In an emotional talk with reporters on Tuesday, Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers shared his reaction to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, as well as his frustrations, fears, and visions for rectifying racial injustice.
Rivers began by discussing the Republican National Convention.
“What stands out to me is just watching the Republican Convention and they are spewing this fear. All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear.” Rivers said. His voice grew shaky as he expanded on the idea of fear: “We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot. We’re the ones that are denied to live in certain communities. We’ve been hung. We’ve been shot. All you do is keep hearing about fear.”
Rivers also noted the need to take action. “It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back,” he said. “It’s just really so sad. Like, I should just be a coach. I’m so often reminded of my color, you know? It’s just really sad. We got to do better. But we got to demand better.”
He then discussed Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot seven times by the police in Wisconsin on Sunday. Rivers added that he intentionally refrained from discussing Blake before the game because it was so emotionally difficult “to keep watching it.”
“If you watch that video, you don’t need to be Black to be outraged,” Rivers said.
Noting the persistent lack of justice, Rivers said: “It keeps going. There’s no charges. Breonna Taylor, no charges, nothing. All we’re asking is you live up to the Constitution. That’s all we’re asking: For everybody, for everyone.”