Kareem Abdul-Jabbar defends George Floyd protests, says it's the reaction of 'people pushed to the edge'
Basketball legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar has come out in defense of nationwide protests against the killing of George Floyd in an impassioned op-ed for the Los Angeles Times on Saturday. The NBA Hall of Famer has been a civil rights firebrand ever since his UCLA days during the '60s. In a 2017 interview with CNN, Abdul Jabbar criticized President Donald J. Trump for his travel ban targeting a number of Muslim-majority countries. "I understand how increased and more efficient vetting is going to protect us, no problem with that," Abdul-Jabbar told CNN's Van Jones, but described the ban as an attempt to "market in fear."
"To pick one group and to say that they are the problem -- it's a lie," he said. "Making people afraid is not going to do anything to make our country better."
On Saturday, Abdul-Jabbar explained the "institutional racism" that is "inherent in education, the justice system, and jobs." "...Even though we do all the conventional things to raise public and political awareness — write articulate and insightful pieces in the Atlantic, explain the continued devastation on CNN, support candidates who promise change — the needle hardly budges," he wrote.
He then attacked Trump for tweeting "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" in response to the Minneapolis riots. "COVID-19 has been slamming the consequences of all that home as we die at a significantly higher rate than whites, are the first to lose our jobs, and watch helplessly as Republicans try to keep us from voting," Abdul-Jabbar wrote. "Just as the slimy underbelly of institutional racism is being exposed, it feels like hunting season is open on blacks. If there was any doubt, President Trump’s recent tweets confirm the national zeitgeist as he calls protesters 'thugs' and looters fair game to be shot."
The former Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks center acknowledged the harm caused by violent protests, but said there was a valid reason behind them.
"Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn," he said. "But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer."
"Racism in America is like dust in the air," he explained. "It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air."
In conclusion, Abdul-Jabbar once again invoked Trump's name while defending the protesters and spoke about the constant fear black people live with every day. "What you should see when you see black protesters in the age of Trump and (the) coronavirus is people pushed to the edge, not because they want bars and nail salons open, but because they want to live. To breathe," he concluded.