LOS ANGELES – A day after a crowd of pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Chapter, Los Angeles Lakers captain LeBron James wondered what would have happened if the insurgent group had been largely black. , and blamed President Donald Trump for the chaos.
“We live in two Americas,” James said Thursday after the Lakers’ 118-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. “And that was a great example of yesterday and if you don’t understand that or don’t see that later from seeing what you saw yesterday, then you have to take a step back, not even a step, but maybe four or five or even 10 steps back and wonder how you love your children, or how you love your grandchildren, or how we want the United States to be seen, do we want to live in this beautiful country?
James, wearing a black shirt with the message “Do you understand now?” In capital letters, he said he saw news coverage of Wednesday’s riots showing that a large number of white people were being greeted by a relatively passive police force. He said it made him think about how he and his family – his wife, his three children and his mother-in-law, all black – would be treated in the same situation.
“If it was mine that assaulted the Chapter, what would be the result? And I think we all know that,” James said. “There are no assumptions, ‘and’ or ‘but’ – we already know what would have happened to my class if someone had approached the Capitol, let alone 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 T-shirt from the 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 when [movimiento] Black Lives Matter protested, “Once the robbery begins, the shooting will begin.” And as far as I know, if you take anything, you rob. And in this case, 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 a 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 sparked by the death of George Floyd, who was in police custody in Minneapolis when he died on his knees. in his throat.
James, who has had a public exchange with Trump for years, said the outgoing president is guilty of what happened on Wednesday.
“The events that took place yesterday were a direct correlation of the president who is right now – his actions, his beliefs, his desires,” James said. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Nobody. Absolutely nobody. He doesn’t care about this country. He doesn’t care about his family. He 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 of our country. And I 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, is time. You can’t go back in time. We’ve literally lost only four years. How are we going to get this back?”
The Capitol rape on Wednesday, which resulted in five deaths and the resignation of the Capitol police chief, came hours before Joe Biden was officially certified as the 46th president of the United States, when Congress confirmed College accounts. Electoral 306-232.
James said he believes Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris offer hope to the country.
“We took a step forward in November by electing Joe and Kamala to the White House to be the leaders of our country,” James said. “This is a step forward.”
Davis said the Lakers and Spurs demonstration before the game – tying their arms together in a circle in the center court as the national anthem played – was meant to continue to inspire unity at a difficult time.
“We just can’t lose hope. No matter what happens. As a fraternity in the league and I 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 do nothing … We need to stay united and show solidarity to make sure that we will remain strong through all this. “