Oscar and LeBron - Chris 'Preach' Smith

Let me paint a picture of perspective for you, if I may.

Yesterday, the East Coast began to feel relief from one heat wave
that took place earlier in the week and joined the rest of the nation
in the downright obsessive wave of news stories dedicated to NBA
free agency. The focus of those stories was all about where LeBron
James would go. From the moment he and the Cleveland Cavaliers
left the postseason, the story has become a daily fixture across
all forms of media. It all came to a head last night as James, in a
move most would call narcissistic and pompous, announced that
he would join the Miami Heat in an hour-long special program that
ESPN was only too happy to oblige him with in a time slot normally
set for State of The Union addresses. The uproar could be felt from
shoreline to shoreline, with Cleveland experiencing anguish and rage
that was expressed in people burning his jersey and his former owner
unleashing such a vicious public letter ripping James for his decision.
Which is understandable to a point. I'll go into that a little later.

All of this frenzy probably didn't mean a damn in Oakland, California.
The reason for that being that the verdict came down in the Oscar
Grant trial hours earlier. For those not in the know, Oscar Grant was
a young man, a father who was caught up in a fracas on a BART
platform in the early hours of New Year's Day last year. The 22 year
old was forced to the ground by police officers as seven other young
Black men were present. Grant, who was known as a peacemaker,
was talking to them, pleading with them to co-operate with the cops
who were responding to reports of a fight. Officer Johannes Mehserle
and another officer forced Grant to the ground. Then, percieving
Grant to be resisting arrest as the other officer put his knee to Grant's
back, Mehserle pulled out his service pistol and shot Grant once in his
back, the bullet then re-entering into his lungs. Oscar Grant died that
morning after lying on the ground in agony for 40 minutes while the
police made themselves busy confiscating cellphones from people who
were taking video, save for one by Katrina Vargas who was on a BART
train pulling out. In the subsequent trial of Mehserle, the jury found
him guilty only of involuntary manslaughter. Mehserle in testimony had
stated that he intended to pull out his Taser instead of his .40 caliber
pistol.

What we have here folks, is an abject failure all around with regards to
perspective. On my way into Manhattan yesterday, I overheard and was
dragged into at least four different conversations about where LeBron
James would go. I had to search a little online just to get word about
the Oscar Grant trial verdict. For all of those cursing LeBron James for
not choosing your team and going to play for Miami, let me ask you one
question: what matters most to you, where a millionaire athlete chooses
to play ball or the fact that a Black man was essentially murdered in
cold blood and the person who did it essentially will get off light? This
may seem a bit heavy-handed, but there's no other way to put it across.
ESPN is at fault for essentially making a profit off of all of this speculation
and has invited every bit of criticism it gets. For that matter, so does other
sections of the media. And maybe some of us, myself included need that
too. Because Oscar Grant isn't here to share in all of this with us, and the
reasons why are downright sobering if not outrageous. And we should be
mindful that no matter how much progress we've made in these United
States, there are always reminders that come along that just show just
how divided we are. And you don't need floor-side season tickets to
understand just how serious that is. Think about that today...and think
about Oscar Grant as well. Maybe LeBron will be doing that on his private
Gulfstream as he travels to South Beach.

Comments

[levar F.M.]

"Think about that today...and think about Oscar Grant as well. Maybe LeBron will be doing that on his private Gulfstream as he travels to South Beach."

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sadly, all LeBron can see right now is dollar signs and sunny winters.