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Athletes’ protests do matter: just ask the victims’ families they stand up for | Etan Thomas
The likes of LeBron James and Gwen Berry are accused of useless posturing. But many families of those killed by police find comfort in their support
For Black History Month, I conducted a panel discussion with Athletes For Hope and sponsored by Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Push Coalition.
The panel consisted of family members of victims of police violence, whom I had spoken with for my recent book, Police Brutality And White Supremacy: The Fight Against American Tradition. They included Emerald Garner, whose father Eric was choked to death by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo; Michelle Monterrosa, whose brother Sean was killed in Vallejo, California by Detective Jarrett Tonn, who fired shots from an unmarked vehicle; and Ashley Carr, sister of Atatiana Jefferson who was shot dead by officer Aaron Dene in her home in Texas as she looked after her nephew. Also on the panel was hammer thrower Gwen Berry, who created a stir last year when she turned away from the flag during the anthem at the US Olympic trials.
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