The Detroit Lions have cancelled their practice following the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Blake, an unarmed black man, was shot seven times by police in front of his children in Wisconsin. The 29-year-old is now in hospital in serious condition, and his father says his son is paralyzed from the waist down. The shooting has sparked a wave of protests across the state.
The entire Lions team spoke to the media outside of their NFL practice facility on Tuesday afternoon to discuss Blake’s shooting.
This is why Lions practice was canceled today. Entire Lions team addressing media outside the building to discuss the shooting of Jacob Blake.
— Tori Petry (@sportstori) August 25, 2020
“Football is not important today.” -Duron Harmon pic.twitter.com/eqDIrJp9Ex
“Football is not important today. The Detroit Lions organization is going to take a stand that what happened to Jacob Blake is not OK ... We are going to speak out on it until we create change,” said safety Duron Harmon.
Offensive lineman Taylor Decker added: “The fear and pain that people I love and care about are going through is not OK … I want better for my brothers, for my teammates ... Change needs to happen.”
On Monday night, NBA superstar LeBron James said Blake’s shooting shows why black people in America are ‘terrified’ of the police.
“I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as black people in America,” James said after he helped the LA Lakers’ to a playoff win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. “Black men, black women, black kids, we are terrified.”
There is no evidence Blake had a gun when he was shot, and James said police could have found another way of subduing him if they believed he was a threat.
“If you’re sitting here and telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman or detain him or just before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here and lying to not only me, but you’re lying to every African American, every black person in the community,” James said. “Because we see it over and over and over.
“If you watch the video, there were multiple moments where if they wanted to, they could’ve tackled him. They could’ve grabbed him. You know? They could’ve done that. And why, why does it always have to get to a point where we see the guns firing?”
George Hill of the Milwaukee Bucks said that the NBA should not have restarted its season in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the ensuing nationwide protests against racial injustice.
“We shouldn’t have even came to this damn place, to be honest. I think coming just here [to finish the season in Orlando, Florida] took all the focal points off what the issues are. But we’re here, so it is what it is,” Hill said. “We can’t do anything from right here, but I think definitely, when it’s all settled, some things have to be done.”
James said he believes players can still add their voices to the social justice movement while playing.
“I still have a job to do because I’m here. Because I committed. And when I commit to something, I feel like I have to come through. That’s just who I am,” James said. “But that does not mean that I don’t see what’s going on and I won’t say anything or continue to use my platform, continue to use my voice and continue to uplift all of the other athletes to let them know that they can say and do what’s right and not fear what other people’s opinions are.”
James said that guns are a major problem. “I think firearms are a huge issue in America,” he said. “I don’t know how you clean that up. I’m not saying that I’ve got all the answers, but guns are – they are a huge issue in America, and they’re not used for just hunting that a lot of people do for sport. Right now for black people, right now when you’re hunting, we think you’re hunting us.”
James’s nonprofit organization, More Than a Vote, which he has set up alongside other black athletes and entertainers, aims to end voter suppression against minorities in the US. He said he hopes it can make a difference as the presidential election approaches and afterwards.
“I hope I can continue to uplift my community, uplift communities all over America, uplift the black community,” James said. “It’s not like it’s going to happen tomorrow. But being organized and having a plan and keeping our feet on the gas pedal is something that we’ve got to do.”
The Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, says police violence against black people must end.
“This morning, the nation wakes up yet again with grief and outrage that yet another black American is a victim of excessive force,” he said. “Those shots pierce the soul of our nation.”
