Should LeBron James sit out games to protest the Tamir Rice ruling?

By Fusion Staff  |  December 29, 2015 | 10:50pm
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Earlier this week, Cleveland prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty announced that Timothy Loehmann, the Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice, would not face any charges. He said the shooting was “a perfect storm of human error.”

There’ve already been a lot of responses. In California, for example, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law that bars secret grand juries from police deadly force cases. Twitter was fairly level-headed, too.

However, NBC reports, one hashtag is gaining traction: #NoJusticeNoLeBron

It all started with a Twitter poll that had some surprising results.

The hashtag, naturally, did not sit well with some, an irony pointed out by Baltimore activist Kwame Rose.

Others found the whole idea unfair to James himself.

..but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a gigantic move by James.

It’s impossible to tell what James will do, but history says he will probably respond in a way that people aren’t expecting.

James, of course, plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers and is no stranger to commenting on violence against black people in his own way.

In March 2012, while then a member of the Miami Heat, James posted a picture of himself and teammates wearing hoodies in support of Trayon Martin, a little more than a month after he was killed by George Zimmerman.

In December 2014, James and several players wore “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts before a game in Brooklyn in support of Eric Garner, who had been killed by police that summer.

At the time, James said, “as a society we have to do better. We have to be better for one another no matter what race you are.”

Is it a lot to ask of LeBron James? Yes. Michael Jordan didn’t comment on the Rodney King verdict, preferring to quietly put his mark on issues facing black Americans.

Yet, James could afford to not play for the rest of his career (he’s got his own font!). It’s likely there are some who would argue that watching James play basketball night in and night out will help the city heal, but perhaps the nation needs a 21st century Muhammad Ali moment.

David Matthews operates the Wayback Machine on Fusion.net—hop on. Got a tip? Email him: [email protected]

 
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