Michael Jordan: I Can No Longer Stay Silent

[jbug617]

I was raised by parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their race or background, so I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late. I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers – who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all – are respected and supported.

http://theundefeated.com/features/michael-jordan-i-can-no-longer-stay-silent/

Jordan is making $1million donation to NAACP Legal Fund and $1million to International Association of Chiefs of Police’s newly established Institute for Community-Police Relations. He said he knows that the donations won't solve the problems but hopefully it will be a start.

Jordan was never a politics guy so it's encouraging to see him take a stand.

 

[mjc]

Good moves, it's a start.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

"Both sides" stance, huh

 

[chefbags]

"Both sides" stance, huh

Should he only stick to one side?

 

[bronson]

"Both sides" stance, huh

You can care about both things

 

[sixteen-bit]

cryingjordan.png

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

"Both sides" stance, huh

I was about to think the same but at least he's donating directly to something built to try and repair community/police relations. Hopefully it'll have some positive effects.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

Should he only stick to one side?

Of course not! All lives matter.

 

[LionPride]

 

[mjc]

"Both sides" stance, huh

Uh, how else should it be handled?

 

[BokehKing]

Well both sides should be respected and I'm sure both organizations can use the money.

Good for him.

 

[jts]

"Both sides" stance, huh

You cannot have a peaceful country without respected authorities. Otherwise it’s civil war.

 

[DragonSworne]

"Both sides" stance, huh

You can't fix this problem without fixing how policing is done in the United States.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I greatly respect him for taking these actions.

 

[Ovid]

Jordan should have said stuff like this when was more influential.

 

[numble]

Uh, how else should it be handled?

Is the societal injustice for racial minorities the same as the lack of respect and support for police officers? Perhaps they shouldn't be treated as equivalent issues?

 

[Jenenser]

well done jordan.

"Both sides" stance, huh

trying to break the "us vs them" mentality on both sides is the perfect solution. getting stuck on hate and revenge is a circle that wont end.

 

[jchap]

Sounds like a reasoned approach

 

[shintoki]

"Both sides" stance, huh

One of the biggest issues are many police forces have no connection to the community they are serving, which is what he is donating to improve.

 

[Slayven]

You can't fix this problem without fixing how policing is done in the United States.

Yeah but it is a shame that there is an antagonist narrative. From the start BLM and other groups have been preaching about how to fix policing.

 

[DoubleTake]

Of course not! All lives matter.

What...Thats not what this statement is saying at all.

 

[facelike]

"Both sides" stance, huh

Both sides need support and accountability. One side for sure doesn't have accountability but we need them in our society, so it's better to try to fix it rather than start more scorn.

 

[JeTmAn81]

I feel very strange for reading the title and initially thinking "Michael B. Jordan?"

 

[richiek]

"Republicans buy sneakers too"

 

[mjc]

Is the societal injustice for racial minorities the same as the lack of respect and support for police officers? Perhaps they shouldn't be treated as equivalent issues?

Maybe the money could be used towards community outreach programs between police and people they're meant to protect? Events like the cookout in Witchita are a great example of this.

 

[Slayven]

At this point black people are just happy he isn't on some Charles Barkley "what about black on black crime"

 

[Sàmban]

"Both sides" stance, huh

Oh come on. There IS some truth to what he is saying. There are asshole cops and there are also people that are assholes to cops. The pendulum definitely swings towards the asshole cops in my personal opinion, but there are still good cops out there just trying to do their jobs. We need to stop perpetuating this "us vs them" mentality around the issue.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

I feel very strange for reading the title and initially thinking "Michael B. Jordan?"

Nope. I did too so I really really had to make a double take on the thread title.
Either way it's good that he's finally saying something and I hope that this isn't just a one time thing. I'm okay with him mentioning both sides since we all need to compromise.. We all have to do better but I do hope that this can lead to black people just being treated like humans... That's it.

 

[old manatee]

Jordan should have said stuff like this when was more influential.

Jordan is hot right now. I see crying Jordan everywhere I go. He was bad at baseball, but he's got one of the all-time dankest memes.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

One of the biggest issues are many police forces have no connection to the community they are serving, which is what he is donating to improve.

Ferguson PD had a connection to it's community and it was "give me your fucking money or else". There was another and that was "don't bleed on my uniform while i'm beating the shit out of you, that's destruction of property".

 

[Pinko Marx]

Is the societal injustice for racial minorities the same as the lack of respect and support for police officers? Perhaps they shouldn't be treated as equivalent issues?

They're still both issues that need to be dealt with. It's pretty whack that people are finding issue with someone donating to two good causes.

 

[Jeels]

Is the societal injustice for racial minorities the same as the lack of respect and support for police officers? Perhaps they shouldn't be treated as equivalent issues?

It isn't a pissing contest. These are real issues that need fixing.

 

[Kinyou]

Is the societal injustice for racial minorities the same as the lack of respect and support for police officers? Perhaps they shouldn't be treated as equivalent issues?

Both donations he made seem intent on fixing that. I don't think police improving relations to the community is meant to be a one way road.

 

[Ray Wonder]

Didn't expect to agree with him so hard. Kudos to him.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Usually "I can no longer stay silent" is followed by something more ground shattering and not the same 'both sides' rhetoric that has been said a million times. And I will start giving police respect when they take honest steps to reform themselves. I keep hearing most cops are good, but if that were true then they'd stop protecting the bad ones and instead purge them.

 

[Maxim726X]

"Both sides" stance, huh

I still can't believe this has become an 'either or' issue.

Are you against the killing of police officers?
Are you against the unfair treatment of minorities?

You don't actually have to pick sides here, America.

 

[MartyStu]

"Both sides" stance, huh

If you come to the table completely in good faith and expect everyone else to as well--like Obama--the 'both sides' stance is the correct one.

 

[Kreed]

Should he only stick to one side?

This narrative only works because Black Lives Matter has, in some people's minds, become the slogan of being anti police/against police. By default, Black Lives Matter is "both sides" because all they are asking for is improving the police force in regards to how they treat black civilians, not for the attacking/the destruction of police forces.

Note that this isn't criticism of Jordan's decision and statements, which are fine IMO, just this whole "side" discussion going on in the thread right now. It would have also been fine for Jordan to just donate to NAACP and he wouldn't have been against police/on an anti police side.

 

[jmizzal]

MJ speaking out is huge

 

[DoubleTake]

I keep hearing most cops are good, but if that were true then they'd stop protecting the bad ones and instead purge them.

This is one of the biggest things IMO. Cops never seem willing to call out their peers. Where do start fixing that mentality when the people in charge are the ones that perpetuate it in the first place?

 

[Zukuu]

Good on him. That's the only way to get to a real palpable solution.

I'd start with the restructure of police training. That will directly influence the mindset and outcome of many events and their related incidents in the future.

Police officers need to have a mentality test, proper education of laws and reality checks in how to handle various situations - it can't be "shoot first, ask later". Those aspects need to be tweaked, reformed and changed.

Also, we need an independent investigation bureau that handles and investigates police crime.

 

[Abounder]

Jordan needs to start being more politically active especially after his team/state lost the All-Star Game due to unconstitutional anti-LGBT laws. Ali's legacy needs to live on.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

"Both sides" stance, huh

Looking where the money is going, he's saying the police need to do a better job.

Good on Mike for getting off the sideline, even 30 years after the fact is still a boon.

 

[Maxim726X]

This is one of the biggest things IMO. Cops never seem willing to call out their peers. Where do start fixing that mentality when the people in charge are the ones that perpetuate it in the first place?

Those kind of institutional changes need to happen at the top, hence the call for reform.

You can't expect individual officers to risk their career by not playing ball... Yes, it's a broken system but one that will not change unless there is outside pressure to do so.

 

[Mesousa]

How about he speak out about the subculture around his shoes that have dudes killing each other over them...

 

[The 18th Letter]

sneaker sales must be tanking

 

[DrFunk]

MJ speaking out is huge

Must've got pulled over 4 times over the weekend

 

[Noirulus]

Hopefully his message will spread. You have to fight with love, not war. The people need to be made aware of Gandhi and Martin Luther's philosophies.

 

[zeemumu]

At this point black people are just happy he isn't on some Charles Barkley "what about black on black crime"

Everyone has their own methods of coping with the Space Jam

 

[xkramz]

So how much is mj worth? I mean what's his income?