In the past five days, two African American men have been shot and killed by police. Terrence Crutcher was killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma while his car was stopped in the middle of the road due to car trouble. Keith Lamont Scott was killed yesterday [September 21st] while waiting on his child to walk home from school. Somehow, cops mistook a book he was reading for a gun.
Although, before these shootings protests have been coming in many forms as professional athletes are using their influence in hopes for positive change and awareness to the absurd happenings of American society today.
Today [September 22], Richard Sherman decided to pass on answering all press conference questions and simply voice his opinion on the social change that is necessary in America.
Sherman stated:
“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.”
He went on to say:
“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 peoples’ 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.
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.”
Sherman ended the press conference by simply walking out leaving no time or room for reporters to ask questions about anything he had just stated.
You can watch the full video of Sherman’s press conference below.
