The recent police shootings of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa and Keith Scott in Charlotte have troubled Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, who grew up in inner city Los Angeles, spoke on the violence Friday at Oklahoma City Thunder media day.
“Me growing up in the inner city and being able to see different things on a night in and day in, day out basis—it hit home for me, just being able to see the different things that’s going on globally, and giving people across the world an opportunity to see it,” Westbrook said, according to the AP. “Now, it’s getting to a point that there’s something that needs to be changed in that aspect. I’m going to use my voice as much as possible to relay that aspect.”
Westbrook is one of many athletes who have spoken out recently against police violence toward blacks. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has drawn praise and scorn for famously kneeling in protest during the playing of the National Anthem. Kaepernick says he won’t honor a flag representing a country “that oppresses black people and people of color.”
“Me, being an African American athlete and having a voice, I think it’s important that it’s important that I make a stand that something has to change,” Westbrook said. “I think that—obviously, I don’t have an answer. Nobody has an answer. If that was the case, we would have fixed it. But it’s important that we try to figure out what we can do to help improve the things that’s going on.”
Betty Shelby, a white police officer, has been charged with manslaughter for killing Crutcher, who was unarmed. Tulsa is about two hours from Oklahoma City, where Westbrook’s Thunder play.
“A lot of people don’t realize the families of all these young men,” Westbrook said. “Their mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles. I think it’s very important that we understand how the families feel throughout these situations.”
Keith Scott was shot Tuesday in Charlotte, the hometown of Anthony Morrow, Westbrook’s teammate.
“Obviously, I’m sad, that being in my own personal city,” Morrow said. “It’s a very unfortunate, sad situation. It’s a sad and unfortunate time that we’re in right now. It really hit home with me with it being Tulsa, then the next day, Charlotte. It’s just something that, we’ve got to continue to pray and try to find the right answer or medium, because right now, it’s kind of all or nothing. So I’m praying for my city and Tulsa and everywhere else.”
The NBA sent a memo to its players this week saying the league was working with the players association to determine how they all could “take meaningful action.”
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