LeBron James has spoken out about the recent shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American, that was shot by Kenosha, Wisconsin police department on Sunday.
The Lakers superstar says Black people in the United States are “terrified.”
“It’s just quite frankly f—ed up in our community,” James, who has been outspoken about racial injustice and police brutality, said during a news conference following the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff win over the Portland Trail Blazers late Monday. “I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America. Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified.”
Blake’s three children were in the car at the time of the shooting, his attorney said. Blake was transferred to a hospital in Milwaukee, where he remains in serious condition.
Speaking a day after the incident, James expressed frustration over police’s use of a firearm, saying officers could have tackled or grabbed Blake.
“If you’re sitting here and telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman or detain him, before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here and you’re not only lying to me, but you’re lying to every African American, every Black person in the community, because we see it over and over,” James said.
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“Why does it always have to get to a point where we see the guns firing?” he asked. “His family is there, his kids are there, it’s in broad daylight.”
James has been vocal about the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in recent months. He and several NBA teams resumed the season in July by kneeling for the national anthem and wearing “Black Lives Matter” warm-up shirts.
