Kevin Sorbo Rant About Ferguson Protests Cites "Animals" and "Losers," T.I. Also Weighs in

Hercules alum has been vocal about his political views in the past

By Corinne Heller Aug 21, 2014 6:46 PMTags
Kevin SorboGetty Images

He fought bullies, monsters and Greek gods on television, and now Hercules alum Kevin Sorbo has penned a scathing rant about real-life violence—the racially charged protests in Ferguson, Mo.

The 55-year-old actor minces no words in his message, posted on Facebook on Wednesday, Day 11 of the daily demonstrations, which began following a police officer's killing of an unarmed 18-year-old black man, Michael Brown, and which have spurred criticism and debate over race relations and the tactics police have used against the protesters.

"Ferguson riots have very little to do with the shooting of the young man," wrote Sorbo, best known for his past title role on the hit 1990s syndicated action series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, the prequel to Xena: Warrior Princess. "It is an excuse to be the losers these animals truly are. It is a tipping point to frustration built up over years of not trying, but blaming everyone else, The Man, for their failures. It's always someone else's fault when you give up."

"Hopefully this is a reminder to the African Americans ( I always thought we just Americans. Oh, well.) that their President the voted in has only made things worse for them, not better (sic)," he said.

While the protests have been largely peaceful, cops in the Midwest city have used tear gas and stun grenades against demonstrators they say acted violently, citing incidents of looting and Molotov cocktails and other weapons aimed at police, and have made scores of arrests. Photos and video of the chaos on television depict scenes from actual war zones abroad...or Hollywood action movies.

Protesters continue to call for charges to be filed against the police officer who shot Brown on Aug. 9, while authorities continue to investigate the deadly shooting.

Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET

Rapper T.I., 33, also recently weighed in on the crisis, posting messages on his Instagram page alongside a photo of a protestor appearing to get ready to throw a flaming item as well as another person looting a convenience store.

"Look at us....America has created a monster," he said. "The result of ignoring & mishandling an already fragile spirited, recently enslaved, presently oppressed race/generation of people. Look at us. We're the monster that now refuses to be dismissed, overlooked,& ignored. We were brought to this place,unaware of our own cultures,religion,&traditions therefore,we created our own. Now look at us. For years we've been crying out for the nation to address the substandard education systems & disparaging treatment of our citizens in communities across America. Our people have had an increasing lack of opportunities for generations."

"Although I DO NOT support the negative responses & actions of my people in light of dis tragedy....I WILL NOT condone your lack of effort to show any urgency to improve the treatment of our people, nor the living conditions in our communities," he added.

Sorbo and T.I. have both expressed their political views publicly before and the actor, who has donated more than $2,000 to Republican causes over the past 10 years and described himself in a 2013 interview with The Blaze as a "true independent," has occasionally spoken out against President Barack Obama online and in the press.

"I look at the person, I look at what they stand for and what they believe in, and I just know, during the last two elections, if you didn't vote for Obama, you're considered a racist and I said, 'What does racism have to do with it?' he told Newsmax TV earlier this year, adding, "No matter if you say anything negative about anybody nowadays, they want to play the race card and it's insane. I just don't believe in his politics."

Obama, the first black U.S. president and leader of the Democrat party who won re-election in 2012, recently called for calm in Ferguson.

"In too many communities around the country, a gulf of mistrust exists between local residents and law enforcement," he said in a White House statement. "In too many communities, too many young men of color are left behind and seen only as objects of fear."