Players from the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics decided to play Wednesday evening after a pre-game meeting to discuss events of the past two days – the ruling that Kenosha, Wisconsin police officers won’t face criminal charges in the shooting of Jacob Blake and the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed,” players from both teams said in a joint statement released just before tip-off. “We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on. The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today’s protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.
“We have decided to play tonight’s game to try to bring joy into people’s lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America.”
The statement ended: “#BLACKLIVESSTILLMATTER”
President Trump spoke to the crowd and urged them to go to the building. Then the crowd turned violent as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
USA TODAY
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