LOS ANGELES – A day after a crowd of pro-Trump insurgents stormed the U.S. Chapter, Los Angeles Lakers captain LeBron James wondered what would have happened if the insurgent group were mostly black people and gave blame President Donald Trump’s chaos.
“We live in two Americas,” James said Thursday after the Lakers lost 118-109 to the San Antonio Spurs. “And that was a prime example of that yesterday, and if you don’t understand that or see that after seeing it yesterday, then you have to take a step back – not a single step, but maybe four or five, or even 10 step back and ask yourself how you want your children or how you want your grandchildren or how we want America to be viewed as? Do we want to live in this beautiful country? “
James, wearing a black shirt with the message “Do you understand now?” In blocked letters, he said he followed news of Wednesday’s riots, which show a largely white crowd met by a relatively passive police force. He said it made him think about how he and his family – his wife, three children and mother-in-law, all black – would be treated in the same situation.
“If they were my kind of assaulting the Chapter, what would be the result? And I think we all know,” James said. “There’s no such thing as true, it’s not true – we already know what would have happened to my kind if someone had even approached the Capitol, let alone the storm inside the offices, in the hallways.”
James’ teammate Anthony Davis echoed the sentiment, contrasting how Black Lives Matter protesters were greeted by police forces across the country over the summer.
“It’s like a double standard,” said Davis, who wore a shirt with the title of his 1990 public album Enemy “Fear of Black Planet” sewn to his chest. “On the other hand, an entire group runs into the Chapter of the Nation and is escorted to the front door as if everything is fine.
“And if I’m not mistaken – well, I’m not wrong – they took things and when dark lives matter [movement] I protested, “Once the robbery begins, the shooting begins.” And as far as I know, if you take anything, you rob. And in this case, for them, they were escorted to the front door. And it’s just a slap in the face for us. Looks like we’re going back. I thought we saw the change and that’s when it happens. “
In May, Trump posted on Twitter, “when the robbery begins, the shooting begins,” threatening military action in response to the social justice movement triggered by the death of George Floyd, who was in police custody in Minneapolis when he died from a kneeling officer. on his neck.
James, who has had a back-and-forth audience with Trump for years, said the outgoing president is to blame for what happened Wednesday.
“The events that took place yesterday were a direct correlation of the president who is right now – of his actions, of his beliefs, of his desires,” James said. “She doesn’t care about anyone but him. Nobody. Absolutely nobody. She doesn’t care about this country. She doesn’t care about his family. She doesn’t care about anyone but him.”
In 2016, James, while sitting in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room on the night Trump was elected, openly wondered if it would be better to move out of the country. He said Thursday night it was a harmful presidential term for the country.
“Four years ago, I stood there and said this is the beginning of the end for our country. And we hope it will only last four years,” James said. “But the only thing you can’t get back to in life, something you can never get back to, and it’s time. Get it back?”
Wednesday’s violation of the Capitol, which resulted in five deaths and the resignation of the Capitol police chief, came hours before Joe Biden was officially certified to be the 46th president of the United States, when Congress stated the number 306-232 of the Electoral College.
James said he believes Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris offer hope for the country.
“We took a step forward in November, choosing Joe and Kamala to be in the White House to be the head of our country,” James said. “This is a step forward.”
Davis said the Lakers and Spurs demonstration before the game – blocking their arms in a circle in the center court while singing the national anthem – was meant to continue to inspire unity at a difficult time.
“We just can’t give up hope. It doesn’t matter what happens. As a brotherhood in the league and as an African-American, we can’t afford to lose hope just because we don’t see change,” Davis said. “That’s what people want. They want us to lose hope, lose our faith and let it go. Let the idea of change go. And let’s do nothing. … We must continue to be united and stand in solidarity for to make sure we stay strong through it all. “