Roommates, it’s been a few weeks since the untimely death of Ma’Khia Bryant. Many celebrities have spoken out about the incident and about the Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon, who fatally shot Ma’Khia. One of the celebrities who used their platform was LeBron James. We recently reported the NBA baller did a tweet and delete of a photo of officer Nicholas with the caption, “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Several people came for LeBron following the tweet, including the LAPD union and O.J. Simpson. O.J. tweeted, “You can’t fight every battle. You know you got to pick your battles. It’s a war that must be fought, but sometimes you need to take your time and be a little more patient before you comment on some of these bad incidents that are happening with police departments,” O.J. said. “LeBron should have waited.”
Lebron has been pretty quiet following the incident but recently decided to clear the air and speak out in yet another tweet. On Monday, he wrote, “I fueled the wrong conversation about Ma’Khia Bryant, and I owe it to her and this movement to change it. Thank you, @fabiolacineas, for educating us about Ma’Khia and her story and why this needs to be about her.” He then shared a link to a Vox article that Fabiola wrote about the debate online surrounding if Ma’Khia’s death was preventable or if she was to blame because she had a knife.
The article states, “Bryant’s death has become a debate that questions a child’s actions — and worthiness to live — instead of another example of the racism of policing and the institution’s failure to provide wholesome support, care, and safety for the communities it serves. The insistence that Reardon had no other option than to take Bryant’s life to save others — though he risked everyone’s life in the process — displays the lack of consideration and value that society places on the lives of Black girls and women.”
While it seems like some of Lebron’s fans did take the time to read the article, they continued to debate on Twitter about who’s actions were in the wrong that led to Ma’Khia’s death.
https://www.vox.com/22406055/makhia-bryant-police-shooting-columbus-ohio