On March 18, around 9:18 p.m., Sacramento police responded to a call “that a thin, 6-foot-1 black man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants was hiding in a residential backyard after breaking car windows,” according to The Sacramento Bee. Just eight minutes later, at 9:26 p.m., officers fired at 22-year-old Stephon Clark 20 times because they feared “for their safety.”
The country has been outraged by the killing, with several sports stars speaking out. The Sacramento Kings’ former star center DeMarcus Cousins reportedly offered to pay for the funeral costs. Vivek Ranadive, the team’s owner, called the shooting “absolutely horrific” as he addressed an audience during a March 22 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, which was blocked by protesters.
Matt Barnes has repeatedly spoken out on social media, here are one of many posts below:
Steph Curry has also spoken out, praising the actions of Barnes, Cousins and many others. “Everybody has a voice, everybody has an opportunity to stand for something and to speak how they feel,” he said. “I think as NBA players, we’ve done a great job of embracing that responsibility and being a voice for people who don’t have one for themselves.” He added, “You see what happened in Sacramento and across the league when it comes to any issue and us NBA guys are not afraid of that opportunity and using it for good and to create a conversation for change. We’re on that mission for sure.”
In addition, several NBA players from the Sacramento Kings to the Boston Celtics participated in a video, refusing to “shut up and dribble.” Watch below.
https://twitter.com/rold22official/status/979767840583557122
Rest in power, Stephon Clark. We hope justice is served.
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NBA Players Who Have Spoken Out For Stephon Clark was originally published on newsone.com
