When Joseph Dorceus learned that none of the 3 officers who had shot Breonna Taylor’s apartment would be charged with her death, it was difficult to handle.
The Memphis defensive lineman sought to be positive about the future, but the offer made it harder.
“It’s just not acceptable,” Dorceus said after Thursday practice. “You have to do what you can do at the end of the day, the other people who (don’t) do what they (don’t) do. “
On Wednesday, a Louisville grand jury charged one of the 3 officers involved in 3 charges of free first-degree danger. Brett Hankison is accused of firing several shots at nearby apartments where three people, in addition to a child, were at home.
But Hankison and two other officials were not charged with killing Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency technique that fired six times and died on his spot after police tried to comply with a court order without going on strike on March 13 as part of a narcotics investigation. A search of his house didn’t find drugs.
As the Tigers returned after stopping their football activities for 11 days, they may not forget what had happened to Taylor or other black victims involved in the police shootings.
Defensive zaguero Quindell Johnson said he was frustrated. Open receiver Damonte Coxie has an idea of how tigers have stickers on Black Lives Matter helmets, but this is just one step to solve social injustice problems.
“We’re proud of him as a team, but there’s more than Breonna Taylor,” Coxie said of stickers. “It’s so deep and everyone knows it. “
According to the Washington Post police database, 142 of the other 721 people shot dead by police officers this year were black and 286 were white, but the database notes that the rate of blacks killed by police is twice the rate of white clothing.
Taylor’s and George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck and jacob Blake’s shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, provoked protests in Memphis and across the country. , the Tigers held meetings to talk about how the players were dealing with things.
Coach Ryan Silverfield said he spoke to several players on Thursday, but planned to have more meetings on Friday because they would be on the field.
“We’re talking about something bigger than football, and that’s the case; it’s not a statement,” Silverfield said. “Our guys are going through a lot of other things, and it’s not just about rescheduling (games) or COVID, yet a lot of things are happening and I think it’s vital to fix it. “
Dorceus kept hope and sought answers within the team. In previous meetings, he appreciated how everyone had something to say and is encouraged to communicate how they feel so they can pay attention and understand.
He thanked the Tigers coaches for giving them space to deal with them, but even if it helped, it is also more complicated to maintain a positive attitude to the sense of defeat.
“You will have to be positive, but you cannot be positive. We have to do something about it,” Dorceus said. “I think I’m positive to see what will happen, to see what my brothers and I, what we are going to do
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