Why weren't there protests like this when Charleena Lyles, a mother of three with a history of mental health issues, called the police to report a break in and was then shot dead by police officers? Why wasn't the nation outraged then?
I told my friend the same reasons that kept me busy for the past two weeks were the same reasons that allowed the protests. I was worried about my mom who had COVID. I was taking care of my son whose surgery was rescheduled because of COVID.
"I am working, you are working. I am taking care of my son," she said. "When can we protest?"
She and I might not have time to protest, but forty million unemployed people and millions of out-of-school students have time.
What else?
I give credit to Michael Jordan and ESPN. In April and May (or sometime during COVID season), ESPN aired a ten-part documentary on the Chicago Bulls. There were no live sports on television or in stadiums, so anyone who likes sports was probably watching the ESPN special.
- MJ was the hero.
- Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were supporting actors.
- The primary villain: Jerry Krause, a short, square shaped white guy who managed the Bulls who thought he made the team great, not the players.
- The ghost villains: The young thugs who murdered Michael Jordan's father.
Aside from Detroit Piston fans, who doesn't love Michael Jordan? Across the globe, people love MJ. When I was in Thailand in 1998, a random guy came and asked where I was from.
"Chicago," I said.
"Michael Jordan!" he replied. The GOAT put my hometown on the global map.
I believe this ESPN documentary was another reason people took to the streets. If the greatest living athlete isn't immune to violent hate crimes in his life, who is?
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