LOS ANGELES – A day after a mob of pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Los Angeles Lakers captain Lebron James wondered what would have happened if the insurgent group were mostly black, and went blame President Donald Trump for the chaos.
“We live in two United States,” James said Thursday after the Lakers ’118-109 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs. “And that was a great example of that yesterday, and if you don’t understand that or you don’t see that after seeing what you saw yesterday, then you really need to take a step back, not even a step, but maybe four or five, or even 10 steps back and ask yourself how she wants her children, or how she wants her grandchildren, or how we want her to be seen in the United States. Do we want to live in this beautiful country? “
James, wearing a black shirt with the message “Do you understand now?” in capital letters, he said he saw news coverage of Wednesday’s riots showing a mostly white mob being greeted by a relatively passive police force. He said it made him think about how he and his family (his wife, his three children and his mother-in-law, all black) would be treated in the same situation.
“If it were mine who stormed the Capitol, what would have been the result? And I think we all know that,” James said. “There are no assumptions, ‘and’ or ‘but’ – we already know what would have happened to those in my class if someone had approached the Capitol, let alone inside the offices, inside the hallways.”
James ’teammate Anthony Davis echoed the sentiment, contrasting how Black Lives Matter protesters were greeted by police force across the country over the summer.
“It’s like a double standard,” said Davis, who wore a T-shirt with the title of the 1990 Public Enemy album “Fear of Black Planet” sewn on his chest. “On the other hand, a whole group runs into the Nation’s Capitol and is escorted through the front door as if all is well.
“And if I’m not mistaken, well, I’m not wrong, things were taken, and when the [movimiento] Black Lives Matter protested was, ‘When the looting starts, the shooting will start.’ And let me know, if you take anything, you’re looting. And in this case, they were escorted to the front door. And it’s just a slap in the face for us. It feels like we’re stepping back. We thought we were seeing a change and then that happens. “
In May, Trump tweeted, “When the looting begins, the shooting begins,” threatening military action in response to the social justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd, who was in police custody in Minneapolis when he died of ‘an officer kneeling in His neck.
James, who has had a public exchange with Trump for years, said the outgoing president is to blame for what happened Wednesday.
“The events that took place yesterday were a direct correlation to the president who is in the seat right now – of his actions, his beliefs, his desires,” James said. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Nobody. Absolutely nobody. He doesn’t care about this country. He doesn’t care about his family. He doesn’t care about anyone but him.”
In 2016, James, while standing in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room the night Trump was elected, openly wondered if it would be better to move out of the country. He said Thursday night that it was a detrimental presidential term for the country.
“Four years ago, I sat there and said this is the beginning of the end of our country. And I hope it only lasts four years,” James said. “But the only thing you can’t get back to in life, something you can never get back, and that’s time. You can’t go back in time. Literally, we’ve only lost four years. How are we going to get that back?”
The Capitol rape on Wednesday, which resulted in five deaths and the resignation of the Capitol police chief, came hours before Joe Biden was officially certified as the 46th president of the United States when Congress left confirm the Electoral College count of 306-232.
James said he believes Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris offer hope for the country.
“We took a step forward in November by electing Joe and Kamala to be in the White House, to be the leaders of our country,” James said. “This is a step forward.”
Davis said the Lakers and Spurs demonstration before the game – intertwining their arms together in a circle in the center of the court while the national anthem was playing – was meant to continue to inspire unity during a difficult time.
“We just can’t lose hope. No matter what happens. As a brotherhood in the league and myself as an African-American, we can’t afford to lose hope just because we’re not seeing change,” Davis said. “This is what people want. They want us to lose hope, to lose faith and to let ourselves fade away. Let the idea of change fade away. And we don’t do anything … We have to stay united and show solidarity to make sure we stay strong through it all. “