Basketball great Michael Jordan has finally broken his silence on the issue of police brutality against African Americans in the United States.
Jordon, who is often criticized for not being supportive towards the black community has finally broken his silence in a letter released on ESPN’s The Undefeated on Monday.
Following the recent upsurge in police violence, the six time NBA champion called for better treatment of black Americans by police officers around the country. He also asked for Americans to respect the police officers “who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all.”
“I can no longer stay silent,” said Jordan. “We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers … are respected and supported.”
“As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers,” Jordan writes. “I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.”
Jordon also vowed to throw some financial support to tackle the issue, pledging $1 million to the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Institute for Community-Police Relations, and $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
A host of black celebrities have recently began to become vocal on the issue of police brutality since the July shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who were both shot and killed by police.
