Jacob Blake will likely never walk again after police shot him seven times in the back in front of his children over the weekend. It’s another in a shockingly predictable cycle of violence against Black citizens, with little information being offered by police on how, or why these events happen.
Kenosha, Wisconsin police were responding to an unrelated domestic violence call shortly after 5 p.m. on Sunday when they came into contact with Blake. State investigators are currently examining the shooting, meaning little has been said publicly on the part of police —even as a video has been circulating showing the conclusion. (WARNING: This video is graphic, and shows the shooting itself).
In it, Blake can be seen walking away from officers with his back turned, with officers following him with their guns drawn. Blake attempted to enter the driver’s seat of an SUV, before officers at close range began shooting their weapons into Blake’s back, with stunned bystanders screaming. Shortly before shooting, one bystander yelled, “Don’t you do it! Don’t you do it!” Police have not explained why officers chose to use lethal force, why they decided to discharge their weapons into someone who wasn’t acting aggressively toward them, or how officers involved will be disciplined for their actions. While we wait for answers, Kenosha has become another hotspot for protests after being the latest location involted in a soul-crushing pattern of violence towards Black people.
It was unclear if a return to sports would even occur. Numerous players were concerned that leaving their communities and returning to play would take away from the activism being done at home. Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics decided to opt out due to this very issue. However, since the return of sports the NBA and WNBA committed to recognizing victims of violence and the Black Lives Matter movement on jerseys, via pre-game solidarity, and in post-game interviews. Now with the shooting of Jacob Blake, players are questioning whether returning to play in Orlando was worth it.
It’s been particularly difficult for George Hill of the Bucks, who desperately wants to be back in Milwaukee on the front lines of protests, not trapped in the bubble.
“We can’t do anything [from Orlando],” Hill said Monday. “First of all, we shouldn’t have even came to this damn place, to be honest. I think coming here just took all the focal points off what the issues are.”
Hill’s feelings are being echoed by numerous players in the NBA, who are starting to feel like returning to play took some of the most noticeable national voices in the Black Lives Matter movement away from the protests themselves, and transplanted them into an artificial environment.
Fred VanVleet of the Raptors wants players to do more, even while in Orlando:
“At the end of the day, if we’re gonna sit here and talk about making change then at some point we’re gonna have to put our nuts on the line and actually put something up to lose, rather than just money or visibility.”
How this will materialize is unknown at this time, but there is a possibility players will boycott games to make a statement. Thursday’s game between the Celtics and Raptors is currently one being mentioned for potential cancellation, while others are being could be cancelled as well.
Jaylen Brown has publicly revealed how difficult the shooting has been on him. The Celtics star said he can’t look at his No. 7 jersey anymore without thinking of the seven times Blake was shot. Brown made a powerful statement about how Blake’s past and the attempts to characterize him in a negative light should have no bearing on the reaction to the shooting.
“I don’t care if he did something 10 years ago, 10 days ago, 10 minutes ago. If he served his sentence and he was released back into society, he still deserves to be treated like a human and does not deserve to be shot in the back seven times with the intent to kill. His kids will never unsee that, his family will never unsee that, and, frankly, I will never unsee it. People post my jersey all the time, No. 7. Every time I look at my jersey now, what I see is a Black man being shot seven times. All America sees is his background or his background report. It’s easier to see that than it is to see the truth.”
This isn’t a message being carried by the NBA alone. The Detroit Lions cancelled practice on Tuesday due to the shooting, but it wasn’t planned action. The Lions held a team talk about Jacob Blake, with head coach Matt Patricia opening a dialogue with his players to hear about their experiences, their struggles with police and injustice. During those talks it became apparent that what was happening in Kenosha was far more important than a football practice on a Tuesday afternoon. So players decided to use their time to leave the pads behind and take a stand.
Some of the most poignant remarks on the situation came from Clippers coach Doc Rivers. The son of a police officer, Rivers broke down in his postgame press conference with his frustration and anguish at seeing yet another shooting of a Black person. Calling for collective outrage, Rivers questioned why Black Americans should continue to love a country that doesn’t love them back.
Enough is enough. Players are understandably questioning why they are playing when awful things are happening in their communities. Coaches are finding it difficult to focus when shootings keep occurring to people of Black people. Sports are secondary to everything else that’s happening, and it remains to be seen if the NBA postseason will continue is planned after the Jacob Blake shooting and the protests that follow it.
One thing is clear: If games are cancelled and everything falls apart, don’t blame the players for taking action. Blame the fact that it’s been three months since George Floyd was killed and despite hundreds of thousands of protesters, and millions of hours calling for police reform and plans to deal with systemic racism — still nothing of substance has been done.
If the NBA season ends over the shooting of Jacob Blake, then the only people to blame are those who were in a position of power to effect change, and chose not to.
No comments:
Post a Comment