NAMES IN THE NEWS : Spike Lee Answers Critics

Spike Lee, creator of “Do the Right Thing,” says he’s the only filmmaker criticized for not showing drugs in his movies.

Critics complained that his 1989 film dealing with race relations in New York City was unrealistic because the streets were clean and the characters weren’t shown using drugs, Lee told an audience at the University of Rochester on Wednesday night.

“Drugs are not the unique domain of black people,” Lee said.

He said black people have to make their own movies to be in control of their own image.

“Blacks know a lot about the white world, because we’re a minority living in it,” he said. “But whites don’t know anything about black culture. What blacks does Steven Spielberg know? Quincy Jones? Michael Jackson? Maybe Prince? They aren’t regular black people.

“Hollywood is a closed community and they’re out of touch.”