Jaylen Brown on Police Shootings: 'The Power Has and Always Will Be with the People'

Mike Chiari @@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVApril 14, 2021

PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 13: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on April 13, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Boston Celtics All-Star guard Jaylen Brown discussed racial inequality following Boston's 116-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

In the wake of 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright getting shot and killed by a police officer Sunday in a suburb of Minneapolis, Brown told reporters:

"If you're watching this—listening or tuning in—I just want you to know that your life has value. So much value. But they're trying so hard to make you feel otherwise. My life has value. My life had value before I played for the Celtics and then real long after. At some point, you realize what you’re dealing with.

"The power has and always will be with the people. You gotta stand up and fight. What other solution do we have?"

Per CNN, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said Officer Kim Potter appeared to mistake her firearm for a stun gun during a traffic stop, resulting in the accidental killing of Wright. Both Gannon and Potter have since resigned.

Wright's death came nearly one year after 46-year-old Black man George Floyd was killed by Officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Chauvin knelt on the back of Floyd's neck for several minutes while he was handcuffed despite Floyd repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe.

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

Chauvin is currently on trial and facing murder charges in relation to Floyd's death.

Since Wright was killed Sunday, protests have been held daily in Minneapolis and its surrounding areas, leading to a large police presence and several arrests.

Brown added: "Inhumane events have recently made headlines over the last week, last month, last years. And at this point, we shouldn't be pleading or persuading people to see things for what they are. We know what this system is and we know what it's capable of."

As a result of Wright's death and the subsequent protests, the scheduled NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets on Monday was rescheduled for Tuesday.

Brown and the Celtics are scheduled to face the Timberwolves in Minnesota on May 15 in their second-to-last game of the regular season.