We can thank smartphones as the best weapon against police violence. They now record for all the world to see what black Americans have seen for generations. Now that we have all witnessed what has been happening, a majority of the country is standing up behind our black brothers and sisters, saying “Enough!”

Again, the problem isn’t new. Anyone who ever read a police report from an officer-involved shooting can recite by rote memory the officer’s language justifying the shooting: “The suspect then made a move toward his waist area where I saw something black that I believed to be a weapon and I feared for my life and safety.” The words track Supreme Court cases that set out when lethal force may be used. Those statements don’t carry any weight when Americans see the truth. Black men get gunned down when officers become angry – period.

Professional athletics is one of the few economic sectors in which it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, whether your family had money, where you went to school, or what you might look like. None of it plays a role in whether one gets a job. Professional athletic positions are 100% merit-based and black Americans have taken advantage. Some of the most iconic Americans – white or black – come from athletics. These men and women are very wealthy, have immense power, command a lot of microphones, and are generally well-liked. When they speak, people listen. Unfortunately, none of the above does any of the black athletes any good if pulled over late at night by an officer who sees “just another black man.”

Thus black athletes are taking a stand and it is a stand that they know will cost them money. It will upset the more racist whites, it will decrease their endorsement dollars, and possibly bring less money to the leagues. Black athletes are essentially paying money out of their pockets to lead this movement. It is powerful. This is more important than money.

And boy does it ever piss a racist like Trump off. Trump doesn’t like it when black Americans stand -up for their rights. Trump prefers it when black Americans act “in their place” as Trump sees it. So Trump takes every opportunity to lash out at Americans who are literally being hunted down in the streets. This is a Trump quote from last night on Air Force One. Link:

“It’s terrible. I think what they’re doing to the NBA in particular is going to destroy basketball. I can’t – I don’t even watch it. … You know when you watch sports, you want to sort of relax, but this is a whole different world. … You don’t want to stay in politics. You want to relax,”

It probably never occurred to Trump that standing up to racism isn’t inherently political. If one says that racism exists, that it is wrong, and it is killing Americans, one really isn’t making a political statement. It is an ethical statement. Only when one’s politics involve purposefully keeping black Americans in their place does it become political. Second, many white and black Americans cannot “relax” when watching Americans we care about play sports, knowing that they’re being hunted on the way home. Perhaps we “relax” more knowing that they’re using their immense power to stand up against racism. Of course, Trump doesn’t even consider the possibility. He picks out the NBA and says it is particularly unwatchable, the league with the highest percentage of black Americans, the league in which black Americans are most powerful as beloved “friends” we feel like we know.

It’s very bad for the NBA and it’s going to prove to be very bad for football. Roger Goodell should have learned his lesson two years ago. And I’m not letting up. I’m not letting up. They were begging for mercy two years ago on the flag. I’m not letting up.

Interesting imagery, and very telling. “Begging for mercy.” It almost sounds like a Trump fantasy. “Learning a lesson?” To Trump, this is a fight. What is he fighting? We should also note that these leagues are most certainly not trying to lose money. Trump doesn’t even consider that perhaps more Americans will support the leagues the stronger the stand they take. We can almost certainly assure Trump that the leagues have run the numbers. But Trump is viewing it from the racist perspective, so it’s not possible that more people will watch and support the leagues as they stand up.

It’s going to be very bad for football and I think it’s very bad for the NBA. Maybe even NBA threatening. And it’s going to be very bad for baseball if they don’t get smarter,

Sounds straight off the plantation. “Get smart, listen to me, obey me, or it will get really bad.”

Trump never seems more sure of himself or more comfortable when telling black athletes or powerful organizations standing against racism how to act, and what’s best for them. It is almost like it’s a natural thing for him.

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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom