Ferguson, Mo., has been the focal point of the nation since Monday night.
Protests turned to rioting in the St. Louis suburb following a grand jury’s decision not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown.
The riots, which included looting and left several buildings destroyed, elicited a strong reaction many in the sports world, including LeBron James. The Cleveland Cavaliers star spoke out Tuesday against the violent protests, saying they cloud what should be the protesters’ true message.
“That’s not the answer,” James told reporters, via ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin. “What does that do? What does that actually do? Just hurt more families, hurt more people, draw more attention to things that shouldn’t even be going on instead of people going to the family’s household and praying with them. And saying, ‘Things are going to be great.’ You know, ‘Mike Brown is in a better place now,’ and ‘Trayvon Martin is in a better place now.’ That’s where it should be. I mean, burning down things and shooting up things and running cars into places and stealing and stuff like that, what does that do? It doesn’t make you happy.”
James, who along with former Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade organized a team photo honoring Martin after the teenager was shot and killed in 2012, posted the following Monday night on Instagram.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
