Sheriff Alex Villanueva is challenging LeBron James to contribute to efforts to find the gunman who shot two Los Angeles County deputies who were critically injured. The two police officers are out of surgery as of Sunday afternoon according to CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/12/us/los-angeles-county-officers-shot-compton/index.html
Villanueva made the challenge during an interview on a local radio show Monday.
According to reports. There are two private pledges totaling 75k in addition to 100k from the county, so the sheriff is publicly calling on Lebron to match that or go above and beyond it.
“I want to make a challenge…to LeBron James,” he said. “I want you to match that and double that reward because I know you care about law enforcement.“
“You expressed a very interesting statement on race relations and officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the African-American community and I appreciate that, but likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across professions, races, creeds, and I’d like to see LeBron James step up to the plate and double that.”
So by this logic, in the off season when the Lakers look to sign free agents should Lebron demand that the sheriff match the offer the Lakers give to Anthony Davis or Javale McGee or Dwight Howard or Rajon Rondo or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Avery Bradley
because somewhere or at some time the sheriff weighed in on the Lakers team ? Why would that be his responsibility ?
Furthermore, this is the same Sheriff’s department that the Los Angeles Times filed a lawsuit against after alleging that the dept purposely and repeatedly refused to turn over public records including but not limited to documentation showing their deputies involvement in misconduct or shootings ?
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6962116-L-A-Times-sues-L-A-County-for-police-misconduct.html
And isn’t this same Sheriff who took absolutely no responsibility for the 325 deputies that the Times identified by name ? This same guy wants Lebron James to “step up to the plate” although he hasn’t done that himself ?
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-30/la-times-lawsuit-deputy-misconduct-records
This is the same county with 606 lawsuits that were filed against the LA police, with 539 against the LA County Sheriff’s Office. And the same county that spent $81 million dollars of the tax payers money on settling or litigating these lawsuits ?
https://abc7.com/police-misconduct-lawsuit-department/6247311/
The Sheriff of that county wants Lebron to be the beacon of light to fight against injustice ?
I tried to see if I could find any instance where the Sheriff publicly condemned the killing of a Black Man or Black Woman by police in his department and I couldn’t find anything. I saw him offer condolences to George Floyd’s family, but I couldn’t find him ever going as far as to condemn the actual killing by his or any police officers.
So is it hypocritical for this Sheriff to ask Lebron James to do something that he himself doesn’t do ? (To my knowledge)
It doesn’t appear as though Sherriff Villanueva is in the moral position to ask anybody to do anything.
Interestingly enough,
Yesterday, I woke up to multiple messages (from people who happen to be white) demanding that I publicly denounce the very same shooting of the two police officers in Compton. One of the messages read very similarly to the comments made by Sheriff Villanueva in saying
“Mr Thomas, I have listened to you use your celebrity status to vilify police officers who have to make split second life and death decisions and sometimes get it wrong. I watched you on Meet The Press with Sue Bird speaking on issues outside of your area of expertise, fan the racial liberal flames, attack our President be divisive and cast all police like they want to go around killing innocent black people. I demand for you to be just as vigilant in publicly denouncing the thug who snuck up to a sitting police car in broad daylight and attempted to murder them.”
First of all, I didn’t do any of that and you can see the video of when I was on Meet The Press below
But for the record, yes it’s terrible to see anyone shot on video. I felt horrified just as I would no matter who I was looking at being shot.
But it’s interesting that just as in the comment I received, when I’m discussing the need for police reform or police accountability I’m “speaking on issues outside of my area of expertise” but I am perfectly qualified to speak on the area you want me to speak on ? That’s how it works ?
In addition, how many times have we heard police officers publicly denounce any murder of a Black Man or Black Woman by police ? They usually have their blue wall of silence regardless of the situation. And besides, we don’t even know all of the facts of the Compton case yet. Were these good cops or bad cops ? Were they dirty or clean ? We have to look at their history and background first and we shouldn’t rush to judgement right ? It’s just interesting that the expectation is for one side to act with compassion and outrage when it’s not reciprocated in any way shape or form
Coincidentally, Eric Garner should have turned 50 years old today and the disgusting images I have in my mind are
Of Officer Daniel Panteleo choking Eric Garner to death while he says repeatedly “I Can’t Breathe” while others officers watch the execution
Shortly after the image of NYPD supporters wearing I Can Breathe shirts
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/20/i-can-breathe-thanks-to-the-nypd-shirts-flood-pro-/
And I can’t find any record of Sheriff Villanueva or hardly any police officers for that matter condemning the murder or the mockery, but they want Lebron James to now speak out when police are shot ?
I’m sure the entire “shut up and dribble” crowd will echo and support Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s call for Lebron to “step up to the plate” and use this situation to criticize Lebron for using his platform to bring attention to a very real issue that is police brutality and the need for police reform and police accountability.
I’m sure others will do as disgraced former Sirius XM radio host Tony Bruno did and accuse NBA players as not being able to read in an attempt to further discredit them
Unfortunately, like Candace Owens have already stooped to their consistent level and gone as far to actually blame Lebron for the shooting.
And I’m sure there will be many more outlandish statements to follow. If I were a betting man I would put definitely let all the chips I had on it.
However, It’s not the job of Lebron James or Professional athletes to solve the policing problem we have in this country. That responsibility falls more in the lap of a sheriff. Or say a President or the United States. So yes respect for life should as Sheriff Villanueva said
“Go across races, professions and creeds.”
And I for one am looking forward to seeing Sheriff Villanueva and all police officers and departments across the country “step up to the plate” and value Black Lives the same way they value the lives of police officers. Not in word (which we don’t even have now) but also in deed
