LOS ANGELES — As Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers prepared to face the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, news came down from Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Kenosha County District Attorney announced that there would be no charges filed against officer Rusten Sheskey for shooting Jacob Blake in the back seven times on Aug. 23.
The shooting drew large national protests, even more so in Wisconsin, and even caused the NBA to go on a temporary stoppage led by George Hill, Sterling Brown, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The news drew reactions from around the world, and for Kawhi Leonard, it means the work doesn't stop.
“When the votings come out on those laws, just try to be educated,” Leonard said after the Clippers' loss to the Spurs. “We did talk to the city or state senates and try to change some things like I said, but it takes time. You know hopefully in the future we can get these guys to stop releasing fire on us. It’s sad.”
Head coach Tyronn Lue said the Clippers haven't had a chance to talk about the outcome of the shooting, which left the 29-year-old Jacob Blake partially paralyzed.
“I mean, just time and time again, it keeps happening,” Kawhi Leonard added. “We are still doing things to better the community and try to get some better laws for the officers with those firearms, but I mean it’s sad. It’s sad. You know, it’s hard to think about.”
“When the votings come out on those laws, just try to be educated. Talk to city and state senates. It takes time. Hopefully in the future, we can get these guys to stop releasing fire on us. It’s sad.”
Kawhi Leonard on no charges against the officer who shot Jacob Blake. pic.twitter.com/lAiHnxJpTc
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 6, 2021
In his second season with the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard has taken on more of a role as the team's star. He has been visibly vocal on the court, he has opened up a lot more in media availabilities, and even went on Jimmy Kimmel to promote his next shoe. Not many could've seen the latter two coming with Leonard, but it's another step in his growth.
Leonard feels that while he can't change the officers or what people think, he can continue to help educating and assisting communities in Los Angeles with the goal of preventing another Jacob Blake situation in Kenosha, another Breonna Taylor tragedy in Louisville, and another George Floyd tragedy in Minneapolis.
“It's the shooter,” Kawhi Leonard said. “You got to change the people that’s in the uniform. I can’t change people's thoughts. You got to get those people out of those uniforms, like I said. The only thing we can do is change what we can change. Do what we can do in our communities, just keep educating people on the officers and… I don’t know. I’m not a politician, but like I said before, I am just going to keep doing what I can do to educate the young men, Black young men in the communities that I grew up in LA, the whole California, just keep moving out. But we got to change the shooters man.”
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