Star basketball Maya Moore Speak George Floyd, protesting police violence and Drew Brees

Star basketball Maya Moore Speak George Floyd, protesting police violence and Drew Brees

Athlete and activist Maya Moore has a unique perspective on the national uprising that followed the death of George Floyd. Moore From 2011-2018, he played for the Minnesota Lynx and won four WNBA titles; after she and her Lynx a peaceful game of fellow violent team of police protest in 2016, the officers went, and the head of the Association of Minneapolis Police criticized the team and the players written down. And in the early months of 2019 marshes announced he would not play in the next season, so you can concentrate a sentence of 50 years in 1998 for burglary and assault with overturning the conviction of the prison of a family friend, Jonathan Irons, that it was delivered a deadly weapon; Ferri was 16 at the time of the crime. Moore is a break from the WNBA this season: If a judge believes iron remains overturned in March to prison as a call Missouri. In an interview with the time from his home in Atlanta, discussed their experience in Minneapolis Moore, their feelings about the protests emerged at national level, and the connections between the cases of iron and Floyd analyzed. “Woo, it’s hard,” he says. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity and condensed). What was your reaction, what it is explained in the last week? I think I was just sad. This is the first thing someone should really recognize. So many people were injured. What has risen to power, it can be a chaotic mixture of different motivations for people. But there is no doubt a segment of people felt that violence was the only answer, because their voices were not heard and their humanity was rejected for so long. What we are talking about is huge. This is the first step in healing. One of the useful things that I remember Bryan Stevenson learning [is] when the view of the history of various cultures and countries that have gone through really hard times with violence and racism, he realized that, put monuments, they have very intentional cultural practices to ensure that this never happens again. And so I feel like in America, because we do not, we are paying for it. This is not to recognize the result of us one of the most devastating realities of our culture. The terrible consequences that occur when you dehumanize a part of the population for centuries. I feel run. I have conversations with neighbors, only honest discussions. I do not think people realize how much life brings when you practice this step with someone. It does so much for reconciliation and healing. There were stains have hoped so I try on that lean. What lessons can be learned in his opinion, the fallout from the death of George Floyd? The two glaring things that we see and talk about what racism RPG in our policy is and what role does this culture of excessive force, I can do things and do not always pay the consequences play? What about how our resources can be reallocated so that the police are not doing things which calls really should not do. How to send a consultant to the crisis in a school or a home instead of a police officer, so the police officers have a narrow alley that can be really effective. I know our investment in police mentality termination of funding and reinvest in what should young people? What people need to be involved in drugs, what families outside money to take care of their families need? So that we do not need to have these super-aggressive detective economic redistribution mentality, community building and perspective. Racism is a mentality that lives inside. Our country is a secular culture of dehumanizing blacks and brown bodies. So what role does racism? A leading role. You can not minimize how deeply woven and integrated into our country. Obviously, we are not of this. We’re really only now starting to talk about it. I will not underestimate us this animal that we face called racism. It is a real animal, and we must all play to demolish. In 2016, after the police killings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rogue, La. And Philando Castile in the suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota Lynx Black Lives Matter players wore shirts in a game. “The change begins with us. The justice and accountability”, read the shirts. Four police officers outside Minneapolis security service working for the game went. What was your reaction to it? I think any time when you are in an area where it requires humility and responsibility, it will get difficult. And so I understand the reality, when someone says something that you yourself and change requires is looking for, is not easy. And so I understand. We tried to commit to do it in a very modest sociable, gave space to the people we spoke with humility back. And we can not force them to do this to people. If you can not see, or are not ready to see the pain and struggle of others, do not come to the table to want to go. They’re going to want to keep things as they are. The hard work of change is difficult. But if they are not powered by compassion, just go ahead to try to self-protection. If you ever want to come back to the table, we do not hold grudges, we want to continue to try to tear down the walls. So it is a story that is not over yet, that has yet to be written. Bob Kroll, head of the Minneapolis police union, praised the strike: she called the Lynx a He also tried to charge the four officers in Floyd’s death to defend and said that Floyd has a “violent criminal history” to draw pathetic “..” (Floyd had served in prison for armed robbery). If you are at the table with Kroll, what would you say to him? These words were mean and disrespectful. We tried to represent people who have no voice. We have a human system in this country called due process. A person or a small group of people are not a judge, jury and Executioner of another person has been. Especially an unarmed person. And so I do not think that’s a healthy attitude to say why this person has done bad things in their past, they can kill. If you say it out loud, that is clearly not what we are. Promoting what you can do is to say what is really going on, and say that this was a tragedy. This is actually the care most useful thing you can do. And it is something that you trust and respect. I trust and respect leaders who say regularly, I can do this better. A judge lifted the conviction of Jonathan Irons on March 9, but the state of Missouri went on the appeal. How did you handle it? One of the most harrowing experiences of this whole thing, from start to arguments that the state has no basis in fact or in law brought. Therefore, the judge of the circuit is taken from the beginning in this case. He sees the merits of our case. He ruled these merits, on March 9, a month later, an appeals court in Missouri responded with an opinion of 27 pages by the circuit judges agree. Now we have four judges that the light shone on this situation. But the state has every opportunity to resist release of Jonathan. It seems that the spirit of what they do, not for justice. Jonathan told me this happens all the time, they are trying to wear down the people, so they give up. So we are living. We will not give up. He’s had a hard day. Imagine, you have 23 years in prison. His conviction was overturned. But due to a couple of people in the prosecutor’s office you will still be in prison during COVID-19 are not locked in a cell in a box, he has not committed a crime. This has some of the most difficult months pairs. In your mind, what is the connection between the case of Jonathan and the one we are experiencing now? I think the situation of Jonathan and how it can not be seen as a person deserves justice, the same root is what happened to George Floyd. It was not a person deserves justice and dignity are worth seeing. So we will take you throwing away your life in danger. This is the main problem that needs to change – a respect for human lie only recognize not come from the past to dignify and humanize every citizen. So we all have to do something to move the needle responsibility forward. The sports world has responded with quick condemnation of Drew Brees ‘comments last week said he was on his knees during the anthem, the flag disrespectful.’ What do you think about it? Drews perspective, you’re disrespectful something that symbolizes honor. But his point of view does not grasp the fullness of history. It hurt, people who have experienced a different America than Drew and his ancestors. As an Olympian, I wear the flag, and I’ve been around the world. I represented the United States, so I have a deep pride for’ve brand made. My experiences have been the worst of the worst growing up in a family of the black middle class. I had a privilege level that Jonathan did not. So I’m a little ‘in this perfect central chamber where “I Drew, I feel some of them.” But what we’re talking about is not. What we talk about what we did not speak for most of the history of our country that this country has woven black and brown body had a dehumanizing aspect. So, this flag does not symbolize the freedom and courage that you do. It symbolizes injustice and dehumanization systemic effects. I hope Based on his reaction that he begins to see. humbly reaching from what I can tell, and grab and sit down and say, “hmm, I did not know that I do not see, I did not understand.” And this is surprising. Keep the conversation run. It’s kind of a way around the pain of it. It will be messy, it will be painful. But it is not the end of history. It is a necessary part we get through. I am interested in that, as the profit.
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