Y'all just really just killed that man.

-You just really killed that man, bro.

-Uh, whew!

It's -- it's jarring, and it's --

I just think -- I hope that people are --

that this is the biggest change, this is it.

This is something. Let's do something. Let's --

-Well, I think, Jimmy, my brother, people are there.

I was on my bike yesterday here in Brooklyn and --

'Cause I was so -- I've seen it, you know,

we're still in quarantine. -Yeah.

-But yesterday I said, yo, I got to be in it.

I had my mask on. -You did it.

-Yeah, but to see -- and also --

to see young -- young white generation,

my sisters and brothers, they're out there.

It's not just black and brown people.

So I'm very enthusiastic

that people around the world

were galvanized by the horrific murder of George Floyd

in saying, "No, no, no."

And also, I think that people are going to come out to vote.

I'm talking about specifically United States of America,

people are going to come out and vote and say hell no

to Agent Orange -- like, you got to go.

And, you know, that is my hope,

that's my prayer,

and our president, President Barack Obama, has said

that this upcoming presidential election

is going to be the most important in history

of the United States of America.

I want to take it a step further from Barack,

saying that this presidential election

will be the most important election

in the history of the modern world.

Because he gets elected -- now this is my opinion.

This guy gets elected, the world is in peril.

-Yeah. -They tried --

They had to talk him down for siccing

national armed forces on peaceful Americans.

And it's like this guy has never even heard of the Constitution

of the United States of America. -Yeah.

-And my question is, what is Bill Barr's job?

He's supposed to be the attorney general.

He don't know that? -Jesus.

-So this is like -- Things are bananas now.

Bananas. -Yeah. Yeah.

It just feels like every move is, like,

more shocking than the next move, and you're like,

someone has to talk to somebody and say like,

hey, what you're putting out there is not working.

So whatever you're doing, this is --

you got to do something else.

Or do something different because this is --

-If I may say, sometimes I just think that

he should just be quiet.

-Yeah. -Him.

To talk about -- to say --

to speak for George Floyd looking down from heaven

saying that this is a great day in America?

Just don't say nothing!

-Just stop. Just stop. -Stop.

You should not be talking about --

you should not be speaking about our brother.

-No.

More with Spike Lee when we come back.

Do you mind, Spike, hanging out for one more segment?

-I'm here, baby. -I'm so happy.

Thank you, bud. We'll be right back.