As violence overtook the U.S. capitol on Wed., Jan. 6 as supporters of Donald Trump stormed Congress as they were preparing to certify President-Elect Joe Biden’s win, a pair of Boston Celtics voiced their concerns regarding how the black day was being handled by authorities at the scene.
Celtic legend Bill Russell, the Hall of Fame big man who made perhaps as much of a mark fighting alongside the reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis for civil rights in the 1960s as he did playing basketball, posted a tweet condemning the events in Washington D.C., as did current Celtic Jayson Tatum.
How long would it take to deploy the National Guard if they were black & how many would be dead? This is NOT#America! A sitting #President did this @realDonaldTrump #Coward & yes that is a #Confederate flag outside the Senate chamber. How did they not know this would happen? pic.twitter.com/MNgFZIthJ2
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) January 6, 2021
After a summer of protests over police violence that themselves often erupted into clashes with police, Russell questioned why the aggressive use of force was nowhere to be found when Trump supporters stormed the Senate chambers.
“How long would it take to deploy the National Guard if they were black & how many would be dead? This is NOT America! A sitting President did this [Donald Trump] Coward & yes that is a Confederate flag outside the Senate chamber.”
“How did they not know this would happen?” he added.
How long would it take to deploy the National Guard if they were black & how many would be dead? This is NOT#America! A sitting #President did this @realDonaldTrump #Coward & yes that is a #Confederate flag outside the Senate chamber. How did they not know this would happen? pic.twitter.com/MNgFZIthJ2
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) January 6, 2021
Tatum voiced a similar sentiment, saying it was a “damn shame” after retweeting an image of the police response to Black Lives Matter protests.
Damn shame https://t.co/ZgRmE3clhK
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) January 6, 2021
The two Celtics shared a sentiment of grave concern after the days events in Washington — a sentiment shared by many.
