Sherman Protests Crutcher, Scott and other Wrongful Black Men Homicides
In response to the Terrence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott deaths, Seattle Seahawks corner back Richard Sherman initiated a protest of his own today.
In a regulatory press conference, Sherman took it upon himself to not answer any questions from reporters. Sherman, instead, shared his thoughts with the dozens of media members in the room pertaining to the controversies that have been happening with law enforcement and unarmed black men.
“I’m not going to answer any questions today, and it’s no offense to you guys, but I think the state of things in the world today is very interesting,” Sherman said in the interview.
“I think you have players that are trying to take a stand and trying to be aware of social issues and try to make a stand and increase people’s awareness and put a spotlight on it, and they’re being ignored. Whether they’re taking a knee or whether they’re locking arms, they’re trying to bring people together and unite them for a cause. I think the last couple days, a couple more guys have gotten shot and killed in the middle of the street. More videos have come out of guys getting killed, and I think people are still missing the point. The reason these guys are kneeling, the reason we’re locking arms is to bring people together, to make people aware that this is not right. It’s not right for people to get killed in the street.”
Sherman’s protest was much needed as it comes just a day after police fatally shot Scott in Charlotte, and, also, just five days after 40-year Crutcher was fatally shot by an officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“I do a lot of community service. I go out there and try to help kids and try to encourage them to be better and to aspire to more. And when you tell a kid, ‘When you’re dealing with police, just put your hands up and comply with everything’ and there’s still a chance of them getting shot and no repercussions for anyone, that’s an unfortunate time to be living. That’s an unfortunate place to be in. There’s not a lot you can tell a kid. There’s not a lot you can try to inspire, say to inspire a person. When you say, ‘Hey, we need black fathers to be in the community to stay there for your kids’ but they’re getting killed in the street for nothing, for putting their hands on their cars. And I think that’s the unfortunate part. That’s the unfortunate place that we’re living in. And something needs to be done.”
My take is this: there are good police officers, but the ones who are good need to police the bad apples. The way things are set up with social media nowadays makes it very easy for folks to compare what is happening.
A terrorist who bombed New Jersey and New York, and who shot at police can be taken alive. But a man who is unarmed, who puts his hands up, and who seemingly follows directions gets his life snatched away. And all this started because his car stalled in the middle of the highway. Let’s not forget the police did not attempt to even save his life. There goes one less husband to a wife, father to a child, son to a mother and so on.
Its comparable imagery like this that really makes one thing perfectly clear: black lives don’t matter, and all lives don’t matter. It’s funny how people on social media are up in arms when Colin Kaepernick can take a kneel to the Star-Spangled Banner (created by a racist lawyer), but when somebody innocent is killed in the street, no one seems to be speaking.
Today was a very ‘real’ day on ESPN. Many talk show hosts spoke on the recent tragedies, including Michael Smith and Jemele Hill. Herman Edwards on NFL Live had a fantastic point of view. The only viewpoint I didn’t like is one Ray Lewis.
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