The Los Angeles Lakers player calls attention to the latest police brutality by posting a picture of the NFL quarterback taking a knee in peaceful protest.
- May 28, 2020
AceShowbiz - LeBron James is the latest star to speak out against police brutality against black suspects, after Minneapolis man George Floyd died after a police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck during an arrest.
Footage from the Monday night, May 25, 2020 tragedy, during which the African-American father of one, who was unarmed, can be heard repeatedly telling officers he was struggling to breathe, has outraged thousands online and led to the dismissals of the cops involved.
Stars including Ciara, Cardi B, and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs have already taken to social media to vent their frustrations, and basketball star LeBron shared a side-by-side comparison of NFL (National Football League) star Colin Kaepernick's peaceful kneeling protest and a still from the video footage of Floyd with a cop kneeling on his neck to highlight the issue of police brutality.
"Do you understand NOW... Or is it still blurred to you," he wrote, along with the hashtag, "#StayWoke."
Kaepernick was blacklisted by the sport's officials for kneeling during the National Anthem before games, and the stance, which became known as "taking a knee," was adopted by several players on the sidelines before games.
Meanwhile, several other stars across the entertainment industry have spoken out against Floyd's death, with filmmaker Ava DuVernay commenting, "You deserved your breath, your dignity, your life. Not to die in the street, murdered by a white cop’s knee on your neck. You deserve our tears, our prayers, our rage, our action."
"We must act - for you - and for all of those were (sic) no cameras are present. We must."
John Boyega added, "This just burns. Seems to be a never ending cycle. The murderers need to be charged severely. Even in the face of death this man was given zero empathy."
FBI officials and Minnesota state authorities are investigating the incident, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz calling the incident "sickening," adding, "We will get answers and seek justice."
