When the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial in the killing of George Floyd was announced, it elicited a one-word response from LeBron James on Twitter: “ACCOUNTABILITY.” James has been a consistent national voice in the call for transparency in police shootings.
However, he made a miscalculation when the next day when he tweeted “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY” with an hourglass emoji, accompanied by a photo of police officer Nicholas Reardon who was identified last Wednesday as the officer who fired the shots that killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus while responding to a call. LeBron soon took the post down as the criticism came fast, furious, and some would say, deservedly so.
The Los Angeles Lakers star later tweeted, “ANGER (doesn’t do) any of us any good and that includes myself! Gathering all the facts and educating does though!” James tweeted. “My anger still is here for what happened to that lil girl. My sympathy for her family and may justice prevail! I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer. It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Body camera footage released by police clearly shows the teenager holding a knife and preparing to lunge at another female. In one of two 911 calls played at a news conference the following day, screaming could be heard as a caller reported a girl trying to stab the individual before the call disconnected. Officers responded to the scene and reported the shooting at 4:45 p.m. — roughly 20 minutes before a jury handed down its verdict in the Chauvin case.
In a video posted to Twitter the following Thursday, OJ Simpson praised James for the work he has done for social justice and to fight systemic racism, but added that James needs to “pick your battles” and should have waited for more information before commenting.”It’s a war that must be fought, but sometimes you need to take your time and be a little more patient before you comment on some of these bad incidents that are happening with police departments,” Simpson said.
Indeed, Simpson is correct. While LeBron’s reaction to the killing of Bryant is somewhat understandable given the number of killings of blacks by police officers, sometimes the police are justified. In some instances, people of all races and from all backgrounds act out in such a manner that leaves police with no other option than to use deadly force. This, sadly, appears to be the case in the killing of Bryant, but in other cases some people appear to be committing “suicide by cop.”
As we move to do the necessary work of reforming the patterns and practices of police departments across the country, we also need to reform and strengthen our mental health delivery systems nationwide. Violence has become so commonplace, so randomized in American society killings — either by police or deranged mass murderers — have been normalized as we have seemingly become inured to death — and that portends a clear and present danger to the country and all of our fellow citizens.
From CoolCleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author at http://NeighborhoodSolutionsIn
2 Responses to “MANSFIED: LeBron’s Faux Pas”
Peter Lawson Jones
The end of the world is indeed nigh when O.J. Simpson is the adult voice in the room. His assessment was, however, correct, as seconded by Congresswoman Val Demings, a more reliably credible voice on such matters. You raise the central question: are we, as a society, so polarized and tribalized that due diligence in cautiously and objectively examining the facts of each individual case before pronouncing judgment is impossible. I pray not, but fear so.
Bob Smith
LeBron made a mistake in the heat of the moment, but I don’t think it’s enough to say he needs to choose his battles more carefully. If he’s to be seen as a credible leader for social justice, which America badly needs, he needs to apologize to that police officer.