Will Smith: Philly Police Called Me Racial Slurs During Youth

PHILADELPHIA — Will Smith is one of Philadelphia's most cherished sons.

Smith, a proud Philly native, was famously born and raised in West Philadelphia and made sure the world knew that in the lyrics to the "Yo Home to Bel-Air," which served at the theme song to the hit series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

While he is proud of his Philly roots, the Hollywood superstar recently recounted racism he experienced when interacting with Philadelphia Police as a young man.

Smith on YouTube said he grew up in the time of Frank Rizzo, former police chief and mayor of Philadelphia.

"He had an iron hand," Smith said while talking with attorney and political analyst Angela Rye on YouTube.

Smith said he had been called the n-word on "more than 10 occasions" and that he was stopped frequently.

"I understand what it's like to be in those circumstances with the police, to feel like you’ve been occupied, it’s an occupying force," he said.

He went on to say he attended Catholic school in the suburbs, which gave him insight the police-community relations differences based on location and race.

"White kids were happy when the cops showed up and my heart always started pounding," he said.

Watch the full YouTube discussion online here.