Civil Rights Attorney Leo Terrell told “Fox & Friends” this week that LeBron James will not meet with the Black cop who requested a meeting to discuss policing because it would “destroy” the NBA star’s narrative.
LEO TERRELL: You see, there is a strategy on the left, the extreme left: white officers kill black people. That person who wrote that letter is a black officer. LeBron is not going to sit there because it destroys their narrative… that Black police officer destroys LeBron, the socialists’, the extreme left’s narrative. He’ll never sit down with that guy because of skin color. And that’s how ridiculous it is.
…LeBron has consumed too much Democratic Kool-Aid. They want a race war in the sense that law enforcement is evil, even though law enforcement is the only defense for people of color and for all people.”
James faced widespread condemnation for his comments, including from former president Donald Trump who called the remarks “racist.”
LAPD officer Deon Joseph wrote a scathing letter to LeBron after he tweeted a picture of the cop of shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. The LA Lakers star later deleted the tweet and posted another where he explained why he removed it.
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Joseph slammed James’ earlier tweet and stance on policing as being “so off base and extreme.”
He added: “Dear Lebron: I am not going to come at you from a place of hatred. There will be no name-calling. I was raised to see the whole of a human being. Not to hyper-focus on their flaws or make said flaws the whole of who they are. I’m an honest man.
“What you do for children, and other acts of charity shows a huge heart. You show to be a family man, and that’s to be respected. You play for the team my family has cheered for since the 1960s, then myself since 1979.
“But… Your current stance on policing is so off base and extreme. Your tweet that targeted a police officer in Ohio who saved a young woman’s life was irresponsible and disturbing. It showed a complete lack of understanding of the challenge of our job in the heat of a moment.”
Joseph continued: “You basically put a target on the back of a human being who had to make a split-second decision to save a life from a deadly attack. A decision I know he and many others wish they never had to make. Especially when it involves someone so young.
“Instead of apologizing, you deflected. You said you took your tweet down because you did not want it to be used for hate when the tweet itself was the embodiment of hatred, rooted in a lack of understanding of the danger of the situation.
“I don’t know if this will ever reach you, but my hope is that one day I can sit down with you and talk. As a man of faith, I can have no hatred toward you. But I do feel I can help you understand the reality of the profession of policing, and that there is another side you need to hear.
“You are tired of Black folks dying? So am I. You hate racism and police brutality? So do I. But you cannot paint 800,000 men and women who are of all races, faiths, sexual orientations and are also mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, preachers, coaches, community members and just humans with such a broad and destructive brush.
“Unlike some who have dug their heels in the belief that police are inherently evil, I think if you yourself actually sat down and had a real honest and open conversation with a cop, there is a strong chance you may discover we are not the monsters you have come to believe we are, who deserve the hate and disdain you have.
“And even if you come away feeling the same way, I could respect it, because at least you gave the other side your ear instead of only hearing one narrative.”
Joseph later added: “The offer is on the table LeBron. No cameras. No fanfare. Just two men who care, talking. I know it’s a long shot. But this division and hatred must stop. It’s clear based on rising crime in marginalized communities that cops and the community needs to build bridges to save lives on all sides. That cannot be done through the demonization of any group of people.
“Just putting it out in the universe brother. Even if not me, please take the time to talk to a police officer instead of judging them. No shade. Thanks for all the positive things you do.”
His Facebook post has went insanely viral.
