Doc Rivers believes the love Blacks have for America is not reciprocated.
The Clippers coach became the latest NBA figure to speak passionately about the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, noting that recent protests have not stopped the violence while calling for police reform.
Rivers, whose father was a cop, said police unions should be abolished. Unions often work to protect the police from punishment for work incidents.
“It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back,” Rivers said. “It’s really so sad. Like, I should just be a coach. I’m so often reminded of my color. It’s just really sad. We got to do better. But we got to demand better.
“It’s funny. We protest. They send riot guards. They send people in riot outfits. They go up to Michigan with guns. They’re spitting on cops. Nothing happens. …We’re not trying to defund the police and take all their money away. We’re trying to get them to protect us, just like they protect everybody else.”
An emotional Rivers, who removed his protective mask to ensure his words were heard during his postgame Zoom conference Tuesday, also claimed hypocrisy in President Trump’s fear mongering at the Republican National Convention.
“All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear,” Rivers said. “We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot. We’re the ones that we’re denied to live in certain communities. We’ve been hung. We’ve been shot. And all you do is keep hearing about fear.”
Blake, who is Black, was shot by police on Sunday in the back as he attempted to enter his vehicle in Kenosha, Wis. The cops were responding to a domestic disturbance, and the shooting has left Blake paralyzed from the waist down, according to his attorney.
It was the latest example of police either killing or severely injuring an unarmed African-American. The NBA had already committed to using their restart in Orlando as a vehicle to bring awareness to the subject by painting “Black Lives Matter” on the court, among other initiatives.
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Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and Celtics guard Marcus Smart have hinted that they might boycott upcoming games.
“We knew coming here or not coming here was not going to stop anything, but I think ultimately playing or not playing puts pressure on somebody,” VanVleet said. “So, for example, this happened in Kenosha, Wis., if I’m correct? Would it be nice if, in a perfect world, we all say we’re not playing, and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks — that’s going to trickle down. If he steps up to the plate and puts pressure on the district attorney’s office, and state’s attorney, and governors, and politicians there to make real change and get some justice.
“I know it’s not that simple. But, at the end of the day, if we’re gonna sit here and talk about making change, then at some point we’re gonna have to put our nuts on the line and actually put something up to lose, rather than just money or visibility. I’m just over the media aspect of it. It’s sensationalized, we talk about it every day, that’s all we see, but it just feels like a big pacifier to me.”