Basketball great LeBron James has spoken out against the gruesome murder of a black man in Minnesota by a white police officer.
The victim, George Floyd, died on Monday after a police officer detained him and pressed his knee on his (Floyd’s) neck for almost eight minutes.
Video footages that have gone viral on social media show Floyd telling the officer that he could not breathe, however, his pleas fell on deaf ears.
The 46-year-old’s murder has awoken conversations regarding how persons of colour and Hispanics are treated unfairly in the United States.
Some have also attributed the behavior of the police to racism, with other cases of unwarranted murder involving black people being shared by relatives of the victims.
LA Lakers star LeBron James is the latest to call out the system, taking to Instagram to air his frustration.
In a post, James referenced NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who became famous for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice.
“Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you? Stay woke,” LeBron wrote, accompanied by a gridded photo of the police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck and that of Kaepernick kneeling protest.
Floyd’s killing sparked a series of protests in Minnesota, with demonstrators taking to the streets to register their displeasure.
The protests went on for three straight nights, and events turned chaotic on Thursday, leading to the vandalizing of shops and other properties.
