Tag: Protests

Protesters outside Augusta National look to change Georgia voting rights

A statewide church group gathered near the Augusta National Golf Club to rally for a change in the new Georgia voting law.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A statewide church group and other organizations gathered near the Augusta National Golf Club to rally for a change in the new Georgia voting law and end what they called “Jim Crow 2.0.”

About three dozen people attended to encourage corporations attending or sponsoring the tournament to take a stand against Senate Bill 202, which they say limits voting specifically for Blacks.

Representatives from the Augusta NAACP also called on changes to the law at the protest at Washington and Berckmans roads. The bill, political action chair Jorae Jenkins said, makes it difficult for people to vote because of changes to absentee ballots. Moving the Masters is not necessarily the goal, she said, but for corporations to remove sponsorships.

“Other major organizations have come out and take a stand against this bill,” she said. “It would be nice to see people that are here that are sponsors to do the same thing and that they agree that this bill is not right and we have to take a stand.”

Last week Major League Baseball announced that the All-Star Game would be played in Colorado as opposed to Atlanta due to the bill. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is a member of Augusta National and earlier this week Sen. Marco Rubio asked him if he would remove his membership. Manfred has not responded.

“(Manfred) has made that deliberate decision so maybe he can use his influence to influence other corporate leaders to know that Georgia must deal with the suppressive law that has been put in place,” Rev. Fer-Rell Malone Sr., senior pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Waycross, said.

Augusta National Golf Club and Masters Tournament Chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday he opposed a boycott or other punitive measure as burdensome “on the most vulnerable,” including Augustans, but declined to condemn the voting law.

“The right to vote is fundamental in our democratic society. No one should be disadvantaged in exercising that right, and it is critical that all citizens have confidence in the electoral process,” Ridley said during his annual address.

Daniel Thomas, the social action chairman of the Augusta Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, said Saturday it is a “hallowed responsibility of corporations” to make sure every citizen has the right and opportunity to vote.

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The law, Pastor James Reid of Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church said, is retaliation for former President Donald Trump’s loss in Georgia.

“It’s all well and good to come in and enjoy the wonderfulness of the Masters, but have the conscientiousness of the least of these who are still suffering and want to vote effectively,” he said.

“It’s all well and good to come in and enjoy the wonderfulness of the Masters, but have the conscientiousness of the least of these who are still suffering and want to vote effectively,” said Pastor James Reid of Piney Grove Missionary Church during the protest Saturday in Augusta against Georgia Senate Bill 202.

Reginald T. Jackson, presiding bishop of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and one of the event’s organizers, was unable to attend due to a funeral but, in a statement, called for Masters Tournament leadership and golfers to denounce the bill.

“We did not call upon the Masters golf tournament not to have its tournament in Augusta, or criticize it for doing so,” he wrote. “But we are calling on the Masters Tournament and golfers to join with us and speak up and cry out against the passage of SB 202 in Georgia and similar legislation, in fact, more than 300 bills in more than 40 other states.”

Jenkins said she and others will not stop fighting for the people of Georgia and will make sure residents “are taken care of.” Reid echoed those sentiments in continuing to fight.

“It’s time for everyone to start getting into some good trouble,” he said.

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George Hill speaks to Undefeated about U.S. Capitol riot, NBA bubble protests

OKC Thunder guard George Hill, a leader of the NBA protests in the bubble, spoke to The Undefeated about Jacob Blake and the U.S. Capitol riot.

In August, George Hill was one of the leaders and most outspoken figures in the NBA bubble protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a resident of Wisconsin, the home of Hill’s then-team, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Hill spoke about these protests from NBA players over summer and the riot inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday with The Undefeated.

On Tuesday, a Wisconsin prosecutor said he would not file charges against the officer who shot Blake in the back as Blake leaned into his car. Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said he could not disprove the officer’s argument of self-defense and fear that Blake would stab him with a knife that was found in his car, according to the Associated Press.

On Wednesday, as the House and Senate convened to count electoral votes, a Pro-Trump protest outside the Capitol building turned into a riot as protestors clashed with the small police force at the building and many in the mob eventually got inside, prompting an evacuation of the lawmakers.

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“It ain’t crazy. It’s the norm,” George Hill, now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, said to Marc J. Spears.

“What did you expect? Did you expect anything different? I’m not at all surprised about all of this. I knew this was going to happen.”

Spears asked Hill if he was referring to the Blake decision or the riot.

“I’m referring to all of it,” Hill answered.

Hill discussed other subjects, including about his work in the city of Milwaukee and the players’ reactions around him when he helped lead the strike of games. Spears asked if he received backlash from players around the league when the Bucks boycotted without discussing with other teams first.

“Everybody had mixed emotions. I would never throw anybody out there. I just know everybody didn’t agree on certain things and that is normal,” Hill said as part of his answer.

Hill also said he had a feeling that the Bucks would trade him after the season.

“I prepared myself that summer for me probably not being there. People thought I was probably crazy for thinking that. But I’m human. It is what it is. We’ve seen that many times,” he said.

Spears asked if he thought the trade was for off-the-court reasons. Hill answered:

“If it’s more than basketball, then they will live with that. If it wasn’t … we’ll never know. I’m sure they won’t flat-out come out and say it. So, it doesn’t really matter.”

Hill was also asked about Oklahoma City-specific areas. One such was about Julius Jones, 40, who was arrested on murder charges as a 19-year-old in 1999 and placed on death row in 2002 but has maintained innocence.

The guard said he has yet to get involved but is learning more about it.

“I’ve been talking to people who have educated me more on the situation before I jump into something and not know. We’ve been in talks,” Hill said.

He also said he plans to participate in the 100-year commemoration event of the Tulsa race massacre.

Read the full article at the Undefeated.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault: Riot at U.S. Capitol ‘appalling,’ ‘surreal’

OKC Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke about the riot at the U.S. Capitol building.

The United States of America paused on Wednesday to watch as a pro-President Donald Trump protest at the U.S. Capitol turned violent as rioters breached the building and forced a pause to the electoral vote count as the Senate chamber was evacuated.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke about the events during a Zoom press conference prior to the team’s night game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

“It’s appalling and pretty surreal. This is a great country, but it’s also one where there’s times where it’s hard to recognize ourselves,” Daigneault said.

“The distance between who we want to be, and who we think we are, and who we really are, sometimes, is vast, at certain times, and this, along with a long string of events in recent history, is yet another reminder of how far we have to go.”

The Thunder had yet to meet as a team when Daigneault spoke on Wednesday, but he expects to discuss the events in Washington D.C. with the team before they take the court to play the Pelicans.

Tipoff for the Thunder (2-5) and Pelicans (4-3) game is scheduled for 7 p.m. It will be aired on FOX Sports Oklahoma and broadcast at WWLS 98.1FM OKC.

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WATCH: Former Spartan and Kenosha native Trae Waynes discusses Jacob Blake shooting

Waynes has been critical of the police shooting the unarmed Blake in the back seven times.

Former Michigan State star defensive back Trae Waynes has been very outspoken in the aftermath of a police officer shooting Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man, seven times in the back in Kenosha, Wisoconsin. Waynes hails from Kenosha and has been tweeting about the incident over the past few days.

On Friday Waynes made an appearance on Big Ten Network to discuss the shooting and ensuing protests with BTN’s Rick Pizzo.

Waynes is currently with the Cincinnati Bengals but is projected to be out for much of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.

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Doc Rivers says Clippers players were ready to walk away from playoffs: ‘They thought it was over’

“They thought it was over,” Rivers told reports about his team, the Los Angeles Clippers. “It was just a really tough day for all of them.”

The Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers granted an interview to Fox Prime Ticket on Thursday, just a day after an impromptu strike by NBA players led the league to postpone playoff games.

Rivers revealed that his team had believed the season was “over,” and were prepared to fully walk away from the playoffs.

The strike came as a response to the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisc. Blake is now reportedly paralyzed.

On Wednesday night, after games were postponed, the remaining NBA teams met to discuss if they would continue at all that season. During that discussion, USA TODAY Sports reported that the Lakers and Clippers were ready to walk away from the season. (In an interview with JJ Redick, Landry Shamet confirmed that the two teams had voted to end the season in an initial vote, but that “things were moving really fast.”)

While the two teams initially voted to walk away, the rest of teams could not reach a consensus. The next day the players all agreed to move on with the playoffs.

Speaking with Fox Prime Ticket, Rivers was asked about his team being ready to move on with the playoffs, and responded that his team is now “really looking forward to it.”

Despite that, however, Rivers noted that Wednesday “was a very difficult day though. Like their emotions were all over the place.” He went on to say regarding his team that “they thought it was over. It was just a really tough day for all of them.”

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NBA Boycott: What needs to happen next after NBA players refused to play

The NBA players are fed up.

The NBA’s season seems to be saved for now, but on Wednesday night it felt like it was hanging by a thread.

NBA players protested against police brutality and violence against Black people on Wednesday by not playing in games. They also considered not playing for the rest of the postseason with both the Lakers and Clippers initially being in support of that measure.

After a good night’s sleep and some time, things have reversed and the players are set to play again between Friday and Saturday.

But we got the message loud and clear. The players want to do more and they want the league to do more with them. If they don’t? Basketball could be in trouble.

Mike Sykes has more on how the league needs to move forward to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Boston’s Jaylen Brown among leaders of NBA’s historic protest

Boston Celtic shooting guard and NBPA Vice President Jaylen Brown has been one of the leading voices in the league’s response to the shooting of Jacob Blake.

The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t plan on sparking a wildcat strike across several sports in response to the shooting of Wisconsinite Jacob Blake, but they did, and Boston Celtic shooting guard Jaylen Brown couldn’t be more supportive.

After refusing to come out and play their Game 5 playoff matchup with the Orlando Magic in protest, a wave such protests grew like a tsunami over North American professional sports Wednesday.

First, the Magic-Bucks contest was postponed. Then the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers joined them, soon followed by the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Not even hours later, WNBA and Major League Baseball teams followed suit, as did Major League Soccer and tennis, per ESPN.

Sometimes, some of our best moments in history have come when one person says, “enough,” and Wednesday may well have been one of those days.

In a year where unprecedented events seem to happen almost as often as the precedented variety, the historic nature of what happened that day cannot be overemphasized.

Where it goes from here will determine that legacy.

The stakes are high, with the potential for the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to be blown to pieces and the remainder of this season and the next to be cast into doubt, potentially to the point of being an existential threat to the league itself given the pall of COVID-19 still hanging over the league.

After the unplanned cancellation of Wednesday’s games, an impromptu meeting was assembled, and some players took issue with Milwaukee’s unilateral decision.

And Boston’s Jaylen Brown took issue with that, supporting the Bucks’ decision.

It must be remembered, the shooting that rekindled this blaze was in their home market, a market that saw local police taze and brutalize Sterling Brown, one of their teammates.

Brown was vocal on the elephant in the room — whether to resume play at all — as well.

“Are you going home to work?”, he asked his peers, “Or are you going home to be on the front lines?”

The question of how they can do the most good is the only question that matters right now, and it is an answer only they can provide.

And until we have it from them, the world waits to learn how we can support their efforts, whatever they may be, or become.

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Saints support Jacob Blake protests in training camp practice

The New Orleans Saints added helmet stickers carrying Jacob Blake’s name during training camp practice, showing solidarity with protestors.

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The police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., has resonated throughout the professional sports world. NBA players staged a strike during their Wednesday playoff series, with WNBA and MLB players also joining them in solidarity. The latest shooting of an unarmed Black person by police has been a tipping point after protests earlier this summer following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many more.

In the NFL, some teams have chosen to postpone or cancel their training camp practice sessions and scrimmages on Thursday. While the New Orleans Saints will be working in their indoor practice facility due to inclement weather from Hurricane Laura, they’ll be making their own tribute to the protests following Blake’s shooting.

Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins shared a photo on his Instagram account of his practice helmet, which features a sticker carrying Blake’s name. The Saints normally wear stickers listing their surnames in practice, but those appear to have been switched out.

Players also received a flier in their lockers with a photograph of Muhammad Ali, along with a quote from him. Larger posters of the same image have been installed throughout the Saints locker room, per Cameron Jordan’s Instagram account:

While the Saints have not joined other NFL teams in canceling practice on Thursday (and do not plan to, per a report from ESPN’s Dianna Russini), this is very much a developing situation in the sports world at large. Stay tuned for updates.

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The NBA’s referees began a march to support the player’s protest

The NBA’s referees marched against racism on Thursday in a show of solidarity with the NBA player’s protests.

NBA players took a stand against racism and demanded equality for Black people across America by not playing in any games on Wednesday evening.

On Thursday morning, the NBA’s officials made sure the players weren’t standing alone.

Instead of remaining silent on the issue, the NBA’s referees decided to host a march on the NBA’s bubble campus in support of the players’ protests against racism and police brutality.

They all met up early on Thursday morning, and at 9 a.m. at Disney’s Coronado Springs resort, they began a march around the campus. It wasn’t just NBA officials, either. Team attendants and others who were living on the NBA’s campus during their restart also attended.

This is big. It’s a major show of solidarity with the players from the officials. Good on them for taking a stand.

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A night of protest: Where NBA, WNBA, MLS, and MLB stand after players boycott games

Where each league stands after a night of boycotts, which leaves the future of the NBA season in doubt.

Athletes across professional sports boycotted games on Wednesday night, an unprecedented and historic protest for racial justice in America. Players were responding to the death of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin after Blake attempted to break up a fight.

Athletes in the NBA, WNBA, MLS, MLB and professional tennis (among others) all refused to play on Wednesday night, a mass boycott that left professional leagues scrambling to postpone and reschedule games. What started as a stance from several WNBA teams and the Milwaukee Bucks now has reached across sports, and leaves the very future of the NBA season in balance.

This morning, we can take stock of the historic protests, and where each league stands.

NBA

The players on the Milwaukee Bucks announced that they were boycotting Game 5 of their playoff series against the Magic on Wednesday night. Rather than have the Bucks forfeit, the NBA then postponed the game.

In a meeting with the remaining teams on Wednesday night, the Lakers and Clippers reportedly voted to end the season right now and walk away, but the other teams could not reach a consensus on how to proceed. Discussions will continue today.

WNBA

The league was made to postpone all three games that were scheduled on Wednesday night after players announced they would be boycotting playing. Washington Mystics vs. Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx, and the Connecticut Sun vs. the Phoenix Mercury will all attempt to be rescheduled, according to a statement from the league.

MLS

All but one game on Wednesday night was postponed after players announced their intention to boycott. After the one game that did occur — an Orlando City win over Nashville — Orlando City’s Nani told reporters that his team was unaware of the scope of the players’ initiative to boycott, and wanted to respect the fans who had already shown up at the stadium.

MLB

The Milwaukee Brewers decided to boycott their game against the Cincinnati Reds, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners followed suit, refusing to play their game against the Giants and Padres, respectively. The league has said it will try to reschedule the games. Elsewhere in the league, Jason Heyward of the Chicago Cubs, Dexter Fowler and Jack Flaherty of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Matt Kemp of the Colorado Rockies all refused to play on Wednesday.

Tennis

Naomi Osaka announced that she wouldn’t play in the WTA Western & Southern Open semifinals on Thursday, leading to the tournament suspending all play for one day.

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