Why Richard Sherman Thinks People Are Still Missing the Point
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Seattle Seahawks player Richard Sherman said that recent police shootings of black Americans prove that "people are still missing the point" of silent protests kicked off by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last month. He chose to address issues of racial inequality and policing rather than take questions from reporters on Wednesday.
"I think you have players that are trying to take a stand and trying to be aware of social issues and try to make a stand and increase people’s awareness and put a spotlight on it — and they’re being ignored," Sherman said at a press conference on Wednesday.
He added:
"I think the last couple days a couple more guys have gotten shot and killed in the middle of the street. More videos have come out of guys getting killed, and I think people are still missing the point. The reason these guys are kneeling — the reason we’re locking arms — is to bring people together to make people aware that this is not right. It’s not right for people to get killed in the street."
Sherman is referring to the police shootings of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Scott's family claims that he was reading a book when an officer opened fire on him, while police maintain that they recovered a firearm from the scene, CNN reported. Crutcher was fatally shot near his broken down car, and dash cam video shows him with his hands raised at the time of the shooting. Both cases are under investigation, and both sparked protests from civil rights advocates.
AP/Stephen Brashear - apimages.com
The incidents go to show that, while many Americans sympathize with the growing coalition of athletes calling attention to police brutality, the root of the problem has not been addressed.
"When you tell a kid, ‘When you’re dealing with police, just put your hands up and comply with everything,’ and there’s still a chance of them getting shot and no repercussions for anyone, that’s an unfortunate time to be living," Sherman said. "It’s an unfortunate place to be in. There’s not a lot you can tell a kid."
