Celtics, Heat Release Statement After Jacob Blake Decision, US Capitol Breach
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat released a joint statement prior to Wednesday's game saying they will play "with a heavy heart" after the police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times was not charged on Tuesday and a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday:
Players from both teams knelt during the national anthem:
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Celtics were part of a players-only meeting inside Miami's locker room prior to the game.
Elsewhere in the NBA, players and coaches for the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons took a knee following the opening tip:
Tuesday's decision regarding Blake led to plenty of disappointment around the NBA. The Bucks released a statement saying the "organization remains firmly against excessive use of force by law enforcement" and will "remain strongly committed to address issues of societal injustice and anti-racism to make meaningful change for African Americans and all marginalized members of our community."
Players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis were among those who expressed their anger and disappointmentment with the decision:
As Amir Vera and Brad Parks of CNN reported, Kenosha (Wisconsin) County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced police officer Rusten Sheskey will not face any charges for shooting Blake, who is Black and now paralyzed from the waist down, in the back seven times.
Officers Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek, who were involved in the shooting, will not face charges either.
The NBA was finishing its 2019-20 season inside the Walt Disney World Resort bubble when Blake was shot by police. Players on the Bucks refused to take the court for a playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic, and other teams followed their lead until games were postponed.
Play only resumed once the NBA agreed to establish a social justice coalition and use arenas as voting locations for the 2020 election.
As for Wednesday's news, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju and Peter Nickeas of CNN reported Donald "Trump urged his supporters to fight against the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that will confirm President-elect Joe Biden's win."
The result was chaos, as a pro-Trump mob of hundreds of people violently clashed with police on the steps of the Capitol building until many broke through barriers and made their way inside the building and the Senate chambers.
The statement from the Celtics and Heat highlighted how differently the people who rioted on Wednesday were treated by police when compared to those who marched across the country and world this past summer in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and in reaction to police violence against George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Blake and many more.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown is one of the many leaders in the NBA fighting for social justice and even drove 15 hours to Atlanta in May to peacefully protest Floyd's death.
